Category: Union Territory

Concrete measures must to stop youth from joining militancy in Kmr

Srinagar, Oct 19: Former Chief of the Research and Analysis wing (RAW) and the former special director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Amarjit Singh Dulat, said that the concrete measures are required to stop local youth from joining militancy in Kashmir.
He also maintained that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has a role to play in mainstream politics.
“In the past there were talks that those who shun the path of militancy need proper rehabilitation. There have to be some rehabilitation schemes for disgruntled youth. Rehabilitation is very important. Omar Abdullah also started a scheme but that did not run. When a scheme is started, it has to be impacted on the ground,” Dulat told news agency KINS over phone.
“In 2010, the then Omar Abdullah-government introduced a “rehabilitation scheme” for those who had crossed the line of control between 1989 and 2009. Under the amnesty, former militants could return to Kashmir and be united with their families, provided they had “given up insurgent activities due to a change of heart and are willing to return to the state”.
The former RAW chief said political parties have an important role to play in the near future.
“It is unfortunate that elections could not take place. When elections come, these parties have a big role to play.”
Dulat said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has a role to play in mainstream politics. “Mirwaiz got several opportunities but separatists have missed them. Mirwaiz has already come into the mainstream. Separatism is dead now. There are some who label Mehbooba Mufti a separatist. The PDP will contest polls,” Dulat added. (KINS)

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted heavy rainfall or snowfall for Jammu and Kashmir on October 23.

Speaking to ANI, Naresh Kumar, Senior Scientist, IMD said, “A great western disturbance is coming which will specifically affect the western Himalayan region. So, we are expecting snowfall activity will be increased in the western Himalayan region. We are expecting heavy rainfall or heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kasmir on October 23.”

School of Sciences, Islamic University of Science and Technology today organized a farewell in the Department of Chemistry for Dean School of Sciences Prof. G. M. Rather, IUST, Awantipora. At the outset Head Department of Chemistry Dr. Aabid Hussain Shalla, presented a warm welcome to Heads and faculty members of various departments falling under School of Sciences.

Dr. Aabid stressed upon the role of Prof. G. M. Rather in coordinating and mentoring the academic and research activities of different departments and taking the School forward in positive direction. In charge Head Department of Physics Dr. Niyaz Ahamd Rather and Assistant Professor Department of Physics Mr. Farooq Hussain Bhat while speaking on the occasion appreciated the work and cordial approach of Prof. Rather during their interactions with him as Dean, School of Sciences.

Head Department of Mathematical Sciences Prof. Fozia Qazi also spoke and mentioned about the sincerity, integrity and work ethics displayed by Prof. Rather while working with him at different levels in the University. Professor M. A. Khuroo also expressed his view about the academic and administrative excellence of Prof. Rather during their tenure at University of Kashmir and appreciated his role as Dean of the School. Faculty members Dr Manzoor Ahmad Dar and Dr Hashim also appreciated the cordial behavior of the Prof. Rather.

Finally, Prof. Rather spoke at the event and stressed on the faculties of the School of Sciences to become role models and inspire students to aspire for successful carriers as researchers and academicians. Further, he suggested the faculty of the school to work hard and deliver best possible services to the students.

Finally, to conclude the Departments provided a token of love to Prof. Rather and wished him all the best on behalf of entire IUST family.

Issued through
PR and Media Centre, IUST

Issued through
PR and Media Centre, IUST

Srinagar Oct 19: The recent killings of labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have created a fear among non-locals labourers in Kashmir.There is a fear in Kashmir following the recent civilian killings.At least 11 civilians have been killed in Kashmir in this month so far. Among them five were non-local labourers. The other six were locals of Jammu and Kashmir from Muslim, Hindu and Sikh community.Gautum Kumar, a carpenter from Bihar said he was working in Kashmir for the last 15 years.“We never feel insecure in Kashmir. Kashmiris always stood by us. But the situation is worrisome after recent killings of non-local labourers. My family is worried so I decided to go home. I will come if there is improvement in the situation,” Kumar told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), while boarding a bus at Tourist Reception Bus in Srinagar for Jammu.Pankaj Paswan, a migrant labourer from Bihar too left Kashmir. “I was supposed to go home on October 25, but left as migrant labourers are being killed,” he addedOver five lakh labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh come to Kashmir every year to earn their livelihood.However, a large number of workers were seen heading to Jammu on Monday and Tuesday.Suresh Dhar of Westbengal who has been selling panipuri in Kashmir for the last two years said, “Situation is getting bad here. We are scared; we have children with us and hence going back to our hometown. I have my ailing parents in Westbengal who will take care of them if anything happens to me.” (KINS)

Srinagar Oct 18: Amarjit Singh Dulat, former chief of the research and analysis wing (RAW) and the former special director of the intelligence bureau (IB) Monday said that the Civilian killings in kashmir is alarming and claimed that “there were sleeper cells with local support active in Srinagar.”
“The recent civilian killings are very unfortunate. There are ups and downs in Kashmir and the situation changes within 24 hours. The situation is alarming and unfortunate. The civilian killings take place in Kashmir but this time there were minorities which attracted more attention,” Dulat in an exclusive conversation, told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
Asked whether the minorities were being targeted over abrogation of Article 370, he replied, “It is too early to say. Some say it is like the 1990s situation; let’s hope it is not like that.”
“One thing is clear that sleeper cells are active in Kashmir and it seems were involved in the recent killings. How many people are part of these sleeper cells can’t be said. I hope they are in single digits. The recent killings remind of the 1990s when militants would come out in the open. JKLF boys would parade in Srinagar. Then many of these militants were arrested or got killed. Then came a phase of overground workers who would come, kill people then do their routine work like riding an auto rickshaw or running a shop. The situation seems similar now,” he said.
He claimed that the sleeper cells were active in the heart of Srinagar city. “Militants would operate from South Kashmir which would not grab much attention but when such an incident takes place in Srinagar; it has an impact on the whole Kashmir.”
Asked that The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for several recent killings and if it was a challenge for the government, Dulat replied, “I have been hearing the name of TRF for some days. We also heard Geelani Force. Many such names surfaced in the past then they also got eliminated.”
He said it was too early to say that two militants killed recently were part of the TRF. “You get to know if they were part of the TRF and were recently involved in civilian killings when they were arrested, interrogated and revealed everything,”.
He said the killing of civilians in crowded areas was scary. “It is a challenge for security agencies to stop such attacks.There are Pakistanis who are part of these sleeper cells but local boys are also involved in this.”
At least eleven civilians have been killed since October 02 in Kashmir.(KINS)

Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan), Oct 18: Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik has said that no militants could enter within the 50-100 kilometres range of Srinagar during his tenure as Jammu and Kashmir Governor but now they are killing poor people.
“During my tenure as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, no militants could enter within the 50-100 kms range of Srinagar. But now, militants are killing poor people in Srinagar. This is really saddening,” Malik said.
Malik was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019. During his tenure, the decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the region into two Union Territories was taken in August 2019.
He has also served as Governor of Goa from November 2019 to August 18, 2020. Malik took oath as the Governor of Meghalaya on August 20, 2020.
In the past few days, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a spate of targeted killings of civilians especially non-locals. On Sunday, two non-locals labourers were killed after militants fired indiscriminately upon them at the Wanpoh area of Kulgam.
Earlier, a gol-gappa seller from Bihar and a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh were shot dead by militants in the Union Territory on Friday. (KINS)

SRINAGAR OCT 18: Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi urged PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to hand over the restive union territory to Biharis, promising to ‘fix the problem’ within 15 days.

Manjhi took to Twitter to express his frustration over the repeated attacks against civilians, especially Biharis, 4 of whom have been killed in the fresh wave of violence that has engulfed the newly carved union territory. The Hindustani Awam Morcha leader said if the union territory is handed over to Biharis for just 15 days, all the problems bedevilling it will be solved.

“I’m deeply upset because our Bihari brothers are being killed in Kashmir. If Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are unable to improve the situation in Kashmir, then they should leave it to us Biharis, we will turn things around in 15 days,” said Manjhi in a tweet. (PTK)

Srinagar: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar Sunday strongly rebutted the order asking non-local labourers to reach police stations and army camps terming it as “totally baseless and fake order”.

“There is no such order. It’s a fake one,” the IGP Kashmir told a local news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). An order that has gone viral on social media reads that all DIGs are impressed upon to take all non-local labourers to police stations and army camps. The order was circulated after the killing of two non-Kashmiri residents in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district—(KNO)

Srinagar, Oct 17 : Sagir Ahmed, one of the two civilians killed by unidentified gunmen in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, had migrated to the Valley about one and a half years ago from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh to help his family get out of poverty.

Since moving to the Valley, he was able to manage a steady income and used to send money back to his family.

Mr Ahmad, a carpenter by profession, was shot dead in Pulwama yesterday – the ninth victim to be targeted by the unidentified in the past two weeks.

“He was a carpenter by profession. He was working in Kashmir for one-and-a-half-years. We spoke to him 3-4 days back. We had asked him about the situation (targeted killing of civilians by terrorists), he had assured us that everything was fine. He was planning to visit us,” Sagir Ahmed’s younger brother, Naseem, told national news channel, as per news agency KINS.

Sagir Ahmed is survived by a family of five, including an unmarried daughter, in Sahranpur in western Uttar Pradesh.

“We want justice. We want compensation. He was the sole breadwinner for the family. I have a brother and three sisters to look after,” said Mr Ahmed’s daughter Nazrana.

Officials from the Uttar Pradesh government visited the family on Saturday evening and assured all possible help.

“We have met the family. He is survived by a son and four daughters, one of whom is unmarried. His son is also a carpenter in Barmer. Their financial condition is not good. We will ensure they get adequate compensation from the government. We are also trying to retrieve the dead body from Kashmir,” Archana Dwivedi, Additional District Magistrate, East, Saharanpur, said.

Sagir Ahmad was shot in Pulwama; he died of his injuries later. Mr Ahmad was the second civilian to be killed on the day – Arbind Kumar Sah, a gol-gappa hawker from Bihar was shot dead at point-blank range in Srinagar.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has condemned the killings.

“Strongly condemn the killing of street vendor Arbind Kumar in an attack in Srinagar today. This is yet another case of a civilian being targeted like this. All Arbind Kumar did was come to Srinagar in search of earning opportunities and it’s reprehensible that he was murdered,” former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone tweeted, “This is pure terror. Yet again a non-local vendor was shot and killed in Idgah. What a shame. How cowardly can it get.”

The police had launched a massive crackdown and detained some 900 people across Jammu and Kashmir for their suspected links. (KINS)

Anantnag: Two non-locals were killed and another injured when unknown gunmen fired upon them in Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Sunday evening.

They said the gunmen fired at them at Wanpoh, leaving two persons—Raja Reshi Dev and Jogindar Reshi Dev, both from Bihar—leaving them dead on the spot while wounding one another. The injured was shifted to GMC Anantnag.

They said that the injured, Chun Chun Reshi Das son of Teju Das of Bihar, was taken to GMC Anantnag where his condition is stated to be stable.

“He has fire arm injury in back and arm. His condition is stated to be stable,” Medical Superintendent GMC Anantnag Dr iqbal Sofi told GNS.