Category: General News

General News

Handful of ‘Vested Interests’ Inciting trouble in Valley: Chief Minister

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The Kashmir Valley has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. At least 68 people have been killed and thousands injured in the subsequent unrest in the valley. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said a handful of people opposed to peace were inciting youth to violence in the Kashmir valley. Speaking at an official function in Bhagwati Nagar area of the city, Mehbooba, who visited Jammu for the first time since violence began in the valley last month, said…

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‘Stone Pelters are attackers, not Satyagrahis’; Jaitley

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There’ll be no compromise on security and integrity of nation, asserts Finance Minister Terming stone-throwers in the Valley as ‘attackers’, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said such elements were aggressors and not ‘satyagrahis’. “They are not ‘satyagrahis’, but attackers who have attacked security camps. Pakistan, separatists and religious forces, through a new tactic, have attacked the integrity of India, which is a serious situation. No compromise will be made on security and integrity of India and the country will defeat them,” he said. If a mob of 10,000 attacked…

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Karan Singh warns of effects of Violence

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Flagging the ongoing unrest in Kashmir and the recent instances of caste atrocities, senior Congress leader Karan Singh has underlined the “devastating” effects of violence. Speaking at the launch of a book on non-violence on Friday night, he said: “If you still have societies which preach their children hatred for other nations or other religions, how can you expect to grow them in a non-violent situation?” In the face of “endemic” violence across the world, the question that confronts the human race today is one of its survival, he said.…

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Opposition leaders meet President, press for political solution in Kashmir

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Opposition leaders led by former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday called on President Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to urge upon the central government to find a solution to the present Kashmir crisis politically rather than administratively. “The failure of the central government to acknowledge that the issue in Kashmir is largely of a political nature has worsened the already volatile situation,” Omar, who was leading a delegation of 20 opposition leaders, told reporters after an hour-long meeting with the President. “We have requested the President to impress upon the…

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Army hints at possible talks with resistance group to end Kashmir Crisis

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“It is not for me to say who should do what but yes, everyone needs to discuss the issue,” Lt Gen DS Hooda said. After political parties, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the army in Kashmir has now come out in favour of holding discussions with separatists leaders to solve the ongoing crisis in the Valley. Interacting with the media, the Northern Army Commander today in Srinagar hinted at possible talks with separatists to bring peace in the violence-hit region. “We all have to sit down and put our heads…

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Ban Ki Moon condemns killing of Kashmiri Protesters

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Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned the killings of Kashmiri protesters by Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir. The UN Secretary-General wrote a reply to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s letter, which the Pakistani Premier had written to him to take notice of the killings of Kashmiri civilians in Indian-held Kashmir. In his letter, he called for India and Pakistan to solve the problem of Kashmir jointly and offered cooperation in that regard. “India and Pakistan should solve the conflict of Kashmir together,” he wrote. “The United…

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UN Rights Chief appeals to India, Pakistan for Kashmir Access

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The United Nations’ human rights chief is appealing to India and Pakistan to grant his office access to Kashmir amid “grave concerns” over alleged rights violations. The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said Wednesday he has been working to get observers to the parts of the disputed Himalayan region the two countries control since violence flared last month. Zeid called it “unfortunate” access hasn’t been granted yet considering “the seriousness of the allegations of the use of excessive force, allegations of state sponsorship of violence, as…

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Why the Kashmir protests in 2010 and 2016 are different

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Summer had arrived in Kashmir, tourists were coming in droves and India’s ‘paradise’ was in business. One day — July 8 — was all it took to shatter that picture postcard. In the 40 days since that day, when security forces killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, the Valley has become a ghost town, an extended curfew barely keeping a fragile peace. Shattered glass, stones and bricks on the streets speak of the clashes that erupted in protest against the killing of Wani, the 22-year-old local who had become the…

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To end Unrest, Opposition insists on dialogue

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Prepares memorandum of demands, wants to apprise President of ground situation The mainstream Opposition parties and legislators gathered on a single stage on Wednesday to discuss and seek a way out from the ongoing unrest in the Kashmir valley, sparked by killing of a militant commander, and appealed to the Union Government to initiate a dialogue to address it. Senior leaders and legislators of several Opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress, CPM, People’s Democratic Front, Awami Ittehad Party and the Democratic Party Nationalist, met at the residence of former…

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National flag falls off post as CM Mehbooba Mufti started to unfurls it

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Mehbooba, who was hoisting the national flag as Chief Minister for the first time, pulled the string attached to the post only to see the tricolor fall from the post and land on the ground. In a deeply embarrassing moment for Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the national tricolor fell off the post as she hoisted it at Bakshi stadium in Srinagar where the main Independence Day function of the state was held. Mehbooba, who was hoisting the national flag as Chief Minister for the first time, pulled…

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