News Analysis India

Tag: Kashmir

  • No encounter in Jammu and Kashmir so far in new year

    Express News Service
    SRI NAGAR: The  militancy-hit Kashmir has been peaceful this year so far with no encounter taking place between the militants and security forces and no death reported in militancyrelated violence in the first two weeks of 2021. The last encounter in the Valley took place on December 30, 2020 at Lawapora in the outskirts of Srinagar. The incident raised some controversy as the security forces claimed the three men died in the encounter were militants, while the relatives of slain youth alleged their wards were innocent civilians. Also, the police said the three youth were not listed as militants.

    Compared to this year, the first encounter in 2020 took place on the 7th day of New Year, in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district in which a local militant was killed. When asked about the current situation, a security official said there have been no let up in anti-militancy operations and security personnel are continuing their operations even in the chilling and intense cold in the Valley.

    In 2020, a total of 225 militants, including 46 commanders of different militant outfits, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir. Of them, 207 were killed in 90 gunfights in Kashmir and 18 in 13 gunfights in Jammu region. About 60 security personnel were also killed in militancyrelated violence last year.

    Barring a grenade attack on an ITBP vehicle at Tral in Pulwama district on January 2 in which eight civilians were injured, no other major militancy incident has taken place in the Valley so far this year. Last year 38 civilians were killed in militancy-related incidents in the J&K. Meanwhile, a police officer said the security forces have arrested around 10 militant associates in the Valley. Five of them, who were pasting threat posters in some villages of Tral, were arrested on Saturday.

  • Sisters from Kashmir make snow sculpture as tribute to corona warriors

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: As a white winter and COVID-19 pandemic keep the people homebound, two sisters from Kashmir — one a doctor and the other a lawyer by education — have warmed hearts with their tribute in snow to the corona warriors.

    A steady stream of visitors was seen at the lawn of their residence at Athwajan in the city where Dr Quratul Ain Zohra and Aiman Zohra have made a snow sculpture.

    The snow art has models of a lady doctor, a syringe loaded with COVID vaccine, a stethoscope and the acronym of World Health Organisation (WHO).

    “This is a tribute to everyone involved in the fight against the COVID around the world in general and those in Kashmir in particular. The doctors, the paramedics, police, ambulance drivers and media. Everyone has played a role in combating this pandemic,” Quratul Ain told PTI.

    The Zohra sisters said they are also sending a message of women empowerment through their snow art.

    “We have sculpted a lady doctor as a special tribute to women involved in this fight against COVID and to highlight women empowerment,” they said.

    Quratul Ain said the syringe with vaccine symbolised the hope that the end of the pandemic was in sight.

    “A large number of people have lost jobs,  the economy is in bad shape around the world, youngsters are unemployed because of this virus, resulting in depression. The vaccine brings hope for the return of normalcy in our lives, ” she added.

    But how did a doctor and an advocate end up doing snow sculptures? “Art is in our genes. During our school days, we used to participate in art competitions for fun and win. After completing our education, we even pursued our hobby as make-up artists,” Quratul Ain said.

    The sisters are much sought after for bridal make up during wedding seasons.

    “The brides are comfortable if the make-up artists are women. It also helps if the bride and the artist belong to the same culture,” she added.

  • France backed India on Kashmir, didn’t allow China to play procedural games at UNSC: Macron advisor

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: France has been supportive of India on Kashmir and has not allowed China to play any “procedural games” at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), an advisor to the French president said on Thursday.

    On a visit to India for the annual strategic dialogue between France and India, Emmanuel Bonne, the diplomatic advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, said, “When China breaks the rules, we have to be very robust and very clear and this is the sense of our naval presence in the Indian Ocean.”

    Delivering a talk on “France and India: Partners for a Stable and Prosperous Indo-Pacific”, organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), Bonne also said France is close to the QUAD — the grouping of US, Japan, Australia and India — and may hold some naval exercises with them in future.

    Noting that the French Navy is the only European Navy which patrols the Taiwan strait, he said it was not as a provocation but a way to assert the necessity to abide by international law.

    “Let us not go for confrontation and I understand that it’s much easier to say this from Paris than from Delhi when you almost have a problem in the Himalayas and when you have Pakistan at your border,” Bonne said.

    “On direct threats to India, we have always been very clear. Whether it be on Kashmir, we have been very supportive of India in the Security Council, we have not let the Chinese play any kind of procedural games. When it comes to the Himalayas, just check our statements, we are perfectly clear. What we say publicly, we say to the Chinese also privately, there is no ambiguity,” he said.

