Category: General News

General News

Yashwant Sinha seeks meeting with PM Narendra Modi to talk Kashmir

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Former Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, who recently led a group of concerned citizens to Kashmir, was hopeful of resumption of a formal dialogue between Kashmir and New Delhi soon and has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliberate on the issue. The senior BJP leader claimed that he had meetings with several senior functionaries in the NDA government and is doing ‘front ground work’ to resume a formal dialogue process soon. Even though Sinha was tight lipped about the meetings, sources said he has met Home Minister…

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Govt implementing RSS agenda to crush people’s basic rights: Geelani

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Condemning the arrest of JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, senior resistance leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani today said, “the present state government is implementing the RSS agenda by crushing and curbing the basic rights of the population.” “And when they (people) come on streets to offend, batons of police, tear gas shells, bullets and pellets are poured in to silence these voices. Yasin sahib was leading a peaceful protest and there was no reason to prevent it by force, but authorities have decided it once for all, that peaceful activities…

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PDP, BJP not on same page over petition challenging Article 370

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Saffron party reluctant to contest the public interest litigation filed in Delhi High Court Even as the state Law Department has announced that it will fight the petition filed in the Delhi High Court challenging Article 370, the BJP, which is part of the coalition regime, has expressed ignorance about any such decision taken by the government. “I am not aware of any such decision by the government to fight the petition in the Delhi High Court,” said Minister of State for Law Ajay Nanda, who belongs to the BJP.…

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Revealed; J&K Govt gave citizen certificates to over 700 Pakistan refugees after Center Directive

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While 784 ‘domicile certificates’ were issued to West Pakistan Refugees (WRPs) till 2012, the State government ordered revenue officials to ensure no WRP was “harassed” in providing category certificates like SC (Schedule Caste), ALC (actual line of Control) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), according to documents accessed by the news agency GNS. The Union Home Ministry’s Joint Secretary (J&K), Gyanesh Kumar, on 20 September 2016 wrote a letter to state’s Chief Secretary, B R Sharma, for “necessary directions” to the field level officers in this regard. “This is in continuation…

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Kashmir up in arms against ‘Domicile’ Certificates to West Pakistan Refugees

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15 injured in clashes in several areas after Friday prayers At least 15 youth sustained injuries in forces’ action as massive clashes broke out across Kashmir after Friday congregational prayers against issuance of “domicile” certificates to non-state subject West Pakistan Refugees, even as a complete shutdown was observed across the Valley over the contentious issue. The call for shutdown was given by Valley’s joint resistance leadership. Shops and commercial establishments remained closed while very thin public transport was seen on roads. In Srinagar, the situation turned ugly at Batamaloo area…

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Peace unlikely in region till Kashmir Issue resolved: Pakistan

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Pakistan on Thursday said it wanted to “amicably” resolve all outstanding issues with India, including those related to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and Kashmir, as there can be “no peace” in the region unless the Kashmir issue was resolved. Radio Pakistan quoted Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria as saying during his weekly media briefing that the government was assessing “India’s activities” within the framework of the water-sharing agreement between the two countries. Zakaria said the treaty did not allow unilateral abrogation of the agreement and “Pakistan is keeping an…

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Mehbooba Mufti pitches for rehab of violence victims

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Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today directed officials to update the database of people affected by the violence in the past three decades in the state so that concrete steps for their complete integration into the social set-up could be taken. Chairing the Seventh Governing Council meeting of J&K Rehabilitation Council here today, the Chief Minister said special programmes should be planned for the rehabilitation and integration of poor victims into the social mainstream of the state. She said intervention was needed for the proper and complete rehabilitation of women and…

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Domicile Row: Controversial decision by J&K Govt can touch a nerve

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Kashmir, limping back to normal after five months of violent agitation, is seeing murmurs of protest following a series of decisions that are being read as an attempt to dilute the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir Valley was shut down on Friday. The separatists had called the strike after a section of media reported that the government had begun issuing domicile certificates to west Pakistan refugees. As anger grew, the government clarified, twice in two days, that the reports were mischievous. The refugees were only given…

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SHRC seeks report on people blinded by pellets during Kashmir Unrest

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The Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Monday directed all deputy commissioners (DCs) to submit reports about those blinded during the unrest in the Kashmir, which began on July 8, after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter. “Taking suo-moto cognizance of a report published in a section of the press, chairperson SHRC, Justice (retd) Bilal Nazki directed the deputy commissioners of all the 10 districts of Kashmir to submit a detailed report of all the victims who have sustained eye injuries during…

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Hari Om slams Leadership, BJP breaks silence, vows to back West Pak Refugees

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Hari Om slams BJP over West Pak refugee issue Party ministers, however, keep mum to avoid confrontation with PDP Former BJP ideologue Hari Om has termed the BJP’s U-turn on the issuance of “domicile certificate” to Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan as “inhuman.” Hari Om, who had resigned from the party to oppose the formation of the coalition government with the PDP, alleged that the BJP had proved that it was no different from the separatists and other mainstream parties in the state. Hari Om now heads Jammu For…

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