Author: hamid

Srinagar, 31 October: Incarcerated Hurriyat Chairman and Islamic scholar Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is listed among the 500 most influential Muslims globally. Royal islamic Strategic Studies Centre based in Amman Jordan in collaboration with Georgetown University published the annual list.

Mirwaiz is listed among global personalities such as the King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah of Jordan.

On Mirwaiz, RISSC Jordan said, “He has been advocating dialogue with both India and Pakistan so that the aspirations of the Kashmiri people may be realised.” Specifically mentioning Mirwaiz’s arrest, it stated that he has been under house arrest since August 2019.

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is an independent research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic thought, an international Islamic non-governmental, institute headquartered in Amman, the capital of Jordan.

Srinagar, October 29: Police on Saturday said that it has arrested a man for allegedly throwing Quran Sharief into water at a Masjid in Gojwara area of Srinagar district.

In a tweet, Srinagar Police wrote, “An Incident of sacrilege took place in Khan Masjid Gojwara, wherein a person threw Quran Sharif in water. Accused namely Irshad Ahmad Mir of Maloora srinagar arrested in overnight raids. The person seems of unsound mind. Case registered in Nowhatta Police station under relevant sections,”.(GNS)

Budgam: Acting upon an information of human trafficking being operational in the district, a police team of police station Budgam raided a particular place in village Dulipora and rescued 14 women victims (including some minors) from the house of one namely Shamim Ahmad Bhat s/o Ab Rehman Bhat R/o Dulipora Parthan and adjacent places.

Accordingly, Shamim Ahmad and other two accused namely Shagufta W/o Bashir Ahmad Wani and Asmat W/o Shafiq Ahmad Wani both residents of Dulipora Parthan were arrested .
Case FIR number 370/2022 under relevant sections of law was registered at police Station Budgam.
During preliminary investigation, it has been found that the arrested 03 accused persons are involved in human trafficking by means of procuring the girls from different places and exploiting them in district Budgam and other parts of the valley.
Further investigation into the case is going on and more arrests are expected.
Meanwhile, the rescued human trafficking victims have been shifted to Nari Niketan Rehabilitation Centre Chadoora and process for their rehabilitation has been initiated.

Srinagar Oct 25: Mohammad Ashraf’s son started smoking with his friends when he was in school. When he reached higher secondary, he started taking Charas.

“Had I managed to stop him from smoking at school level, he would not have become a drug addict. I am now worried about his future as he is not able to leave drugs,” he told news agency KINS.

According to government figures, over 26 percent of men in the age group of 15-49 smoke cigarettes in Kashmir.

Experts say the use of tobacco is a serious public health issue in the valley as smoking is often associated with cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Dr Bashir Ahmad, a physician said cigarette smoking in childhood and adolescence leads to short and long-term health problems, besides increasing the risk for drug addiction.

“Those who are drug addicts have started cigarette smoking at an early age. At the same instance for students whose parents smoke it is easier to start smoking. If an adolescent’s parent smokes, the adolescent himself also may become a smoker,” he added.

A senior government official said they have banned smoking at public places and also near educational institutions.

“Besides, directions have been issued to all the Medical Superintendents and District Health Officers of Kashmir division for conducting regular enforcement drives for implementation of COTPA-2003. Regular enforcement drives for implementation of COTPA-2003 are being conducted by the State Tobacco Control Cell in Kashmir division,” the official added.

Experts say that teenagers that face problems in their social or family life are more likely to initiate smoking. (KINS)

Srinagar Oct 25: Mohammad Subhan, who resides in South Kashmir, struggles to help his lone son to overcome heroin addiction. His son, who is 27-year-old started taking drugs at the age of 17. He wanted his son to become an advocate. However, all his dreams have almost vanished now.

“He initially started smoking along with his friends when he was in school. When he reached high secondary, he started taking Charas and later on consumed heroin. I came to know that he was introduced to a drug peddler by one of his friends in our village. Firstly, he was given drugs free of cost and then he started selling things at home like TV, bikes for the drugs,” Subhan told news agency KINS.

Like Subhan, there are thousands of parents are concerned whose children are consuming drugs. “Drug addict does not impact himself but destroy his whole family. For the last three years, I have been taking my son to various rehabilitation centres and doctors despite that he is not leaving drugs,” said Mohammad Amin, a parent.

A survey conducted by Government’s Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, (DHSK) says that 52,000 persons are taking intravenous (IV) heroin while 70,000 are involved in substance use across Kashmir.

“Once one becomes a drug addict, it destroys his entire family. Everyone gets affected. The number of drug addicts is on rise in Kashmir and has become a cause of concern,” a senior police official said.

In 2016, the Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) Centre at the Government Medical College in Srinagar reported only 489 drug addict cases, which went to 3000 in 2017. In 2019, the number jumped to 7,000 and crossed the 10,000 mark in 2021 with an overall 2,000% spike in the last five years.

Srinagar, October 25: Separatist Leader and Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Independent Movement Bilal Gani Lone is likely to switch to mainstream politics, sources said.
Bilal Gani Lone is the son of veteran separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone who was killed at Eidgah in Srinagar. People aware of the matter said that Lone will formally join active electoral politics in the coming days.
“His father was a three-time MLA before joining the separatist ranks. So, if he is joining the mainstream politics he will reclaim that legacy and can make a bigger and visible impact, especially at the time when elections are about to happen,” a political analyst observed.
The reports suggested that Lone will soon part ways with Hurriyat Conference as he has firmly decided to fight the upcoming Assembly Elections from his ancestral “strongly held” North Kashmir.
“Bilal Lone’s joining of mainstream politics will be a colossal development as it will be the second major exodus of any Hurriyat leader after his brother Sajad Lone bid farewell to the separatist politics,” political analysts on the basis of anonymity expressed to a local media house in the Union territory.
This political development gives insight into a huge change in the political dynamics of Kashmir valley where Hurriyat and separatist politics are becoming obsolete and irrelevant with every passing day.
With Bilal Lone’s decision to join mainstream politics, many leaders will also revisit their political affiliation with separatism which shall force them to think about the relevance and ultimate need for shunning the old political factions and integrating with popular politics. (Agencies)

Srinagar, Oct 24: Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday claimed to have arrested a rape accused after multiple raids in Srinagar and said that the accused will be produced in court tomorrow.

As per a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a police spokesman said that Police station sadder received a complaint from a lady that her minor daughter has been raped by one accused namely Shahid Ahmad, son of Shabir Ahmad Bhat of Galwanpora Hyderpora.

“To this effect, a case under FIR number 103/22 under sections 3/4 of POCSO act and 363, 376, 506 of IPC was registered in Saddar Police station and investigation was set into motion. After hectic efforts and multiple raids the accused was arrested within one hour by a special team led by SHO Sadar, Inspector Mudassir Nazar under supervision of SP south Lakshya Sharma,” police said.

“Further investigation in the case is underway. The accused will be produced in court for further police remand tomorrow,” the statement said—(KNO)