Anantnag: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the stone-throwing youth were stuck in a vicious circle and the need of the hour was to pave the way and get them out of this web.Mehbooba was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a party workers’ convention at Dak Bungalow in Anantnag district today.“These kids (stone-throwers) are stuck in a vicious mess. We will try and pave the way for them to get out of this circle,” she said, adding that there has been no headway in the subject since 2008.The Chief Minister was in town to campaign for her brother and PDP candidate for the Anantnag Lok Sabha bypoll Tassaduq Mufti. The bypolls are scheduled for April 12.She said the youth of Kashmir were second to none in every field, including sports and education, but the overall atmosphere had gone awry. “We need to rectify things that have gone wrong,” Mehbooba said.She maintained that she had started the process of reviewing the cases filed against youth since 2008 soon after she had taken reins of the state.“Today, I seriously reiterate that there is a need to talk to these kids and engage them positively. We will try and engage them and ascertain what they want and what their problems are,” the Chief Minister said.Tasadduq Mufti was also present on the occasion along with some senior party leaders.Earlier, addressing workers, Mehbooba recounted her father’s contributions to bringing peace and normalcy in the state. (TNS)
Category: Union Territory
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History will never forgive PDP for their Machiavellian Politics: Tariq Karra
‘RSS advances with PDP’s help, bound to disturb communal harmony in Valley’
Srinagar: Questioning the motive behind surrendering a safe MLC seat to BJP backed RSS man in Kashmir Province by PDP, Senior Congress leader and former Minister Tariq Hameed Karra Saturday said that PDP has now officially opened gateway to Kashmir for RSS.
In a statement issued to KNS, he said the trend is extremely dangerous and is bound to put the majority community in the ‘land of saints’ at danger. In a statement to press Karra said that despite huge resentment against their every decision, PDP leadership continues to live in oblivion and facilitate RSS in gaining foothold in the Muslim Majority areas of the State thus bartering the lives, peace and even religious belief of people for Power.
The former PDP leader who parted ways with the party for allying with BJP said that most of them being themselves Muslims, the PDP leadership should have been able to read the writings on the wall by taking a cue from recent incidents of UP and should have given preference to the interests of people over the chair, but unfortunately they did exactly opposite to that and instead of stopping the march of the saffron brigade to Muslim majority areas of the state, the PDP chose to be the prime facilitators for RSS to reach these areas through constitutional institutions which was impossible till 2015 when PDP got into alliance with BJP.
He said presence of RSS in Muslim majority areas of the state is bound to disturb the communal peace and harmony in these areas.
While condemning the PDP for surrendering safe legislative Council seat to a hardcore RSS man G.L Raina alias Ajay Bharti who is a known Pracharak of RSS, Karra said that the decision would provide official cover to these fascist forces to reach, otherwise out of bound areas for them and penetrate into the Muslim society.
While reminding PDP leadership of their deceitful 2014 poll campaigning days during which they would loudly appeal people to vote their party in order to keep BJP out of power corridors, Karra said that history will never forgive them for the worst kind of treachery and deceit they played with the mandate, for which people will surely teach them a lesson.
The former MP said that he has huge respect for all religions but being a proud Muslim and a proud Kashmiri first, he will never hesitate for raising voice against the fascist forces which have put ‘my religion and my community’ to danger with collaboration and facilitation of PDP. Karra further said, that communal harmony of the state which was under threat in the entire Muslim belt of the state in the hands of such collaborators and facilitators, are themselves Muslims. According to Karra, Raina’s selection from Kashmir is just a beginning of a larger sinister plan of bringing RSS army to Muslim areas of the state so that their voice, be it mainstream or otherwise, be muzzled and suppressed.
He however, said that he would fight the fascist forces elements till his last breath and will never retract from the path he has chosen aiming to liberate from the deceitful, treacherous and Machiavellian politics of people’s Democratic Party. (KNS) -
Islamophobic Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns
Saudi Arabia has deported a staggering 40,000 Pakistani migrant workers in the span of just four months, citing terrorism concerns.
