News Analysis India

Tag: Kashmir

  • Hizbul Mujahideen militant among two killed in Jammu and Kashmir encounter

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: A Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant, who had infiltrated from Pakistan last week, was among the two ultras killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on March 27, police said on Sunday.

    Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the encounter in Shopian’s Wangam area began on Saturday evening and got over with the killing of two militants belonging to HM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

    “Two deadly terrorists have been killed in the operation. One of them, Inatullah Sheikh, a resident of Shopian, was active since 2018 and had gone to Pakistan that year for arms training. He returned last week only. He was with HM,” the IGP said here.

    The other militant, Adil Malik, a resident of Anantnag, belonged to LeT, he said.

    “One AK-47 rifle, one M4 rifle and a pistol have been recovered from the encounter site,” he said, adding that so far this year, security forces have recovered two M4 rifles from militants.

    The IGP said it was more likely that Sheikh had brought the M4 rifle with him from Pakistan.

    A police spokesperson said Malik, according to police records, was active since September 2020.

    He said Sheikh and Malik were involved in several terror cases, including attacks on security forces and civilian atrocities.

    After the presence of the militants was ascertained during the search operation, they were given an opportunity to surrender, the spokesperson said.

    However, they opened indiscriminate fire on the search party that retaliated, leading to the encounter, he said.

    The spokesperson said three Army jawans sustained bullet injuries during the initial exchange of fire and were evacuated to the hospital.

    One of the jawans, Havildar Pinku Kumar, succumbed to his injuries.

    The IGP Kashmir and all ranks of Kashmir Zone Police paid rich tributes to Kumar, he said.

    “We stand by his family at this critical juncture,” he said.

  • Efforts should be made to protect linguistic diversity of Jammu and Kashmir: Farooq Abdullah

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Mother tongue is the underlying component of one’s culture and identity and every effort should be made to protect the linguistic diversity of Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday.

    In his message on the eve of International Mother Language Day, Abdullah said the mother tongue must be the medium of instruction in schools, especially at the formative stages.

    “It lays a strong foundation for the expression of creativity and personality development. It also fosters creativity at the formative stages,” he said.

    Abdullah, the Member of Parliament from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, said as far as Kashmiri language is concerned, it is richly endowed with classical as well as folk literature watered over thousands of years by various poets, sages, rhetoricians and linguists.

    “Having a large number of speakers, Kashmiri enjoys the privilege of being one of 22 languages mentioned in the eighth schedule, yet that does not put the language out of risk of getting extinct. Therefore, the need of the hour calls for taking radical steps to protect it and propagate it.

    “Urdu, no doubt glues all the people of Jammu and Kashmir together, but languages like Kashmiri, Dogri, Pahari, Gojri, Punjabi should not be relegated to obscurity,” he said.

    Abdullah emphasised on having special grants for scholars pursuing research programmes in Kashmiri and other languages.

    “Incentivisation of publication of journals, magazines and papers in the local native languages like Kashmiri, Dogri, Gojri, Pahari, Punjabi will go a long way in protecting the linguistic heritage of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

  • Reprehensible, savage, act of cowardice: J&K leaders condemn killing of cops by terrorist

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir political leaders, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, condemned the killing of two unarmed policemen by a terrorist in an upmarket Srinagar area on Friday.

    Abdullah, who is also the National Conference vice president, said the attack was “reprehensible” as the two policemen were unarmed and shot from behind.

    “I condemn this act of militant violence & send my condolences to the families of these brave men,” he tweeted.

    “What makes this attack even more reprehensible is that SgCT Mohammad Yousuf of Zurhama and Ct Suhail Ahmad of Logripora were unarmed & shot in the back.

    Senseless & cowardly at the same time,” he added.

    PDP president Mehbooba condemned the attack saying the cycle of violence only begets misery.

    “Condemn the killing of two policemen in the Baghat attack.

    My heart goes out to their families & loved ones. This cycle of violence serves no cause & begets only misery,” she tweeted.

    People’s Conference led by Sajad Lone also condemned the killing of the policemen.

    “We strongly condemn the killing of two policemen in a dastardly and savage act of senseless violence at Baghat today.

    Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Suhail Ahmad and Mohd Yusuf in this hour of grief,” the party said. Local leaders of the BJP and the Congress also condemned the killings.

    BJP leader Altaf Thakur termed the attack an act of cowardice.

    “There is no place for such cowardly acts and the attackers must be brought to book,” he said.

    The two constables were on duty at Baghat on the high-security airport road when they were attacked.

    The terrorist, identified as Saqib, can be seen pulling out an assault rifle hidden inside his ‘pheran’, a loose over-garment worn during winters, and pumping bullets at them at close range.

