Kashmir.Watch

Author: hamid

  • LeT militant from Pattan who’d infiltrated recently killed in Bandipora woods, searches on

    Srinagar, May 12: A lashker-e-Toiba militant who according to officials had infiltrated in April after exflitration in 2018 was killed in an encounter with a joint team of police and army in woods of Bandipora district on Wednesday, officials said.

    “Killed militant has been identified as Gulzar Ahmad Ganai resident of Wussan Pattan, Baramulla,” police said in a tweet, adding,”He (had) exfilitrated in year 2018 and remained there for 3 years & 6 months before infiltrating back in the last week of April”.

    Earlier Inspector general of Police Vijay Kumar said one militant has been killed and AK rifle, 03 magazines were recovered. “The killed militant was a part of newly infiltrated militant group. Search for other 02 militants is in progress,” the IGP said.

  • Youth’s Body Inside Auto Rickshaw In Cheeni Chowk Anantnag

    Anantnag, May 12: Body of a 24-year-old youth was inside an auto rickshaw at Cheeni Chowk area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Thursday.

    Official sources told GNS that the soon after information, police took the body in its custody and shifted it to GMC Anantnag.

    The youth was later identified as Tehseen Gul son of Gul Mohammad Darzi of Malknag Anantnag.

    A police official told GNS that proceedings have been launched. Body will be handed over to the family after medico-legal formalities, he said. (GNS)

  • Proud of his son, it’s business as usual for IPL sensation Umran Malik’s fruit-seller father in Jammu

    ‘My son has worked very hard since childhood and he should get what he wants’

    Sitting silently on a stool inside his fruit shop at busy Residency Road in Jammu, Abdul Rashid Malik, 55, watches his mobile phone when a customer breaks the quietness and asks for fruit.

    Abdul Rashid Malik at his shop in Jammu.
    “Umran ke liye bahut bahut Mubarak (Many congratulations for Umran),” customer greets Abdul. With a smile on his face, Abdul turns to this correspondent saying that this is the thing which has changed after my son (Umran) became popular.

    Abdul who has been interviewed several times is the father of Umran Malik who bowled the fastest ball in the ongoing IPL season for Sunrisers Hyderabad recently. Abdul now easily handles any question intended as a a ‘yorker’.

    When asked whether he would like to see his son play for the Indian team, Abdul says “every parent would wish to see their child climbing the ladder of the profession he or she is in and same is the case with me. My son has worked very hard since childhood and he should get what he wants”.

    Abdul runs the fruit shop at the same location for the past many decades. His father also used to do the same work. “I used to work with my father at this shop since my childhood and then I started working here. This is my duty that I have done for my children. I will continue to do this job,” he said. Umran also has two sisters.

    “My wife has supported Umran a lot. He always wanted to be a cricketer. He had gone as a bowler for the Hyderabad team and got an opportunity after another player became unwell. We were tense when he was playing his first match and watching it on television. But he came out as a winner and his talent was recognised,” said Abdul.

    Abdul tells that Umran used to play cricket soon after coming from school. “He has good stamina and used to play for the entire day on his day off from school.” the father of cricketer tells.

    Abdul says that he was thankful to Jammu and the country for the love showered on his son. (Tribune News Service)

  • Al Jazeera journalist shot dead by Israeli forces in Palestine

    Israeli forces shot dead an Al Jazeera journalist in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday

    Shireen Abu Akleh was hit by a live bullet, while videos of the incident showed that Abu Akleh was shot in the head.

    One Palestinian official said she had been “assassinated” by Israeli forces while reporting on a raid in the city of Jenin, which has seen intensified army raids in recent weeks as violence has surged.

    The Palestinian health ministry has confirmed Abu Akleh’s death and said a second reporter, Ali Samodi, who works for the Jerusalem-based Quds newspaper, had been wounded.

    However, in a statement, the Israeli military claimed its troops had shot back after coming under “massive fire” in Jenin and that “there is a possibility, now being looked into, that reporters were hit — possibly by shots fired by Palestinian gunmen”.

    Meanwhile, a journalist working with Akleh, Nida Ibrahim, said Akleh was a “very well respected journalist” who had been working with Al Jazeera since the beginning of the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000. “As you can imagine, this is a shock to the journalists who have been working with her.”

    Immediately after the news was reported, human rights activists, fellow journalists, and politicians took to Twitter to condemn the incident and express their condolences.

    Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom Husam Zomlot said Akleh was the “most prominent Palestinian journalist and a close friend”.

    Palestinian American activist Huwaida Arraf demanded that Israel should be held accountable.

  • Newborn baby found dead at Dal Lake in Srinagar

    Srinagar, May 11: In a shocking incident, a newborn baby was found dead at Dal Lake near Nishat garden in Srinagar on Wednesday evening.

    An official told news Agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a new born baby was found floating in Dal Lake near Nishat garden Srinagar.

    The body was fished out and taken to nearby facility, where doctors have declared him brought dead on arrival.

    Meanwhile local police has taken cognizance of the incident and shifted the body to SMHS hospital for legal medical formalities—(KNO)

  • 22-year-old girl takes her life in south Kashmir

    Srinagar 11 May: A 22-year-old girl on Wednesday allegedly took her life in Drusoo area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

    Sources told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that a girl (name withheld) hailing from Pulwama’s Drusoo area died after hanging herself at home.