The Saudi Gazette reported last week that “a number of Pakistanis were held in the crimes of drug trafficking, thefts, forgery and physical assault.” Authorities feared that some of the migrant workers were linked with ISIS, or as the Saudis call the terror group, Daesh. Other migrants were deported due to expired residency and work permits.
“Against this backdrop, Abdullah Al-Sadoun, chairman of the security committee of the Shoura Council, called for thoroughly scrutinizing the Pakistanis before they are recruited for work in the Kingdom,” added the Gazette. “He asked for more closer coordination with the concerned authorities in Pakistan to thoroughly check those coming to work in the Kingdom due to the involvement of a number of Pakistanis in security issues.”
While the Kingdom has long exported the jihadist ideological cancer of Wahhabism to mosques and Islamic centers across the West, it has prided itself in its effort to rid the homeland of terrorists threatening to undermine the stability and sovereignty of the monarchy.
Counter-terrorism raids are not uncommon in Saudi Arabia. In fact, counter-terrorism agents recently arrested 15 Pakistanis in the Al-Harazat and Al-Naseem districts of Jeddah on terrorism-related charges.
Pakistanis have mostly traveled to Saudi Arabia looking for work. Many of them take low-paying and dangerous jobs in the construction industry.
But leave it to Saudi Arabia to treat its migrant labor force with appalling apathy.
“Official Saudi statistics say that 243,000 Pakistanis were deported between 2012 – 2015,” reports The Independent. “Mass deportations of migrant workers – which Human Rights Watch and other rights organisations say often involve illegal beatings and detainment in poor conditions – are fairly common.”
This all begs the question: Is Saudi Arabia Islamophobic? Well, if you’re claiming that President Trump’s falsely identified “Muslim ban” (recently rendered unconstitutional by a federal appellate court) is Islamphobic because of the fact that it places a temporary freeze on the acceptance of incoming refugees from just seven (out of dozens) of the high-risk Muslim-majority countries in the world, then surely Saudi Arabia’s mass deportation of tens of thousands of Muslims due to terrorism concerns should ring some alarm bells.
Is Saudi Arabia immune from the charge of Islamophobia because its leaders are Muslim? Or, better yet, is the Left’s entire hysterical crusade against Trump’s “Islamophobia” a red herring meant to delegitimize the political opposition?
The bottom line is every sovereign state, whether it be Saudi Arabia, Israel, or the United States, has a right to defend its borders and regulate who comes into the country. Every sovereign state has a right, perhaps even a duty, to protect its citizens against foreign threats, particularly terrorist threats.
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Clashes erupt at various places in Kashmir after Friday prayers
Few stone pelting incidents took place: Police
Srinagar: After the mandatory congregational Friday prayers, clashes and protests were reported from several places across the Valley against the Chadoora civilian killings that took place on Tuesday, this week.
Notably, the resistance leadership including Hurriyat (G) Chief, Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chief, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik had called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers.
The Fateha Khawani of Chadoora and Rangreth slain civilians were also held after the Friday prayers ended in the areas in which hundreds of people participated and prayed for their heavenly abode.
Following the congregational Fateha Khawani, the clashes erupted in the areas during which forces used tear smoke shells to disperse the youth.
Meanwhile, as soon as the mandatory congregational prayers ended in the Masjid’s, clashes and protests were reported from several areas across the Valley.
According to KNS correspondent, after Friday prayers, scores of JKLF leaders in Maisuma area of Srinagar assembled at main Chowk and raised pro-freedom slogans and against the civilian killings.
The leaders tried to march towards the Commercial Hub Lal Chowk but the police didn’t allow them to move onwards thereby resulted in the clashes in the area during which forces used teargas canisters to disperse the youth who were throwing stones on them.
According to KNS correspondent, clashes were also reported in Nowhatta, Chattabal and Habba Kadal areas of Srinagar.
