Author: hamid

Introduction: Junaid Qureshi is a Writer, Columnist, International Human Rights Activist, Political Analyst and Director of the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) based in Amsterdam. EFSAS provides strategic in-depth analysis, research, statistical data, policy advice and forecasts related to developments in the fields of politics, international relations, conflict management, human rights, security, diplomacy, strategic affairs and conflict resolution in South Asia. The core specialization of EFSAS is in the fields of Terrorism, Indo-Pak relations and the Jammu & Kashmir conflict and its greatest strength lies in the application of comparative regional analysis and research. It furnishes decision-making institutions, opinion-makers, civil society and academics with high-quality policy analysis and recommendations regarding South Asia in general and Jammu & Kashmir in particular. For more about EFSAS, please visit their website: http://www.efsas.org/

• You said almost a year ago, on the death of Burhan Wani, that gun and stones will not achieve anything? What are your views about where we are now?

Indeed some people were outraged on my comments on the death of Burhan Wani as tensions and emotions were high at that time. Yet, I said the truth and I believe that speaking out was the need of the hour. Just because a narrative is unpopular given the circumstances at that time or because of religious and sentimental alliances, it does not make the narrative incorrect or untrue. Today, when things have relatively settled down, many people, especially youngsters, are saying exactly what I said. Let me reiterate; “One Burhan Wani died, another will die tomorrow until and unless we understand that picking up the gun is not a way out. The youth of Kashmir must understand and their leaders should understand as well that one Kalashnikov, a hundred Kalashnikovs, a thousand Kalashnikovs are not going to make a difference to the Kashmir issue. The Kashmiri youth need to ask a pertinent question to these Separatists: “If Jihad is so pious, why don’t you or your children pick up guns or stones?” Now, my words have triggered a debate about the issue and many youth are asking this question on Social Media, in drawing rooms and on the streets. The so-called leaders have always maintained that the cause of Azaadi needs sacrifices, but what they do not tell the people of Kashmir is that these sacrifices should always come from the neighbour’s children and not theirs. This is pure hypocrisy. This is not a struggle for Azaadi. This is a business on the dead bodies of the youth of Kashmir. I am proud that, despite the opposition at that time, I said the truth a year ago and today I am pleased to know that many in Kashmir endorse and support my views. It’s time for alternative narratives. We have been bombarded for decades with a false propaganda of lies. We have been kept in the dark about our history, our legal standing and the International perspective. It’s time to speak out and speak out loud. This propaganda of lies can only be countered by a propaganda of truth.

• Will the current uprising yield results?

I find the question a bit misleading when you ask what this ‘uprising’ will yield. I do not call this an uprising. Uprisings are spontaneous and not sponsored. Of course, one cannot deny that there is some anger and resentment, but about what? Is there resentment and anger about the fact that gun-wielding militants are killed? What did we expect?

We are unaware about the realities of the world. Of course, gun-wielding militants will be killed. That is how the world works. Again, I said it a year ago and say it again, that this will not achieve anything. Jammu & Kashmir is much more than the Valley only. It is much more than only Hyderpora, Maisuma or a few alleys of Downtown Srinagar. What do we expect to gain from pelting stones, burning our schools, breaking windows of the cars of Kashmiris, calling for shut-downs, destroying apple-orchards? This behaviour is unfortunately not new; When Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged in Pakistan, there was an outrage in Kashmir against the Jamaat-e-Islami and its members. Members of Jamaat-e-Islami were beaten up, their houses burned to ashes and acres of tree orchards belonging to the Jamaat, particularly in South-Kashmir, were totally destroyed. The office of Jamaat-e-Islami in Baramulla was ransacked and books of Tafsir by Maulana Madudi including many copies of the holy Quran were thrown out on the street and burned.It doesn’t take much common sense to conclude that the actions after the hanging of Bhutto and the actions of today, only hurt interests of Kashmir and Kashmiris. It does not make a damn difference to India or Pakistan. A few stones will not get the Kashmir-issue settled in favour of Pakistan. We lost more than 200 young children in the past 8-9 months, while we lost thousands of people in the past few decades. What exactly did we achieve? Which inch of Jammu and Kashmir did we liberate? Which country in the world, except an occupier, is talking about Jammu & Kashmir? How many of us remember the names of those who lost their lives? Have the so-called leaders, who are spearheading this menace, ever enquired about the dependants of those who lost their lives? Leave India and Pakistan, both of which are acting in their national interests, what are we Kashmiris doing?

