Category: General News

General News

#SeditionDebate: Everything you need to know about Umar Khalid, the man they’re calling ‘Kashmiri traitor’

Editor

On the evening of 9 February, 30 minutes before the scheduled start of a cultural event organised by the Democratic Students Union (an ultra-leftist group) titled ‘A Country without a Post Office’ to protest against the “judicial killing” of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat, the university administration of Jawaharlal Nehru University cancelled the event. Dozens of students gathered on the Sabarmati lawns — including Kashmiri students — to protest against the cancellation and raised slogans. One among them was Umar Khalid. Former DSU leader Khalid, 28, resigned from his post…

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JNU fallout to decide J&K govt formation?

Editor

With the JNU row showing no sign of ebbing, a dark shadow has been cast over the turbulent PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu & Kashmir. Sources said PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who has kept the alliance on hold since her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s demise on January 7, has now decided to wait and watch how the JNU episode unfolds before making any formal announcement. On Wednesday, BJP’s prime negotiator with PDP, Ram Madhav, had met Mehbooba in an attempt to break the logjam that has fanned uncertainty in the state.…

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Geelani, Omar on same page on JNU issues, caution against harassing Kashmiri students

Editor

Separatist Hurriyat Conference and Kashmir based human rights groups have come out in support of striking students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University and have condemned registration of FIR against former Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani. Separatist Hurriyat Conference and Kashmir based human rights groups have come out in support of striking students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University and have condemned registration of FIR against former Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani. They also condemned alleged harassment of Kashmiri students in various campuses in Delhi and other places. Already former…

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No question of diluting alliance agenda: Madhav

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Says AFSPA wasn’t discussed with Mehbooba; PDP leaders invited to Delhi to meet Central ministers A day after he met Mehbooba Mufti, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav today dismissed speculations that the saffron party could consider lifting the controversial AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) to keep the PDP in the NDA fold. While hopeful of forming the government with the PDP “as per the existing Agenda of the Alliance”, Madhav asserted that there was no question of either dilution or addition to the existing Common Minimum Programme drafted by…

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BJP won’t lift AFSPA to end stalemate: Report

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not lift the contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir to break the stalemate over government formation in the state, said a report on Thursday. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav arrived here last evening to meet Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti in order to end the deadlock. Earlier, The Times of India had quoted sources as saying that Madhav had conveyed to Mufti the Centre’s willingness to lift AFSPA on a trial basis from Jammu and Kashmir. Madhav also…

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Resume flood relief disbursement by Feb 21, Guv tells Div Com

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Governor NN Vohra had extensive discussions with the stakeholders of trade, tourism, transport, industry, education and members of civil society and heard their views on various important issues at the Civil Secretariat here yesterday. The representatives of trade sought early disbursement of relief to the flood-affected traders. The Governor directed Divisional Commissioner Asgar Hassan Samoon to ensure that the disbursement of relief to the traders, on the lines started by the previous government, should be resumed before February 21. The Governor sought suggestions of various stakeholders for the optimum utilisation…

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Equitable Development? Jammu gets Rs 375 cr, Kashmir Rs 305 cr for roads

Editor

Kashmir continues to be the least priority in funding under the Central Road Fund (CRF) program with the Government of India (GoI) approving Rs 70 crore less to the division than Jammu for building road infrastructure. Official sources revealed to us that GoI has sanctioned road projects worth Rs 305 crore for Kashmir under CRF for 2015-16 while Jammu and Ladakh have respectively walked away with Rs 375 crore and Rs 105 crore funding for the road projects. The approval for road projects worth Rs 785 crore was recently conveyed by…

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Posters in Jadavpur University call for ‘freedom’ for Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland

Editor

A day after pro-Afzal Guru slogans were raised in Jadavpur University (JU), posters calling for ‘freedom’ for Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland were found in the campus on Wednesday even as two rival groups of students brought out rallies in the varsity premises. “Hum kya chahe – Azadi. Kashmir ki Azadi. Manipur ki Azadi. Nagaland ki Azadi (We demand freedom. Kashmir’s freedom. Manipur’s freedom. Nagaland’s freedom),” one of the posters said. All such posters were signed by a group called ‘RADICAL’. Both the student unions and authorities have distanced themselves from…

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Guv directs security forces to avoid collateral damage

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra on Tuesday directed security agencies to avoid collateral damage during anti-militancy operations in the valley. Vohra, who flew here this afternoon to review the overall security situation in the valley, chaired a high-level meeting in the civil secretariat which was attended by top civil, army, paramilitary, police and intelligence officers, an official statement said. He directed that a maximum restraint should be exercised to minimize collateral damage while conducting operations against militants, and asked the state director general of police “to hold urgent discussions…

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Four-laning of Jammu-Srinagar NH hit by ‘political interference’

Editor

The prestigious four-laning project of the 300-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, being executed to provide all-weather road connectivity to the Kashmir valley, has become a casualty to rampant ‘political interference’. The work on the treacherous 79-km Udhampur-Banihal stretch of the highway is yet to pick up pace due to “law and order” problems created by “political workers”. Given the difficulties faced by the executing agencies, the road project is likely to get delayed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the 79-km Udhampur-Banihal stretch —Ramban-Udhampur road (43-km) and…

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