“Despite life-saving benefits of flu vaccine in pregnancy, majority of expectant mothers are unvaccinated,”
Doctors do not offer flu vaccine to expectant mothers putting them and their babies at risk
Srinagar Feb 20: “Most of the pregnant women in Kashmir valley are not getting vaccinated against flu,” said Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Thursday in a communiqué. “Despite life-saving benefits of flu vaccine in pregnancy, majority of expectant mothers are unvaccinated,” said DAK President and flu expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan. “The reason why pregnant women are unvaccinated is because they are unawareabout the importance of flu vaccine,” he said. “Also, doctors do not offer flu vaccine to expectant mothers putting them and their babies at risk,” he added. Dr Nisar said pregnant women are prone to develop severe illness from flu, which can lead to hospitalization, and even death. Quoting a study, he said flu vaccine reduces pregnant women’s risk of hospitalization by 40%. “The vaccine in pregnancy saves infants from dying in the womb,” Dr Nisar said adding “a large study has shown that flu vaccine reduces the risk ofstillbirths by 51%.” He said there is evidence to suggest that a pregnant woman sick with flu has a greater risk of preterm delivery and that a flu vaccine lessens that risk. Dr Nisar said mother’s flu shot protects her baby up to 6 months after he or she is born, which is important because babies younger than 6 months of age cannot be vaccinated. “In a paper published in journal Pediatrics it was found that infants born to women vaccinated for the flu were 81% less likely to be hospitalized during their first 6 months of life,” he said. “Flu vaccine is perfectly safe for pregnant women and can be given to pregnant women during any stage of pregnancy.The power of vaccination in pregnancy is a message that should be broadcast far and wide. It is imperative that obstetricians should advocate for flu vaccination and provide flu vaccine to expecting mothers,” said Dr Nisar.
Jammu: PDP Member parliament Muzafar Hussain Beigh today demanded restoration of Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said this during a function organised by Pahari welfare culture forum in Jammu in his honour for bagging Padma Bhushan award recently.
“I hope that statehood of J&K is restored very soon,” Beigh told gathering during his speech.
He said India and Pakistan leadership has to play their role for lasting peace in south Asia particularly in J&K. However he blamed Pakistan for doing mischief and thwarting peace efforts of India.
“ PM Modi went to Pakistan even without invitation. Then they paid back with Pathankot, similarly, after Agra summit, they did Kargil,” he said.
Without naming anyone, he blamed some political leaders for bloodshed in Kashmir.
He also praised dogra rulers for securing the rights of the state and its subjects.
Taking a leaf from history, he said that British divided Hindu-Muslims in 1858.
“When Ali Muhammad Jinnah left congress, he went to London. British government there asked him to seek separate land for Muslims,” he said in a statement issued to KNS.
“If India would have been undivided. It would have been most powerful voice in United nations,” he said.
Those attended the event include Raja Ajaz Ali, Muhamnd Rashed Quereshi, Yasir Reshi, Rafiq Shah, Abdul Gani Kohli, Gurchan singh Charak and others (KNS)
The Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday lodged a First Information Report against locals for using social media platforms on virtual private networks (VPNs).
Representational Picture
“Taking a serious note of the misuse of social media, the Cyber Police Station, Kashmir Zone, Srinagar, has registered an FIR against various social media users, who defied the government orders and misused the social media platforms,” a Srinagar-based police spokesman said on Monday.
Representational Picture
‘Unlawful activities’
The police said there were continuous reports of misuse of social media sites by miscreants “to propagate the secessionist ideology and to promote unlawful activities”.
The FIR has been registered while taking cognisance of the social media posts by miscreants by using different VPNs, which are propagating rumours with regard to the current security scenario in the Kashmir valley, secessionist ideology and glorifying terrorists, the police said.
Representational Picture
‘Incriminating material’
“A lot of incriminating material has also been seized in this regard,” the spokesman said.
The case is registered under FIR No. 01 of 2020 U/S 13 U A (P) Act, 188, 505 of IPC and 66-A(b) of the IT Act.
“I appeal to the general public not to use social media via VPNs,” Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said.
