News Analysis India

Tag: Jammu and Kashmir

  • Three militants killed in encounter with security forces in J&K’s Pulwama

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday, police said.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Mandoora in Tral area, following information about the presence of militants there, they said.

    The encounter broke out after militants opened fire at the security forces, who retaliated, police said.

    Three militants were killed in the swift retaliatory action by the security forces, they said, adding that the identity of the slain ultras was being ascertained.

  • Civilian injured in Pakistan shelling along LoC in J-K’s Poonch district

    By PTI
    JAMMU: A 20-year-old man was injured as Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortars at forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, officials said.

    The injured was identified as Mohammed Ikhlak, a resident of Shahpur village, they said.

    The Pakistani army opened fire with small arms and lobbed mortars along the LoC in Shahpur sector, the officials said.

    Ikhlak was injured in the firing and rushed to the hospital for treatment, they said.

    In 2020, Jammu and Kashmir recorded over 5,400 instances of ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the highest in the past 19 years, along the LoC.

    A total of 36 people were killed and over 130 injured in these ceasefire violations, according to the officials.

    They said the shelling and firing by Pakistani troops last year was “very heavy”, virtually making the 2003 India-Pakistan border truce redundant.

    “Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted forwards posts and villages along the Line of Control and the International Border to create a fear psychosis among the people and destabilise the peace along the borderline,” a senior police officer said.

  • Last surviving member of J&K Constituent Assembly, K D Sethi no more

    By PTI
    JAMMU: K D Sethi, who was the last surviving member of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly, passed away at his residence here on Thursday.

    He was 93.

    Sethi was a member of the Constituent Assembly — a body of representatives elected in 1951 — which framed the Constitution of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

    The Constituent Assembly was dissolved on January 26, 1957.

    Born in Mirpur, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, on January 1, 1928, Sethi was a popular leader.

    He had migrated to Jammu in 1946.

    Seth, who strongly batted for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, served as the state general secretary of the Democratic Conference.

    He represented the Nowshera Assembly segment of Rajouri district. Sethi is survived by a son and a daughter — both bureaucrats in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the demise of Sethi.

    “Saddened by the passing away of Krishan Dev Sethi, Ex MLA #Nowshera & father of Law Secretary J&K, Achal Sethi.

    He was also the last surviving member of J&K Constituent Assembly,” Sinha said in a tweet.

    PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti remembered Sethi as a fatherly figure.

    “Deeply saddened to know of Sethi sahab’s demise. I was hoping to see him in Jammu. He treated me like a daughter & will always be an integral part of my childhood. Will miss his wisdom & guidance,” she tweeted.

    Deeply saddened to know of Sethi sahab’s demise. I was hoping to see him in Jammu. He treated me like a daughter & will always be an integral part of my childhood. Will miss his wisdom & guidance.
    — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 28, 2021

    Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari also expressed grief over the demise of the veteran leader and said he was a versatile politician and an intellectual.

    Bukhari said that Sethi was a well-known writer and thinker who had witnessed various historical political events that happened in Jammu and Kashmir.

    “Sethi Ji will be remembered for his promptness, erudition and revealing historical accounts whose heart remained always beating for his native land.

    Losing such a stalwart personality is a great loss for the people of J-K.

    I pray for peace to the departed soul and extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family,” he said.

    Expressing sorrow over the demise of Sethi, J-K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) vice president and former MLC G N Monga today said he was a strong pillar of secularism.

    “His death has left a void that will be long felt in the political and social arena of Jammu and Kashmir.”

  • BJP issues show-cause notice to local Jammu leader for misconduct

    By PTI
    JAMMU: The BJP on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to party activist Wasim Kohli for anti-party activities during the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

    J-K BJP disciplinary committee chairman Sunil Sethi served the notice to Kohli, who is the BJP leader from Kalakote, based upon the complaints by local BJP leaders regarding anti-party activities in his assembly constituency.

    The leaders alleged that Kohli supported candidates from other parties and hence the party’s disciplinary committee served the notice to Kohli, Sethi said.

    In the notice, Kohli has been given seven days’ time to clarify his stand before the party, he added.

     Sethi said that the disciplinary committee received a complaint against Kohli about gross indiscipline in the recently concluded DDC elections, along with an audio clip allegedly containing his confession of indiscipline and of helping other candidates win elections, besides not supporting official party candidates.

