Category: Union Territory

New Delhi: Amid an ongoing military stand-off with India, China on Tuesday said it does not recognize the “illegally established” Union Territory of Ladakh.

The remarks came a day after India inaugurated 44 key bridges in the border areas of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

Most of the newly-inaugurated bridges, including seven in Ladakh, are in strategically important areas and will help the armed forces in ensuring quick movement of troops and weapons.

Responding sharply to the opening of new bridges, the Chinese foreign ministry today said that Beijing stands against the development of infrastructure facilities that is aimed at military contention along the border areas.
“Based on the two sides’ consensus, neither should take action that might escalate the situation. That could also undermine efforts to ease the situation,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.

It added that it does not recognize the UT of Ladakh, which is “illegally” established by India, as well as the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
China also noted that the Indian side has been ramping up infrastructure development along the border areas and stepping up military deployment, which it termed as the “root cause” of tensions between the two countries.
The remarks came in the backdrop of US secretary of state Mike Pompeo revealing that China has amassed more than 60,000 troops on India’s northern border.

Amid the border standoff with China, India is expediting work on several key projects including on a strategic road linking Darcha in Himachal Pradesh with Ladakh that will criss-cross a number of high-altitude snow-bound passes.

Atal tunnel

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s longest motorable tunnel, the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, at an altitude of over 3,000 metres (10,000 feet).

The tunnel, completed at a cost of 3,200 crore, will be crucial in defending the country and will allow mobility of defence forces in case of a prolonged standoff with China.

Named after late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the 9.02-km long tunnel passes under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range on the Leh-Manali highway. It has reduced the distance between Manali in Himachal Pradesh and Leh in Ladakh by 46 kilometres and saved over four hours of travel time.

All-weather bridge in Arunachal

In April this year, India opened an all-weather bridge, which can take 40 tons of weight, in Arunachal Pradesh to enable faster movement of troops and artillery.

The bridge is located in a region that witnessed a months-long military standoff between India and China in 2017 over the Doklam plateau.

(With inputs from Times of India)

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Leaders agree on the need to put up a joint front.

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday met Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, released after 14 months on Tuesday, at her residence and extended an invitation to hold a meeting of all the signatories of the Gupkar Declaration, a pact to fight for the restoration of J&K’s special status.

The Abdullahs, once considered arch rivals of the Muftis, arrived at the official residence of Ms. Mufti at Gupkar on Wednesday afternoon. Party sources said the leaders discussed the situation in Kashmir and “agreed on the need to put up a joint front”.

Abdullah Junior, who described the meeting as a courtesy call, said: “It was only after the Supreme Court’s intervention that Ms. Mufti was released. Our visit today has nothing political about it. We met to find out how she was doing.”

Ms. Mufti thanked the Abdullahs. “It gave me courage listening to him [Dr. Abdullah]. I am sure together we all can change things for the better, she said.

In an indicator of cementing relations between the two major regional players, Mr. Abdullah said Ms. Mufti has accepted an invitation to attend the meeting of the Gupkar Declaration at his residence around 4 p.m. on Thursday.

“All the signatories of the Declaration will be meeting. The future course of action will be decided jointly,” Mr. Abdullah said.

The Declaration was signed by six political parties, including Congress, on August 4, 2019, just a day before the abrogation of J&K’s special status. It called for a joint fight to “safeguard J&K’s special status, Article 370 and 35A”.

Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone, a signatory of the Declaration, also met Ms. Mufti on Wednesday evening.

Mehbooba toughens stand

In an audio uploaded online, Ms. Mufti, toughening her stand, said the struggle will continue to get back what “the Delhi Darbar has snatched away by unconstitutional and undemocratic means” and sought resolution of the Kashmir issue.

“Everything the Delhi Darbar snatched away by unconstitutional and undemocratic means has to be got back. People also need to keep struggling for the solution of Jammu and Kashmir, which has led to sacrificing thousands of lives,” Ms. Mufti said.

Ms. Mufti, 61, said the abrogation of Article-370 “had been hurting her heart and soul during every moment of her detention”.

Terming August 5, 2019 a “black day”, Ms. Mufti said: “No one among us will forget the humiliation of the day Article 370 was abrogated. No one among us can ever forget the robbery and the insult.”