• What does the World, in particular the West think about the Kashmir-issue?

The world views issues through legal, strategic and economic perspectives. There is no space for sentiments or religious affiliations. The consensus in the worldis that on legal grounds, the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India gives India a valid legal claim to the State of Jammu and Kashmir while it completely excludes Pakistan, which manifests itself as a self-styled protector of the rights of people of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir while it illegally administers almost half of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Administered Jammu and Kashmir). That is the reality. Whether some may like it or not.

Currently, the world has economic interests with India and strategic interests with Pakistan. These circumstances, and the various bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan, growing terrorism in the region and expansionist designs of China make the issues much more complex. With the rise of radical Pan-Islamism, especially post 9/11, the world is not bothered and neither interested in what is happening in a few Mohallas or alleys of the Kashmir Valley. This is not a Nationalist movement, which would have made things different. It started in the late eighties with the support of an occupier and soon turned into a religious movement when militants started targeting the Kashmiri Pandits. Now, it has transformed into a radical Pan-Islamic movement, in which the demands are not for freedom, more autonomy or the rectification of political grievances, but for the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate and the implementation of the Sharia. The world is astonished as well as surprised that we Kashmiris, while protesting the killing of terrorists, wave flags of ISIS, demand ‘Azaadi’ and at the same time wrap the dead bodies of our youth in flags of Pakistan.The world is confused and has been struggling with a question; What exactly is it that the Kashmiris want? I believe that even we Kashmiris do not have a conclusive answer to that question. We have no consensus among ourselves. Let’s not forget that by Kashmiris, I mean every State Subject of the Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir irrespective of caste, creed or colour.

• You have been very active at the United Nations. Could you tell us a bit more about your activities and the status of Jammu & Kashmir in the UN?

Yes, I as the Director of the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) have been very active at the United Nations, in particular at the Sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. I speak there and share my views on Kashmir, Indo-Pak relations and geo-politics of the region. I have noticed that there are many confusions about the UN Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, even among those in Kashmir who demand its implementation. Despite the fact that the Shimla Agreement of 1972 between India and Pakistan has made the UN Resolutions immaterial, I would like to clear a few facts about the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir. Please be advised that these are all verifiable facts:

The invasion led by Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir on 22^nd of October 1947 was against all canons of International Law and a clear contravention of the UN Charter. In July 1948, the Pakistani Foreign Minister admitted delinquency but cited fear of Indian aggression as a main reason behind Pakistan’s actions, of which there were no evidences. Furthermore, in accordance to the United Nations Charter, Pakistan had “no right of self-defense in the absence of an armed invasion or attack on its territory”. The Pakistani Foreign Office in a letter to the Security Council, signed by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Zafrullah Khan enquired if the words “Future Status” as stated in the resolution of 13th August 1948 could mean an Independent Jammu and Kashmir. The reply was that the Kashmiri people could have an Independent Jammu and Kashmir if that was the majority’s decision. After receiving this reply, the Pakistani Government decided to suggest an amendment to this resolution and in a letter to General A. G. L. McNaughton, President of the Security Council, dated 28th December 1948, Pakistan wrote to propose a change in this clause for the words, “The future status of State of Jammu and Kashmir” substituting it with, “The question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India and Pakistan”. Pakistan proposed this change to which India did not object and as a result of this request the next resolution which was passed on 5 January 1949, read:

1) “The question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India and Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite”.

The second clause was: 2) “A plebiscite will be held when it shall be found by the Commission that the cease-fire and truce arrangements set forth in Parts I and II of the Commission’s resolution of 13 August 1948 have been carried out and arrangements for the plebiscite have been completed”.

Part II of the Truce agreement stated:1) As the presence of troops of Pakistan in the territory of the State of Jammu and Kashmir constitutes a material change in the situation since it was represented by the Government of Pakistan before the Security Council; the Government of Pakistan agrees to withdraw its troops from that State.2) The Government of Pakistan will use its best endeavour to secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purpose of fighting.

3) Pending a final solution, the territory evacuated by the Pakistani troops will be administered by the local authoritiesunder the surveillance of the commission.

