Tag: Kargil

  • BJP lost moral ground to stand before people of Kargil: Omar Abdullah

    By PTI

    KARGIL: The BJP has lost its moral ground to stand before the people of Kargil post-bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said on Saturday.

    Addressing a rally here and Drass ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election on October 4, he slammed the BJP for not giving representation to the Muslim community and making its MP Ramesh Bidhuri in charge of Tonk district in poll-bound Rajasthan instead of taking action against him for his “anti-Muslim speech” in Lok Sabha.

    Abdullah said that for the first time since Independence, there is not a single Muslim minister in the Central government even though the community constitutes 14 per cent of the country’s population.

    “They are showing their hatred towards Muslims openly. They need to answer questions before coming here asking for votes,” Abdullah said.

    “They have lost the moral ground to stand before the public. Women are not allowed to wear hijab at will and we all know that. I want to ask those who are contesting elections in the name of BJP in Kargil, do they also have the same thought?”  he posed.

    Expressing confidence about a landslide victory in the election, he said, Groundswell of support for the National Conference is making the ruling party nervous and jittery.

    The NC leader attacked the Ladakh administration, saying that “these people tried hard to stop” the party candidates from using the plough, its poll symbol, but in vain.

    “A vicious attempt was made to wipe off the National Conference from Ladakh and even claims were made by BJP MP (Jamyang Tsering Namgyal) that they have uprooted the party’s (NC’s) symbol (plough).”

    “It is not so easy and cannot be done in haste as the people of Kargil have centuries-old family and blood relations with the people in Kashmir,” he said.

    The NC and the Congress are fighting the election together.

    “We (the NC and the Congress) are fighting together to send a strong message to the people in the country that what happened on August 5, 2019, was undemocratic and based on injustice. With people’s support, we are going to win the polls and they (BJP) are panicking which is evident by the way they are using every means to keep our candidates away from the public. Even my security was taken away on reaching Zero point,” the NC vice president said.

    Referring to the court battle over the restoration of his party’s symbol in the Kargil polls, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that with time, people may forget MPs but the NC symbol will remain because it is in the hearts of the people.

    “First, they faced defeat in the high court and again at the division bench of the High Court. But these people did not stop there, they reached the Supreme Court, but there also they faced the same music,” Abdullah said.

    On September 6, the Supreme Court set aside the August 5 notification of the election department of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the hill council polls and ordered the issuance of a fresh election schedule.

    It held that the National Conference is entitled to the ‘plough’ symbol and dismissed a plea by the Ladakh administration opposing the allotment of the symbol to the party and imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on it.

    The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court had earlier dismissed the Ladakh administration’s plea against a single bench order allowing NC candidates to contest the upcoming polls for LAHDC, Kargil, on the party symbol.

    Abdullah, who was accompanied by his two sons and other senior party colleagues, alleged that he had to leave his security at the Zero Point en route to Kargil on the directions of the authorities to address the public meeting.

    He said this was his third visit to Kargil after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories Ladakh and J-K.

    “This is the first time that I had to leave my security at Zero Point. I do not have any grudge as I know they (BJP) are panicking. I know the people are with us and we have full faith in the Almighty.

    ” The National Conference claimed that Abdullah’s security was stopped at Zero Point near Mini Marg — the entry point to Ladakh on the Srinagar-Leh Highway.

    “Ladakh UT administration’s cowardice was seen today when J-K NC Vice President Omar Abdullah’s convoy was stopped at Zero Point Mini Marg and his security was not allowed to proceed,” the party said in a statement.

    It also alleged that the party vice president was “forced” to move ahead without security for his two-day visit to Kargil.

    At the rallies, Abdullah said the people of Ladakh have lost much after getting the Union Territory status as they cannot have their own MLAs, MLCs, ministers and Rajya Sabha members while “people from outside” are ruling them.

    He said the National Conference pleaded before the Supreme Court against abrogation of Article 370 and “now we are waiting for its decision and praying daily that all which was taken away from us gets restored”.

    When asked by reporters about the INDIA alliance, Abdullah said, “Last time also we fought the polls together. Now, we are a part of the INDIA alliance and when the seat sharing will be talked about, we will surely discuss this with the Congress party.”