She said the “path ahead won’t be easy but I believe that our courage and determination will be our companion in walking this path”. She also demanded “immediate release of everyone from J&K who are languishing in various jails of the country”.

With inputs from The Hindu

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

PTI

Jammu: A man was arrested with one kilogram of heroin recovered from him in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, officials said.

A police party intercepted a pedestrian at a checkpoint in the border belt of Mankote and was subjected to physical checking, they said.

During the search, police recovered 1 kg of heroin from his possession, they said. He was arrested and a case was registered, they added.

The delivery of the drug consignment from across the border can’t be ruled out and police is investigating all the forward and backward linkages, they said.

People have appreciated the role of police in recovery of the huge consignment and curbing the drug menace spoiling the youth.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

PTI

Leh: The Union Territory of Ladakh reported 66 new coronavirus cases, taking the infection tally to 5,304, according to an official bulletin on Thursday.

Fifty-six patients recovered from the disease in a span of 24 hours — 36 patients in Leh and 20 in Kargil — the bulletin said.

According to the bulletin released by the directorate of health services, the number of active cases in the region stood at 979 on Thursday — 771 in Leh district and 208 in Kargil district.

Ladakh had recorded a total of 64 COVID-19-related deaths, while 4,205 patients have recovered from the disease till date.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

‘Pak may push in more infiltrators before snowfall’

Handwara: Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP), Dilbagh Singh Wednesday said that Kashmiri youth are treading a right path and they have replaced guns with the bats in their hands.

Talking to media men, on the sidelines of concluding ceremony, Handwara police cricket league (HPCL), DGP Singh said that said that Valley youth are now on the right path and they have replaced the guns with bats in their hand.

“We will continue to encourage youth to take part in sports activities,” DGP said as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

He said that he has found a “very welcome change in the youth as they are treading the right path and staying away from the violence.” “I am glad to see young boys hold bats in their hands. Police have been able to get very good talent from the players and I am sure many players would be going a long way to represent Kashmir,” the J&K police chief said.

About the possible infiltration bids, the DGP said that ahead of the snowfall Pakistan would make desperate attempts to push infiltrators into this side and attempts are made on regular basis. “Our forces deployed close to the fence are alert to thwart any such attempts,” he said—(KNO)

Srinagar: The University of Kashmir (KU) is likely to commence with a new academic session via online mode for various Post Graduate (PG) courses from this week for the fresh batch.

Officials of the varsity said that tentatively the varsity has notified to commence with a new academic session for the fresh batch of 2020.

KU’s Dean Academic Affairs, Akbar Masoodi told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the academics for the fresh 2020 batch is tentatively to be scheduled to commence from October-15 and the new academic session for the already enrolled students has started from October-10.

Masoodi, however, said that the admission process for the new batch was going on.

“We have already notified the academic calendar for the first semester of 2020 batch and if the admission process is getting completed by October-15, then we will begin with the same, but if the admission process is taking more time then the varsity will extend the date of the new academic session,” he said.

KU’s Registrar, Dr Nisar Ahmad informed KNO that the varsity will continue to hold the online classes till the government notifies new rules or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Meanwhile, the varsity in its tentative notification for the fresh batch has said that the academics will commence from October-15 to January-01-2021.

The university notification further reads that the examination preparation for the Open Elective (OE) and Generic Elective (GE) courses will be 16-18 January 2020 and the examination preparation days for departmental courses (Core and DCE) will commence from 19-21 January 2021.

The academic calendar notified by the KU reads that the examination preparation days for departmental courses for the fresh 2020 batch will commence from 19-21 January-28 to February-10 2021—(KNO)

Budgam: The annual Urs of Sheikh-ul-Aalam (RA) was on Wednesday observed with religious fervor at Charar-e-Sharief in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the day is being observed as death anniversary of the holy saint.

“Nund Reshi, the patron saint in Kashmir, is highly revered by both Muslims and Hindus. Thousands of devotees from across the Valley thronged at Chrar-e-Sharief shrine where special prayers, salutations and supplications were held with proper SOPs and guidelines.

Religious Scholars and preachers while paying rich tributes to the saint appealed people to follow the teachings of Sheikh-ul-Aalam (RA) in letter and spirit.

