Category: Union Territory

PTI

New Delhi: The NIA arrested one more accused on Thursday in connection with last year’s Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, an official said.

Mohammad Iqbal Rather (25), a resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam, had allegedly facilitated the movement of Muhammad Umar Farooq — a member of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and a key conspirator in the case — after he infiltrated into the Indian territory in the Jammu region in April, 2018, a spokesperson of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said.

Farooq, along with others, had assembled the improvised explosive device (IED) used in the Pulwama attack, he added.

Rather was in judicial custody since September, 2018 in another JeM-related case being probed by the premier investigation agency, the official said.

He was produced by the jail authorities before a Special NIA Court in Jammu on Thursday and was sent to a seven-day custody of the agency for interrogation, he added.

Srinagar: BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav is likely to visit Kashmir this week and to meet party leaders, works and other delegations.

Sources told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that BJP workers are making arrangements to apprise him about party affairs and ground situation in Kashmir.

“He will be on a two day visit to Kashmir this week,” confirmed a BJP leader.

However, one of the party leaders, who wished not to be named, said that his visit would be personal and not an official.

On 21 October 2019, in his first visit to Kashmir, after abrogation of special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir, Madhav said he had urged all citizens of the country to plan their next honeymoon, holiday or yatra in the Valley.

On 20 November 2019, Madhav said he was in favour of the resumption of political engagement in the Union Territory “sooner than later”.

Saying that “the sky’s the limit” when it comes to demands from various quarters on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir, he emphasised that the demands should be within the ambit of the Constitution.

“I am personally in favour of, at least now that almost 100 days have passed since the decision was taken, some kind of a political engagement to start in the Valley,” he had said at an event in Delhi.(KINS)

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday reported ten deaths due to novel coronavirus, taking the fatality count due to the covid-19 in J&K to 117. Nine of these casualties took place in Kashmir Valley and one in Jammu division which was actually confirmed two days after a 63-year-old from Doda died in an army hospital.

Regarding those reported from the Valley, five were reported at SKIMS Soura, three at SMHS hospital and one at CD hospital, one of the exclusive facilities for the covid-19 management here.

Talking to GNS, Professor Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent SKIMS Soura, a 75-year-old man from Kawoosa area of Budgam district died at the hospital around 7:25 p.m. this evening, five days after he was admitted.

“The patient was diagnosed MND with CAP and he died due to cardiopulmonary arrest,” he said.

Earlier, a said 65-year-old man from Nadigam Shopian, who was admitted in Infectious Disease Block of the hospital on July 1 as a case of Coronary Artery Disease with bilateral Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with Type-1 Respiratory Failure, passed away at 4.45 p.m, he said.

Prior to him, Professor Jan said that a 65-year-old resident of Tarigam Kulgam, who was admitted on June 23, died at the hospital. “He was referred from GMC Anantnag in view of B/L CAP with ARDS. The patient was Covid positive and died at 2:30 p.m.,” he said.

Earlier, 55-year-old and 65-year-old men from Kulgam and Baramulla districts respectively died at the tertiary care hospital.

He said that the quinquagenarian from Yaripora area of Kulgam was admitted on June 22 and died 12:10 a.m.

“He was known case of hypertension with (type-2 diabetes) with multifocal Encephalopathy (brain disease),” he said.

Another patient—the sexagenarian from Baramulla’s Sopore town also died ten days after admission to the hospital.

“The patient was hypertensive, T2DM (type-2 diabetes) with Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and he had sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at 3:05 a.m.” Professor Jan said.

Meanwhile, a resident of Habba Kadal area of Srinagar, a 60-year-old man died at CD hospital. Dr Salim Tak, hospital’s Medical Superintendent, told GNS that man was admitted on June 29.

“He was diabetic, hypertensive and was suffering pneumonia and other ailments,” he added.
Dr Nazir Choudhary, Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital, told GNS that a 65-year-old man with “bilateral pneumonia” from Kulgam district died this afternoon. “His sample was taken as soon as he was admitted to the hospital yesterday and it came out to be positive for the virus,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Choudhary said, a 75-year-old man from Wadwan Budgam district and a 65-year-old from Batamaloo Srinagar with underlying ailments including hypertension and bilateral pneumonia died at the hospital. “The woman was also suffering from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Both of them were admitted yesterday (Wednesday),” he added.

Meanwhile sources told GNS that a swab sample reports of a 63-year-old man from Doda returned positive for the virus. He was actually admitted to GMC Jammu on June 20 and later shifted to Udhampur army hospital. Having suffered the brain hemorrhage, the sexagenarian died on June 30, the sources added.

With the deaths, 117 people so far have succumbed to the virus in J&K— 103 from the Valley and 14 from Jammu division.