The J&K government had on January 14 banned all social media sites. The ban, the government said, was to curb the misuse of sites by miscreants for propagating false information “having the effect of causing social instability”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by KASHMIR TODAY staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A fresh Western Disturbance is very likely to affect Jammu & Kashmir from tomorrow which will cause scattered to fairly widespread rain/snow over J&K from 11th to 13th February with maximum intensity on 12th February
Capital infusion will substantially improve bank’s risk bearing capacity: Chibber
J&K Bank is set to receive Rs 500 Cr capital infusion from government of Jammu and Kashmir to meet the Basel-III requirements. The funds, as per the Finance Department of the government, will be released over the period of next two months of the current financial year (CFY) 2019-20, as the government has already set aside the amount meant for equity infusion or recapitalization of the bank. Consequently, the Board of Directors of the bank in a meeting held on February 7 considered raising of capital by the bank by way of preferential issue of specified securities to the government of Jammu & Kashmir- the promoter and majority shareholder of the bank. Expressing his gratitude to the government, especially Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, for timely infusion of the capital, the bank’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Rajesh Kumar Chhibber said besides improving the bank’s capital adequacy under the Basel-III norms, the capital infusion would substantially improve its risk bearing capacity. He said the much needed infusion shall also help the bank in revising its lending policies particularly towards the retail segment like housing, education, government sponsored schemes, agriculture etc. Acknowledging the government’s support, Chibber said as the promoter and majority stakeholder of J&K Bank, the government has remained ever committed in its support towards the bank and the capital infusion is another glaring example of the same. The infusion, he said, will translate into growth and expansion and at the same time boost the confidence of all other stakeholders in the bank.
February 09: On a credible input Srinagar Police arrested five gamblers from a gambling site.
A police party from Police Station Karan Nagar raided a gambling site following an input about gambling activities at Syed Mansoor Chowk Srinagar. Five persons identified as Muneer Ahmad Ahangar, Tanveer Ahmad Ahangar, Muzaffar Ahmad Ahangar all residents of Karan Nagar Srinagar, Bilal Ahmad Najar resident of Chanapora Srinagar and Zahid Ahmad Ahangar resident of Soura Srinagar were arrested by the police for gambling offences.
Officers have seized playing cards and stake amount of ₹5,540/- from the gamblers.
Case FIR No. 04/2020 under relevant sections of law has been registered in Police Station Karan Nagar
Persons found indulging in criminal activities shall be dealt as per law. Community members are requested to share information regarding the crimes in their neighbourhood with the local police units.
It is for the information of general public that Masjid Committee has decided to give Quarter No. 28, which is a Studio Apartment (Consisting a Room with attached Kitchen and Bathroom) for rent on good-will bases
Site Location: Main Road, Bota Kadal, Lal Bazar, Srinagar, J&K Near: Eve’s Garden School
The good-will amount is fixed at ₹ 8,00,000/= (Rupees Eight Lakhs Only)
Intrested parties may submit an application to the Intizamia Committee
An eerie silence envelops Kashmir’s Dal Lake, the stillness interrupted by nothing more than the sound of water breaking against its rocky banks.
For centuries the lake has been a major attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists, but today not a single visitor is enjoying this area of breathtaking beauty.
“Neither Dal Lake nor the Gulmarg resort is witnessing any tourism now; there is no business at all,” says Manzoor Pakhtoon, gazing out from the balcony of the houseboat he rents out to visitors.
The collapse of Kashmir’s vital tourism industry began last August when the Indian government ordered all non-Kashmiris to leave the state, claiming it had received intelligence of a potential terror threat.
Hundreds of thousands of foreign and domestic tourists, Hindu pilgrims and workers from elsewhere in India scrambled to leave.
Manzoor Pakhtoon, owner of Bulbul Group of houseboats CREDIT: Joe Wallen
“Police created such a scare among my guests and forced them to leave. Since then, no tourist has arrived here,” said Mr Pakhtoon.
Both India and Pakistan claim ownership of Kashmir, with the region currently divided along a heavily militarised “line of control” where artillery fire is traded almost daily.
But fearing a violent backlash, the government announced it would cut the state’s internet until law and order could be guaranteed. However, six months on internet access has still not been restored in Kashmir creating the longest communications blackout in the history of any democracy.
A lone shikara travels across Dal Lake against the backdrop of Zabarwan hills CREDIT: Joe Wallen
The internet ban, as well as the uncertain political situation, has had a catastrophic impact on the economy with the Kashmiri Chamber of Commerce (KCC) estimating that it cost the state £1.85 billion between August and December.
