Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: Disallowing Friday prayers from last four months at Jamia Masjid, blanket ban on all peaceful political activities, arresting thousands of youth, resistance activists and students continuing wave of destruction and loot by Indian forces and police throughout Kashmir valley , nocturnal raids, beating and humiliating common people and recent attack on inmates in Baramullah Jail are ugly stains on so-called Indian democracy and glaring example of duplicitous politics of pro-India politicians and parties in Jammu Kashmir. This was stated by the chairman Jammu Kashmir liberation front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik in a press statement issued today. Terming the complete ban on Friday prayers at historical Jamia masjid Srinagar from last four months as a direct interference in religious affairs of Kashmiri Muslims amounting to persecution of Muslims, Yasin Malik said that shameless politicians especially from the ruling regime are on daily basis delivering sermons of democracy, ethics, education and peace on TV shows and press briefings but show no guts to compete with their political rivals politically. He said that from last four months a complete ban has been imposed on Friday prayers in Jamia masjid Srinagar and many other big Masajid. No one is being allowed to raise Allah’s name at these religious places from last many months now which amounts to religious persecution, asserted Yasin Malik. He said that the level of frustration so-called rulers are sufferings from can be gauged from the fact that they using their forces, police, and army are brazenly continuing destruction and loot in Kashmir valley and spree of arrests, use of black law PSA on small kids, pellet terrorism and now attacks on inmates in jails is also going on unabated. He said that among about ten thousand people arrested by police and forces during last three months, thousands are students but the height of hard-heartedness of these so-called rulers and even some of their civil authorities who want to prove themselves more loyal than the king is such that they brazenly denying of any student being in jail or captivity of police. Yasin Malik said that these puppets acting according to the orders of their masters in Delhi and Nagpur who are now continuously interfering in state affairs like exams of students etc. should find some guts to accept realities and should refrain from interfering in religious affairs of Kashmiri Muslims. While strongly condemning the attack on Baramullah Jail inmates in which many prisoners including Fiasal Aslam of Maisuma Srinagar who is in incarceration under PSA from last many months, JKLF chairman said that from last many days this jail is under cordon and many injured inmates including Faisal Aslam are even not being provided with any medical relief threatening even their lives. He said that the callousness of ruling regime, their police and authorities is really surprising and these inhuman anti Kashmiri acts are actually ugly stain on Indian democracy and glaring example of duplicitous politics of pro-India politicians and parties in Jammu Kashmir. He said that shameless politicians especially from the ruling regime are on daily basis delivering sermons of democracy, ethics, education and peace in TV shows and press briefings but they have no guts or ethics to compete with their political rivals ethically and politically and have turned Kashmir into a police state. He said that these double faced politicians should know that they according to the law of retribution will have to answer for their criminal acts against people and they should also keep in mind that the tyranny, oppression and suppression are bound to loose and it is the oppressed who always have last triumph.   

Srinagar: First ever spinal surgery was performed yesterday by the Orthopaedic Unit of District Hospital Anantnag. A 22 year old boy who had a history of fall from tree was admitted in the hospital, few days ago. X Ray/CT of the patient had shown L2 compression fracture. The team of doctors chalked out a treatment plan and procedure L1_L3 posterior instrumented stabilization was done. The patient is doing well post operatively. The operative team included Dr Younis Kamal, Dr Gulzar Kuchey (Orthopaedic Surgeons), Dr Firdous Posh (Anesthetist), Mr Farooq Ahmad, Mr Lateef Ahmad (Theatre Staff) under the logistic support of Hospital Administrator Dr Majid Mirab.

The Orthopaedic Unit of District Hospital Anantnag has been routinely performing various complex orthopaedic surgeries and have the credit to initiate various advanced orthopaedic surgeries in the past which include Hemi Arthoplasty, Minimaly Invasive Percutaneous Osteosynthesis (MIPO Technique),Fracture Trochnter of right side femur with DHS instrumentation. Orthopaedic Cases like Adult Cubitus Varus, CTEV (Congenital Talepies Equino Varus) Deformity etc. have also been operated upon. All these procedures are tertiary level which the doctors of the department have been rendering to the patients in District Hospital. During the current circumstances the orthopaedic unit along with surgical unit of District Hospital Anantnag performed 80 major trauma surgeries.

Director Health Services, Kashmir Dr Saleem ur Rehman has congratulated the operative team and hospital administration for this achievement and has stressed upon to continue the work with dedication so that needy patients are treated at their doorsteps for tertiary health care.

Srinagar: Congregational prayers were not offered at the historic central mosque in downtown Srinagar for the 17th week today.

All roads leading to Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta Srinagar were closed with barbed wire while Kashmir’s top cleric and Hurriyat (M) chairman was not allowed to move out of his Nigeen residence where he remains under house arrest.

A large number of forces personnel remained deployed outside the mosque and adjoining areas to stop any pedestrian movement.

Congregational Friday prayers haven’t been offered at the mosque since the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with forces.