Srinagar district with 27 deaths has the highest fatalities followed by Baramulla (18), Kulgam (16), Shopian (13), Budgam (10), Anantnag (9), Jammu(8), Kupwara (6), Pulwama (four), Doda (2) while one death each has been reported from Bandipora, Poonch, Udhampur, Rajouri and Kathua. (GNS)

Pak PM’s accusations result in US, Germany delaying Karachi statement by day; China manages to avoid mention of WHO

India’s partner countries in the UN Security Council stymied an attempt to mention India in a condolence message about the Karachi stock exchange, but were unable to place China and WHO at the centre of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in some civil wars which will not be applicable to counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and Central India.

The two developments–a resolution on ceasefire/ WHO and a statement on Karachi–have seen a tug of war between the US and other countries.

Germany’s UN Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, the UNSC president for July, said the UNSC’s ceasefire resolution was “a sign for hope for all people currently living in conflict zones around the world”. It does not apply to military operations against Al-Qaida, ISIS and other UN-proscribed terror outfits such as Lashkar-eTaiba and Jaish-e-Mohamed.

The diplomatic support by the US to India, which essentially amounted to a one-day delay in issuing the statement on Karachi, follows a string of statements from Washington in India’s tensions with China.

Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have stated that they see China as the aggressor on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Pompeo has also backed India’s banning of 59 apps that follows the US blocking Huawei and ZTE from availing of universal social obligation funds. For the first time, the White House and the State Department have pointedly included Sino-Indian border tensions in their checklist of aggressive Beijing behavior at a number of vectors around China’s periphery.

This is the second time partner countries from the West have stood by India. After the Pulwama attack, Pakistan was not directly blamed but there was specific mention of Jaish-e-Mohamed in the UNSC statement condemning the attack. This indirectly indicted Pakistan, which has sheltered the terror group’s top leadership.

The UNSC resolution proposed by China on the Karachi terror attacks was in fact muddied by Islamabad itself when Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi followed by Prime Minister Imran Khan pointed accusing fingers across the border. The political nature of the accusations led India’s partners US, followed by Germany, to seek a delay in using the statement to allow things to cool. South Block has interpreted this as a victory.

The resolution on the Karachi attack did not indict any organisation though Pakistan has claimed that Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is responsible. But it did condemn the attack in the “strongest terms” and as in the case of the Pulwama attack, it “underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice”.

In line with the accusations made by Pakistan PM and Foreign Minister, Pakistan is also trying to get three Indians who were working in projects in Afghanistan listed as international terrorists. The attempt to list one of them fell flat after no concrete evidence was submitted to the sanctions committee and that of other three could also meet a similar fate. India on the other hand not only got Jaish-e-Mohamed banned but also persuaded the UNSC to list its chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.

A more bitter battle to name the WHO in the UNSC’s first resolution on Covid, however, was unsuccessful. Led by the US since early April, its allies in UNSC did not have enough firepower to hold the WHO accountable. Such wording would have indirectly indicted China since Trump was accusing WHO of parroting Beijing’s line. Co-sponsors France and Tunisia along with Russia managed to avoid the word “transparency” or “WHO” as was sought by the US.

With inputs from The Tribune

Pakistan violates ceasefire in J&K’s Poonch district

IANS

Jammu: Pakistan again violated ceasefire on Thursday on the line of control (LoC) in two sectors in J&K”s Poonch district by using automatic gunfire and mortar shelling.

Colonel Devender Anand said, “At about 9.30 a.m. today Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Shahpur and Kirni sectors of Poonch district.

“Indian army retaliated befittingly”.

For over a month, Pakistan has been violating the bilateral ceasefire on the LoC in J&K with impunity.

LoC tensions have been rising in the backdrop of heightened Sino-India tensions on the line of actual control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.

–IANS

PTI

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s planned visit to Ladakh on Friday has been rescheduled, official sources said on Thursday.

It was not immediately known why the visit has been postponed.

The sources said Singh will “soon” undertake the visit to Ladakh to take stock of India’s military preparedness in the region where Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a seven-week bitter border standoff.

The defence minister was to be accompanied by Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane.

The Army Chief visited Ladakh on June 23 and 24 during which he held a series of meetings with senior Army officials and visited various forward areas in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks. The tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15.

The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.

Srinagar: Kashmir has seen at least 229 killings during more than 100 military operations since January, a rights group said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Association of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in their bi-annual report has siad that from January 1 to June 30, the Jammu Kashmir witnessed the killings of at least 32 civilians and 54 armed forces personnel.

It also saw 55 internet shutdowns and the destruction of 48 structures, it said.