Meanwhile, in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the clashes were reported in Bijbehara town during which forces restored to tear smoke shells to disperse the youth who were throwing stones on them.
In Pulwama district, the clashes were reported from Tral, Prichoo and Chaatpora areas of Pulwama district.
Meanwhile, the clashes and protests were also reported in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Reports said that the youth assembled outside the Jami Masjid and raised anti-India slogans following which the youth pelted stones on the forces triggering clashes.
They added that scores of people were also injured during the clashes.
Pertinently, the protest was called by the resistance leadership against the Chadoora civilian killings.
Three youth and a militant were killed during the clashes and an encounter in Chadoora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a top police official told KNS that the barring a few stone pelting incidents, the situation across the Valley remained under control throughout the day. (KNS) -
Byelections: Valley Sikhs not to campaign for any party
Srinagar: Alleging betrayal by the successive J&K governments, the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) today said it would not campaign for any party for the byelections to the Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies next month.“Unlike the past, the APSCC does not want the members of the Sikh community to vote for a particular party or candidate during the bypolls. Sikhs are free to vote for anybody, and in case they deem it fit not to vote, the APSCC would not force them to change their decision,” APSCC chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said while addressing a press conference here.When asked if the Sikhs would boycott the elections, he said boycotting the polls would too mean favouring “someone” and the political parties were only “fooling” the people.Raina regretted that all parties at the helm had failed to fulfil their long-pending demand of granting minority status to the Sikhs in J&K.“Sikhs had traditionally voted for the National Conference but they never fulfilled our demands. Then we voted for the PDP when former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed promised us the minority status. During the last elections, we were clear that we will vote for the PDP… but they only fool the people,” he added.Raina pointed out that the state government opposed the granting of minority status to Sikhs in the Supreme Court recently. Claiming that several segments going to the polls were dependent on the Sikh vote, Raina said: “Since many of the PDP members won elections on the basis of Sikh votes, these legislators should resign on moral grounds. Some of the seats from which the PDP won were traditionally NC bastions and it was due to the Sikh voters that PDP members emerged victorious.”Denying minority status to Sikhs could lead to an agitation, Raina warned, adding that denial of due rights to minorities had led to “devastation in Haryana and the same cannot be ruled out in J&K”.
‘Centre must initiate talks on K-crisis’
Stating that the situation in the Kashmir valley was “very tricky”, the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) also urged the Centre to initiate a dialogue process with the stakeholders concerned so that the situation could become normal. The APSCC chairman said using brute force against the protesters would alienate the people, especially youth, from the mainstream. (Tribune News Service)
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Youth pelting stones on forces misled by Pak-sponsored groups
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused Pakistan of trying to destabilize India and said “cross-border terrorist groups” in Jammu and Kashmir egged youths to stone security forces.
“Not only the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the terrorists are trying to destabilize the whole country through their cowardice acts,” Rajnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha.
“The whole country is aware of this act of Pakistan. Our security forces are responding to them the way it is needed,” he added.
Singh’s response came after Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy raised the issue during Zero Hour.
Responding, Rajnath Singh said: “A new trend has begun in Kashmir. When our security forces go to villages in search of terrorists, the youths of the region start pelting stones on security forces.
“Such stone pelters are being misled by Pakistan-sponsored forces.
“Groups operating from Pakistan use Facebook and social media platforms to arrange these crowds,” he said.
The minister appealed to the youths of Kashmir not to be misled by anti-national forces.
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Tulips garden ready to welcome tourists in Kashmir Valley
Recently at a function in Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti invited the audience to attend the Tulip festival in Srinagar, that begins on April 1. While inviting guests to Srinagar, the chief minister assured that peace was back in the valley and tourists should come and enjoy the beauty of the state. During last summer, we all witnessed how violence rocked the entire valley, killing more than a hundred civilians and security personnel.
The state administration is hoping that this year things would be different. But all is not well in the valley. With regular, infiltration of terrorists from across the border and clash between the civilians and security personnel, things are far from normal in the state currently. We bring you a glimpse of the natural beauty of the state and everyday trouble and chaos in the lives of the residents of the valley.