    To a question about the installation of smart metres in Jammu and Kashmir, he said the government was only trying new tactics to harass people.

    “I do not understand where from have the smart meters come. First, they talked about digital meters and said they were the best. They forced everyone to install them. When the people installed digital meters, then smart meters came and no one has yet understood how they work,” Abdullah added.

    KARGIL: The BJP has lost its moral ground to stand before the people of Kargil post-bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said on Saturday.

    Addressing a rally here and Drass ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election on October 4, he slammed the BJP for not giving representation to the Muslim community and making its MP Ramesh Bidhuri in charge of Tonk district in poll-bound Rajasthan instead of taking action against him for his “anti-Muslim speech” in Lok Sabha.

    Abdullah said that for the first time since Independence, there is not a single Muslim minister in the Central government even though the community constitutes 14 per cent of the country’s population.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “They are showing their hatred towards Muslims openly. They need to answer questions before coming here asking for votes,” Abdullah said.

    “They have lost the moral ground to stand before the public. Women are not allowed to wear hijab at will and we all know that. I want to ask those who are contesting elections in the name of BJP in Kargil, do they also have the same thought?”  he posed.

    Expressing confidence about a landslide victory in the election, he said, Groundswell of support for the National Conference is making the ruling party nervous and jittery.

    The NC leader attacked the Ladakh administration, saying that “these people tried hard to stop” the party candidates from using the plough, its poll symbol, but in vain.

    “A vicious attempt was made to wipe off the National Conference from Ladakh and even claims were made by BJP MP (Jamyang Tsering Namgyal) that they have uprooted the party’s (NC’s) symbol (plough).”

    “It is not so easy and cannot be done in haste as the people of Kargil have centuries-old family and blood relations with the people in Kashmir,” he said.

    The NC and the Congress are fighting the election together.

    “We (the NC and the Congress) are fighting together to send a strong message to the people in the country that what happened on August 5, 2019, was undemocratic and based on injustice. With people’s support, we are going to win the polls and they (BJP) are panicking which is evident by the way they are using every means to keep our candidates away from the public. Even my security was taken away on reaching Zero point,” the NC vice president said.

    Referring to the court battle over the restoration of his party’s symbol in the Kargil polls, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that with time, people may forget MPs but the NC symbol will remain because it is in the hearts of the people.

    “First, they faced defeat in the high court and again at the division bench of the High Court. But these people did not stop there, they reached the Supreme Court, but there also they faced the same music,” Abdullah said.

    On September 6, the Supreme Court set aside the August 5 notification of the election department of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the hill council polls and ordered the issuance of a fresh election schedule.

    It held that the National Conference is entitled to the ‘plough’ symbol and dismissed a plea by the Ladakh administration opposing the allotment of the symbol to the party and imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on it.

    The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court had earlier dismissed the Ladakh administration’s plea against a single bench order allowing NC candidates to contest the upcoming polls for LAHDC, Kargil, on the party symbol.

    Abdullah, who was accompanied by his two sons and other senior party colleagues, alleged that he had to leave his security at the Zero Point en route to Kargil on the directions of the authorities to address the public meeting.

    He said this was his third visit to Kargil after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories Ladakh and J-K.

    “This is the first time that I had to leave my security at Zero Point. I do not have any grudge as I know they (BJP) are panicking. I know the people are with us and we have full faith in the Almighty.

    ” The National Conference claimed that Abdullah’s security was stopped at Zero Point near Mini Marg — the entry point to Ladakh on the Srinagar-Leh Highway.

    “Ladakh UT administration’s cowardice was seen today when J-K NC Vice President Omar Abdullah’s convoy was stopped at Zero Point Mini Marg and his security was not allowed to proceed,” the party said in a statement.

    It also alleged that the party vice president was “forced” to move ahead without security for his two-day visit to Kargil.

    At the rallies, Abdullah said the people of Ladakh have lost much after getting the Union Territory status as they cannot have their own MLAs, MLCs, ministers and Rajya Sabha members while “people from outside” are ruling them.

    He said the National Conference pleaded before the Supreme Court against abrogation of Article 370 and “now we are waiting for its decision and praying daily that all which was taken away from us gets restored”.

    When asked by reporters about the INDIA alliance, Abdullah said, “Last time also we fought the polls together. Now, we are a part of the INDIA alliance and when the seat sharing will be talked about, we will surely discuss this with the Congress party.”