The report a copy of which lies with news agency KNT said three children and two women were also killed, while at least “107 cordon and search operations and cordon and destroy operations were conducted in the region”.

In addition, during search operations and encounters, “vandalism and destruction of civilian properties were reported”.

The report said that in the first six months of 2020, the media continued to be at the receiving end of pressure, intimidation and harassment by authorities, with several incidents involving the beating of journalists.

“Besides physical assaults, a few Kashmir-based journalists were also booked under stringent charges and cases were filed against them,” it said.

The report noted that the police filed cases against two Kashmiri journalists under the Unlawful Activities Act, which clearly infringes on the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press as “such tactics signal a forewarning for media personnel to adhere to the state narrative”.

It also said that high speed mobile internet services have remained banned since August 5, 2019, noting that in the last six months, there were 55 instances of internet blockades.

The report said India is paving the way for demographic change in Kashmir on a large scale, thus institutionalizing a system of domination over indigenous populations.

“The order is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention,” it noted.

The report cited observers as warning that the new domicile law could permanently alter the demography of the region. It also touched on the recently introduced new media policy wherein the government will examine the content of the media.

According to the policy, the government will decide what is “fake,” “unethical” or “anti-national” news and take legal action against the journalist or media organization concerned, including sharing information with security agencies.

The JKCCS’s report said that after the first case of the novel Coronavirus was declared in the region in March, the local government clamped down with restrictions and curfews, even when people had already been locked up since August 2019.

It said roads were barricaded while surveillance tools were used to track down people.

“Until April 16, around 2,303 people were also arrested in the region for defying lockdown orders while many shops were sealed and vehicles seized in the region,” it said.

The report also said that 345 prisoners were released amid the pandemic, but many prisoners are still being held in Indian jails, giving the example of J&K High Court Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom, who has been detained since August 5, 2019.

It said during the Covid-19 crisis, many doctors in the region have been harassed and beaten by government forces while performing their duties. (KNT)

India-China Border Tensions Intensify As PLA Troops Occupy Heights, Build Fortifications & Install An ‘Enormous Signage’

New Delhi: After physically occupying an almost 8-km stretch of what India considers its territory on the north bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has now created a massive signage in the area to claim it as Chinese land.

Located between Finger-4 and Finger-5, the 80-metre-long signage is in the shape of inscriptions and is designed to be visible from the air and capable of being picked up by satellites. It consists of the Mandarin symbol meaning China with a map of the country. It seeks to deride India’s claim that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) runs north to south at Finger-8.

“It clearly shows the PLA has no intention of leaving the area any time soon. We, too, have counter-mobilised with additional Army and ITBP troops in the area since May for any eventuality. We want restoration of status quo ante, with the PLA pulling back to its original position,” an official said here.

PLA soldiers have built dozens of fortifications, prefabricated huts, bunkers and pill-boxes after occupying the ‘Finger-4 to 8’ (mountainous spurs separated by a distance of 8 km) area on the north bank of Pangong Tso in a massive consolidation since early-May. They have also taken control of the nearby heights and ridgeline to dominate the area, as was earlier reported by TOI.

Indian soldiers, with an ITBP post located between Finger-3 and 4, have for long been patrolling west to east till Finger-8.

The PLA, which has also strengthened its positions on the south bank of the lake, wants Indian soldiers to retreat to the Finger-2 area. Ever since the clash between the rival troops in the area on May 5-6, Chinese soldiers have effectively blocked all Indian patrols from the Finger-4 to 8 area.

With inputs from TOI; EurAsian Times

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has slipped into the red, reporting a standalone net loss of ₹294 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2020, against a net profit of ₹215 crore in the year-ago quarter.

The bank, which is majority owned by the Government of the Union Territory of J&K, had reported a standalone net profit of ₹50 crore in the quarter ended December 31, 2019.

For FY20, J&K Bank reported a standalone net loss of ₹1,139 crore, against a net profit of ₹465 crore in FY19.

Net interest income (difference between interest earned and interest expended) in Q4 increased 6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to ₹987 crore (₹931 crore in the year-ago quarter). Other income, comprising commission/exchange, profit on sale of investments, recovery in written-off accounts and profit on exchange transactions, was sharply down 70 per cent YoY at ₹121 crore (₹404 crore).

Operating profit before provisions and contingencies was down 36 per cent at ₹382 crore (₹601 crore).

Provisions

Loan loss provisions increased by 30 per cent YoY to ₹586 crore (₹450 crore).

As per the notes to accounts, J&K Bank extended the moratorium on advance accounts aggregating ₹10,290 crore, which were in the special mention account (SMA)/overdue category as on March 1, 2020. Further, the bank has extended the benefit of asset classification in advance accounts having outstanding of ₹2,948.54 crore and has made a provision of ₹147.50 crore (at the rate of 5 per cent) on these advances during the current quarter.

Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined to 10.97 per cent of gross advances as of March-end 2020, against 11.10 per cent as of December-end 2019.

Net NPAs position improved to 3.48 per cent of net advances as of March-end 2020, against 4.36 per cent as of December-end 2019.

As at March-end 2020, deposits were up 9 per cent YoY to ₹97,788 crore. Advances declined 3 per cent YoY to ₹64,399 crore.

During the financial year ended March 31, 2020, the Government of UT of J&K infused ₹500 crore capital in the bank. The bank allotted and issued about 15.65 crore equity shares of ₹1 each fully paid at an issue price of ₹31.93 (including premium of ₹30.93 per share).

The Government of UT of J&K’s holding in the bank has increased to 68.18 per cent as on March 31, 2020 from 59.23 per cent as at December-end 2019.

With inputs from The Hindu

Commanders emphasise need for expeditious, phased and stepwise de-escalation.

The third round of Corps Commander-level talks on Tuesday between India and China, the second one after the June 15 Galwan Valley clashes, yielded the promise of more talks at the military and diplomatic levels to disengage at the “face-off sites” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops in close quarter combat in Galwan Valley while Beijing has not given any official figure of their dead or wounded.

Rajnath to visit Ladakh

In another sign that India is now taking the Chinese build-up along he LAC seriously, it was made known that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Ladakh on Friday.

“Both sides have emphasised the need for an expeditious, phased and stepwise de-escalation as a priority,” an Indian military source said. “This is in keeping with the agreement between External Affairs Minister and his Chinese counterpart during their conversation on June 17 that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and that both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 sincerely.”

To achieve this, more meetings are expected both at the military and the diplomatic level to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution and to ensure peace and tranquillity along the LAC as per bilateral agreements and protocols, the source stated.

The talks between Lt. Gen. Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and Maj. Gen. Liu Lin, Commander of the South Xinjiang Military District, began around 11 a.m. at the border meeting point at Chushul on the Indian side and went on for over 12 hours.

The process of disengagement was complex, the source said. The meeting was long and held in a business-like manner keeping in view the COVID-19 protocols and the discussions reflected the commitment of both sides to reduce the tensions along the LAC.

It has been learnt that both sides agreed to take forward the stalled process of disengagement agreed earlier at all friction points in Ladakh. In the first round of senior commander talks on June 6, both sides identified five conflict areas, Patrolling Point (PP) 14, 15 and 17A, North of Pangong Tso and Chushul, and agreed for limited “de-escalation” from some of these areas. It was during this “de-escalation” process near PP 14 in Galwan Valley that the clash occurred claiming 20 Indian soldiers’ lives and an unknown number of casualties on the Chinese side.

Chinese response

Responding to questions on the talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “The two sides continue working towards implementing the consensus reached at the two earlier rounds of commander-level talks and made progress in effective measures by front line troops to disengage and de-escalate the situation.”

“China welcomes that,” Mr. Zhao stated emphasising the need to keep close communication through military and diplomatic channels to ease the situation and reduce the temperature along the border.

Earlier consensus

At the second round of talks on June 22 too, the two sides came to a “mutual consensus” to disengage along the LAC and the modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed. However, there has been no progress on the ground since.

On the contrary, between the Galwan clash and the second round of talks, satellite images show that China has rebuilt the observation point and also additional defensive positions at Galwan. Similarly, there has been further consolidation of positions and additional defences at Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso and also along the ridges overlooking Indian positions.

There has also been massive build-up by China in the Despang plains, which lies close to the crucial Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road linking the Sub Sector North on one side and the Siachen glacier on the other.

India’s demand

India’s consistent demand has been the restoration of status quo ante of pre May 5 positions and de-induction of forces built up by China along the LAC. China has undertaken massive mobilisation of forces, tanks, armoured vehicles, air defences and fighters close to the LAC. India too has moved in additional divisions, tanks and artillery to match Chinese deployments.

The disengagement was going to be a long drawn, step-by-step process with pullback of troops from each of the locations in a phased manner after verification, a defence source said. The major issue was of verifying the compliance by China given the earlier experience, the source added referring to the Galwan clash.

Mr. Singh’s visit to Ladakh will be his first since the beginning of the stand-off in early May. Accompanied by Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane, Mr. Singh is likely to review the situation with senior military commanders and interact with troops, a defence source said. Mr. Singh is also likely to visit the Leh military hospital where several soldiers injured in the Galwan clash on June 15 are being treated.

With inputs from The Hindu