News Analysis India

Tag: Jammu and Kashmir

  • India rejects Chinese foreign minister’s comments on Jammu and Kashmir

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday rejected as “uncalled” for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s references to Jammu and Kashmir in an address at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Pakistan, asserting matters relating to the union territory are entirely internal to the country.

    India’s rejection of Wang’s comments came in the midst of hectic consultations between the two sides over a possible visit by him to New Delhi in the next two days.

    “We reject the uncalled reference to India by the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his speech at the opening ceremony,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, in response to Wang’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir in his speech at the OIC meeting.

    Bagchi said matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are “entirely” internal affairs of India.

    “Other countries including China have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgement of their internal issues,” he said.

    Bagchi was responding to media queries on the comments by Wang. “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope,” Wang said at the OIC meeting.

  • J-K: Unemployment rate of 46 per cent in stark contrast to govt claims, says NC

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has the second highest unemployment rate in the country at 46 per cent, the National Conference said on Saturday, citing a report which, it said, contrasts the government’s claims on job creation post Article 370’s abrogation.

    The “Periodic Labour Force Survey April-June 2021” released by the statistics and programme implementation ministry is in stark contrast to the “false realities” projected by the Centre on fostering employment in Jammu and Kashmir after the article was revoked, party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.

    The data published by the premier government agency flies in the face of the central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s claims on swelling employment opportunities in the union territory, he said, adding it has punctured their claims.

    “The report hasn’t caught us by surprise. We have been saying this all this while that the unemployment charts have soared since the reading down of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. What is worrying here is that the figures have made a quantum jump from previous levels,” Dar said.

    The article, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated and the state was bifurcated into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

    The magnitude of the joblessness can be assessed by the fact that key recruiting agency JKSSB has collected Rs 77 crore as examination fee between March 2016 and September 2020 from job hunting candidates, according to an RTI application, he said.

    The response of the people to job applications, Dar claimed, can be gauged from the fact that when JKSSB advertised around 8,000 jobs for Class IV employees, more than half a million aspirants applied for them, with many among them holding post-graduate degrees and doctorates.

    “The private sector on the other hand, which had taken baby steps to establish itself during the Omar Abdullah-led government, has been dealt severe blows due to successive lockdowns, clampdowns in the last three years,” the NC spokesperson said.

    “Government indifference towards artisans, tourism players, marginal traders, manufacturers have further choked the employability in the local private sector. The already meek private sector has been in a free fall since 2016 but the situation post August 2019 has been exceedingly grim,” he said.

    Dar said the figures reveal that J-K has the second highest unemployment rate in the country with a staggering 46 per cent and the report has shown the mirror to the central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

    “The myths which are being peddled day in and day out stand deflated. The report has confirmed our stand,” he added.

  • Home Minister Shah visits site of proposed high-security prison in J&K’s Kathua

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday visited the site where a high-security prison is to be constructed for lodging “treasonous and insurgent criminals” in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

    Accompanied by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Shah was briefed about the project details by the Director General of Police, Prisons, B Srinivas at the site in village Dambra in Mahanpur, the officials said.

    After going through the blueprint, they said the home minister suggested some changes which will be incorporated according to the directions.

    J&K administrative council headed by Sinha transferred over 300 kanals (15 hectares) of land in favour of the Prisons Department for construction of the high-security prison in the district last month.

    “The construction of high-security prison for lodging treasonous and insurgent criminals aims at meeting the security requirements of the region and strengthening the national security,” an official spokesperson had said.

    Home Minister Shah left for Delhi after concluding his two-day visit to the Jammu region.

  • Terrorists hurl grenades at CRPF camps in Shopian, Pulwama in JK, three personnel injured

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Terrorists hurled grenades at two CRPF camps in Shopian and Pulwama districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, injuring three personnel, police said.

    The attacks came on a day the paramilitary force held its 83rd Raising Day parade in Jammu.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the CRPF Day event, held for the first time outside the national capital. “At about 8:10 pm, terrorists hurled a grenade upon the camp of 178 Battalion of the CRPF at Babapora in Zainapora area of the south Kashmir district of Shopian,” a police official said. He said one personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was injured in the attack.