    The matter has been referred to the disciplinary committee for appropriate proceedings by president of the Jammu Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party, he said.

    “You (Kohli) are directed to submit your reply to the above allegations and complaint within 7 days positively to the disciplinary committee, either online or physical in party headquarters.

    In case of no reply within the period mentioned above, it will taken that you have accepted the allegations to be true,” Sethi said.

  • ‘Centre persecuting Kashmiri politicians’: Mehbooba on PDP leader’s continued detention

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said the arrest of her party’s youth wing president Waheed ur Rehman Para was emblematic of the situation of Kashmiri politicians who she claimed were being “persecuted” by the Centre for not toeing its line.

    Para was arrested on November 25, 2020 in connection with the Naveed Babu-DySP Davinder Singh case for supporting the Hizbul Mujahideen terror group.

    Para, who had filed his nomination papers before his arrest, was elected to the District Development Council from Pulwama while in custody.

    He has not been administered oath as DDC member so far. He was granted bail by an NIA court earlier this month but has been taken into custody by Counter Insurgency Kashmir (CIK) wing of JK police.

    “Waheed’s persecution by the Indian government is emblematic of the situation that Kashmiri politicians find themselves in today.

    Disliked & mistrusted by people in J&K for their faith in Indian constitution on one hand & punished by GOI for not toeing their line on the other,” Mehbooba said in a series of tweets.

    The PDP president gave a personal rendition of Para’s initiation into politics.

    “PDPs @parawahid arrested immediately after filing his DDC nomination hails from a family where his grandfather would unfurl the Indian flag when not many Kashmiris would do so.

    Waheed’s interest in politics started at a young age,” she tweeted.

    “As a child he’d visit the local MLA’s house & listen to political conversations with rapt attention.

    His mother was scared that one fine day he’d pursue this passion for politics & become a target for militants.

    Sadly this fear consumed her & she died when Waheed was a teenager,” the former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state said in the longish thread.

    She said the system in which Para had placed his faith was going after him with a vengeance.

    “Today the very same system that he placed his faith in is going after him with a vengeance.

    Waheed despite being in illegal detention lasting a year fought & won DDC elections from jail.

    Even after a strong bail order by NIA court he was rearrested by CIK on unknown charges,” the PDP chief tweeted.

    “Not having any proof to substantiate these charges, GOI is on a spree where Waheed is arrested by one agency after another.

    It is sheer political vendetta & an attempt to sabotage the life of a young & promising 32-year-old man,” she added.

    Mehbooba said the judicial system was the last hope of the young politician.

    “His last hope now rests on the justice system & I hope that truth & justice prevail,” she said.

  • Four soldiers injured in grenade attack by militants in J-K’s Kulgam 

    By Online Desk
    Four soldiers have sustained splinter injuries in a grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam.

    The militants lobbed grenade on Army’s Road Opening Party during sanitisation drill at 10.15 AM today in the area of Shamshipura, Khanabal, Kulgam.

    The injured soliders  have been given first aid & evacuated to 92 BaseHospital.

    On January 3, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles had arrested a terror associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for being involved in providing shelter, logistics and other support to terrorists, which included transportation of arms and explosive material Kulgam.

    More details to follow.

  • Co-pilot of Indian Army helicopter that crash-landed in J-K’s Kathua district critical

    By PTI
    JAMMU: The condition of a co-pilot continues be critical on Tuesday after a Dhruv helicopter crash-landed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district the previous day, officials said.

    A pilot was killed after the Indian Army’s advanced light helicopter, which was coming from Pathankot, made a crash-landing in Basholi belt, police had said.

    The co-pilot, Captain Anjani Kumar Singh, is still critical, a Northern Command spokesperson said.

    The mortal remains of Lt Col Rishubh Sharma is shifted to Delhi by service aircraft, accompanied by his wife, five-year-old son and parents who were incidentally at Pathankot on a visit.

    “The cremation is at his hometown in Faridabad,” the spokesperson said.

    Officials are investigating into the reason behind the mishap.

  • Two pilots injured after Army chopper crash-lands in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district: Officials

    By PTI
    JAMMU: An advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv of the Indian Army made a crash-landing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Monday, resulting in injuries to two pilots, officials said.

    The chopper, which was coming from Pathankot, was forced to make a crash-landing in an Army area in the Lakhanpur belt of the district, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua Shailendra Mishra said.