    To a question about the installation of smart metres in Jammu and Kashmir, he said the government was only trying new tactics to harass people.

    “I do not understand where from have the smart meters come. First, they talked about digital meters and said they were the best. They forced everyone to install them. When the people installed digital meters, then smart meters came and no one has yet understood how they work,” Abdullah added.

  • 4.2 magnitude earthquake hits Ladakh’s Kargil, no casualties

    By PTI

    LEH/ JAMMU: A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit Ladakh’s Kargil district on Tuesday, the National Centre for Seismology said.

    There were no reports of casualties or damage to property.

    The epicentre of the tremor, recorded at 10.05 am, was 191 kilometers north of Kargil, the NCS said.

    The quake in the earthquake prone Himalayan region was at a latitude of 36.27 degrees north and longitude of 76.26 degrees east at a depth of 10 km, it said.

    LEH/ JAMMU: A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit Ladakh’s Kargil district on Tuesday, the National Centre for Seismology said.

    There were no reports of casualties or damage to property.

    The epicentre of the tremor, recorded at 10.05 am, was 191 kilometers north of Kargil, the NCS said.

    The quake in the earthquake prone Himalayan region was at a latitude of 36.27 degrees north and longitude of 76.26 degrees east at a depth of 10 km, it said.

  • India has never considered war first option but last resort; we believe in peace: PM Modi

    By PTI

    KARGIL: India has always viewed war as the last resort, but the armed forces have the strength and strategies to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

    Addressing the armed forces here on Diwali, the prime minister also recalled his visit to this frontier region in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict in 1999 when the Indian military had “crushed the hood of terror”.

    “There has not been a single war with Pakistan when Kargil has not flown the victory flag,” he said adding that Diwali symbolised the “celebration of the end of terror”.

    “I have witnessed the Kargil war closely. It was my duty that had brought me to Kargil back then. There are many memories of that time when the sounds of victory were reverberating all around,” Modi said, continuing with the tradition set by him to celebrate Diwali at the country’s frontiers.

    “In Kargil, our armed forces had crushed the hood of terror and people still remember the Diwali that was celebrated back then,” he said.

    He said over the last eight years, the government has worked on implementing reforms in the armed forces by deploying new technologies, developing infrastructure in border areas and opening up positions for women in the forces.

    “The induction of women in the armed forces will boost our strength,” Modi said and added that reforms in the armed forces that were required for decades are now being implemented.

    The prime minister said a nation is safe when its borders are secure, economy strong and society full of confidence.

    India has been dealing with its enemies, both external and internal, with force, Modi said and recounted the steps taken to “uproot” the “terror, naxalism and extremism” from within the country.

    He said India has never viewed war as the first option. “We have always seen war as the final resort. We are in favour of global peace. But peace cannot be achieved without strength,” Modi said.

    “Our armed forces have the strategies as well as the strength. If anyone dares cast an evil eye on us, our three armed forces know very well how to give a befitting reply,” the prime minister said.

    Prime Minister Modi also said that ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ most important to the nation’s security and the country’s dependence should be minimal on foreign weapons and systems.

    Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has been visiting different military facilities to celebrate Diwali.

    KARGIL: India has always viewed war as the last resort, but the armed forces have the strength and strategies to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

    Addressing the armed forces here on Diwali, the prime minister also recalled his visit to this frontier region in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict in 1999 when the Indian military had “crushed the hood of terror”.

    “There has not been a single war with Pakistan when Kargil has not flown the victory flag,” he said adding that Diwali symbolised the “celebration of the end of terror”.

    “I have witnessed the Kargil war closely. It was my duty that had brought me to Kargil back then. There are many memories of that time when the sounds of victory were reverberating all around,” Modi said, continuing with the tradition set by him to celebrate Diwali at the country’s frontiers.

    “In Kargil, our armed forces had crushed the hood of terror and people still remember the Diwali that was celebrated back then,” he said.

    He said over the last eight years, the government has worked on implementing reforms in the armed forces by deploying new technologies, developing infrastructure in border areas and opening up positions for women in the forces.

    “The induction of women in the armed forces will boost our strength,” Modi said and added that reforms in the armed forces that were required for decades are now being implemented.