And one industry that has been particularly devastated by the online shutdown is tourism.
Described as paradise on earth, the state has been a popular holiday destination for centuries thanks to its snow-capped mountains, rolling green valleys and hospitable people.
In 2018, 850,000 tourists visited the state, generating £862 million, with 450,000 Kashmiris dependent on the industry for their livelihoods.
However, the six-month communication shutdown has meant Kashmiris have been unable to advertise their tourism businesses, communicate over email with tourists or travel agents, accept bookings online or transfer money.
The lack of internet has also made tourists fearful of becoming isolated from the outside world especially when their own safety might be at risk.
Shikara rowers sitting idle on a parapet along Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
As a result, there was an 87 per cent drop in tourist arrivals between August and November 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. The effect was immediate with a mass cancellation of bookings and no shows – in September 2018 around 83,000 tourists visited the region, compared to just 4,500 in the same month in 2019.
The Kashmiri tourism industry has lost £270 million since August 5, with only 50 of its 2,500 travel agents still operating and approximately 100,000 people made unemployed.
Losses are expected to increase even further over the next six months as the tourist season peaks between March and July.
“We are near to economic collapse, mark my words, this season has been the worst of my entire life,” said Sheikh Ashiq, the president of the KCC. “Tourism is the backbone of the Kashmiri economy and we need the internet so the industry can function.”
Mr Pakhtoon’s family has welcomed tourists to their houseboat for eight generations but he has not made any money since August as he cannot use the internet to take bookings. “I am not even able to log into my emails,” he says.
Two women work on a Kashmiri shawl at their home in Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
Since 2006, Sameer Ahmad Khan, 36, has supported his family of eight with his wage as the manager of a large hotel in Srinagar. He was laid off along with 30 other employees in August as the hotel had received no bookings.
“Youth working in hotels in Srinagar have been rendered jobless and businesses have been shut for months without any hope of normalcy,” said Mr Khan.
Mr Ashiq says it has become an all too familiar sight to see former tourism business owners selling family possessions by the roadside.
“If there are more jobless people around and there is no work there is sure to be trouble long-term,” he said. Encouraged by the KCC many young Kashmiris took out loans in the years preceding the blackout to set up their own tourist businesses.
Now, they have to try and pay back their loans, including interest, without having had any source of income for the previous six months.
A row of empty shikara anchored to the banks of Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
Mr Khan borrowed £10,775 to set up a travel agency outside of his hotel job and is now being forced to sell the land his family has owned for generations to keep up with repayments.
In January, the Indian Supreme Court ordered the government to review the ongoing internet shutdown, ruling any indefinite suspension is illegal under the constitution. Nevertheless, it stopped short of ordering an immediate cessation.
Human rights activists argue the measure has been used to suppress the civilian Kashmiri population. “Because the internet is so essential to people’s lives, there is nothing in a community which is untouched,” argues David Kaye, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion.
But criticism from the international community has been muted with India viewed as a vital strategic and economic partner. The European Union announced last week it would defer a vote until March on whether to implement resolutions against India.
The Indian government restored 2G internet access to Kashmir last month but residents say this is a pointless gesture.
The lack of tourists means houseboats which would have normally been busy now sit empty on Dal Lake CREDIT: Joe Wallen
“Honestly, the 2G connection is so poor, people in Kashmir are still unable to even send an email,” said Mr Ashiq. “It has not helped at all and I am still being visited by hundreds of Kashmiris owning tourism businesses who cannot operate.
“If the Indian government wants to ensure development here then they have to allow for fully-fledged, high-speed internet to return.”
Mr Kaye told the Telegraph requests from the United Nations to conduct a field visit in Kashmir had gone unanswered by New Delhi. “The impression that they give of their democracy is that it is robust. If it is so robust, why not show it off to the world?” he said.
Back on Dal Lake, Mr Pakhtoon says it will take many years for his family’s finances to recover from the shutdown. He is now unable to pay for higher education for his two children.
“The shutdown has devastated our lives, my family’s survival is completely dependent on earnings from the tourism sector,” he said. “We have earned no money since August, right now it seems there will be no end to our misery.”
A local journalist in Kashmir provided additional reporting for this story but does not want to be named for security reasons
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by KASHMIR TODAY staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