    Talking about his conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Strategic Dialogue earlier in the day, he said the discussion was about strategic opportunities as well as the bilateral defence and security relationship.

    He said military cooperation and the Indian Ocean were also part of the conversation.

    “In particular we are sharing information, we are maneuvering together our navies, our air and space commandments are coordinating. We are building capacities and cooperating. When it comes to the Indian Ocean, we are working on maritime surveillance,” he said.

    Bonne will also call on other Indian dignitaries during his visit.

    The last edition of the strategic dialogue was held in February 2020 in Paris.

  • Air traffic restored between Kashmir, rest of country

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Air traffic between Kashmir and the rest of the country was restored on Thursday after four days, but lack of snow clearance reroute Srinagar airport led to massive traffic jams, forcing many passengers to walk several kilometres, officials said.

    “As many as 26 flights arrived at Srinagar international airport on Thursday while 24 flights departed to destinations outside the valley. The flight operations resumed after a gap of four days,”  an official here said.

    The air traffic between Srinagar airport, the only civilian airport in Kashmir, and rest of the country was suspended on Sunday due to snowfall which continued till Wednesday.

    While many passengers were relieved at the resumption of air traffic, they had to face lots of inconvenience on reaching the airport, the official said.

    He said as the road leading to airport had not been cleared of snow on time, it resulted in massive traffic jam from Hyderpora chowk to the airport gate.

    Many passengers abandoned their vehicles and started walking to the airport so that they did not miss their flights.

    “My brother and his family who was travelling to Delhi had to walk four kilometres due to traffic jam,” G S Patel said.

    Patel said he was driving his brother and his family to the airport but they had to walk the distance from Peerbagh to airport “as our vehicle did not move an inch for one hour.”

  • Centre brings in ordinance to end Jammu and Kashmir cadre

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The centre on Thursday ended the Jammu and Kashmir Cadre for All India Service officers, merging IAS, IPS & Indian Forest Services officers of J&K cadre with AGMUT cadre.

    The officers of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre can be posted to Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and any union territory.

    Jammu and Kashmir Cadre officers will report directly to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs just like other officers of AGMUT, and MHA will be the final authority of all services matters such as inter segment transfers of officers, promotions, foreign deputations etc.

    “The members of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service for the existing cadre of Jammu and Kashmir, shall be borne and become part of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories cadre, and all future allocations of All India Services Officers for the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh shall be made to Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories Cadre for which necessary modifications may be made in corresponding cadre allocation rules by the Central Government,” stated issued by the Union Ministry of Law and signed by President Ram Nath Kovind.

    The notification added that necessary modifications may be made in the corresponding cadre allocation rules by the central government.

    Earlier the J&K reorganization act passed by Parliament on August 6, 2019 said that officers in J&K cadre of the erstwhile State, now bifurcated into UT of J&K and Ladakh) will continue to serve in the cadre.

    The officers so borne or allocated on AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and UT cadre) shall function in accordance with the rules framed by the Central government, read the notification, amending Section 88 of Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

    The amendment in J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 was made via an Ordinance and the move comes weeks before the start of budget session of Parliament.

    The move comes over a year after the Centre abrogated Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into union territories in August 2019.

  • NIA conducts searches in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab in narco-terror case

    By PTI
    JAMMU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at six places in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab in connection with its probe into a narco-terror case.

    The case was registered after the busting of a narco-terror module and seizure of 61-kg heroin and a cache of arms and ammunition along the International Border (IB) here last year.

    The raids were conducted at five locations in Jammu district and one in Tarn Taran in Punjab, leading to the seizure of digital devices and other incriminating documents having financial details and bank account numbers for further scrutiny and analysis, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

    He said the searches were conducted at the residences of six accused — the module’s kingpin Gurpartap Singh of Tarn Taran and his Jammu-based associates Jasraj Singh, Sham Lal, Bishan Dass, Ajeet Kumar and Gurbaksh Singh.

    “All the six accused were arrested for hatching a criminal conspiracy for carrying out anti-national and unlawful activities, and to help the terrorist organisations by collecting funds and channelizing the proceeds of drugs for furthering the activities of such terrorist organisations like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI),” the spokesperson said.