This was formally agreed upon by Pakistan on 25th of December 1948, and conveyed to the Security Council. Till date Pakistan has failed to implement its clauses, and as such, the UNCIP was unable to communicate to India ratification of implementation of the Resolution of 13th August 1948 by Pakistan. With that, the question of a Plebiscite fell through and was never revived at the UN level. The factual situation is that these resolutions are based on choice between India and Pakistan; these do not allow unlimited self-determination which means a choice without limitation. If the resolutions were based on self-determination like East Timor, then under the UN Charter, the Secretary-General could move the case at UN level. In such a situation he was not obliged to wait for the willingness of India and Pakistan to discuss the matter in the UN. This was precisely what two former General Secretaries, Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan have stated.

When the Hurriyat Conference demands implementation of the UN Resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir, then it should put forth its demands to Pakistan and not India, as Pakistan has to first withdraw its troops from Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Administered Jammu and Kashmir in order for these Resolutions to be implemented. Instead, it tries to befool the people of Jammu and Kashmir by claiming that India is responsible for the non-implementation of the UN resolutions. Legally, that is incorrect. In my opinion, we Kashmiris have been making demands from India which we should have made from Pakistan and vice versa.

• What do you think about the role of the Hurriyat Conference? What does the world think about the Hurriyat Conference?

Like I said, the Hurriyat’s claim that they represent the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is absolutely false to the extent that I would call it an utter lie. Perhaps it does enjoy some limited support in certain Mohallas and alleys of some cities and villages in the Valley only, but it does not represent the whole of the Kashmir Valley, let alone the people of Ladakh, Jammu, Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Administered Kashmir. The Hurriyat Conference is not taken seriously by the world.The only time when some came to know about the Hurriyat Conference and at the same time stopped paying further attention to it, was when the Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Mr. Syed Ali Shah Geelani led to funeral prayers in absentia of Osama Bin Laden, which confirmed that the Hurriyat Conference supports terrorism and terrorists.  In my discussions with various Western Institutions, Scholars and Governments, I have observed that they do not even know what or who the Hurriyat Conference is, let alone that they are aware about its rather debatable aims and objectives.  After the recent admission of a Senior Hurriyat leader, Mr. Naeem Khan, during a sting operation by an Indian TV channel (on the basis of which the Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Mr. Syed Ali Shah Geelani has suspended him) in which he admits that the current unrest is sponsored by Pakistan and that the Hurriyat has been involved in burning schools in Kashmir in return for monetary benefits from Pakistan, I think that we Kashmiris should count our blessings that the World does not know the Hurriyat Conference. What would we explain to the world? That the claimants of our aspirations are burning schools for hard cash? That would be embarrassing.What is the roadmap of the Hurriyat Conference anyway? Attaining accession to Pakistan by keeping our children illiterate and giving stones and guns in their hands instead of pens? I am pleased that the World does not know about the Hurriyat Conference. If it would, it would shame us Kashmiris for having such people among us.

• What are your views on the recent use of Human Shields by the Indian Army?

I am not a Military Strategist, but I strongly condemn the recent use of human shields by the Indian Army. The Indian Army is bound by the Constitution of India and is part of the State of India. A State should always, without exception, adhere to the rules of engagement. That makes a State, a State. There are examples of uses of human shields, notably by Israel, but India should not want to emulate Israel. India is the heir of the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a regional power and an aspiring world power. It should find alternative ways to deal with violence while adhering to the spirit of its own Constitution.

• As you have been among the first Kashmiris to take up the issue of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, could you elaborate your stand a bit more?

Indeed, I have been an ardent critic of the China Pakistan economic Corridor (CPEC). I have spoken about it many times at international forums and have also held a Europe-wide Signature Campaign in order to create awareness about the illegality of this project. The construction of this corridor complimented by the military benefits for both China and Pakistan and an investment of 54 billion dollars, has all the ingredients to exacerbate the complexities of the Kashmir-Issue, threaten peace and secure China’s strategic interests by allowing it, to increase its illegitimate share in Jammu and Kashmir.Pakistan’s proposed move to illegally annex Gilgit Baltistan, change the fundamentals of the actual Jammu and Kashmir-issue and cement China’s stake in this dispute are in response to concerns raised by Beijing. China finds it internationally indefensible to invest billions of dollars on a road that passes through a disputed territory claimed both by India and Pakistan. In case Pakistan imposes its sovereign writ over Gilgit-Baltistan, India will then have a political and moral right to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir into India and scrap Article 370 of its constitution, which gives Jammu and Kashmir a Special Status. Any kind of solution to the long standing issue of Jammu and Kashmir will only be jeopardized by such intrusions. Historical evidence and logically drawn inferences and analyses, support the notion that the construction of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is illegal and in contravention of International Law. China is not investing billions of dollars to simply withdraw if any solution is found to the Kashmir Issue.China’s heavy investment in the disputed region is not speculative: it is a calculated investment to bolster her strategic interest in the region.

