Kashmir.Watch

Category: National

  • Kashmir is and will always remain an important part of India: Congress

    New Delhi: Commenting on Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif description of Kashmir as the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan, the Congress Party on Thursday said Kashmir is and will always remain an important part of India, and added that the solution to Kashmir problem will be decided according to the Indian Constitution.

    “Kashmir was, is and will always remain an important part of India. Yesterday, it was the Interior Minister of Pakistan, and today, it is their army chief. They should know that the entire world knows that Pakistan supports terrorism. They are operating terror camps in and outside Kashmir,” said Congress spokesmen Randeep Surjewala.

    “It would be better for the Pakistan army chief to look into his own country’s internal affairs, rather than advising India about Kashmir. The solution for Kashmir will be resolved as per the Indian Constitution,” he added.

    Earlier today, the Pakistan army chief had called Kashmir a ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan, and said that the solution to Kashmir problem will be resolved according to the wishes of Kashmiri people.

    He also said that solution to Kashmir problem will be in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

    His statement comes a day after Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, criticized BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, over his statement on Dawood Ibrahim, and warned that the latter could become a major threat to regional peace and cooperation. (ANI)

     

  • Ramdev apologises for ‘honeymoon’ remark against Rahul Gandhi

    Lucknow: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today apologised for his “honeymoon” remark against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi that has sparked a major controversy. Mr Ramdev, who was booked for those remarks earlier in the day, said he was misinterpreted.

    Addressing a gathering in Lucknow yesterday, Mr Ramdev had said, “He (Rahul) goes to houses of Dalits for honeymoon and picnic… His mother told him that if he marries a foreigner, he won’t become the PM.  He does not want to marry an Indian girl. His mother wants him to first become PM and then marry a foreigner.”

    The 43-year-old yoga guru today said, “I did not mean to insult Rahul Gandhi or Dalits. Rahul Gandhi indulges in publicity with photos of him sitting in the homes of Dalits. If my statement hurts the Dalits, I regret it”.

    The apology comes after the Congress severely condemned Mr Ramdev for what it said are “anti-Dalit” remarks. Mr Gandhi’s sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has aggressively hit out at opponents recently for attacking her family, said, “I will not respond to such vileness.”

    Acting on a complaint, the police has charged Mr Ramdev under Section 171G of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for making “false statement with intent to affect the result of an election”.

    Some Dalit activists, also upset with the comments, had also reportedly filed complaints with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Women.

    Mr Ramdev, who has often declared his support for BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, also refuted Congress’ allegations that he was campaigning for the BJP at his yoga camps. (Baba Ramdev joins ‘Narendra Modi for PM’ chorus)

  • Dr Farooq will keep quiet on Afzal’s hanging if he talks to his son: R K Singh  

    Srinagar: Reacting sharply to Dr Farooq Abdullah remarks that he will file charge sheet against him for plotting secret execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru, R K Singh, former Union Home Secretary and BJP leader on Monday said that Dr Farooq will ‘keep quite on the issue’ if he talks to his son and the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

    Talking to KNS on phone from Delhi, Mr Singh said: “Dr Farooq is advised to talk to his son Omar Abdullah, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and he will auto automatically remain keep quiet.”

    Pertinently, Dr Farooq had on Sunday accused the former Union Home Secretary of plotting Guru’s execution without informing the union cabinet ministers from the state.

    Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an election rally at Palpora, Eidgah in old city here on Sunday the NC president had said that he didn’t know anything about Guru’s hanging. “Neither Ghulam Nabi Azad nor me knew anything about Guru’s hanging. It was all done by the then Home Secretary (R K Singh), who at present is sitting in BJP’s lap. I will file a charge-sheet against him,” Dr Farooq had told reporters. (KNS)

     

  • Congress scores Shahi Imam’s support

    New Delhi: One of the country’s most prominent religious Muslim leaders has declared his support for the Congress for the national election which begins on Monday.

    Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid mosque in the capital, said today, “The nation is in danger from communal forces. We should ensure secular votes are not divided.”
    A few days ago, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met the Imam and asked him to ensure the minority vote in India is not split. Yesterday, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, accused Mrs Gandhi of indulging in “open communalism” by seeking votes on the basis of religion. The party has made the same complaint to the Election Commission. 
     