  • Cops seize 61 vehicles, 5 houses, 6 shops in militancy cases in J&K

    By Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has seized  61 vehicles, 5 houses, 6 shops, and the land of some individuals and associations in 46 militancy-related cases.

    A police spokesman said the police headquarters had ordered seizure and attachment of movable and immovable assets of individuals and groups involved in militancy under the ULA (P) Act.

    “Under this Act, 61 vehicles — two trucks/trailers, one tipper, four Alto 800 cars, two Hyundai Creta, one Maruti Echo, one Baleno, four Santro, one Asta, two Wagon R, one Mahindra Quanta, one Auto (Tata Zip), two Maruti Swift, 18 Motor Cycles, five Scotties, two Autoload carrier, three Alto K10, one Maruti 800, one Load carrier (207), two Tavera, one Ambulance, one Tata Tiago, one Ford Figo, two Echo ambulance, one i20, and one Dutson — have been seized,” he said.

    According to the spokesman, the Creta car belonged to Sofi Fahmeeda, a close aide of Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Assiya Andrabi, who is presently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail. 

    “Rs 3,70,000 cash, cheque worth Rs 50,000 were also seized. Besides, immovable property including five houses have also been seized. The houses seized include those of Mehmooda Begum, mother-in-law of Asiya Andrabi, six shops belonging to Nazir Ahmad Wani of Pulwama in case FIR number 39/2020 under section 18, 19, 39 ULA (P) Act and 1 Kanal, 06 marlas of land,” he said.

    The spokesman said in 2021, so far, PHQ has accorded sanction for the seizure of 11 vehicles including six four-wheelers and five two-wheelers.

    The permission for seizure has been granted under section 25 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, he said.

    The spokesman said section 25 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 provides for more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations, and for dealing with militant activities, and for matters connected therewith.

    According to the spokesman, while a number of militants belonging to different outfits are killed in the sustained anti-militancy operations, the handlers are using motor vehicles and the proceeds of militants for furthering their evil designs.

    “Following due procedures of the law, Jammu and Kashmir Police has in the last couple of years or so accorded sanction for seizure/attachments of four-wheelers, motorcycles, cash, land houses and shops through different orders to ensure that the militant activities are under check,” he added.

  • JeM planned terror attacks in Delhi; terrorists sourcing weapons from Bihar: DGP Dilbag Singh

    Malik was arrested on February 6 by the Anantnag police from Kunjwani in Jammu district while Rather was apprehended on February 13 from Bari Brahmana area of Samba district.

  • Kashmir hoteliers slam order to host Khelo India participants after cancelling Gulmarg bookings

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: Tour and travel operators in Kashmir have hit out at the government for ordering cancellation of bookings in the world famous ski resort of Gulmarg to accommodate participants and officials of the Khelo India National Winter Games.

    Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) president Farooq Ahmad Kuthoo said the order to cancel pre-booking in Gulmarg hotels is “insanity” on the part of the government.

    The government is hosting the week long Khelo India national winter games at Gulmarg from February 25 and asked hoteliers in Gulmarg to cancel bookings from Feb 25-March 3.

    The Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla in a letter to SDM Gulmarg has asked him to ensure that boarding and lodging facilities are provided to the athletes and officials during the Feb 25-March event.

    “Further, all pre-bookings, if any, on this account may be cancelled,” the letter read.

    TAAK president said the tour operators had made the bookings in the Gulmarg hotels a few months back. “And now how are we going to convince the tourists that they cannot stay in Gulmarg hotels despite the fact that Gulmarg is in the limelight and everybody wants to visit the place.”

    Farooq said he is still unable to understand the government move. “They are all of a sudden telling us to cancel all the bookings for the Khelo India event.”

    He said it is definitely going to have a serious impact on the efforts in promoting tourism in Kashmir. “It will send a very bad message,” he said.

    “On the one hand, they say Khelo India will promote Kashmir tourism but on the other hand, we have to cancel hundreds of bookings and what will people think of us,” he added.

    TAAI Kashmir chapter president Zahoor Ahmad Qari said the tour operators are facing a tough time due to pre-booking cancellations at Gulmarg.

    If the government had to host the event, he said, they should have given prior information to the hoteliers and told them not to book rooms on specific dates. “This event was not finalized in a day. It is good that Khelo India winter games are being held here but the government should have informed the tourism stakeholders so that the tour operators could not have taken bookings on the specific date. Then we would not have been in the awkward situation which we are at present,” he said.

    Qari said the tour operators are in despair and don’t know how they are going to face people outside during the road shows and travel marts.

  • Alarm raised after some Kashmiri youths who travelled to Pakistan on valid visa infiltrate with terrorists

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Nearly 100 Kashmiri youths, who travelled to Pakistan on valid visas for short durations, have either not come back or have disappeared after their return in last three years, raising an alarm within security agencies which fear that they could be possible sleeper cells of terror groups operating from across the border.