    He said a case under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was registered at Arnia police station in Jammu district near the International Border on September 20 last year, following the seizure of a huge cache of narcotic substance along with arms and ammunition amid unprovoked firing by Pakistan on a police patrolling team to provide cover for the smuggling activity.

    The NIA re-registered the case on November 26, 2020 and took up the investigation, the spokesperson said.

    In the second week of September, he said, Gurpratap Singh had received 10 kg of heroin from Pakistan-based handlers through his associates.

    The consignment in the instant case was also intended to be received by him to fund the activities of BKI in Punjab, the spokesperson said.

  • Army troops help pregnant woman reach hospital as snowfall disrupts normal life in Kashmir

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As heavy snowfall threw life out of gear across Kashmir Valley this week, Army troops helped a pregnant woman in Kupwara reach hospital by carrying her a distance of about 2 km in knee-deep snow before she could be driven to a hospital, sources said on Friday.

    The woman gave birth to a boy at the Karalpura hospital.

    The Company Operating Base (COB) of the Indian Army at Karalpura in Kupwara received a distress call at around 11.30 PM on Tuesday from Manzoor Ahmed Sheikh who lives in Pharkian village, sources noted.

    Sheikh informed the Army that his wife was undergoing labour pain and has to be evacuated to a hospital immediately, they stated.

    It had been snowing for nearly 24 hours continuously when the call came, they said.

    “Due to heavy snowfall and inclement weather, neither community health service vehicles nor civil transport could drive on snow-filled roads,” a source noted.

    Understanding the gravity of the situation and plight of the family, the army troops and a battlefield nursing assistant at Karalpura took some medical comfort items and reached their home on time.

    “The troops escorted the woman and the family for about 2 km in knee-deep snow till the road head, from where she was taken to Karalpura hospital. On reaching hospital, the woman was immediately attended by the medical staff, who were ready due to the coordination of the Indian Army with the civil administration,” a source noted.

    The family and the civil administration thanked the Army unit for its humanitarian efforts, the sources said.

    The father came to the Company Operation Base to distribute sweets to all troops after being blessed with a healthy boy, they said.

  • Avalanche warnings issued for higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (DMA) issued fresh medium and low-level avalanche warnings for the higher reaches of the avalanche-prone areas in the Union Territory on Tuesday.

    An official spokesperson said a medium-level avalanche warning has been issued for the higher reaches of Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Anantnag, Kulgam, Kupwara and Bandipora districts, besides the Waltengu Nad, south and north portals of the Jawahar Tunnel, Verinag, Kapran, Chowkibal-NC Pass, Gurez, Dawar and Neeru areas.

    “Similarly, a low-level avalanche warning has been issued for the upper reaches of Udhampur, Baramulla,  Ganderbal, Sonamarg-Zojila, Z-Gali-Kalaroose, Kanzalwan, Tangmarg and Gulmarg,” he added.

    People living in these avalanche-prone areas have been advised not to venture out to avoid loss of lives, the spokesperson said.

  • Pakistan makes 18 point Kashmir plan for 5 August, tries to include Turkey, Malaysia and China

    On August 5, 1 year will be completed by abolishing Article 370 from Kashmir and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who considers raising his voice against Jammu and Kashmir as an important achievement, will join hands with ISI on this occasion. – We are going to increase a plan named Point. The ISI is Pakistan’s notorious espionage agency accused of promoting terrorist groups. These agencies mostly work against India and Afghanistan.

    18 Point Kashmir Plan In
    its 18-point plan, Imran Khan will organize a meeting in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and address the people there. He will give a speech, which will be telecast live. Before Imran Khan arrives in Muzaffarabad, the Pakistan government will conduct a tour of foreign journalists but foreign journalists will not be able to see terrorist camps funded by ISI.

    India made a law, under the Constitution, to divide the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. This law was enacted in the Rajya Sabha on 5 August and passed in the Lok Sabha the next day. On 9 August it also received the assent of the President. As soon as this law came into force, a lockdown was put in place to maintain peace in Jammu and Kashmir and the big leaders were put under house arrest. Most of which have now been released, except for some politicians like Mehbooba Mufti of PDP. 

    Campaign against India

    Pakistan started international campaigns against India only after the removal of Article 370 of India. Imran Khan, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, said that after the lockdown was lifted, the rivers of blood would flow in Kashmir and the valley streets would be massacred. Imran Khan also blackmailed the countries of the world by intervening in this matter with his speech referring to nuclear weapons. After this, two other countries talked about the issue of Kashmir, Tukri and Malaysia, which was led by Mahathir Mohammad but died.

