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Jammu , Dec 22  Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has once again sparked a row with more controversial remarks. Speaking at a party rally in Jammu, Mufti attacked the Union Territory administration and claimed that it “faces a threat” from the PDP.”They say that the PDP has threats due to COVID-19, but they have a threat from the PDP. I was not allowed to address rally in Jammu city due to COVID-19. But I’m thankful to the Eidgah Committee for allowing their space for our rally. Authorities don’t fear COVID, they fear PDP,” asserted Mehbooba Mufti.Further attacking the administration and the Centre, she remarked that the government claims Muhammad Ali Jinnah divided India and Pakistan. However, Mufti has claimed that “today there are many more Jinnahs who are dividing people”. She added that Jammu and Kashmir is being used as a “testing laboratory”. Attacking the Centre, the PDP chief said that instead of talks with parties of the erstwhile state, the army was called in “They say Jinnah divided India and Pakistan. But today, there are many more Jinnahs who are dividing people,” said Mufti In a controversial remark, Mehbooba Mufti compared India with former Pakistan president and general Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. She recollected the recent mob lynching in Pakistan and remarked that Imran Khan “came out against it” while people in India “are felicitated” for similar crimes. Additionally, she has said that India is way ahead when it comes to global  hunger index as compared to Pakistan and Bangladesh.”Our country is way ahead when it comes to global  hunger index as compared to Pakistan and Bangladesh. India’s GDP is lower than Bangladesh. How will the youth get jobs and the lands are being given away to the industrialists?,” Mufti asked.In another explosive statement, Mehbooba Mufti during her speech spoke about the farmers’ protest. She also claimed that people of Kargil and Ladakh stood and got their rights. She also called upon the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to stand against the Centre.”I want to tell you, the way people of Kargil and Ladakh stood and got their rights. If youth of JK gets against them, they have to return us everything,” said Mehbooba Mufti Mufti’s remarks come after her rally flouted COVID-19 norms even as concerns surrounding the Omicron variant loom in the country. While making explosive statements and attacking the Centre, she went on to thank the Eidgah Committee for providing space for her party’s rally.( KINS)

Srinagar, Dec 22: An Assistant Sub-inspector of Police, who was gravely injured in a militant attack, succumbed to wounds on way to hospital, official sources told GNS.

The militants fired upon ASI Mohammad Ashraf of Awantipora, leaving him critically injured with two bullet wounds in neck and chest, at Bijbhera.

He was shifted to SDH Bijbhera where from he has been shifted to Srinagar hospital for advanced treatment. However he died on the way, they said. A police officer confirmed the dead of the the ASI.

Soon after the attack whole area has been cordoned off to nab the attackers. Further details awaited. (GNS)

Srinagar, Dec 22: With Jammu Omicron cases having no travel history or contact with any positive case of the new variant, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Wednesday said this could be an indication of possible community spread of the new variant. 

“It is possible these cases could be an instance of community spread of Omicron,” said DAK President and Influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.

The DAK President said first three cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 were reported yesterday from Talab Tillo and Bantalab areas of Jammu province.

“All the three cases have no history of foreign travel or exposure to any person infected with the variant,” he said.

“This gives us to understand that these cases might have contracted the infection from the community exposure,” Dr Hassan said.

He said these cases are significant as they mean that the infection might be spreading untraced in the community,” he said.

“This could indicate the beginning of community transmission,” said Dr Nisar.

He said community transmission means when a person contracts the virus from an unknown source. The individual picks up the infection without having travelled to countries where the virus is circulating or having been in contact with a confirmed case.

“A state of community transmission implies that the virus is in the community and it is possible for everyone in the community to catch the infection,” he added.

General Secretary DAK Dr Arshad Ali said there may be many more cases than just few that have been confirmed.

“To pick them up we need to expand genome sequencing. If we don’t expand genetic testing, how can we say there is no community spread,” he said.

Spokesperson DAK Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dagga said travel history alone should not be the deciding factor for sequencing the samples

“we need to shift our focus from a predominantly target testing to community testing as that would determine the actual burden of community transmission and would allow us to implement informed containment strategies,” he said

“Omicron variant is at Community transmission stage in Countries like UK, South Africa and US.

