General News Archives | Page 59 of 351

No Government Jobs for Families of Terrorists, Stone Pelters in J&K: Union Home Minister

May 28, 2024 Editor

In a significant move, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that no family member of terrorists or close relatives of stone pelters will be eligible for government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir. This announcement underscores the Modi government’s firm stance on eradicating terrorism and its ecosystem in the region. In an interview with PTI, Shah detailed the government’s uncompromising strategy. “In Kashmir, we have decided that if someone joins a terrorist organization, their family members will not receive any government job,” he said. Shah extended this policy to stone pelters as…

Anantnag Sees 54.3% Voter Turnout Amid Mehbooba Mufti’s Allegations of ‘Tactical Rigging

May 27, 2024 Editor

PDP says its cadre were denied the right to vote after being detained; police said that only ‘a few with a tainted past’ and over ground workers of militants were restricted The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday recorded 54.3% voter turnout, shows the latest figure, as against 14.3% polling in 2019. The day, however, was marred by protests and allegations of “tactical rigging” by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and candidate Mehbooba Mufti. The polling recorded in Anantnag is the highest in 35 years. The overall voter…

Electoral Enthusiasm: Anantnag-Rajouri Redraws Record Books with Stellar Turnout; PDP Voices Concern

May 26, 2024 Editor

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Anantnag-Rajouri seat, previously known as Anantnag has a history of fluctuating voter turnouts, with the highest being 70 per cent in the 1984 elections. Srinagar and Baramulla, the two other seats of Kashmir, also registered record voter turnouts. Kashmir: The Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir that voted in phase 6 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on May 25 registered an approximate 54.46 per cent voter turnout, according to the Election Commission of India’s updated figures on Sunday, May 26. This is the record voter…

High Voter Turnout in Kashmir: A New Era of Democratic Engagement

May 25, 2024May 25, 2024 Editor

The Democratic Thaw: Kashmir’s Electoral Renaissance By: Javid Amin In the heart of the Himalayas, a new narrative is unfolding. The region of Kashmir, long known for its picturesque landscapes and tumultuous politics, is witnessing a remarkable democratic revival. The echoes of change are resonant in the bustling streets of Srinagar and the serene valleys of Baramulla, where the ballot has become the instrument of a new era. This article delves into the significant voter turnouts in recent elections, the underlying factors driving this democratic resurgence, and the broader implications…

Divine Winds of Change: NC Gujjar’s Spiritual Leader Alarms PDP with Political Ascent

May 24, 2024 Editor

In Mian Altaf Ahmad, NC gets a leader in South Kashmir to take on Mehbooba, even as ST status to Paharis disturbs the status quo When Mian Altaf Ahmad expressed his indecision about contesting from the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat over health concerns last month, a perturbed Omar Abdullah rushed over to his home village Babanagri, a spiritual seat of the Gujjars. An hour-long meeting later, Altaf issued a video statement saying he is ready to contest. It was a moment of great relief for the National Conference (NC), which has…

Defending Honor: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Denounces Encroachment FIR as Defamation

May 23, 2024May 23, 2024 Editor

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is among seven people booked by the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly encroaching on evacuee land here, a charge denied by the separatist leader. “These are false claims and it is an attempt to malign and harass me,” Mirwaiz said in his statement. Officials said the ACB has filed an FIR and handed over the investigation to a DSP-rank officer. The FIR was filed after the ACB conducted a preliminary inquiry which revealed that a woman named Dil Rafiqa was unlawfully granted…

Historic Alliance, Historic Repeal: Abdullah Connects Dots to Article 370

May 23, 2024 Editor

Former CM Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the PDP-BJP alliance led to the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. Addressing a rally at Pahalgam, Omar said since the alliance between the PDP-BJP was stitched on March 1, 2015, Union Minister Rajnath Singh was talking about the “final solution” for Kashmir. He said, “I remember the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh would sit in a press conference with the PDP and talk about the final settlement of Kashmir. We would ask what this final solution was but he wouldn’t respond.”…

Political Pressure Play: Mufti Calls Out BJP for Voter Intimidation Tactics

May 23, 2024 Editor

Mehbooba Mufti also alleged that voters, particularly religious leaders and government employees, are being “harassed” The BJP is supporting a party which received Hawala money pumped in from Pakistan to fund militancy in Kashmir, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said on May 22, in a veiled attack on Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari. Bukhari, a former PDP leader, was expelled from the party in January 2019. His Apni Party has fielded Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas from the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency against Ms. Mehbooba and National Conference leader Mian Altaf. The seat…

Machinery Meddling: Mufti Accuses Govt of Managing Votes Through Officer Pressure

May 22, 2024 Editor

PDP President Mehbooba Mufti today alleged that the government missionary is exerting pressure on officers to manage votes for a particular party which is their proxy despite knowing that they will perform badly in the elections. She also termed some negligence in security arrangements in context with twin target attacks in Kashmir areas recently. Mehbooba Mufti was addressing a press conference in Rajouri during the Lok Sabha election campaign. ” Everyone remembers 1987 election rigging that was done on the day of elections,” she said adding that the timing of Union…

Ballots of Hope: Kashmiris Flock to Polls Amidst Safety Promises and Article 370 Discourse

May 22, 2024 Editor

BJP has not fielded any candidate from Kashmir even as the local political parties – NC and PDP – are fighting a bitter contest to take on the Centre over Article 370 and statehood. Srinagar: Kashmir is witnessing historic voter turnouts in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the first major election to be held since Jammu & Kashmir was stripped of its special status through the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, bifurcated (Ladakh separated), and made a Union territory in 2019. The election also follows a delimitation exercise that gave…