They said that Sheikh-ul-Aalam (RA) was a true teacher, leader, saint, a religious poet and a devoted personality, who taught everyone the perfect way of life.

On the occasion, religious scholars threw light on the life, religious services, teachings and spiritual strength of the saint who had devoted his life to the preaching of Islam.

An NGO (Team Abroo) helped the Wakf authorities on voluntary basis for smooth conduct of annual Urs, who were checking the temperature of people, providing masks to people and sanitizing the shrine area—(KNO)

PTI

Jammu: Four people were arrested on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in an attempt-to-murder case here, police said.

Vishav Singh was attacked with sharp-edged weapons at Indira theatre canal road on Tuesday, causing serious injuries to him, a police official said.

A case was registered, special teams were formed and CCTV footage was examined. Raids were conducted at several places and four suspects were arrested. They have been identified as Vicky Kumar, Mohit Kumar, Shalo Ram and Mukul Kalotra, police said.

“Vicky and Mukul were also involved in another assault case registered at Bakshi Nagar police station,” the spokesperson said, adding that an investigation was on.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar: Apni Party General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir on Wednesday strongly opposed the imposition of property tax in Jammu and Kashmir terming it arbitrary and dictatorial in nature.

Talking to a few media persons on the sidelines of a joining ceremony at Party office at The Bund in Lal Chowk Srinagar, Mir as per a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) remarked that J&K is already reeling under a severe economic depression and levying property tax amid such a scenario is a deliberate attempt to bully its residents.

“Almost every sphere of public life has been hit hard in J&K during the last three decades of conflict. Now last year’s unprecedented political developments coupled with the current COVID pandemic have crumbled their economic conditions. I don’t see a proper application of mind behind this arbitrary taxation decision which is being thrust upon the people of J&K,” he opined.

Mir said that instead of addressing the economic slowdown, soaring unemployment rate and the lack of avenues for a dignified livelihood for the people of J&K, it is highly unfortunate that the union government seems adding insult to the injury by frequently coming up with random and tyrannical moves to inflict more sufferings on the people.

“Lakhs of people have lost their jobs since August last year; small as well as big businesses have crumbled, and the industrial sector is shut and so are the agricultural and horticultural sectors in J&K. Now levying property taxes from people means you want to bankrupt the whole population,” Mir observed.

He termed this decision anti-people and a grave injustice and demanded its immediate rollback by the union government. “All such revenue generation measures must be left to a democratically elected government in J&K. Such hasty decisions are otherwise bound to create further alienation among people and it may compel all of us to come to streets to agitate this matter,” Mir added.

Meanwhile, the prominent political activists of Budgam district who joined Apni Party along with their workers today included Peoples Conference District President Budgam Firdous Ahmad Farash and Peoples Conference head Constituency Chadoora Javid Ahmad Wani.

Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir, Vice President Aijaz Ahmad Khan, General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir, Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir, state secretary Muntazir Mohi-u-Din, district president Srinagar Noor Mohammad Sheikh, Syed Farooq Andrabi, incharge Zadibal constituency Irfan Naqeeb and Irfan Matoo were also present on this occasion—(KNO)

Srinagar: In an audio clip posted on twitter, Former Chief Minister after being released from 14 months detention said “none of us can forget the robbery and insult committed on August 5”.

In the video message she said: “I have been set free after more than a year today.” “All this while the dark day of August 5, 2019 and the decisions taken on this day kept troubling me heart within hearts.

I fully realise that the same feeling would have been that of all the people of Jammu and Kashmir. None of us can forget the robbery and insult committed on that day (August 5, 2019) and now we all must firmly decide that what was snatched away in an unconstitutional and undemocratic manner would be restored,” Mufti said.

“Besides we need to strive for Kashmir issue for which thousands of people have lost their lives. I agree this path would not be an easy one but I am hopeful that our zest and strong belief will help us reach to cross our goal. Today when I have been released, I would like that all those persons from Jammu and Kashmir detained in various jails of the country must be immediately released,” Mufti said.

Meanwhile, Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah welcomed Mufti’s release. “I’m pleased to hear that @MehboobaMufti Sahiba has been released after more than a year in detention. Her continued detention was a travesty & was against the basic tenets of democracy. Welcome out Mehbooba,” wrote Omar on Twitter.(KINS)