Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: Amid pre-poll tension in the Srinagar city, the volatile Maisuma located in heart of the city, observed a complete shutdown in the afternoon.

The Srinagar constituency is going for polls tomorrow and the tension and fear has gripped the city. The vehicular and pedestrian movement was less in whole city on Tuesday. The reasons cited by people are heavy security checks, fear of militant attacks and stone-throwing protests.

The rumors also rounded the city throughout the day. Many people called media houses and journalists including GNS office and enquired about happenings in the city.

Meanwhile, a complete spontaneous shutdown was observed in Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front bastion – Maisuma – in the afternoon. Witnesses told GNS that shopkeepers downed their shutters in Maisuma and Red Cross road from 3: 00 pm.

The Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for protests against polls from Maghrib to Isha before poll day. (GNS)

Srinagar: Clashes erupted in Nowhatta area of Old City on Saturday night when a police party allegedly raided a house to arrest a youth involved in stone-pelting incidents. People foiled the attempt of police and clashed with them during which a top police official was reportedly injured.

Locals told CNS that a joint police party from police stations Nowhatta and Khanyar raided a house at Nowhatta to make an arrest of one Ashiq Hussain Rangrez, who according to police sources is allegedly involved in stone-pelting incidents.

Reports said that people showed stiff resistance and foiled the chances of police to get the said arrested. Locals clashed with the police as a result one police officer received injuries.

Locals alleged that a large contingent of police cordoned off the area again during the dead of the night and raided the house of the said youth, who reportedly was not present at the house. Locals alleged that after not finding Ashiq Hussain at his home, the police apprehended his uncle Nazir Ahmed Rangrez, his two cousins and the son-in-law of Nazir Ahmed.

“All the arrested persons have been lodged in police station Nowhatta,” one of the relatives of Rangrez family said.

A top police official said that he does not know anything about the incident and he would look into it.

SRINAGAR: Accusing National Conference (NC) leaders of acting as collaborators of the Government of India in hurting J&K’s interests, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Saturday said that ever-since independence NC has performed the dubious role of a collaborating with the Centre in bartering the State’s political and economic interests for power. “While the voters of our state have little influence in determining who forms the government at the Centre, what is more important is who represents them in the Parliament to be able to deal with the very serious issues facing J&K,” Sayeed said while addressing a series of election rallies in Budgam Assembly segment of Srinagar-Budgam Parliamentary constituency.

Sayeed said as NC leaders have nothing to show by way of performance or a vision for 21st century J&K, they have adopted a multilevel scare strategy to mislead the voters. “While the party’s Modi-PDP nexus rhetoric is their substitution for a manifesto, enforced boycott is their ground strategy for manipulating polls,” he said and added that PDP on the other hand transformed the political discourse in J&K by piloting successfully and with conviction the crucial issues concerning the State and its people.

He said PDP has not only put the Kashmir issue in a specific and rational political and economic context, but also laid strong foundations for its peaceful resolution in the emerging scenario of the regional and global political realities.  “The remarkable feature of the political transformation that transcended on J&K in the post-2002 era was that for the first time the State Government came on the forefront of the resolution process.  The PDP-led Government, immediately after the 2002 elections, took the centre-stage and drove the peace process from the front,” he said and added that this political transformation accorded fresh credibility to the mainstream parties and public representatives in the State.  Ridiculing NC leaders’ comic utterances on PDP-BJP nexus, Sayeed said a diatribe doesn’t behove a party that discarded Prof Saifuddin Soz for having voted against the then BJP government in 1999.

Reiterating that PDP would continue to work hand-in-hand with the progressive and democratic forces in the country to facilitate dignified resolution of JK’s problems, Sayeed asked PDP cadres to prepare for a significant role ahead as the winds of change have already set in across J&K.

Addressing the rallies, PDP senior Vice-President Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari lashed out at the Omar Abdullah-led Government for pushing the people into an anarchic and distressing situation and bringing back a sense of insecurity and uncertainty.

He said the people have already started running out of patience with this disastrous Government as their miseries are multiplying with every passing day. “Ironically, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and is father Dr Farooq Abdullah are keeping themselves too busy in making hilarious noises on issues that mostly fall out of their domain,” he said and added that the Chief Minister  seems to be resorting to such histrionics only to hide his countless failures on the home turf.

Ansari said the contrary innocent killings have become the order of the day, power position in Kashmir has deteriorated to the worst levels ever, drinking water has become scarce, treasuries are running dry, pensioners are being denied pension, contractors are crying for payments, daily-wagers and consolidated workers plead for their wages, people are being kept hostage on roads for hours together due to horrific traffic jams and so on and so forth.

“I challenge Omar Abdullah to show one single project anywhere in the State which he can claim was pioneered and accomplished by his Government during the past more than 5 years,” he said.

Srinagar: The chairman of United Jihad Council (UJC) Syed Salahuddin on Saturday paid rich tributes to militants who were killed during an encounter in South Kashmir’s Karewa area in Shopian district.

Chairing a special meeting of Hizb Command Council, Salahuddin, who is also supreme commander of Hizb, said, “The martyrs: Abdu-Haq Malik alias Hum of Aarwani, Mohammad Asif Wani alias Muzamil of Drubgam and Shabir Ahmad alias Arsalan of Rangwar, have laid down their lives for Islam and the freedom of their motherland”.