    Alarm bells rang in April last year when a group of five terrorists were killed in jungles of the border area of Handwara in North Kashmir.

    One of them was a local who went to Pakistan in 2018 and had not returned since, various officials from security agencies said.

    Between April one to six of last year, youths hailing from Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts of South Kashmir were seen as part of the infiltrating groups of terrorists and all of them had travelled to Pakistan on valid documents and never returned thereafter, they said.

    Security agencies, along with the immigration officials at Wagah border as well as at the New Delhi airport, have been collecting data of Kashmiri youths who travelled on valid visa for durations ranging more than seven days over the last three years, the officials said.

    The figures were astonishing and in some of the cases it was found that the youths never returned and in others they disappeared after their return, raising speculation that they could have become “sleeper cells”, waiting for instructions from the masters in Pakistan’s snooping agency, ISI, or handlers in terror groups located across the border.

    Kashmiri youths, who travelled to Pakistan even two years back, were called for questioning and a proper analysis of their activities after their return was being carried out by the security agencies, the officials said, adding some inconvenience was caused but precaution was always better than cure.

    Those questioned by the security agencies were asked a valid reason for their travel to Pakistan, the officials said, adding that the background history of all these people was checked and verified at the minutest level.

    While the security agencies believe that there was a six weeks’ training course for new terror recruits, intelligence inputs suggest that some of the youths were provided a quick module of fabrication of improvised explosive devices using easily available explosive material within a week’s time, they said.

    The recruitment of youths for various terror organisations is also being carried out discreetly and it is quite possible these youths could also be doubling as “recruiters” for brain-washing of vulnerable men in the militancy affected union territory.

    The missing youth are mainly from an average middle class and have been described as the new faces of terrorism in Kashmir.

    They could be waiting for delivery of arms and ammunition for all of them which has been substantially been choked due to heightened surveillance at the Line of Control, they said.

  • Security tightened in Kashmir Valley ahead of Republic Day

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Security has been beefed up in Srinagar and other places in Kashmir ahead of the Republic Day on Tuesday as forces have been deployed in massive numbers around the venues of the January 26 functions across the valley, officials said on Sunday.

    Random checking of vehicles and frisking of passengers was being done at several places, they said.

    The presence of security forces around vital installations in and around the city as well as other district headquarters has been increased, the officials said.

    Security has also been strengthened around the venues for the Republic Day functions, including around Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium here where the main function in the valley would take place, they added.

    The officials said a thick layer of security has been thrown around the venue – a few kilometres away from the Lal Chowk city centre here – and the area has been sanitised.

    Security forces have been asked to remain alert and more check-points have been erected and in the city, they said.

    The authorities sealed off the road stretch from Radio Kashmir Crossing to Sonwar Crossing for the first half of the day on Sunday as full-dress rehearsals took place at the stadium, the officials said.

    Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said the situation was under control and expressed confidence that the day will pass off incident-free.

    He said a multi-layered security has been put in place and domination and surveillance of areas was being undertaken.

    “A three-layered security arrangement has been put in place. The areas are being dominated, frisking and checking of vehicles is being undertaken.

    Drones are also being used,” he said.

    The IGP said the security forces were launching cordon and search operations also “wherever there is some suspicion” about the presence of militants.

  • Poor road defeats Jammu and Kashmir tourism goals

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: A delegation of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture met different trade, tourism and transport groups on Thursday. The groups complained of the pitiable state of the lifeline of the Valley, Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

    They also highlighted the skyrocketing airfares. The standing committee led by chairman and MP (RS) T G Venkatesh arrived here on Wednesday. Representatives of tour, travel and hospitality sector, including KCCI, Hotelier Club, TAAK, TASK, PILTOF, HBOA, CTT, AKTO,  NTTA, HSG and DTOAK, raised issues of connectivity and tourism promotion.

    Speaking to Express, KCCI chief Sheikh Ashiq said they conveyed to the delegation that prosperity of the region was dependent on better connectivity.

    “We are always cut off from the rest of the country. Even if there is a minor drizzle, the Srinagar-Jammu highway gets disconnected. The pitiable state of the highway defeats the efforts to increase tourism inflow into the Valley. Any disruption affects our access to essential supplies,” he said.

  • Four soldiers injured in Pakistani firing along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor sector

    By PTI
    KAMMU: Four soldiers of the Army sustained injuries as Pakistani troops opened fire targeting forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor sector, official sources said on Wednesday.

    The ceasefire violation from across the LoC in the Keri Battal area took place on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, they said.

    Four soldiers suffered splinter injuries and were shifted to the military hospital in Udhampur for treatment, the sources added.