    In another attack, terrorists threw a grenade at the camp of 180 Battalion of the CRPF at Nowdal in Tral area of Pulwama district in south Kashmir, the official said. He said two CRPF troopers were injured in the explosion.

  • Shah reviews security situation in J&K, calls for proactive operations against terrorists

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and laid emphasis on proactive operations against terrorists and choking their logistical and financial support systems.

    Shah said the security grid should be further strengthened to ensure zero cross-border infiltration and to eliminate terrorism completely in order to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir.

    #WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha chairs a security review meeting with senior officials at Raj Bhawan in Jammu. pic.twitter.com/uCQDLT7zHs
    — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2022
    Shah, who is on a two-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, reviewed the security situation here with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and senior officers of the central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration, an official spokesman said. He appreciated the improvement in the security situation, reduction in terror incidents from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021 and decrease in the number of slain security forces personnel from 91 in 2018 to 42 in 2021.

    Shah emphasised on proactive operations against terrorists and denying them safe haven or financial support. He directed the security forces and the police to ensure real-time coordination for effective counter-terrorism operations and monitoring activities of terrorists from jails.

    The minister ordered further strengthening of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Jammu and Kashmir to counter narco-terrorism, the spokesman said.

  • ‘The Kashmir Files’ far from truth: Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The National Conference on Friday broke its silence on ‘The Kashmir Files’ and said the movie was far from the truth as the movie makers have ignored the sacrifices of the Muslims and Sikhs who had also suffered from militancy.

    Vice President of the party and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said that if ‘The Kashmir Files’ was a commercial movie, no one has an issue, but if the film makers claim that it is based on reality, then the facts are the other way round.

    “When the unfortunate incident of Kashmiri Pandit migration took place, Farooq Abdullah was not the chief minister. Jagmohan was the governor. It was V P Singh’s government at the Centre which was supported by the BJP from outside,” Abdullah told reporters in Damal Hanji Pora of Kulgam district of South Kashmir.

    Abdullah wondered why this fact was kept away from the movie.

    “Don’t manipulate the truth. It’s not the right thing.

    “If Kashmiri Pandits have fallen victims to terrorism, we have utmost regret about that, but let us not forget the sacrifices of Muslims and Sikhs who were also targeted by the same gun,” he said.

    Abdullah said that some of those from the majority community were yet to return.

    “Today, there is a need to create an atmosphere where we could bring back all those who had left their homes and not create a communal divide,” he said.

    The former chief minister said an atmosphere would be created for the return of Kashmiri Pandits.

    “But I do not think that those people who have made this movie, want them (Kashmiri Pandits) to return. Through this picture, they want Pandits to remain outside always,” he said.

    Earlier, in his address, Abdullah said attempts were being made to defame a community across the world.

    “A common Kashmiri is not happy with what happened 32 years ago, that people were made to leave the Valley. Today, an impression is being created that all Kashmiris are communal, that all Kashmiris do not bear the people from other religions. What will be achieved by this? Will it make the road easier for their return?”

    “I am afraid that the hatred which is being created against Kashmiri Muslims today, God forbid, our children studying outside the state, should not bear its brunt,” he said.

    During his tenure as the chief minister, Abdullah had advocated setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to go into the events unfolding since the onset of militancy.

  • Three LeT terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in J&K’s Srinagar

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, who were involved in the recent killing of a sarpanch in Khonmoh, were killed in an encounter with security forces on the outskirts of the city here in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

    The security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation at Nowgam early in the morning after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police spokesperson said.

    He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists fired upon the forces, who retaliated.

    “In the ensuing encounter, three categorised terrorists were killed and their bodies retrieved from the site of the encounter. They were identified as Adil Nabi Teli, a resident of Galchibal Chandhara, Pampore, Shakir Ahmad Tantray, a resident of Ronipora, Shopian, and Yasir Ahmad Wagay, a resident of Kujer Frisal, Kulgam,” the spokesperson said.