    Two pilots of the helicopter were injured in the incident, he said, adding that they were rushed to a military base hospital.

    A defence spokesperson confirmed the incident and said further details are awaited.

  • Two found dead inside stranded vehicle on Jammu-Srinagar highway

    By PTI
    JAMMU: Two men were found dead inside a mini-truck on Sunday in Banihal along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was opened for Kashmir-bound stranded vehicles after remaining closed for a day due to snowfall, officials said.

    The 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was cleared on Sunday afternoon for vehicles going to Kashmir, they said.

    Shabir Ahmad Mir (22) and Majid Gulzar Mir (30), both residents of Kralpora village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, were on their way to Srinagar but left stranded after snowfall around the Jawahar Tunnel forced closure of the highway early on Saturday, the officials said.

    They said that the duo was found unconscious inside their vehicle on Sunday morning and rushed to a nearby hospital, where both of them were declared brought dead.

    ​ALSO READ | BSF detects underground tunnel at IB in J-K’s Kathua, second within 10 days

    ​It was not immediately clear whether they died of severe cold or asphyxiation, the official said, adding that preliminary investigation suggests that they had kept the heater of the vehicle on and had also burnt coal in a fire-pot to keep themselves warm during the night.

    Following the incident, people, including drivers, staged a violent protest at the Railway Chowk in Banihal, holding the government responsible for the death of the duo.

    Senior police and civil officers rushed to the spot along with security personnel and managed to bring the situation under control by dispersing a stone-pelting mob, the officials said.

    Protesters said that officials should have allowed stranded vehicles to pass through the recently completed Banihal-Qazigund tunnel.

    However, the officials said that the work inside the tunnel is going on and it is not fit for traffic movement yet.

    The Jammu-Srinagar highway was cleared of debris from multiple landslides between Nashri and Banihal and snow that had accumulated on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel, the gateway to the Kashmir Valley, paving the way for resumption of traffic movement, they said.

    A traffic department official said subject to fair weather and better road condition, only stranded vehicles would be allowed towards Srinagar on Monday as well.

    “No vehicle shall be allowed in the opposite direction,” the official said.

  • Srinagar diary: Schools in Jammu and Kashmir to reopen from February 1

    Express News Service
    Snow sculpting competition in Gulmarg

    In a first, a four-day snow sculpting competition was held in the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg to provide a platform to the budding artists to showcase their talent on the snow. In the competition, over 30 artists, both amateur and professional sculptures, participated.  The participants competed in teams and also as individuals to hand carve unique art works on themes depicting Kashmir culture, heritage, life and nature. Director of Tourism, Nisar Ahmad Wani said, “We are also planning to develop an ice park and promote this tourism product in a big way.”

    Tricolour to be hoisted on govt buildings on R-Day

    The UT administration in J&K has made it mandatory to hoist the Tricolour atop all government offices and buildings on Republic Day. An order issued by the additional secretary to government, Rohit Sharma, said, “It is impressed upon all the administrative secretaries/divisional commissioners/deputy commissioners/heads of the departments and managing directors of all PSUs/corporations to ensure that Tricolor is flown on all government offices and buildings across Jammu and Kashmir on Republic Day. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha will preside over the main R-Day function at Maulana Azad Stadium, Jammu. In a separate order, the government has asked officials of government departments to attend the function as a part of their official duty. 

    Schools to reopen from February 1

    The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered reopening of schools in the Union Territory in a phased manner from February 1. According to an official order, classes from 9 to 12 in Jammu region will open from February 1 while the elementary classes in the region will start from February 8. The schools in Kashmir region and winter zone areas of Jammu division, which are observing winter vacation, will open after the completion of winter vacation. All schools in J&K were closed in March 2020 after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. 

    Kashmir’s youngest commercial pilot

    At 20, Farhan Majeed has become the youngest commercial pilot in Kashmir. Hailing from Awantipora area of Pulwama district, Farhan recently obtained a commercial pilot’s license from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He started training as a commercial pilot at the Uttarakhand-based ‘Global Konnect Aviation Services’ in 2018 after passing his class 12 exams. Farhan says he was fascinated by aircraft since his childhood and it was his dream to become a pilot. Farhan belongs to an educated family. His father is a mathematics lecturer while his mother is also a teacher. Farhan is now waiting to fly high.