• Any hopes for the future?

The current situation of distrust and fundamentalism is not likely to alter unless there is a structured and genuine dialogue at diplomatic level while at the same time there is an Intra-Jammu & Kashmir dialogue which aims to reach a consensus among the people of Jammu & Kashmir. There must be a sense of ownership by all stakeholders and efforts made ensuring positive steps forward which includes putting a halt to cross-border terrorism. There is an urgent need for Pakistan and India to comprehend that while they are sovereign and independent, in order to ensure peace in South Asia their very existence has become more interdependent than before. Interrelated stakes, appetite for peace, economic progress, growing menace of Terrorism and respective introspection among all stakeholders should necessitate a solution based on the principles of coexistence.

Kashmir Magazine/ KNS/ Kashmir Today

Srinagar: Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani on Friday completed seven years under house detention, a Hurriyat spokesperson said.

The spokesperson, according to a statement, said that no court has ever issued any formal detention order for Geelani’s detention.

Stressing that Geelani has been detained at gunpoint, the spokesperson strongly condemned the house detention of Geelani and said that the rule of law has been thrown to dust in Kashmir.

Geelani was placed under house arrest in 2010 during the National Conference led government under the chief ministership of Omar Abdullah.

He was briefly released just before the 2014 assembly elections during which he led massive rallies in southern and northern parts of Kashmir including Sopore, Kulgam and Kupwara.

However, later he was again put under house detention.

Although the present coalition partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had raised much hue and cry about Geelani’s detention when it was in opposition, but, as soon as it came into power, it was no different towards Geelani.

During all these years Geelani was hardly ever allowed to offer congregational Friday.

‘Cop suspected of links with militants spilling the beans’

Srinagar: Days after the deadly attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag, Police has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the attack and nab the attackers.
The police said that the policeman who is found having links with militants is “spilling the beans”.
Talking to KNS Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan, said that the SIT will be headed by DIG south Kashmir S P Pani, with SSP Anantnag, Altaf Khan and a DSP rank officer in the team.
“The SIT will probe all angles and aspects of the attack. It will probe expeditiously and properly into the attack to get it to a logical conclusion,” Khan told KNS.
The IGP said that the SIT will probe who provided the militants the logistical and local support.
Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured in an attack on yatra bus in Botingo area of Anantnag on Monday late evening.
IGP said that the policeman, Towseef Ahmad of Chakoura, Pulwama, who has been found having links with militants is being questioned. “He is cooperating with us and is spilling the beans,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources said that DIG south Kashmir has also reached Shopian to investigate and question the cop who is suspected of having links with militants. The cop was posted as driver of PDP MLA from Wachi, Aijaz Mir. (KNS)
 

Barkha Dutt

It is an odd moment to talk about hope and reconciliation in the Kashmir Valley in a month when a shameful terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra tailed another moment of horror a few weeks earlier — the lynching of policeman Ayub Pandith outside Srinagar’s Jama Masjid mosque by a mob shouting slogans in favour of Jihadist terrorist Zakir Musa.

Yet, despite my initial sense of utter hopelessness when the news of the terror strike came in, watching how the week has unfolded, for the first time in a year, four things give me some hope.

Mehbooba Mufti: There were glimmers of the old Mehbooba (she had retreated into a shell of silence all these months) who lost no time in hot-footing it to the hospital in Anantnag late at night where the injured pilgrims were being treated. She offered compassion, made no political statements and was unequivocal in her words. “The head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame,” she said, in an approach that was both firm and empathetic. This was the hands-on Mehbooba of the past, much more a feisty grassroots worker than an ivory-tower administrator, who had single-handedly built the party her father launched. Though I have gone from being an early supporter of the BJP-PDP alliance (I believed soft separatism and hyper-nationalism would moderate each other) to a critic of its ideological dissonance, Mufti redeemed a lot of her reputation with her clear-headed and deep-hearted response to the terror strike. Over the last few months it seemed as if governor’s rule was inevitable and an imperative. Now Mehbooba Mufti has bought her government breathing time. What she does in this time will be critical.