Hurriyat (M) spokesman Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam condemned the government move, saying that it was a direct interference into the religious affairs of Muslims.

Srinagar: A school was partially damaged in fire in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Thursday evening.

Srinagar: Expressing pained by “un-necessary controversy” being created about the education of our children, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCC&I) on Thursday asked government to reschedule the examination of class tenth and twelfth students.

“There can be no two opinions about the fact that the education of children is at the core of our heart. But unfortunately, due to the present unrest the education of our children has suffered for no fault of theirs thereby putting their future in jeopardy,” the Kashmir’s elite trade body said in a statement issued this evening.

Notably, the J&K BOSE on Thursday reduced the syllabus of the tenth and twelfth classes by half for their examination scheduled to be held from 15^th of this month. BOSE chairman, Prof Zahoor Ahmad Chat said that examination will be held on time and the examination will start at 11 AM on their due dates.

“As all of us know that the life of entire population in general and student community in particular has come to a standstill on account of curfews and shutdowns for the past 118 days during which period all the educational institutions have remained closed. It has resulted in non-completion of the syllabus, failure to even hold minimum required classes by the educational institutions and the inability of students to attend the minimum required classes. These are e basic requirements for conducting the examination. Also, the long period of continued uprising has not been conducive for student community to concentrate on their studies even privately,” the KCCI statement said.

“Moreover,” the statement said, “the children have been traumatized by the current cycle of violence with a large number of them injured or detained. Under the circumstances forcing them to appear in exams is detrimental to them. It serves no one’s purpose to make education and exams a matter of prestige. Even the Government announcement about slashing down of syllabus is futile as it will only harm the interest of the students in the long run.”

“The decision of holding the exams in November will be unfair to a large number of students who have either been injured or have been detained under various provisions of law,” the KCCI asserted while appealing to the Government not to make it as a “prestigious issue” but to take a realistic approach towards the problem.

“We appeal to the Government to reschedule the exams till the month of March-2017, release all the detained students immediately, enable time to injured students to recuperate. This will provide a fair opportunity to all to study and appear in re-scheduled exams in March as had been happening in Kashmir sine ages,” the statement said, “politics apart let there be no politics and scoring of points as for as the education and future of our children is concerned.”

Health condition of inmates deteriorating

Srinagar: Another school went up in flames in mysterious fire in Asthanpura area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
According to KNS’s Banidpora correspondent, government boys’ middle school was partially damaged in fire. However, locals in the area controlled the fire. “The school’s office was damaged in the mysterious fire,” sources said.
The cause of fire was not immediately known. (KNS)

Srinagar: Amir Rafiq Peerzada, a Kashmiri boy, hailing from Pangigam Bandipora was bestowed with prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award 2015 for On Spot reporting category.

Rafiq is reporter and producer with Delhi-based NDTV.

Amir covered Nepal when it was hit by 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015—the day when he was on the ground to shoot for his documentary Operation Everest: Summiteers To Saviours. The multi avalanche triggered by tremors at Everest base camp left nearly 9,000 people dead and nearly 22,000 injured.

“When I was shooting the quake,” Amir told, “I thought I will die. I kept thinking about my mother, which gave me strength to go on.” To honour the same strength, he was awarded on Wednesday in the ceremony held in Delhi.

Amir finished his Bachelors in Science at Government Degree College Sopore, he had his Masters in Broadcast journalism from Punjab University. After Masters, Amir joined NDTV on January 2013 as intern and within a month, he was hired.

His documentary Operation Everest: Summiteers to Saviours received couple of awards, including Red Ink Award by Mumbai Press club, Excellence Journalism in Sports category, excellent documentary award in Canada Film Festival in environment documentary category, best documentary jury award in Dada Sahib Phalke film festival. (KL)

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir state board of school education (BOSE) on Thursday announced 50 per cent relaxation in syllabus for all students appearing in 10^th and 12^th class examinations.

Addressing a press conference in Bemina, Chairman BOSE Prof Zahoor Ahmad Chatt announced the 50 per cent relaxation for students. However, Chatt said that the examinations would be held as per schedule. He also announced that the examinations would start at 11 am instead of 1 pm.

Claiming that it took a “lot of time” to redesign the examination papers, he said the questions papers have been redesigned after they were set as according to the normal pattern which consists of four sections long answer type, short answer type, very short answer type and multiple choice questions.

“But now we have decided to give students open choice as against internal choice and allow them to attempt any 50 percent from every section except language papers like English, Urdu, Hindi and others wherein we are allowing them to attempt any 50 percent among all questions as in these papers as there are no sections,” Chatt said.

Responding to a question, Chatt said that BOSE has received information that “no student has been languishing in the jails”.

“We don’t have such reports. No youth who is supposed to appear in the Class 10 and 12 is in the jail,” he claimed.

He also said that injured students can take help from a helper which BOSE will provide them readily.

He also ensured fool-proof security to students and examination staff and appealed students to concentrate on studies. “There is no chance of postponement of exams,” he added. (CNS)