    The prime minister said a nation is safe when its borders are secure, economy strong and society full of confidence.

    India has been dealing with its enemies, both external and internal, with force, Modi said and recounted the steps taken to “uproot” the “terror, naxalism and extremism” from within the country.

    He said India has never viewed war as the first option. “We have always seen war as the final resort. We are in favour of global peace. But peace cannot be achieved without strength,” Modi said.

    “Our armed forces have the strategies as well as the strength. If anyone dares cast an evil eye on us, our three armed forces know very well how to give a befitting reply,” the prime minister said.

    Prime Minister Modi also said that ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ most important to the nation’s security and the country’s dependence should be minimal on foreign weapons and systems.

    Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has been visiting different military facilities to celebrate Diwali.

  • President pays respect to martyrs of Kargil war 

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR:  President Ram Nath Kovind, who could not fly to Kargil due to bad weather, offered floral tributes to soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil War at War Memorial in north Kashmir’s Baramulla on Monday. The president was scheduled to attend the Kargil Vijay Diwas function at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, Ladakh to mark the 22nd anniversary of Kargil war.

    However, due to bad weather, the trip to Kargil was cancelled and the president visited the Dagger War Memorial in Baramulla in north Kashmir and laid a wreath to pay tributes to all soldiers killed in 1999 war with Pakistan.

    “The nation salutes the soldiers and officers of the 19th Infantry Division, who have been safeguarding our borders in the most hostile terrains under adverse weather conditions as our frontline troops. They have scripted exceptional stories of indomitable courage, bravery and sacrifice,” the President said in his message. 

    He later visited Army’s High Altitude Warfare School, Gulmarg, which is a premier institution in the field of warfare. There he interacted with soldiers and officers. It is the second time that President Kovind had to cancel his Kargil visit on Kargil Vijay Diwas. In 2019, too, he could not visit Kargil due to bad weather. President Kovind became the first high-profile person to visit J&K since the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. 

  • Kargil team for statehood to Ladakh, return of Article 370

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: An 11-member delegation of leaders from Kargil region on Thursday demanded that the Centre restore the special status granted under Article 370 of the Constitution and also sought the power to decide on permanent residents as well as full statehood for Ladakh.

    The delegation comprising political leaders and civil society members met Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy almost a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted 14 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir.

    During that meeting, the Centre had urged them to help in the progress of the delimitation exercise. It had not made promises on any immediate statehood to the union territory. During Thursday’s meeting which lasted for more than two hours, Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader Asgar Ali Karbalai said they called for the need for restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, and full-fledged statehood for Ladakh. He expressed confidence that more meetings would take place. 

    Qamar Ali Akhoon, another leader, said that they were against creation of the UT of Ladakh and sought statehood. The delegation also discussed development issues, he added. According to sources in the MHA, the delegation was given patient hearing in the meeting with top officials.

  • Indian Army to vacate Kargil land to build township

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: The Indian Army would vacate around 3,000 kanals (375 acres) land at Kargil Lower Plateau in six months, starting March, paving the path for a well-planned civilian township. The one-and-a-half years of talks on the issue culminated  in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Deputy Commissioner Kargil and CEO of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary and Brigade Commander, 121 Infantry Division, Brigadier Vivek Bakshi on Friday.

    The army had been using the land locally known as Khurbathang plateau for field and firing range, logistics, and operational purposes. The civilian administration has assured the army of alternative land.As per the MoU, army would start vacating the land in March, and hand over its control to the civil administration in six months.

    Baseer-ul-Haq told TNIE that army would get alternative tract of 3,000 kanals at two places in Kargil – one near the Maratha Unit Kurbathang and the other at Mulbekh.  Baseer-ul-Haq said this would pave the path for the establishment of a new and planned township in Kargil, with all modern amenities under the Smart City project. 

    In April 2015, the then PDP-BJP coalition government in J&K had asked the army to vacate the Khurbathang plateau. It had decided to provide alternative locations at Mulbekh (75 acres) and upper Yogmathang (187 acres).

    When asked about the future of the structures raised by army on the land, Baseer-ul-Haq said, “It will be decided after proper guidelines and protocols are framed. The guidelines will decide on providing compensation, if any, to the army for the structures.”