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Modi’s birthday diplomacy: A hug in Lahore stirs hope in Kashmir

December 26, 2015 Editor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan on Friday to greet Nawaz Sharif on the Pakistani PM’s birthday has surprised many in Kashmir, more so by the menu served to the Indian premier on his arrival in Lahore, which included “Kashmiri Chai,” a beverage consumed enthusiastically in the Valley throughout the year. Modi signaled on Twitter his intention to veer off schedule and visit Sharif in Lahore. The Pakistani PM met Modi at the airport from where they flew to Sharif’s Rawalpindi residence in the eastern state of Punjab.…

Kashmir shivers as mercury slides further

December 26, 2015 Editor

Cold conditions further intensified in the Kashmir region as the mercury overnight dropped several degrees below the freezing point. In Srinagar, the minimum temperature was recorded at -5.2 degrees Celsius causing a snowy cold in the city. The overnight temperature had frozen parts of the Dal Lake’s surface as the city recorded one of the coldest nights of the season. The mercury in Gulmarg resort of north Kashmir plunged to a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius while the minimum in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort dropped to minus 8.0 degrees…

Senior Police Officer critically injured in militant attack in Bijbehara

December 24, 2015December 24, 2015 Editor

At least two policemen were injured in south Kashmir on Thursday when militants opened fire at a police party on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway. Preliminary reports suggest the militants opened fire at a police party headed by sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) in Bijbehara area, Anantnag district, around 48 km south of Srinagar. The two injured cops, including a DSP-level officer, were shifted to the Army Hospital, where their health condition is said to be critical. The attack comes just a day after security forces pasted posters of militants in Tral, south…

Geelani slams parents for sending girls on Army-sponsored tours

December 24, 2015 Editor

Chairman Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and Hurriyat (G), Syed Ali Geelani Wednesday expressed concern over the participation of Kashmiri girls in Army-sponsored tours. According to a press release issued by Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Geelani “expressed deep sorrow over the conscience of those parents who send their daughters on the Indian army sponsored tours”. “This army is involved in hundreds of gang rape cases in Kashmir and people who hand over their daughters in the hands of such cruel and rapist forces should die of shame,” Geelani said during a seerat conference organized by it at…

Clashes in old Srinagar post CM’s function

December 23, 2015 Editor

Talks between India, Pak shows farsightedness: CM Protests and clashes erupted in old Srinagar immediately after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed attended a function in Nowhatta today. The clashes continued for around an hour. It was the for the first time after becoming the Chief Minister that Mufti attended any function in the old city, a separatist bastion. Eyewitnesses said stone throwing started immediately after the Chief Minister inaugurated a community hall in the Nowhatta area and left the venue. “A few youths appeared in the locality and threw stones…

Mercury drops as ‘Chilai Kalaan’ sets in

December 22, 2015 Editor

Minimum temperature in Srinagar dips to -5.6°C; Gulmarg records low of -11°C The 40-day long harshest phase of Kashmir’s winter began today with the mercury plunging several degrees below the freezing point in the region. The winter’s harshest phase, which begins with the winter solstice and lasts for 40 days, is known as Chilai Kalaan in local parlance. It is feared for its freezing weather and spells of snow. The annual phase begins on December 21 when the least amount of sunlight is received in the northern hemisphere. Meanwhile, in…

Valley freezes on ‘Chilai Kalan’ eve

December 21, 2015December 21, 2015 Editor

The Kashmir valley registered a cold night on the eve of ‘Chilai Kalan’, the winter’s harshest phase which lasts for 40 days and begins on winter solstice. The minimum temperature across the Kashmir valley dropped below freezing point, marking another cold night in the region. In Srinagar city, the overnight temperature dropped to a low of minus 0.3 degree Celsius, said an official of the state Meteorological Department. Even though the minimum temperature in the city was slightly below freezing point, it was comparatively warmer than the previous night, when…

New BJP chief comes with saffron agenda, vows to fulfil Sangh’s plan

December 21, 2015 Editor

Sat Sharma says party will never play second fiddle to coalition partner PDP Within minutes of his formal appointment as the state BJP president, Sat Sharma started flexing his muscles by asserting that the saffron party was not going to play second fiddle to the PDP in the coalition. He said the question of abandoning core issues did not arise at any cost. “We are committed to fulfilling the unfinished agenda of founding fathers of the erstwhile Jana Sangh and the present BJP,” he said. “No question of playing second…

Protests rage continues for the 6th day against food security act

December 19, 2015 Editor

There was no let-up in the protests against the implementation of the Food Security Act in the Valley for the sixth consecutive day today as residents in various parts of the city came on roads and demanded the that the Act should not be implemented in the state. According to government orders, the Act will be implemented in J&K from February 1, 2016. The proposed implementation of the National Security Bill sparked protests in the Rambagh area of Srinagar, resulting in disruption of vehicular movement for hours together. The protesters,…

SMC told to seal commercial complexes without parking

December 18, 2015 Editor

After the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) claimed that 12 commercial complexes in the city were found to have functional car parking facilities after inspection, the J&K High Court today tasked a Court Commissioner to personally visit the sites and submit the report. The court, meanwhile, has directed the SMC to continue its sealing drive. The corporation has been directed to seal commercial complexes/structures without vehicle parking facilities. Huge vehicular traffic on city roads has made the population suffer. Consumers, who visit commercial complexes, generally park their vehicles on the road…