    The Imam also said today that Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which governs Uttar Pradesh, and which he had backed in the 2012 state polls, had failed to protect Muslims. He cited September’s riots in Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh in which nearly 60 people were killed and nearly 80,000 displaced in Hindu-Muslim violence.In retort, the Samajwadi Party’s Naresh Agarwal said that the Imam has a record of switching allegiances and that reports of his influence among Muslim voters are exaggerated.

    In 2004, the Imam flummoxed the Muslim community by endorsing the BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Congress won 36 per cent of Muslim votes, and BJP could win only seven per cent, a sign that the Imam’s endorsement failed to influence the minority vote.

    In the next general election in 2009, the cleric backed the Congress.

    “This is a shameless attempt by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to polarise voters. The Election Commission should take note,” the BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said after the Imam’s declaration.

  • Dal Khalsa Delegation Visits Geelani In Delhi

    New Delhi: A five member delegation of Dal Khalsa visited the pro- Pakistan Hurriyat leader Syed Al Geelani at his Delhi residence on Wednesday.
    A press statement issued by Geelani’s party said the five member delegation led by Dal Khalsa president Kanwarpal Singh visited Geelani at his Malviya Nagar residence to inquire about his health. The ailing Hurriyat leader was suffering from severe respiratory infection following which he was taken to Delhi for treatment. The Dal Khalsa members prayed for the well-being of Mr Geelani and extended their support to his political struggle for the freedom of Kashmir, the statement said. 

  • Government seeks selective ban on net-based services

    Opposes launch of MNP in Jammu & Kashmir 
    New Delhi: India’s security establishment has sought tighter controls on mobile communication in Jammu & Kashmir as part of counter terrorism measures, seeking selective banning of internet-based services on mobile phones and opposing implementation of national mobile number portability in the state.
    According to an internal DoT, the defence ministry has said that militant groups are exploiting the proliferation of internet-based communication , including voice over internet protocol ( VoIP) that allow voice calls to be made over internet networks, and other mobile-based web applications, to communicate among themselves.
    “With militants now increasingly using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) through GPRS connections on mobiles, it is recommended that a case be taken up with the ministry of home affairs and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) for the interception and selective banning of GPRS services in select militant hot spots within the legal ambit,” the ministry said in an internal communication to the telecom department (DoT).
    Carriers offer GPRS connections to consumers for using internet on mobile phones. It added that though security forces operating have the ability to monitor and intercept communication of the militant groups in affected areas, DoT must implement and deny certain services in those regions which will help counter the militants’ designs.
    The ministry has asked DoT to expedite the process of mobile phone companies acquiring capabilities to track location of calls, which will help in getting real-time intelligence, critical for improving national security . DoT had mandated mobile phone companies to set up location-based services with tracking accuracy of 50 meters nearly two years ago, but mobile phone companies have said that the government should bear the cost – estimated at over $1 billion (about Rs 6,200 crore) – to implement this technology.
    The ministry has also asked the department to share details of audits of bulk-SIMs sold by mobile phone companies with the Indian Army and law enforcement agencies in J&K. It has further sought that the government should not implement national mobile number portability (MNP) in the state.
    National MNP, or full MNP, allows a subscriber to move from one circle to another circle and change the service provider without changing the mobile number. While currently MNP is allowed within a circle, national MNP has still not been implemented.
    “There is considerable spillage of Pakistan mobile signals across the Line of Control into India in J&K (almost up to 20 Kms). This is being utilised by terrorist/insurgents to conduct their operations in the state by circumventing the existing security procedures,” the defence ministry has said.
    It has further asked DoT to take this matter with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and resolve it according to policy guidelines issued by International Telecom Union, a United Nations agency that coordinates telecommunication operations and services worldwide

  • India ticks off Pak for inviting Kashmiri students for study

    New Delhi: Reacting strongly to Pakistan inviting 60 Kashmiri students in Uttar Pradesh who were slapped with sedition, India Friday said that country should not muddle into affairs of other countries. 
    They should look into their own problems before trying to resolve issues in other countries,” the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said here. He was asked about Pakistan inviting 60 Kashmiri students, slapped sedition charges by Uttar Pradesh for cheering the Pakistani cricket team in an Asia Cup tie against India, to its educational institutions. 
    UP Police had slapped sedition charges against 60 Kashmiri students of Swami Vivekananda Subharti University in Meerut who were suspended for three days from the hostel after they had allegedly supported Pakistan cricket team against India in the Asia Cup match in Dhaka on Sunday last. 
    Reacting to the development, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam “we saw Indian media reports that there were all night celebrations and there were also reports that 67 Kashmiri students were expelled”.     
    Stating that she does not have any way of corroborating that information, Aslam said at her weekly press briefing in Islamabad that “if these Kashmiri students want to come and pursue their studies in Pakistan, our hearts and academic institutions are open to them”. PTI

