Category: General News

General News

GST, Article 35A and Special status: A complex story unfolds in J&K

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When the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was extended to Jammu & Kashmir a week after it was implemented in the rest of the country, it was widely seen as marking the end of the state’s fiscal autonomy, and a step towards the abrogation of its special status. While the opposition National Conference (NC) described the extension of the law, through an executive Order by the President under Article 370, as an “impingement into J&K’s special status and violation of Article 370”, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is in…

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BJP Leader meets Modi, seeks peace initiative to end cross border shelling

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The Jammu and Kashmir BJP has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi start peace initiative to end Border shelling, : which has made life of border residents miserable”. A press release claimed that Eshfaq-ur-rehman Poswal, BJP Leader on Monday discussed prevailing Security Situation in J&K with Prime Minister in Parliament. Poswal also discussed escalation in cross border tension between the two countries with the Prime Minister. “The situation in J&K has improved but Pakistan backed Militants are making all attempts to disrupt peace and security in the region” he told PM.…

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Apex court dismisses PIL on killing of 700 Pandits in 1990

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Refuses to order reinvestigation into massacre, citing inordinate delay Citing inordinate delay, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking reinvestigation into the massacre of over 700 Kashmiri Pandits during 1989-90 when militancy was at its peak in the state, leading to their mass exodus from the Valley. Petitioner ‘Roots in Kashmir’ – an NGO – which wanted prosecution of those responsible for the killings, including separatist leader Yasin Malik, said 215 FIRs were registered in connection with the murder of over 700 Kashmiri Pandits but hardly anything happened…

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NIA arrests seven separatist leaders: Terror funding

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested seven people, including the son-in-law of separatist leader SAS Geelani , for allegedly funding terror groups in Kashmir. The seven are Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate. Shah is the son-in-law of hardline Hurriyat leader Geelani, Islam is a close aide of moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Akbar is the spokesperson for the Geelani-led Hurriyat. Geelani suspended Khan from the basic membership of Hurriyat conference in May, days after a sting operation…

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Dialogue with separatists can’t be held at gunpoint: Nirmal Singh

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Dialogue with separatists cannot be held at gunpoint, and they should help to create a conducive atmosphere by dissociating themselves from the ongoing violence in the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said on Monday. Singh said the PDP-BJP Agenda of Alliance (AoA) spoke of facilitating talks as “dialogue is the only way. “But talks cannot be held at gunpoint. Talks cannot happen by exerting pressure, by killing innocents, attacking pilgrims or police officers of Jammu and Kashmir.” “People who want to talk should come forward and…

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Government open for talks on Kashmir, Opposition told

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The centre has made it clear to opposition leaders that it is open for talks with “all stakeholders” as far as the issue of Kashmir was concerned, at a meeting held to brief them on the Amarnath tragedy. It has also said the Amarnath attack on July 10 that killed seven pilgrims was not because of any security lapse but because the bus got late with two of its tyres getting deflated and subsequent delay in getting the passengers on board the bus. The government had reached out to the…

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National Investigation Agency ropes in tax officials to probe LoC trade

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has roped in tax officials to probe trans-LoC trade and alleged receipt of money by separatists groups in the Kashmir valley, believed to be the main source of terror financing, officials said today. The Centre has allowed the deputation of officers of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) in the NIA to help the investigators probe the multi-layered trade transactions, they said. The federal agency to probe terrorism-related cases had in December registered a case to look into the barter trade at the…

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People of Kashmir are between two maximalist positions: Chidambaram

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The Congress leader’s tweets come a day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti pointed out that the instability in the Valley is not due to a lack of law and order, but due to few external dimensions, while also urging the entire nation to come together to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Former finance minister P Chidambaram on Sunday took to Twitter to stress on the prevailing instability in the Kashmir Valley and blamed the Centre for aggravating the problem by taking ‘a maximalist position.’ “On…

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Nation first ‘be it China or Kashmir’, opposition leaders post all party meet in New Delhi

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The issue with China and the growing unrest in Kashmir will be raised in the Parliament session beginning next week by opposition parties, who were on Friday briefed by the government about the situation on both the fronts. Emerging from the meeting, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma told reporters that their party has raised some doubts before the government but made it clear that “nation is first – be it China or Kashmir”. “There is too much of tension and that should be lowered through diplomacy. We…

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JK Police forms SIT to probe Amarnath bus attack

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The bus was not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board and had reportedly violated the travel rules. The Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a DIG-rank officer to probe the July 10 terror attack on a bus carrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in south Kashmir. “We have constituted the six-member SIT headed by South Kashmir Deputy Inspector General of Police S.P. Pani for speedy investigation in this important case,” Inspector General of Police Kashmir Munir Ahmad Khan said. Other members include Anantnag Senior Superintendent of Police…

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