    China also issued two statements on abolishing Article 370 of India. The first one in which India and Pakistan were asked to work together on the Kashmir issue. But the real concern behind this was the conversion of Ladakh into a union territory. Dasura in which China’s Foreign Ministry stated that China always opposes the inclusion of Chinese territory in the western region of China-India border in the administrative region of India. On which India said that changing its territory to Union Territory is India’s internal matter.

    Malaysia and Turkey stand

    For its August 5 plan, the Pak government is busy spreading its voice to Kuala Lumpur, Ankara and Beijing or at least tweeting about it. Turkey is expected to join this plan but India Malaysia wants to see how it reacts. Malaysia has recently got a new Prime Minister Muhyidin Yasin is sworn in as Prime Minister on 1 March. A Chinese government official said that no matter how India tried to expand its territory . This led to a stalemate and bloody confrontation in the Galvan Valley in eastern Ladakh, and killed soldiers for the first time in 40 years at the Line of Actual Control LAC.

    The Foreign Ministry has been asked to work closely with the ASI on how they are organizing and preparing rallies with member countries of OIC, international human rights groups. Counter-terrorism officials told Hindustan Times that the Pakistan Army has prepared this campaign for Imran. Documentaries, pamphlets and some big newspapers will be part of this campaign, all these preparations have been done by the army. Imran Khan will just be its face. Like ISI, many people had tried to carry out activities in Kashmir by forming terrorist groups to prove that terror has spread after the removal of Article 370 in Kashmir, Pakistan had tried its best to do this propaganda.

  • Editorial :- After withdrawing support to PDP, now PM Modi-Shah towards for the 2019 victory

    Modi and Shah’s decisions are often top secret. This is the reason that the ministers of Shah’s plan on Kashmir did not get to the ministers. Immediately after meeting Ajit Doval, the BJP surprised all by withdrawing support from PDP.

    This decision of BJP cleared? Has given that he wants direct control over Jammu and Kashmir in the last year of his rule at the Center. If you say no lapel, then Modi will be the leader of Kashmir.

    Now we can say that there is a governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP had unanimously announced the suspension of Ramzan against the operation against the terrorists. Which was seen as a very flexible and soft attitude of the BJP.

    After the election in a democratic system, it is necessary for a single party or a mixed party to be ruled by it. For this reason, the PDP and the 25-member BJP, which had won 28 seats in the 89-seat assembly, could form the government. In such a situation, there was a political alliance in Kashmir which nobody thought.

    Now the BJP has called the Mahbuba government divorce divorce. The political pundit is also bewildered by the alliance that saw everything right in the past yesterday. Omar Abdullah has been able to respond only to Neuptule words.

    Now this type of top craft plan can be for Modi-Shah’s Bihar, UP, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh etc.

    Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has stabbed in the back of BJP. His revenge may be taken by the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. For this, he can adopt the policy of singles. Just like in J.D.U. from Kingmaker in Karnataka, a King can play in Andhra Pradesh as well.

    Nitish’s condition in Bihar and the condition of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra is in the same way … The situation of both of them is like a snake charmer. Neither the JDU nor Shivsena are swallowing the BJP nor are they able to drop. It is possible that the stakes in Kashmir are played in Kashmir, the same stakes in Bihar played in Bihar, and Nitish’s betrayal will be seen. Both Nitish and Uddhav Thackeray’s situation are like bin pende’s lote.

    May the BJP’s masterstock for the mission 2019 can be decided today on Kashmir.

    Just a year before the Lok Sabha elections, the jolt announced by the BJP along with the shock is believed to be a masterstroke for its mission 2019. Even though some people consider it as a compulsion decision.

    After Mehbooba, Nitish’s number, will break the coalition from the sixth to the other?

    With the announcement of the decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party to unexpectedly withdraw from the coalition government with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, the politics of the country has suddenly been sacked.

    In the next Lok Sabha elections, there is less than a year’s time now and it is believed that Amit Shah, who is known as the Chanakya of modern politics, has already been forming an electoral strategy. The result of the recent by-election was not good for the Bharatiya Janata Party and it had to face defeat at many places.

    It is also being said that the BJP can put RLD on the West to win the UP.

    From the point of view of the election of 2019, we will be able to see the view of new equations being formed from time to time.