Kashmir Archives | Page 12 of 224

Jhelum River’s Cry for Help: Kashmir’s Silent Drought

July 28, 2024 Editor

A Lifeline Drying Up By: Javid Amin The Jhelum River, Kashmir’s majestic waterway and the lifeblood of its people, is in peril. The once-mighty river, renowned for its pristine waters and bountiful ecosystem, is now a shadow of its former self. A relentless dry spell has gripped the Kashmir Valley, and the Jhelum is bearing the brunt of this ecological catastrophe. The river’s water levels have plummeted to unprecedented depths, a stark indicator of the region’s deepening water crisis. What was once a vibrant aquatic corridor teeming with life is…

Kashmir Sweats It Out: Srinagar Beats Jammu’s Heat

July 23, 2024 Editor

Valley Under Heatwave Siege: Residents Suffer Srinagar, July 22: The ongoing heatwave in Kashmir shows no signs of abating, with temperatures in Srinagar surpassing those in Jammu, traditionally known for its sweltering summers. The Meteorological Department officials said, hot and humid weather was expected to persist until July 26, raising concerns about the impact on daily life and health across J&K. The maximum temperatures recorded on Monday underscore the severity of the heatwave. The MeT officials said Srinagar recorded 35.6 degrees Celsius, Qazigund 34 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam 30.2 degrees Celsius,…

Water Scarcity Protest Turns Violent in Pattan: Injuries Reported, Investigation Launched

July 20, 2024July 20, 2024 Editor

As the police arrived in the area and tried to intervene and disperse the locals from the highway, the protesters refused to budge, triggering the clashes. As protesters threw stones, the police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the crowd from the highway. Sources said several people and vehicles got damaged. Several people were injured and many vehicles damaged after clashes erupted between the police and protesters in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district over shortage of water. On Friday afternoon, protesters from the Chenabal area of Pattan blocked the Srinagar-Baramulla…

Kashmir Lawyers’ Arrests Raise Concerns: Mirwaiz Appeals to J&K Judges

July 20, 2024July 20, 2024 Editor

Several senior lawyers who held positions in the erstwhile Bar association JKHCBA were arrested over the past month Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on July 19 sought the intervention of judges of the J&K and Ladakh High Court into a series of arrests of lawyers in the past month, in the wake of erstwhile J&K High Court Bar Association’s () plans to hold internal elections. “If lawyers are put behind bars, who will fight people’s cases in courts? Who will defend their judicial rights? In this…

Kashmir Police Detain Muharram Mourners for raising Pro-Palestine Flags

July 19, 2024 Editor

Inspector general of police VK Birdi said they have taken a legal recourse after some violations by mischievous elements Thousands of Shia Muslims took out processions in Alamgari Bazar and Zadibal areas of Old City and organised mourning gatherings in Kashmir to mark Ashura, the 10 tenth day of Islamic month of Muharram. A case, however, was registered under UA(P)A for alleged raising of contentious flags during the Muharram 8th procession on Monday. The Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered a case against unidentified people. The Muharram 8th procession was…

Smart City Project Turns Nightmare for Srinagar Residents

July 14, 2024 Editor

Srinagar’s Smart City Dream Turns into a Dusty Detour: A Resident’s Perspective By: Javid Amin The Srinagar Smart City Project (SSCL), launched with grand promises to transform Srinagar into a contemporary metropolis, has instead become a source of frustration for its residents. Despite multiple extensions and hefty investments, the city currently resembles a construction site, with dug-out roads and incomplete infrastructure projects causing daily disruptions. This article delves into the numerous challenges faced by Srinagar’s inhabitants, explores the reasons behind the delays, and offers suggestions for moving forward. The Current…

Ban on Martyrs’ Day Tributes at Mazar-e-Shuhada Draws Political Ire

July 14, 2024 Editor

Prior to August 5, 2019, when the Union government abrogated Jammu & Kashmir’s special status, the erstwhile State of J&K observed July 13 as ‘Martyrs’ Day’, an official holiday Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on July 13 alleged the J&K Lieutenant-Governor’s administration had denied them permission to pay tribute at the Mazar-e-Shuhada (martyrs’ graveyard) in Srinagar. They termed it an attempt to “erase collective history”. Around 22 civilians died in police firing outside the Central Jail in Srinagar in 1931 in an uprising against the then Dogra monarchy. The…

Police Crackdown: Dawoodi and Veeri Face Charges for Provocative Speech

July 14, 2024 Editor

Anantnag: Police on Saturday said that it have booked two religious clerics over their inflammatory language against a specific community in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. In a statement, the police said that it have taken decisive action against two religious clerics, Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri and Abdul Rashid Dawoodi , for using inflammatory language targeting a specific community. According to police spokesman, the derogatory remarks made by the clerics were brought to the attention of the Anantnag police, who promptly initiated proceedings under the relevant provisions of the law. The clerics…

Power Struggle: Kashmir’s Domestic Consumers Default on Payments

July 11, 2024 Editor

In Kashmir valley, thousands of domestic consumers haven’t paid their electricity dues for more than two years, officials said on Tuesday. Top official of the Power Development Department (PDD) informed the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that domestic or residential consumers in the Kashmir region were the major defaulters. The official said, “Primarily, domestic or residential consumers are the major defaulters. Out of 11.7 Lakh consumers we have 9.9 are domestic consumers. Out of these consumers, nearly 40 percent are smart and conventional metered consumers. Rest almost 60 percent of…

Embracing Faith: Ex-Imam Defends Voluntary Conversion to Islam; Challenges Waqf Board’s Decision

July 4, 2024 Editor

Srinagar: Questioning the ‘authority’ of the Muslim Waqf Board for barring him to stop discharging his religious duties, the former Imam-o-Khateeb of the revered Hazratbal shrine, Dr Kamal-ud-Din Farooqi Tuesday said the man who embraced Islam did so ‘voluntarily’ and not under ‘duress’. Following allegations of forced conversion of a Hindu man from Haryana in April this year, Farooqi was barred from leading prayers at the Hazratbal shrine. He said the Waqf Board accused him of presiding over the meeting of the alleged forced conversion, causing total chaos and confusion…