Kashmir Archives | Page 43 of 227

Under Central Rule, Kashmir witnessed marginal drop in stone-pelting cases

July 22, 2019July 22, 2019 Editor

The number of stone-pelting incidents in the Kashmir valley has dipped under direct federal rule compared to the number reported under the two previous political administrations — the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (PDP-BJP) coalition that was in power between 2015 and mid-2018, and the National Conference-Indian National Congress (NC-INC) alliance that stayed in office between 2009 and 2014. Governor’s rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on June 18, 2018 after the BJP withdrew support to the PDP, forcing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign. A total of 349…

‘Smart City Transformation’ Srinagar misses crucial deadlines

July 19, 2019July 19, 2019 Editor

The state’s summer capital, Srinagar, has missed crucial deadlines to transform into a Smart City as the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) has not been put in place till date. The deadlines were decided upon in the Smart City proposal of Srinagar, approved in June 2017, official sources said. The missed deadlines include both the area-based development components as well as pan-city development components. The Srinagar Smart City proposal had promised to transform the city into an eco-friendly, resilient and socio-economically vibrant city that would celebrate its natural and cultural heritage.…

Windstorm, Heavy rains wreaked havoc in parts of north Kashmir

July 16, 2019July 16, 2019 Editor

Windstorm followed by heavy rains and hailstorm wreaked havoc in parts of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday by damaging trees and residential houses. The storm caused extensive damage to standing crops and apple orchards mostly in Zaingeer belt including Mundji, Hardishiva, Takiya khan, Duroo, Warpora, Janwara and other villages. Reports quoting locals said that heavy rain, strong winds and hailstorm lasted for half an hour. It uprooted dozes of apple and willow trees and damaged rooftops of several residential houses. The area has witnessed adverse weather several…

Pellets to Sound Cannon: BJP’s ‘Non-Violent’ methods to handle Kashmir Conflict

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019 Editor

Calling protesters “human obstacles”, media reports suggest that the government forces in Kashmir will switch to a sonic weapon – sound cannon or Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) – from shotguns used to shoot pellets at the protesters. On June 24, 2019, news about the use of the sound cannons appeared in a newspaper. The report said that Ministry of Home Affairs headed by Bhartiya Janata Party’s former president Amit Shah has approved the use of the sonic weapon in Kashmir to shoo the protesters away. Experts say that LRAD…

Probe human rights violations in Kashmir: UN Report

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019 Editor

The United Nations has accused India again of human rights violations in Kashmir and has called for the formation of a commission of inquiry into the allegations. A 43-page report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday also called out Pakistan for detaining Kashmiri separatists in its portion of the disputed region. The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars so far over the Himalayan territory. The two countries came…

Kashmir witnessed 271 Killings, 177 CASO’s, 51 Internet Blockades during last six months

July 3, 2019July 3, 2019 Editor

The first half of 2019 in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir (IAJK) witnessed continued and increased violence. The first six months of 2019 recorded 271 killings in IAJK in various incidents of violence, which include 43 civilians, 120 militants and 108 Indian armed forces personnel. Killing Figures (January to June 2019) Month Civilians Militants Armed Forces Total Killings January 2019 02 17 08 27 February 2019 05 22 60 87 March 2019 14 19 15 48 April 2019 05 11 03 19 May 2019 11 27 04 42 June 2019…

Amarnath Yatra: NH out of bounds for civil traffic for 5 hours on daily basis

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019 Editor

The government Monday disallowed civil vehicles from playing on Qazigund-Nashri stretch of Jammu-Srinagar highway for five hours to ensure smooth passage of Amarnath yatra vehicles. The 46-day annual Amarnath Yatra began from both Pahalgam and Baltal routes on Monday. It will conclude on 15 August. The decision to restrict the civil traffic on Qazigund-Nashri stretch during Yatra convoy movements was taken in a meeting which was chaired by Advisor to Governor, Vijay Kumar on June 29. “There will be no vehicle movement in the opposite or same direction as the…

Kashmir hopes Shah to extend an olive branch to resistance camp during two-day visit

June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 Editor

Shah, who is visiting the state for the first time after taking charge of the home ministry, will make a detailed security review of the Amarnath Yatra and address a party gathering followed by meetings with the state administration. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday for the first time after taking charge of the ministry and local political leaders are expecting him to announce talks with separatists. Shah will reach the state’s summer capital, Srinagar, in the afternoon and stay in the…

Worrying trend across Kashmir Valley as more locals joining rebel ranks

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 Editor

Mohammad Salman Khan and Shabir Ahmad Dar deserted the Jammu and Kashmir police’s counter-insurgency wing to cross over to the other side on June 5. The special police officers (SPOs) left Pulwama’s district police lines with their automatic weapons and joined Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad four months after it carried out one of the deadliest attacks in Kashmir on February 14 that left 40 paramilitary troopers dead. Within hours of their desertion, security forces raided a house where security forces were tipped off about the duo’s presence at Panjran Lassipora,…

‘No Locus Standi’, India rejects OIC stand on Kashmir

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 Editor

Three months after New Delhi had toned down its criticism of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) reference to Jammu and Kashmir, India on Monday raised the decibel and rejected the OIC’s reference to Kashmir as “unacceptable” and said that the grouping has “no locus standi”. This is a turnaround from the March 2 statement earlier this year when India had merely said that Jammu and Kashmir is an “integral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India”. But, unlike previous statements, it did not say in…