Cases have erupted in Karnataka, Delhi, and Maharashtra where source of infection has not been traced which raises fears of community spread in India too,” he added.

Chillai Kalan, the harshest winter periods of 40 days, begins with Winter Solstice every year.

Winter solstice 2021 in Jammu and Kashmir is at 9:29 p.m. Tuesday 21 December.

Winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year.

Tonight will be the first night of Chillai Kalan.

Srinagar, Dec 21: In yet another instance of communal harmony, the local Muslims in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district Tuesday helped perform the last rites of a 71-year-old Kashmiri Pandit lady who died on Monday evening.

Setting an example of communal harmony and brotherhood, the local Muslims in main town Tral in Pulwama district came together to help perform the last rites of their elderly lady Pandit neighbour.

Shishi Raina, wife of Pandit Nath Raina, resident of main town Tral Monday evening died after a brief illness on Monday evening.

As only few family members were around, Nath’s local friends and neighbors from the Muslim community took it upon themselves to help perform his last rites.

The local Muslims organized and performed his last rites and mourned her death as one of their own. They shouldered her coffin and arranged wood for the cremation in the town.

“She was one of us. We never thought of him as a Kashmir Pandit. We arranged everything needed for the cremation,” said Abdul Gani, a middle aged man from the locality.

“She has been living here among us for many years. We have lived alongside each other and done everything together,” said another local.

Locals said that this family has never left Kashmir despite facing many problems and it was our duty to help them.

“Once we heard about her sad demise, locals rushed to the spot and arranged everything and took part in his last rites like they took part in last rites of muslims,” they said—(KNO)

Srinagar: Rights activists and relatives of the three men killed in the Hyderpora encounter last month have asked the administration to make public the report of a magisterial probe into the incident.
“It has been more than a month since the government had ordered a magisterial probe into the fake encounter killings. We have a right to know about the outcome,” brother of Mohammad Altaf Bhat, one of the three slain men, said on Monday.
Bhat, Mudasir Gul and his office boy — Amir Magray — were killed on November 15 in what the police called an encounter with militants. The relatives of the slain men term it “cold blooded murder”.
The trio were buried in Handwara area of Kupwara district by police but the bodies of Bhat and Gul were returned to their families three days later following a public outcry.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on November 18 ordered a magisterial probe into the killings.
District Magistrate Ajaz Assad promptly appointed additional district magistrate Khurshid Ahmad Shah as the inquiry officer with the direction to submit a report within 15 days.
Calls and messages to Assad and Shah, seeking their response on the status of the report, went unanswered.
RTI activist Raja Muzaffar sought to know from the government about the fate of the report.
“Itz (sic) now more than a Month. Where is the Magisterial Inquiry Report?” Bhat asked in a tweet.
The activist also posted a screenshot of the tweet of Lieutenant Governor Sinha in which he had ordered the inquiry.
“A magisterial inquiry by an officer of ADM rank has been ordered in the Hyderpora encounter. The Government will take suitable action as soon as report is submitted in a time-bound manner. JK admin reiterates commitment of protecting lives of innocent civilians & it will ensure there is no injustice,” Sinha had tweeted. PTI

Srinagar, Dec 20: Police on Monday apprehended five persons for questioning regarding the death of an elderly sand dealer in Bijbehara Anantnag on Sunday evening.

A police official told GNS that a sand dealer identified as Mohammad Amin Thokroo, 53, son of Mohammad Jabbar was ‘stoned to death’ by a mob in Gadiseer Bijbehara while excavating sand from river Jhelum on the evening of December 19.

“An application was moved by the son of deceased person, Riyaz Ahmad Thoker wherein the applicant alleged involvement of several persons in the death of his father”, the official said.

“An FIR vide number 296/2021 under sections 147, 148, 149, 336, 307 IPC was registered against the accused at Police Station Bijbehara.

