Delimitation panel has disempowered Kashmiris: Hasnain Masoodi

Delimitation panel has disempowered Kashmiris: Hasnain Masoodi

National Conference leader and MP from Anantnag Lok Sabha seat Hasnain Masoodi says he is not satisfied with the final report of the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission As the Delimitation Commission submitted its final report on Thursday, National Conference leader and MP from Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, Hasnain Masoodi, who was also one of the associate members of the panel along with four other MPs from Jammu and Kashmir, tells how the panel has disempowered the people of Kashmir and the entire process has been done to benefit the…

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Working to change public perception about govt schools: Bishwajit Kumar Singh

Working to change public perception about govt schools: Bishwajit Kumar Singh

Bishwajit Kumar Singh joined as Principal Secretary School Education Department (SED) J&K in October 2020. In his over one year experience as the Principal Secretary, he believes that better days are in the offing for the government school students as well as the department. The government, he says, is making all efforts to change public perception about government schools. He shares his thoughts in an exclusive interview. Here are the excerpts: Reporter: J&K just saw the declaration of two major Board results. How do you see the overall performance of schools?…

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‘They want to Hinduise Kashmir’: Saifuddin Soz on Delimitation Proposal

'They want to Hinduise Kashmir': Saifuddin Soz on Delimitation Proposal

“The delimitation exercise is the manifestation of the RSS’s sectarian design. We as Kashmiris feel that everything around us is being snatched from us.” By: Tarushi Aswani In its recent meeting on December 20, the Delimitation Commission proposed six additional assembly seats for Jammu and one for Kashmir. In its bid to redraw the electoral map of J&K, the commission met with the associate members – three MPs from the National Conference and two from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The recommendations of these associate members are, however, not binding on the commission.…

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Anas Haqqani says Taliban won’t ‘Interfere’ in Kashmir matter

Anas Haqqani says Taliban won't 'Interfere' in Kashmir matter

Celebratory gunfire resounded across the Afghan capital on Tuesday as the Taliban took control of the airport following the withdrawal of the last US troops, marking the end of a 20-year war that left the Islamist group stronger than it was in 2001. And now, plans are afoot to form a new ‘inclusive’ government and erase fears of its deleterious past. In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, top Taliban leader Anas Haqqani spoke at length on the Haqqani network’s Pakistan connection, their relationship with India, and the Kashmir issue. Excerpts…

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‘Will continue to raise Article 370 issue for however long it takes’: Omar Abdullah

‘Will continue to raise Article 370 issue for however long it takes’ - Omar Abdullah

The former chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah participated in the high-stakes all-party meeting on Jammu & Kashmir chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24. He gave his sense of the discussions in an interview. Edited excerpts: Both you and your father, Farooq Abdullah – a sitting Lok Sabha MP – were detained after the nullification of Article 370. What made you trust Prime Minister Narendra Modi after what happened?They are the ones who detained us, and they are the ones who invited us. They…

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Our mental health worst hit by coronavirus second wave: Dr. Arshid Hussain

Our mental health worst hit by coronavirus second wave: Dr. Arshid Hussain

Kashmir has been at a precipice for a long time due to the conflict and prevalent socio-economic factors. The Pandemic added to this and the fresh loss of family members and livelihoods has pushed many people to the brink. While talking to a professor of psychiatry at GMC Srinagar, Dr. Arshid Hussain about COVID19, its impact on mental health, and the recent suicides reported in the media. Q: Has depression conquered Kashmir along with the virus?A: No, Depression has not conquered us but our resilience and coping mechanisms have been…

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Kashmir eServices – By Javid Amin

Javid Amin A young entrepreneur from Kashmir, a personality of multi-talents and being among the pioneers of bringing the Core Information Technology world especially Web Development related paradigms to Kashmir. Hailing from a middle-class family, his inclination towards technology started in his teenage. Not born with a silver spoon in his mouth but has earned everything with his hard work and diligence. He founded Kashmir eServices an information technology company providing information technology and allied services to Kashmir Valley in particular and across the globe in general. The company was…

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Separate township for Kashmiri Pandits a necessity: Satya Pal Malik

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik has attacked Kashmiri political leaders, saying they had lost the faith of their own people, citing the low voting percentage in their constituencies in the recent Lok Sabha elections. In an interview, Malik also downplayed the impact of traffic being blocked in the Valley to give way to buses carrying pilgrims to the Amarnath cave shrine. Edited excerpts: I want to start off by asking you about Article 35A (which gives special privileges to natives of J&K). Your office has not said anything in…

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No one can scrap Articles 370, 35A: Hasnain Masoodi

Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi of the J&K High Court is credited with dethroning the queen of Kashmir politics, Mehbooba Mufti, from south Kashmir by winning the Anantnag seat. While talking, Masoodi said as long as the rules of the game were followed, nobody, not even Parliament, had the power to scrap Articles 370 and 35A Now that the BJP has come to power, how do you, as a former HC judge and an MP, see the future of Articles 370 and 35A?Even if the BJP has come back to power,…

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The decision on Article 35A soon: Jugal Kishore Sharma

Elected to the Lok Sabha for the second time, Jugal Kishore Sharma, while talking to us, said besides taking forward the development tasks, the party’s priority would be to abrogate Article 35A as was included in the ‘Sankalp Patr’. After getting second term to represent J&K in the Lok Sabha, what are your priorities?I have been always a representative of the people of my constituency in the LS. My priorities are the same as were after 2014 to extend maximum Central beneficial schemes which alleviate problems of the constituency, including…

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