These lovely tulips As the spring sets in and flowers are in full bloom, the Jammu and Kashmir government is all set to host guests at a first-of-its-kind 15-day festival to showcase the treasures of Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar.
It’s a record: 20 lakh tulips
The festival will be hosted at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, overlooking the scenic Dal Lake. The garden has more than 20 lakh tulips of 46 varieties and its opening marks the beginning of tourism season in the valley.
Enjoy the beauty of Kashmir!
The mega tulip festival will be a part of Bahaar-e-Kashmir (Spring in Kashmir) event to showcase Asia’s largest tulip garden in the summer capital of Srinagar. At the festival site, decorated kiosks and stalls will showcase rich handicrafts and cuisine of the valley with traditional, ethnic touch.
So beautiful! Are they real?
On the sidelines of this mega festival, an ‘Aalmi Mushaira’ event will be held wherein world famous poets will enthral the audience with their latest Urdu compositions. This too would be first-of-its-kind in the Valley.
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17-Year-Old Girl Is Kashmir’s New Cricket Sensation
Iqra who is from the remote Dangivacha area of neighbouring militancy prone Sopore in north Kashmir learnt how to bat by just watching Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli. She has written many letters to Virat, which were never delivered, asking him to guide her.
If Dangal was a movie on cricket, it could well have been based on 17-year-old Iqra Rasool’s life. The super girl from Kashmir is a cricketing sensation.
A true all-rounder
Iqra who is from the remote Dangivacha area of neighbouring militancy prone Sopore in north Kashmir learnt how to bat by just watching Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli. She has written many letters to Virat, which were never delivered, asking him to guide her.
“I wanted to play cricket from my childhood, but now I am more into it, why? It will give me respect and name, what do you want to do? I want to play for the Indian cricket team”, said Iqra Rasool.
She is the star cricketer of government high school Dangivacha and it is not just the girls but even the boys who want to be in her team.
“When we play with her, we also learn a lot, she has such great talent, we can’t compete with her”, said Aaqib class 12 Student of Dangivacha higher secondary school.
“She has got huge talent, if she gets some party which lifts her up and provides her facilities, she will do very well”, said Manoj Singh, coach of Iqra.
But life so far hasn’t really been a cake-walk. The youngest of six siblings, Iqra was taunted and faced opposition from her own family. So much so that she had to hide her cricket gear.
The constant threat of militancy didn’t help. First selected in the girls team of her school, Iqra went on to represent her district and finally the state.
“I go to practise by hiding my bat under my phiran- where do you go to practise? Here only in the school in the evenings- every day? Yes almost every day- why do you hide your bat? I am asked not to play- who tells you- the villagers- but you don’t agree, you go ahead- yes”, said Iqra Rasool.
Iqra has dreams in her eyes, she wants to represent the county at the international arena, but despite the huge talent that she has, the road ahead may not be easy for her, all she needs is help support and encouragement. (NDTV)
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Youth Protesting Near Encounter Sites Committing ‘Suicide’ Says Kashmir Police Chief
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid Thursday said that bullets don’t see who they hit and emphasised that youths coming to encounter sites are “indeed committing suicide”.
Police chief’s remarks came after the outrage over the killing of three civilians in forces firing in Chadoora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Tuesday.
“Bullet does not see who is coming or who it will hit. Young boys should stay at homes and not come to encounter sites,” he appealed.
“Even security forces in an encounter take cover of a vehicle, house. Youths coming to encounter site are committing suicide. It is highly probable that they might end up getting shot.,” added DGP Vaid.
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Joint resistance leaders call for shutdown on April 2
Srinagar: The joint resistance leadership comprising of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhamamd Yasin Malik have called for a state-wide shutdown on April 2, the day PM Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Chenani-Nashri tunnel.
The said leaders issued a statement and urged people to observe protest shutdown against Modi’s visit.
Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir for inaugurating Chenani-Nashri tunnel.