“Five persons have been apprehended for questioning”, the official said. (GNS)

I want to tell 1.25 crore citizens of Jammu and Kashmir that I understand your pain caused by the disruption in electricity supply due to strike by the power department employees. The well-being of each and every citizen is our top priority.

Many Generations of J&K have spent their life dreaming about getting an uninterrupted 24 hours supply of electricity and we have taken the bold initiative of reforms in the power sector to realize that dream.

Unfortunately, the people who were at the helm of affairs for many decades did nothing; they didn’t want the system to get better to bring qualitative change in people’s lives.

Talks have been held with those who were on strike and as on date no dues/salary are pending on part of the government.

I do not want to name them, but some people have criticized that the army has been called to restore electricity. Personnel from REC, NTPC NHPC, and officers from the army engineering corps have also come. This only shows our commitment that we restored 60% electricity yesterday and by tomorrow we will achieve 100% restoration.

There can be no compromise on the issue of ensuring access to the basic amenities to our people.

Tremendous work has been done across the Power sector in the whole country; rural areas are now getting electricity for 20-22 hours. Unfortunately, J&K is still deprived of that. We have made efforts in that direction. Most of you know our cumulative generation capacity is around 3500MW even though the UT has the potential to generate 20000 MW. In the last 6-8 months, the MoUs we have signed with NHPC, under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister, will pave way for generating 3500MW additional power in the next 4-5 years, assuredly.

There is no dearth of electricity in the country but the UT’s transmission and distribution systems have a limited capacity of carrying electricity from outside. We have worked in that direction and have been able to achieve 40% of that specific capacity building plan.

And I want to assure that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has always extended his support to us and in the last 14 months, we have completed 236 projects to improve transmission and distribution infrastructure and the rest will also be completed, well within timelines. It pains me that despite massive progress in other parts of the country, people of J&K were deprived of minimum requirements to live a civilized life.

If some people think that the system will work as per their whims and fancies, it cannot be allowed. The system will work for 1.25 crore citizens without any discrimination. Every step of the UT administration is meant for the betterment of 1.25 crore citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.

Srinagar, Dec 20: Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday claimed the arrest of two Jaish militant associates in South Kashmir Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.

A police official told news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) that “On specific information about the movements associates Pulwama Police with assistance of 55 RR and 182 Bn CRPF arrested two militant associate of proscribed outfit Jaish -i- Mohmmad involved in providing shelter, logistics and other support to the militants as well as in transporting of arms/ ammunition and explosive material for the militants in Awantipora and Tral areas.

He said arrested militant associates were in touch with JeM commanders and were involved in transportation of arms/ammunition & were providing other logistic support to strengthen ‘terror’ network.

“The arrested militant associates were identified as Umer Ramzan S/o M Ramzan Wani R/o Brabandina and Javid Ah Mala S/o Ali Mohd R/o Khelan” he said, adding that indiscriminate material of proscribed outfit Jem has been recovered from them.

A Case under relevant sections of law stands registered against them in Police Station litter and further investigation is on, he added. (KDC)

Srinagar, Dec 20 : The Delimitation Commission on Monday proposed six additional seats for Jammu region and one for Kashmir division.

The panel in its draft presented before the associate members, has proposed nine seats for Scheduled Tribe and seven for Scheduled Caste as well.

Sources privy to the development told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that all the associate members were present for the first time in the meeting as National Conference (NC) Members of Parliament attended the meeting first time since the formation of the commission.

The meeting was held today at Ashok Hotel in New Delhi, they said, adding that the panel has proposed seven additional assembly seats for Jammu and Kashmir. “Six seats have been proposed for Jammu region while one has been proposed for Kashmir,” they said.

The total number of assembly seats after this addition will be 43 in Jammu and 47 in Kashmir.

The panel has also proposed nine seats for Scheduled Tribe and seven for Scheduled Caste.

The commission has asked its associate members to submit their suggestions by Dec 31, 2021.

Meanwhile, NC MP, Hasnain Masoodi while talking to KNO from New Delhi, said that the proposal in unacceptable, saying that it is a matter of concern.

“We will submit our report in detail very soon as the proposal is not acceptable at all,” he said—(KNO)