Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: Meral Kathwari, a 22-year-old Kashmiri girl, is taking the journey of her late father forward by expanding his carpet business and using technology to reach every corner of the globe.In the early 1980s, Meral’s father Tariq Kathwari started a carpet business in the Valley at Srinagar’s posh Polo View market when the situation was peaceful.“I was born in New Delhi and moved with my parents to the US when I was four, a move prompted by my severe asthma. There was less pollution in the US and I was getting better care and treatment living in Santa Fe, New Mexico,” says Meral, who is a communication professional. “Eventually, my dad moved back to Kashmir for business and my mom and I stayed in the US,” she adds.After high school in New York, when Meral’s health was better, she made visits to the Valley to spend time with her father and help him in his business. But after his death in 2014, things changed for Meral.After her father’s death, Meral started receiving messages from his many customers and suppliers around the world encouraging her to take the business ahead.“He had a unique eye and brought a lot of different design concepts to the Valley, which he picked up from his world travels,” says Meral, who considers Kashmir her roots and home.“I was torn between two careers, but I thought to myself, why can’t I fulfil both and use each to its advantage? That’s what I’ve been doing for the past two years,” says Meral, who spends her summers in the Valley when it is the peak season for business. The advantage for Meral unlike many was that her father’s business was already well established when he passed away.“His work and designs have been shown in museums and international art shows around the world. However, he didn’t have much of an online presence,” says Meral, who used her communications skills to develop an online website to drive sales and get more recognition from her father’s customers.Being a communication student, Meral uses social media and the Internet to expand the brand name and increase sales. “We get a lot of sales and clients through social media,” she adds.Meral says there is an incredible market for Kashmiri rugs overseas but its sells even more if the designs are modern and pleasing. “The design is usually what catches the attention of the international client first. I’ve continued to grow the brand and export to different countries around the world. I didn’t want to lose our workers,” she says.It has been difficult for Meral to carry on the business in Kashmir but she says it has been worth the efforts. “I was doing things which other kids of my age weren’t. If I’d get a break from school, I’d travel back to Kashmir, even if it was just for five days, to check up on everything. I would liaison with my workers from the US through WhatsApp or other online platforms,” says Meral, who has been using the Internet to check on the activities at her showroom.“Our carpets, kelims, and handmade chain stitch rugs are made in sustainable environment. My dad chose quality over any other aspect in his business and because of this, his rugs are able to weather a lifetime,” says Meral.Meral started the business when she was 20 and it is the dream of her father that she was to carry on.

Tribune News Service

Srinagar: The police have asked the security forces deployed in Srinagar to be on an alert and take “immediate preventive measures” after intelligence inputs suggested that militants are planning to carry out attacks in the city.Three senior police officers confirmed the alert had been issued. The alert, marked “top secret” and “urgent,” was issued by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir zone.However, it was leaked on social media sites, which a senior officer said could have happened by mistake. “It is a routine alert which is issued from time to time,” IGP, Kashmir, Muneer Khan, told The Tribune.However, the contents of the message suggested that police had a detailed intelligence input that an attack was imminent. The inputs had revealed that movement of militants was observed in downtown Srinagar — the densely populated old city.The alert came when there has been a spurt in incidents of violence in the Kashmir valley during the recent weeks. Just a few days ago, 14 persons, including eight policemen, three militants and three civilians, were killed in separate attacks.Though most of the militant activity has remained limited to south Kashmir, central Kashmir’s Budgam and Srinagar district are also registering a spillover effect. Srinagar, which the security agencies had once described as a zero-militancy district, has re-emerged on a militant map as four local youths have joined the militant ranks in recent months.Sources in the police said presence of some local militants had been traced in Srinagar in recent days and the latest alert may be linked to their activities.The inputs, according to the communique, revealed that militants planned to carry out grenade attack and indiscriminate firing on “security forces, camps, establishments and deployments”. The alert, issued on Saturday, also specified that the attack might take place in Srinagar’s Noorbagh, Nowhatta and Eidgah areas “within next two days.”It also asked security forces to take “immediate preventive measures” and develop the input to “track and neutralise these operatives.”

