Category: General News

General News

Time to address ‘Weaknesses at Internal Level’: Mirwaiz on Kashmir Uprising

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‘United leadership mulling long-term protest program, can’t go for hartals throughout the year’ Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Sunday said the recent five-month-long uprising in Kashmir has showed people and pro-freedom leaders how to “defeat” moves aimed at changing the Muslim majority character of J&K. He also said it is time to reach out to victims of forces’ action and go for introspection to “overcome the weaknesses” so that Kashmir can “emerge as a strong nation to combat politics of deceit.” Addressing a Seerat Conference organised by…

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Mehbooba’s Govt taking dictation from RSS: Congress

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State Congress president G A Mir Friday said Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP government was running on the dictation of RSS. “When Congress was taking up the issue that West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) need identification as citizens of India, PDP would always oppose the move. Our stand has always been clear that there was no problem in granting WPRs citizenship of India. Though questions have been raised by some parties over granting WPRs domicile of the State, the decision was pending,” Mir said. He said when PDP wasn’t ready even to identify…

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JK may not meet 24×7 power target

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As the electricity demand is likely to reach 4,217 MW by 2021-22 in the state and as work on the majority of the proposed hydropower projects is stalled, the ambitious plan of the PDP-BJP government to provide 24X7 power supply to the people by 2019 may remain a political rhetoric. Instead, the state is heading for a major crisis in the coming years which could create further public discontent, if projects taken up for increasing generation and infrastructure development continue to get delayed. Official sources said a survey conducted by…

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‘Won’t allow change in JK’s demography’ Domicile Certificate Row

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Joint resistance leadership calls for statewide protest on Friday; Says PDP working on anti-Kashmir, anti-Muslim agenda Stating that attempts to change demography of Jammu and Kashmir will be resisted tooth and nail, the joint resistance leadership on Wednesday hit out at ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accusing it of resuming work on “its anti-Kashmir and anti-Muslim agenda.” “Issuing domicile certificates to West Pakistan Refugees, court verdict challenging the sovereignty of Jammu Kashmir and allowing outside banks to confiscate and hold properties in Jammu & Kashmir are the issues of life…

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Farooq Abdullah, Saifuddin Soz reiterate support for Resistance

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National Conference president, Farooq Abdullah and senior Congress leader, Saifuddin Soz have reiterated their support for Hurriyat in their separate meetings with an Indian civil society delegation. Interacting with the delegation led by Kamal Morarka, the NC president said: “New Delhi has adopted policy of divide and rule, but now we have decided that we’ll not let them succeed in their policy anymore. That is why I said I am standing with the Hurriyat.” Farooq cautioned the government against taking the semblance of normalcy in the valley at face value.…

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Jammu & Kashmir is a ‘Disputed Territory’; Resistance camp

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Rejecting the Supreme Court ruling on SARFAESI Act, Kashmir’s joint resistance leadership on Sunday said Jammu and Kashmir is a “separate, independent and sovereign entity.” “Taking undue advantage of the autocratic ruler and the suspicious Instrument of Accession, India forcibly landed its army to take control of J&K and we as a nation are fighting this aggression for the past seven decades. Imperialistic mindset has time and again taken over the mind and soul of a few stooges to strengthen and legalize this rule,” a joint statement by senior resistance…

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Temperature hovers below freezing point across Kashmir Valley

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Leh was recorded as the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir as the mercury plummeted to the season’s lowest of minus 13.2 degrees Celsius there, while the night temperature across the Valley also remained several notches below the freezing point. The town in the Ladakh region was the coldest recorded place in the state while the nearby Kargil also shivered at a low of minus 9.4 degrees Celsius, which was the lowest night temperature the town has experienced so far this season, an official of the MET department said here.…

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Supreme Court issues notice to State, Centre on use of Pellet Guns

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Asks Modi govt to file expert panel report on the weapon; next hearing Jan 30 The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir Government on a plea for banning the use of pellet guns by the security forces to deal with violence in the state. A Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur also asked the Centre to file the expert committee report on pellet guns. The Bench was hearing an appeal by the J&K High Court Bar Association, Srinagar, challenging the September…

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Excessive force used in past 5 months: Admits Mehbooba Mufti

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Asks police to change ‘line of action’ as situation is normalizing Admitting that government forces had to use excessive force in the past five months of uprising in Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday urged the police to “change its line of action so that wounds inflicted on people are healed.” She also directed the police and other forces to differentiate between militants and their family members and not to see everybody as a suspect. Addressing the passing out-cum-attestation parade of a batch of 355 new police recruits at Commandos…

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World Bank pauses Indus Water Treaty Arbitration

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The World Bank (WB) has announced a pause in arbitration between Islamabad and New Delhi on the matter of the two dams being constructed by India, calling on both countries “to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements.” In the aftermath of rising cross-border tensions following the Uri army base attack and an Indian surgical strike, Prime Minister NarendraModi in November threatened to stop honouring the Indus Waters Treaty and block the flow of water into Pakistan. India is constructing two hydropower projects on the Chenab and Neelum Rivers in…

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