Rajnath Singh: The home minister is the other leader who rose well above the inchoate noise and toxic finger-pointing that followed the Amarnath Yatra attacks. He was mocked and viciously trolled — by his own party base — on social media for invoking ‘Kashmiriyat’ and the syncretic history of the state. All because he made the point that the spontaneous, across-the-board condemnation in the Valley proved that Kashmiriyat was alive and well. Not just did he hold his own; it was left to him to say what should never have needed to be said: “All Kashmiris are not terrorists.” Of course It can be argued that politicians reference ‘Kashmiriyat’ only during crises. And one must not look away from a creeping radicalisation in Kashmir and the romanticisation of caliphate-supporting militants like Burhan Wani. But as one of the senior-most ministers in the government whose job was to de-escalate tensions and make sure there was no further fallout on the street, in Jammu or elsewhere, it was incumbent on Singh to use his office to provide a measured and mature response. That he did so in the face of venomous backlash is even more laudable.

Salim Sheikh: The heroic bus driver from Gujarat who drove 50 ‘Yatris’ to safety through a blizzard of gunfire has already won hearts. His quiet courage and modesty was perhaps the most affirmative story to emerge from an otherwise bleak week. But in an age of strident beef politics, depressing headlines about the lynching of mostly-Muslim cattle traders and a social media discourse that often descends into blatant communalism, Sheikh was a reminder, that when people are left to themselves, basic humanity supersedes any religious divide.

And finally, the hope of renewal came from the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In the last year I’ve been alarmed at the massive turnout for the funerals of slain terrorists, the targeting of Kashmiri policemen and the disruption of encounters between security forces and terrorists by street agitators who throw stones, and sometimes attempt to snatch weapons. I’ve argued with Kashmiri friends that extremists and Pakistan-backed Islamists have delegitimised even genuine political grievances. I have been saddened by how grief has become a contested narrative, with even the loss of innocent lives debated on the basis of ideological affiliations, instead of elemental sadness. So, it has been uplifting to see the unambiguous condemnation of the attack on the Amarnath Yatra (and before that the lynching of Ayub Pandith) across the spectrum — mainstream political parties, separatists and of course civil society. Every Kashmiri I know is repulsed by what happened and perhaps this could be the small beginnings of a pushback against militancy. That the people of Jammu did their bit to hold the peace also merits appreciation.

In a week of tragedy, these glimmers of hope offer an opportunity. Let Delhi not waste this chance. It may not come again.

Barkha Dutt is an award­winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

Srinagar: Setting an example of communal harmony Muslims in Pulwama village today performed the last rites of a Kashmiri Pandit who died after a brief illness in his native village Trichal Pulwama on Thursday. They also managed the cremation. 

Tej Kishan Pandit died at 50 after a brief illness in his home at Trichal Pulwama this morning. Soon after his death, local Muslims rushed to his house to mourn his death. The Muslims managed all the works like bringing the wood for cremation etc. 

Though some Pandits were also managing the works but the Muslims helped their Pandit brethren to perform the last rites. 

“We are very thankful to our Muslim brothers. They have showed their love. We cannot forget their passion of brotherhood” some Pabdits who were present there said.

“The Pandits are our brethren. Propagandas won’t push us away from each other,” some Muslims said.