Srinagar: Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani on Sunday termed the alleged “terror threat” to the upcoming Amarnath Yatra as a “calculated move aimed at maligning and discrediting the political struggle of Kashmiris.”

“I denounce misinformation campaign carried out by biased Indian media. People in Kashmir while continuing with the age-old tradition of providing best hospitality to pilgrims have always been friendly and generous to visitors and particularly to Amarnath pilgrims,” Geelani said in a statement.

Elaborating, he said that Amarnath yatra is being conducted for decades and the people here have treated the pilgrims with unique hospitality and received them as their guests.

“However, adverse propaganda has been launched by Indian media wherein they are propagating that Amarnath yatris are facing threat from people of the state. Terror threat to the upcoming Amarnath yatra is a blatant lie aimed at maligning the Kashmir movement,” he said.

“Kashmiris are not against any religion or its followers. They are pursuing a legitimate struggle for their fundamental rights. People for the past seven decades are demanding right to self-determination to decide their political destiny,” he said.

“Fanatical forces are desperate to give bad name to freedom movement and as such are relying on negative propaganda and following their fanatical dogma,” Geelani said.

Blaming “sectarian forces” for “communalizing the situation,” Geelani said: “It is a deceit and a well-planned ploy to carry out their mysterious agenda against people in the state.”

Strongly ridiculing “Indian media,” the APHC (G) chairman said: “India is trying to mislead its people and international community by negative and baseless propaganda.”

“Indian media is working on the directions of the ‘Zafrani’ Brigade and their fanatical sponsors. These fanatical forces are relying on lame excuse and preparing ground for communal tension against Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir and as such are rhetorical about so-called threat warnings against Amarnath pilgrims,” he said.

“People should make Amarnath pilgrims aware about the reality of the freedom struggle of Jammu and Kashmir while continuing with the age-old tradition of providing best hospitality to pilgrims.  Agencies, saffron brigade and India’s biased media are providing misinformation round-the-clock about so-called threat situations in Kashmir and our freedom struggle,” he said.

“Now they have launched a misinformation campaign saying that people in state have ill-intentions against pilgrimage and Yatris,” he said.

Referring to people’s uprisings in 2008, 2010 and 2016, he said “Even in those gloomy circumstances, people despite restrictions and curfew received these Yatris with open arms and provided shelter and food.”

“It is our age-old tradition and in future we will follow this tradition with same spirit and receive these Yatris as our revered guests,” he said.

Kashmir is a political issue, Geelani said, and stressed upon visitors to feel the pain and see the issue through the prism of humanity.  “The issue has nothing to do with extremism or fanaticism. There is no threat to Yatris. I urge them to present the real picture of our struggle before Indian people and aware them about the historical background of this dispute,” Geelani said.

Srinagar: The escalation in militant attacks on Jammu and Kashmir police personnel is because of the “frustration” of the militants, Director General of Police S P Vaid said here today, asserting that necessary measures would be taken to prevent them from carrying such acts. 

“We will take necessary measures. This is the frustration of the militants. Whether a militant is killed or a civilian or a cop, it is the Kashmiri who dies. The bloodshed will not take us anywhere, it is only the murder of humanity,” the DGP told reporters here.

He said the militants were targeting the local police as it was fighting them with eagerness. 

“The local police works on the anti-militancy front with eagerness, that is why they (militants) are targeting them (police). But I am sure that we will control this soon,” the DGP said. 

Earlier, Vaid led civil, police and security forces’ officers and jawans at DPL Srinagar in laying floral wreaths on the mortal remains of the constable Shazad Dilawar Sofi, resident of Ashtengoo village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, who was killed in firing by suspected miitants on high security Airport Road in Hyderpora quarter of the city Thursday night. 

The DGP termed the constable’s killing as “murder of humanity and Kashmiriyat”. 

“This is the murder of humanity and Kashmiriyat, for which our neighbouring country is using our people for its geo-political purposes,” Vaid said. 