“The way (militants) are confronting forces, India should realize (militants) and people of Kashmir will not give up their struggle till the dawn of freedom, the statement said.

In an emergency meeting, Salah-ud-Din also praised the sacrifices offered by the family of District President of Jammat for Kulgam, Qari Ghulam Hassan Malik and said their sacrifices should be an inspiration for the people of Kashmir.

Salah-ud-Din, according to a spokesman of the Hizb, said, “Both the freedom fighters fought bravely with the armed forces and embraced martyrdom. The martyrdom of these freedom fighters amply demonstrates the fact that every Mujahid of Hizb is committed to Kashmir cause and is ready to sacrifice their precious lives to achieve the noble cause.”

Meanwhile, the Hizb Supermo said that three army men including a Major were killed and seven others wounded during the gunfight. (GNS)

‘South Kashmir has already punished PDP for nexus with BJP’

Srinagar: National Conference Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah addressed an impressive public meeting in Surasyaar, Chrar-e-Sharief today and said that “Modi’s modification of the ‘Idea of India’ is detrimental to the country’s peace and communal harmony”.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said Narendra Modi was out to polarize the entire country in order to achieve his goal of becoming the Prime Minister. “The idea of India is that of a multicultural, multi-religious and secular country where every minority community feel included in growth, prosperity and avenues for development. It is this Idea of India that J&K acceded to and it is this Idea of India that National Conference believes in with utmost conviction”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that Narendra Modi’s talk of development and progress has been exposed as nothing beyond shallow rhetoric given that the BJP manifesto talks about the same old divisive issues of construction of the Ram Mandir, Abrogation of Article 370 and the imposition of a Uniform Civil Code. “What does the Ram Mandir, Article 370 abrogation and imposition of Uniform Civil Code have to do with progress and development?”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah asked.

Stating that the people of South Kashmir had punished PDP for its alignment with and endorsement of Narendra Modi, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that PDP fielded its candidates tactically in Jammu to divide the secular, anti-BJP vote in order to directly help the BJP candidates in the fray. “This is no secret anymore – PDP has done everything Modi had asked of it in Jammu probably in lieu of a promise of political patronage by Narendra Modi. However, the people of South Kashmir have aptly punished PDP for its secret dealings with Modi and the party is facing a historic rout from South – a rout that will be replicated in North and Central Kashmir as well in the coming days and months”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Farooq Abdullah asked the people to vote in large numbers for the NC-Congress Coalition so that communal forces and their partners within the State are kept at bay and aren’t allowed to succeed in their designs to dilute Article 370 for their personal political goals. (GNS)

Srinagar: Condemning the wanton arrest of resistance leaders, workers, activists, and youth from across Jammu and Kashmir under the cover of the so called elections, Hurriyat Conference (M) stated that such unprovoked acts on part of the state depicts frustration and were based on political vendetta.

According to a statement issued to KNS, the Hurriyat (M) spokesman stated that rejection of staged polls by the people have angered the pro-Indian administration, adding, now the same administration was unleashing oppression on people by arresting scores of people in Srinagar and in towns and villages of Kashmir. He said in Hajin, Kupwara, Pulwama and Bandipore and other places state went berserk by using force against the peaceful protesters and the members of media which was highly condemnable and an open example of state sponsored terrorism.

Hurriyat spokesman has condemned the arrest of senior Hurriyat leader Hakim Abdul Rashid and ransacking of the house of another leader, Syed Bashir Andrabi at Pulwama. Expressing grief and regret over the death of polling officer Zia-ul-haq, the spokesman has sympathized with the bereaved family. He said government has forcibly deployed government employees on poll duty, adding, the employees should do their bit to stay away from such duties and express their resolve and commitment towards freedom struggle. (KNS)

‘Arms recovered from the encounter site’

Srinagar: A joint operation of Army and SOG of the  Police was launched on  April  25  on a specific intelligences input, resulted in elimination of three militants, recovery of arms, war like stores and fatal casualties to two Army personnel including an officer, said Army spokesman.

According to the statement issued to KNS, at 1400h, on 26 Apr 14, based on specific intelligence input regarding presence of three militants in Village Manlo of District Shopian, a joint operation was launched by an RR unit and SOG of J&K Police. As the troops were in the process of cordoning the suspected house, a heavy volume of fire was brought down by the hiding militants which was effectively retaliated. The intermittent exchange of fire continued through the day and continued till late evening and restarted on morning of 26 April 14. Keeping the built up area in mind and to avoid any collateral damage, operations were conducted in a very calibrated manner. By late morning of26 Apr 14, all the three militants were eliminated. Two AK 47 rifles, one Pistol and other war like stores were recovered. During the operations, fighting valiantly, one Army Officer and a soldier suffered  gunshot wounds and later succumbed to injuries and attained martyrdom.

The operation assumes importance in the back drop of recent killing of a polling staff and injury to other five persons, in the same area by the militants. The sacrifices of the Army personnel will go a long way in sustaining peace in the Valley. (KNS)