Category: Kashmir

Kashmir

Resistance leaders detained, Barred from briefing media

Editor

The Jammu and Kashmir Police today arrested senior separatist leaders — Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik — after disallowing them to hold a joint press conference. Before being whisked away by the police to the nearby Humhama police station and placing them under preventive custody, the three leaders staged a protest and called for boycott of the forthcoming by elections. Sources said the three separatists were scheduled to discuss the emerging political situation in the Valley and the response of the “joint resistance” to the bypolls.…

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Killings in Kashmir, Pellet guns figure in US report

Editor

A report by State Department of United States about human rights situation in different countries has highlighted the civilian killings in Kashmir during 2016 uprising and rampant use of pellet shotguns. The report “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” for 2016 has been submitted to US Congress by the Department of State in the first week of March. The report said the use of “shotguns loaded with birdshot by security forces to control crowds, including violent protests, in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in 87 civilian deaths and blinded hundreds more,…

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National Conference, Congress to jointly fight LS bypolls

Editor

Farooq Abdullah to contest from Srinagar constituency, Ghulam Mir from Anantnag The state’s two main opposition parties, National Conference and Congress, on Wednesday announced that they would jointly contest the upcoming by elections to the two parliamentary constituencies in the Kashmir valley and field their senior most leaders. The National Conference and Congress have also agreed on a seat-sharing agreement, said NC working president Omar Abdullah while addressing a press conference attended by several leaders of the two parties. Farooq Abdullah, the most senior leader in the NC and the…

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After 27 Years, Govt admits forces killed 22 unarmed protestors: Gaw Kadal Massacre

Editor

After 27 years of the Gaw Kadal massacre, the government has admitted that 22 unarmed protesters were killed while as only 12 sustained injuries in the incident. The government’s reply has come in response to a petition filed by human rights activist Ahsan Untoo before the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in April 2012. Notably, after the petition filed by Untoo, the SHRC had appointed Superintendent of Police (SP) SHRC in 2012 to investigate the matter. The investigation continued for 51 months. The SHRC report reveals, that “the report received…

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Local support for militants changes front lines in Kashmir

Editor

The road to Begumbagh passes through hauntingly silent villages. The houses and shuttered shops looked abandoned and fewer people walked the potholed road on Saturday, the third day of a shutdown to mourn the killing of two militants and a teenaged civilian. An overwhelming eeriness competed with a cloudy grey sky. Begumbagh is a quiet village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the new heartland of Kashmir’s ageing conflict and home to a dangerous trend of civilians trying to storm the cordoned-off sites to rescue militants. It was here in this…

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Tassaduq Mufti, Mehbooba Mufti’s brother may contest from Anantnag

Editor

With the election process for the Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary seats in Kashmir beginning next week, major political parties are in the process of finalising their contestants for the byelections, being held less than three years after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition National Conference and the Congress will come out with the list of contesting candidates by early next week before the notification for the first phase (Srinagar) is issued on March 14 and for the second phase (Anantnag) on March…

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Joint resistance calls for shutdown today, protests after Friday prayers

Editor

The joint resistance leadership Thursday called for a complete shutdown on March 10 against the civilian killing in South Kashmir’s Pulwama and asked people to protest after Friday congregational prayers. The joint leadership—Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik expressed grief over killing of a student Amir Nazir Wani at Padgampora, Pulwama. According to a statement issued here, the trio urged people to observe complete shutdown on Friday and hold peaceful protest after Friday prayers. While paying tributes to slain youth of Padgampora, Pulwama, the leaders said…

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Cordon & Search Operation called off after Stone-pelting in Pulwama

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Government Forces on Monday night called off their operation against ‘hiding militants’ when people in large number hit to roads and resorted to stone-pelting in Newa area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Sources told news agency CNS that after receiving inputs about the presence of militants in Lonepora Newa area, 55 Rashtriya Rifles, SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police and 183 Battalion CRPF cordoned off the area at around 10 pm on Monday. Police sources said there were inputs about the presence of some top Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in the area.…

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Scores hit by pellets in eyes in Tral

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We’re not part of protests but still cops fired pellets towards us: Injured youth There is no end to use of pellets in Kashmir and at least nine people sustained pellet injuries in eyes during forces firing at an encounter site at Hayena in Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday. “Although we were far from the encounter site, the security men indiscriminately fired pellets and teargas smoke shells towards the people staging protests. The pellets hit my left eye. I am unable to see anything from the…

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Bias against Srinagar shocking: National Conference

Editor

National Conference on Monday highlighted the PDP-BJP Government’s “brazen and shocking discrimination against Srinagar” during the District Development Board meeting chaired by CM Mehbooba Mufti. National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said the present Government’s statements about development and expansion of Srinagar had turned out to be mere statements and rhetoric as the city was facing the worst form of discrimination in terms of inadequate funds and lack of attention of the incumbent Government towards developmental projects initiated by the previous Omar Abdullah-led Government. The National Conference General Secretary…

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