He said the cop and a youth killed allegedly in security forces’ firing in Rangreth area of city were related to each other. 

“They are cousins, belonging to the same family and the same village. That is why I am saying that the people here are being used as pawns,” the DGP said. 

Asked about militants warning of attacks on policemen, the top cop said, “We will face that (challenge)”

Srinagar: Bodies of the three Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, including its top commander Junaid Matoo, who were killed in an encounter with the police and security forces in Arwani area of Kulgam, have been recovered from the encounter site.Mattoo’s name was in the 12 most wanted militants list issued recently by the Army. He carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head and was wanted in many cases.

A police spokesman said acting on specific information, the police, along with 1 Rashtriya Rifles battalion and 90 Bn CRPF, launched an operation in Makro Mohalla of Arwani on Friday.”During the operation, militants present in the area fired upon the search parties with automatic weapons. The fire was retailated, and an encounter started.When the encounter was on an unruly mob instigated by the militants started pelting the security forces with stones  with the intention of disturbing the operation and giving a chance to holed-up militants to escape  Some of the militants also fired from within the crowd indiscriminately on the security forces engaged in the encounter.In the cross-firing some people were injured. The injured were shifted to hospital. Two civilians later succumbed to their injuries,” the spokesman said.Locals, however, claimed that the two protesters were killed by security forces when they were trying to march to the gunfight site.The militants killed in encounter have been identified as Junaid Matto, Nasir Wani and Adil Mushtaq Mir. Arms and ammunition, including AK rifles, magazines and grenades, have been recovered from the site.”Junaid, a notorious militant, was the district commander and was involved in a number of terror activities. He was involved in the killing of a police constable at Bogund in Kulgam on June 15.  He was involved in the Mirbazar police party attack where police official Mehmood was martyred.He was also involved in the killing of an ASI and a constable near Anantnag bus stand last year,” the spokesman said.He said Nasir Wani and Adil had joined militancy last year.When the anti-militancy operation was underway on Friday, militants of Lashkar ambushed a police vehicle in the neighbouring Anantnag district, in which six cops, including a Station House Officer (SHO), Achabal Feroz Dar, were  killed. There are speculations that the attack might have been carried out in retaliation to the killing of Mattoo.J&K Director General of Police SP Vaid said militants fired at the policemen from a close range.”The close range firing disfigured the faces of martyed policemen,” Vaid told the Tribune.  “The militants escaped with five rifles,’’

Srinagar: With student protests in colleges and schools refusing to die down in Kashmir, the educational institutions in north Kashmir have been asked to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to check what the police have termed as “interference by outsiders” on the premises during law and order problems.In a recent report, accessed by The Tribune, Baramulla SSP has conveyed to the authorities concerned “that during the ongoing riots by students in various colleges and schools, it has been noticed by the authorities that there were apprehension of interference by outsiders on the premises”.So far, the J&K Government has responded by repeatedly ordering the closure of educational institutions, particularly colleges, as a “precautionary measure” against student protests, which first started from Pulwama College on April 15. Since then the student protests have spread to every nook and corner of the Kashmir valley, with students loosing precious school days.To check the student protests and to curb the menace of interference by outsiders in schools and colleges, the police have recommended the installation of CCTV cameras on school and college premises at the earliest.Taking the matter seriously, the district administration, Baramulla, immediately took up the matter with the authorities concerned in the Education Department and informed the divisional administration as well.Subsequently, as a follow-up action, the Chief Education Officer of Baramulla in a widely disseminated circular dated May 31, 2017, has directed the heads of all the higher secondary institutions to carry out the “necessary action” i.e. to install the CCTV cameras on the premises of the educational institutions in the district.

Chief Education Officer gives directions 

The Chief Education Officer of Baramulla in a widely disseminated circular dated May 31, 2017, has directed the heads of all the higher secondary institutions to carry out the “necessary action”, ie to install the CCTV cameras on the premises of the educational institutions in the district

Tribune News Service