    The girl, however, was taken to a nearby hospital by her parents where doctors declared her dead.

    Police have taken cognizance of the incident and proceedings under section 174 of CRPC have been initiated. (KDC)

  • Events in Sri Lanka should be wake up call for India: Mehbooba Mufti

    SRINAGAR, May 11: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said the situation in Sri Lanka should serve as a wake up call for India as the country was “treading the same path” as the neighbouring country.

    Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka’s prime minister on Monday amid unprecedented economic turmoil in the country, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy Army troops in the capital.

    The attack triggered widespread violence against pro-Rajapaksa politicians.
    In a tweet, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, “What happened in Sri Lanka should serve as a wake up call. Since 2014, India is being whipped into a communal frenzy & imagined fears. It is treading the same path of hyper nationalism & religious majoritarianism. All at the cost of disrupting social cohesion & economic security”. (Agencies)

  • ‘Govt doing what Nehru couldn’t do’: Centre to Supreme Court on sedition law

    The Supreme Court eventually asked the central government whether it can issue a direction to the States to keep the pending sedition cases in abeyance.

    The Supreme Court eventually asked the central government whether it can issue a direction to the States to keep the pending sedition cases in abeyance.

    Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who is often named by the BJP for his policies to target the Congress, found a mention during a hearing in the Supreme Court on pleas challenging the sedition law. The matter was heard by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana.

    Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing the petitioners arguing about the misuse of sedition law, said: “We are in post-constitution era. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said that this provision is obnoxious and the sooner we get rid of sedition the better.”

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Centre, responded by saying, “What Nehru couldn’t do, the current government is doing. We are trying to do, what Pandit Nehru could not do then.”

    The Solicitor General was referring to the fact that the Centre had decided to “re-examine and re-consider” the sedition law by an “appropriate forum”, in light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision on human rights and the country celebrating 75 years of Independence.

    Rejecting the SG’s argument, Sibal retorted: “No, not at all. You are not doing that. You are supporting the law. You are saying that all is good Mr Mehta.”

    Sibal then proceeded to quote Mahatma Gandhi: “Affection cannot be manufactured. One should be free to express disaffection, so long as there is no incitement to violence. I hold it to be a virtue to be disaffected to the Government.”

    The Supreme Court eventually asked the central government whether it can issue a direction to the States to keep the pending sedition cases in abeyance to protect the interests of citizens already booked and not registering fresh cases till the government’s re-examination of the colonial-era penal law is over.

    Asking the Centre to take a clear stand after it posed the two specific queries, the top court agreed that a re-look of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) be left to the government, a day after it had filed an affidavit deciding to reconsider the contentious provision.

  • `Labaik Allahuma Labaik’: Post Covid, 0ver 1.5 million Muslims perform Umrah this year

    JEDDAH:  Post Covid, over 1.5 million Muslims across the world performed Umrah this year so far.

    According to a report issued by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s Madinah department, 1,542,960 pilgrims have visited the Prophet’s Mosque, with 242,580 still in the holy city till Monday.

    In terms of visitor nationality, the report showed that Iraqi pilgrims topped the list this year with 313,815 visitors, followed by Pakistani pilgrims, with a total of 201,003 pilgrims. Indonesian and Egyptian pilgrims came next with 171,898 and 95,907 pilgrims respectively.

    The report also showed that more than 262,780 permits were electronically issued during Ramadan for worshippers to perform their prayers at the Holy Rawdah and pay respects to the Prophet Muhammad and his two companions, Abu Bakr Al-Siddique and Omar bin Al-Khattab. The report added that more than 116,000 of these permits were issued for women.

    It also added that the Umrah app, Eatmarna, had issued 2,785,718 Rawdah visit permits since the beginning of the season, and over 6.6 million Umrah visit permits for worshippers from around the world during the last month of Ramadan.

    The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that its follow-up and control teams had carried out 900 field visits to monitor the level of services provided by Umrah companies during the last Ramadan season. The ministry added that 950,000 visitors participated in its questionnaire on measuring pilgrims’ satisfaction with the services provided.

    The ministry noted that its automated services had provided swift responses to the worshippers’ inquiries during Ramadan through its multi-language Twitter accounts, emails, or via its guidance and instructions services.

    The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has set Shawwal 30 (May 31) as the deadline for overseas Muslims to obtain an Umrah visa. The decision was taken in coordination with the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

  • Yasin Malik pleads guilty before Delhi court in case related to terrorism

    Sources said Malik told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him including section 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code.

    New Delhi, May 10: Separatist leader Mohammad Yasin Malik on Tuesday pleaded guilty to all the charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), before a Delhi court in a case related to alleged terrorism and secessionist activities that disturbed the Kashmir valley in 2017, court sources said.

    They said Malik told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him including section 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code.

    Special Judge Praveen Singh will hear on May 19 the arguments regarding the quantum of sentence for the offences levelled against Malik in which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment.

    The court, meanwhile, formally framed the charges against other Kashmiri separatist leaders including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

    The charge sheet was also filed against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who have been declared proclaimed offenders (PO) in the case.