    “According to police records, the slain terrorists were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF) and were active since 2021. They were part of groups involved in several terror crime cases, including attacks on police and security forces and civilian atrocities,” the spokesperson said.

    The three men were involved in the killing of the sarpanch in Khonmoh on March 9, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said, adding that they used to carry out attacks on Panchayati Raj institution members and protected persons.

    “The killing of the three terrorists is a huge success for the police. We have busted all the modules involved in the recent killings of sarpanches, CRPF personnel etc., including that of a Territorial Army soldier of Budgam,” the IGP said.

    He said the slain ultras were planning to carry out an attack on security forces on the national highway. “Pakistan does not want the democratic process or development to continue. So they are targeting panches and sarpanches. But we are giving them a befitting reply. We are identifying them, arresting them or neutralising them in encounters,” Kumar said.

    The police spokesperson said Teli, along with his associates, was also involved in the killing of Inspector Pervaiz Ahmad Dar at Menganwari Nowgam in June last year and in the killing of Javaid Ahmed Malik at Lurgam Tral.

    Besides, he was involved in a grenade attack on a joint party of police and the CRPF at Barbarshah in Srinagar, in which one civilian was killed and three were injured.

    Tantray and Wagay were involved in several terror crime cases, including the killing of ASI Mohammad Ashraf near the Bijbehara police station in Anantnag in December last year.

    Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition, including an AK rifle, three AK magazines, 14 AK rounds, two pistols, four pistol magazines and six pistol rounds, were seized from the site of the encounter. All the seized materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.

  • Two held in connection with CRPF personnel’s killing in J&K’s Shopian

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Within hours of the killing of a CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, police arrested the assailant and recovered the weapon of offence on Sunday.

    Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said an over ground worker (OGW) or a terrorist associate has also been arrested in connection with the case.

    Terrorists shot dead off-duty CRPF personnel Mukhtar Ahmad at his home in the Check Chotipora area of Shopian in south Kashmir on Saturday evening.

    “We have arrested #killer of CRPF personnel. #Weapon of #offence (pistol) recovered on his disclosure. 01 OGW who accompanied him during #terror crime also arrested,” the IGP said in a tweet.

    He said the crime was committed on the directions of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abid Ramzan Sheikh.

    In a statement later, a police spokesperson identified the alleged assailant as Rukhsar Sadiq Thoker, a resident of Rangmarg-Sedow and an active terrorist. The weapon of offence — a pistol — was also seized from his possession.

    “During the course of investigation, he (Thoker) disclosed the identity of another terrorist associate who facilitated him in the commission of the crime. He (the terrorist associate) has been identified as Amir Ahmad Dewan, a resident of Bohrihallan in Shopian, who too was arrested and on his disclosure, a motorcycle used in the commission of the crime was recovered,” the spokesperson said.

    During further questioning, Thoker confessed that he is a close associate of Sheikh, the self-styled commander of the LeT and a hybrid terrorist of the said organisation.

    “Furthermore, he revealed that he, along with his associate, had committed the crime on Sheikh’s directions in order to create an atmosphere of terror in the area,” the spokesperson said.

    Investigation in the case is going on and further leads are expected, he added.

  • Encounter on between security forces, militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: An encounter is underway between security forces and militants in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Friday evening.

    Acting on specific inputs about the presence of militants in the Chewaklan area of the south Kashmir district, security forces launched a cordon and search operation, a police official said.

    He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired upon the forces.

    The exchange of firing was going on and further details were awaited, the official added.

    On Thursday, two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter in Naira Batpora.

  • Army helicopter crashes in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gurez border area

    By ANI

    SRINAGAR: An Indian Army helicopter crashed in the snow-bound area of the Gurez sector in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

    The Cheetah helicopter crashed in the Baraum area of Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a defence official. Search parties have rushed to the spot.

    “The search parties of the security forces are reaching the snow-bound area for the rescue of the chopper crew,” said the official.

    More details are awaited.