  • Assam woman who kissed Rahul Gandhi burnt to death by husband

    Guwahati: A woman, who kissed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during his recent two-day Assam tour, was burnt to death allegedly by her husband, reports said on Saturday. 
    Reports said that a quarrel occurred between the couple over the kissing incident, following which the husband set his wife on fire.
    The lady’s husband is also said to have suffered 40 percent burn injuries and is currently hospitalised. 

    It is still unclear whether the unfortunate incident is linked to the kissing incident. The police are investigating the case and there has been no official confirmation on this.

    Rahul Gandhi, who is touring different parts of the country in order to revive his party’s fortunes, was welcomed with kisses on his cheek and on his head during his visit to Jorhat in Assam on Wednesday. 

    Rahul Gandhi was interacting with a huge gathering of women, when two women came closer to him, kissed on his cheek and forehead respectively, slightly embarrassing the young Congress leader. 

    Despite the unprecedented but pleasant gesture, the Gandhi scion, however, sportingly met all the women supporters who came forward to shake hands with him. 

    Rahul met over 600 self help groups and Congress members in Jorhat and interacted with them wholeheartedly. 

    While interacting with the women, the Congress vice president said that women of this country can become the prime minister, chief minister. He also said that northeastern women are more talented and brave than others.

  • Modi takes a dig at Sonia Gandhi, calls her ’10 numbri’

    Gulbarga: Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi took his attacks on Gandhi family to another level altogether on Friday when he called Congress President Sonia Gandhi ’10 numbri Gandhi’ (which in Hindi is used for a crook) during his rally in Karnataka’s Gulbarga.
    Blaming that the Congress believed in ‘divide & rule’ politics, Modi targeted the Congress party over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He accused it of ignoring Seemandhra while carving out Telangana. “See what happened in Andhra Pradesh. We wanted Telangana and we want development of Seemandhra. Congress killed the mother during child’s birth,” he said.
    Modi said that he would be going to Seemandhra to heal the people’s wounds. “I’ll go to Seemandhra as soon as I can, to heal their wounds and share their woes,” he said.
    He claimed that the ‘BJP wave’ had taken over the country. Perhaps it will be a tsunami for them. Congress would not be saved,” he added.
    Addressing the local populace, Modi said that even when India got independence in 1947, it was only Sardar Vallabhai Patel who took on the Nizam and freed Gulbarga. He indicated that had it not been Patel, Gulbarga would have been a part of Pakistan post independence.

    Modi took on the Congress government in Karnataka saying that they have not yet started working. He said that the state government was still in celebration mood. Karnataka government is in the state for a long time now but still they have not started the work. Their celebrations are still on. The Rail Ministry is shut and the CM’s work is shut,” he said.

  • Govt committed to provide required fund to implement OROP: Antony

    Srinagar: The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has assured the Services that the Government was fully committed to implement the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) Policy and that required funds will be made available to ensure its implementation. Chairing a meeting of the top brass of the Services and senior officials of MoD, here, last evening, Shri Antony said the Finance Minister had clarified that the figure of Rs 500 crores made available to implement the scheme was only ‘indicative’.

    The meeting was convened by Shri Antony to discuss the modalities for implementation of OROP. It was attended among others by the Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh, the Defence Secretary Shri RK Mathur, Secretary Ex- Servicemen’s Welfare Smt Sangita Gairola, Secretary Defence Finance Shri Arunava Dutt, the three Service Vice Chiefs and AG from the Services Headquarters.

    It was noted that “OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners”.
    Antony directed that the Controller General of Defence Accounts should initiate immediate necessary steps in consultation with the three Services, MoD Finance and Department of ESW to give effect to the decision. He also emphasized that family pensioners and disability pensioners would be included. Ex-Servicemen may also be appropriately consulted by the Services, Shri Antony said.

    It may be recalled that improvements in the pension for Defence Services have been effected by the Government on three occasions in recent times – in 2006, 2010 and 2013. As a result of these changes, the gap in pension amount between pre-2006 and post-2006 retirees has been bridged substantially. However, keeping in view the long- standing demand, the Government has accepted the principle of OROP for Defence Services. (KNS)