Srinagar: Three days after seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today toughened her stand against militants, saying there was a need for a collective fight against those few people who have infused fear in the public.“The situation in J&K has been taken hostage by a few people who have infused fear in public. We need to fight against them,” Mehbooba told reporters after paying tributes to the martyrs of 1931 here.Martyrs’ Day was observed today to pay homage to the 22 persons, who were killed in firing by troopers of Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh at the Srinagar’s Central Jail on July 13, 1931.Every year the state government observes a function to remember these martyrs. The day is an official holiday across the state.Amid tight security, mainstream political leaders, including the Chief Minister, offered prayers and paid floral tributes at the graveyard at Naqshband Sahib in old city. A 21-gun salute and guard of honour were presented in the memory of the martyrs. Mehbooba said the martyrs of 1931 sacrificed their lives for setting up democratic rule in J&K of which Kashmiriyat was the basic principle. “We should struggle to make J&K a prosperous state for which martyrs laid their lives,” she said.Incidentally, the PDP’s coalition partner, BJP, skipped the official function.“Disrespecting martyrs of 1931 amounts to disrespecting the Constitution of J&K,” said Congress state chief GA Mir with reference to the BJP.Leaders of other mainstream parties, including the National Conference and the Congress, also paid homage to the martyrs. The Chief Minister said the condemnation against the killings of Amarnath pilgrims from different shades of opinions in Kashmir had sent a message to the world that Kashmiriyat was still alive. Separatist leaders were not allowed to hold any rally or programme as a complete shutdown was observed across Kashmir.

‘Islam teaches us to protect, safeguard the lives of our guests’

Srinagar: National Conference (NC) President and Member of Parliament for Srinagar, Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said the dastardly attack on Amarnath Yatris was an attack on the soul and spirit of Kashmir and should be condemned unequivocally by every right thinking citizen of the State. 
Addressing party leaders, legislators and workers at Qaid Mazaar, Naseem Bagh at a function held to commemorate the 17th Death Anniversary of Madar-e-Meharbaan Begum Akbar Jehan, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said the dastarcly and heinous attack was an act of sheer cowardice perpetrated by those who can never claim to be Kashmiris or Muslims. Dr. Farooq Abdullah expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those who have sustained injuries in the attack. 
“The attack on pilgrims is the worst form of cowardice and barbarism. I appeal to every conscientious citizen and especially leadership of all shades of opinion to condemn this dastardly act strongly and unequivocally and consider observing a shutdown in the Valley in solidarity with these victims and as a mark of unanimous and unambiguous protest against the perpetrators of this crime. Islam teaches us to protect and safeguard the lives of our guests and teaches us to respect all religions and the right of devotees to practice their respective religions without any fear or insecurity. The attack in Anantnag is an assault on our religion and our identity as Kashmiris”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said. 
The National Conference President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar said communal forces in the country were hell-bent to divide the people on the basis of religion and race and such tragic, condemnable incidents are being used to further a divisive and polarizing agenda that is aimed to weaken the very ‘Idea of India’. “We should call a spade a spade and oppose all such elements who are against humanity, liberty and secular values. Anyone who tries to justify the killing of innocents, anywhere, is a threat to humanity and should be exposed and opposed tooth and nail”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said. 
Dr. Farooq Abdullah, after offering Fateha at the grave of Madar-e-Meharbaan Begum Akbar Jehan in the morning, paid glowing tributes to the icon of women empowerment and political emancipation in the State. “Today is the 17th Death Anniversary of beloved Madar-e-Meharbaan who was not only a devoted mother to me and my siblings but a mother to the oppressed and sidelined people of Kashmir. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them in the worst era of tyranny, oppression and despotism and devoted her life to Jammu and Kashmir’s struggle for dignity and empowerment. Today is a day to resolve that we will carry forward her legacy and work tirelessly to overcome evil with good”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah added. 
Senior NC Leaders including NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Additional General Secretary Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Senior Leaders Abdul Rahim Rather, Chaudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Sharif-ud-din Shariq, Muhamad Akbar Lone, Sakina Ittoo, Shameema Firdous and various senior party leaders and legislators were also present on the occasion and addressed the gathering. (KNS)

Jammu: A fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu for the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday despite a terror attack the previous day on a bus which left seven pilgrims dead.“A fresh batch of 3,289 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 185 vehicles around 3 am on Tuesday for the Valley,” officials said here.

On Monday night, seven pilgrims–six women and a man–were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.The victims were travelling in the bus which was neither part of the escorted yatra convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

“The attack occurred at 8.20 pm. All yatra movement which is protected by the security forces on the highway stops at 7 pm after which no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed,” said a senior police officer.The pilgrims had performed the yatra and had boarded the bus at north Kashmir’s Baltal base camp.

The officer said the militants first attacked a police bullet proof bunker at Khanabal and later a police check point.“After retaliation from the police, the militants started firing indiscriminately. The bus of pilgrims, according to police, was caught in the ambush,” a police spokesman said.

The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 people, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7.So far, nearly 1.4 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level. With IANS