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Srinagar: Not feeling safe in Kashmir, scores of Kashmiri Pandits today staged a protest in the historic clock tower area of Lal Chowk, demanding their relocation outside the Valley.

The protesters, including women, assembled along the banks of the Jhelum river in Lal Mandi locality of Srinagar and held prayers for the slain migrant employee, Rahul Bhat, who was shot by ultras in Budgam on May 12.

The protesters later marched to Lal Chowk, where they held a sit-in, demanding justice for Bhat.

“Our clear demand is that the J&K administration should relocate us outside the Valley. We don’t feel safe anywhere in Kashmir. When Rahul Bhat was not safe inside his office, how come we will be safe,” said a protester.

The government has transferred many migrant pandits to towns and district headquarters, but that has not impressed the protesters.

The killing of Bhat has triggered fear psychosis among the 6,000 migrant pandits employed in different government offices and schools under PM’s special scheme for pandits since 2010.

Later, the protesters marched to the BJP’s state office in the Jawahar Nagar locality and held a sit-in.

The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti said Rahul Bhat’s family had “refused” Rs 5 lakh compensation and Class IV job to its post-graduate daughter-in-law on compassionate grounds.

Jammu: Former J&K chief minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today said the boom in the tourism sector in the UT was due to the rising temperature in the plains and not due to any improvement in the J&K situation.

“The government should not be happy that the number of tourists coming to J&K has increased manifold. The boom in tourism should not be linked to the improved situation in the UT. It is only because of the high temperatures in plain areas of the country that tourists are flocking Kashmir,” Azad said in Jammu.

Azad is on a two-day visit to J&K. He presided over an event at the party headquarters here to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary. The veteran Congress leader reiterated his stand on the Delimitation Commission’s report, saying that “the tailor-made report is in contradiction with the ground realities”.

Calling for a united push to eliminate militancy, Azad urged the government to accept the genuine demands of vulnerable sections of the society to ensure that they are not put in harm’s way.

PTI

India on Friday slammed Pakistan for making “unwarranted remarks” on Jammu and Kashmir, saying comments made by its Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the UN Security Council are a pavlovian response aimed to misuse any forum and every topic to propagate false and malicious propaganda against New Delhi.

India’s response came after Bilawal raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the abrogation of Article 370 and the recent order by the Delimitation Commission during his remarks at the Council debate.

“Pakistan Representative made unwarranted remarks, which symbolises nothing but a pavlovian response aimed to misuse any forum, and every topic, to propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country, Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Rajesh Parihar said.

India exercised the Right of Reply at the Security Council open debate on Maintenance of International Peace & Security – Conflict and Food Security’ organised by the US, the Council President.

The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. This includes the areas that are under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. No amount of rhetoric and propaganda from any country can deny this fact, Parihar asserted.

The only contribution that Pakistan can make is to stop state sponsored terrorism. As regards to his other remarks, we will treat it with the contempt it deserves, Parihar added.

The Pakistan foreign minister, who is on a maiden visit to the US, also raked up the Kashmir issue while responding to questions during a press conference in New York on Thursday.

“As far as the question of our relationship with India is concerned, it is particularly complicated” by their recent actions in Kashmir – firstly the August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the recent decision by the delimitation commission on Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

He said that these actions “have complicated this matter” and are an “assault” on the United Nations, the UN Security Council resolutions and the Geneva Convention. Bilawal said, “such actions make it very difficult for us to hold a dialogue” with India.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. India’s decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

India has also told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar, May 20: Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar on Friday reviewed security in Anantnag for upcoming Amarnath Yatra and among others threat of sticky bombs and drones was discussed, officials said.

A police officer told GNS that top police officer of Kashmir chaired a meeting of police officers from south Kashmir at Anantnag in connection with security preparation of the yatra. DIG South Kashmir Range Abdul Jabbar, SSsP of Anantnag, Kulgam and Awantipora participated in the meeting.

“Different types of threats specially threat of drones attack and sticky bombs to Yatra convoy and security forces and appropriate security responses were discussed in details,” the officer said, adding, “More focus was given on generating specific intelligence and conducting anti-(militants) operations on all yatra routes.” SSP Anantnag presented a detailed power point presentation, the officer said. (GNS)

Flight operations, tourism is not normalcy, situation contrary to Govt claims, employees feeling unsafe

Jammu, May 20: Lambasting the government claims over normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister and Vice President of National Conference, Omar Abdullah on Friday said that flight operations and tourism cannot be considered as normalcy.

He also said that if the situation is peaceful, the government should conduct polls at earliest or else should accept that the situation is deteriorating than 1996.

Interacting with media person on the sidelines of a workers meeting and NCs medical center inauguration in Jammu, Omar said that earlier the government claimed that Article 35-A and 370 is the sole reason for militancy and separatism in Kashmir and both will end with after repealing of Article 35-A and 370.

“However, the reality is infront of us and situation in Kashmir is not conducive by anyhow and rather is deteriorating,” Omar said as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), adding that the target killings are on rise and areas like up town in Srinagar and north Kashmir are also getting troublesome in terms of militancy.

In reply to a question regarding Delimitation exercise, Omar said that population is an important criteria for delimitation and in that context increase of six seats in Jammu and one in Kashmir cannot be justified.

He, however, added that main problem is with the nature of delimitation for existing constituencies and the way new boundaries have been drawn as it all has been done to benefit a particular party in Jammu and its partners in Kashmir.

“The report has been prepared on the basis of politics and not keeping in mind the ground realities,” Omar further said.

Over resolution on loudspeaker ban in Jammu, he said that this issue is related to citizen of every religion and concerned administration should find a midway rather than making a decision, which affects religious sentiments of every citizens as loudspeaker are installed at every religious place.

Pitching for early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said that if government is not going to hold elections at this point of time than it should accept that situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not conducive and is worse than 1996.

He further stated that number of flights and tourists footfall is not a sign of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and present situation is of level where government officials inside offices and police personnel in their houses are falling prey to bullets—(KNO)

Srinagar, May 20: Offices of Superintendent of Police East Zone and SDPO Kothibagh were gutted in an overnight blaze in city centre Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

An official told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that the fire broke out in the first floor of the building, housing SP East Zone office and SDPO Kothibagh office, which engulfed the floor completely and inflicted minor damage to the Kothibagh Police Station’s office as well.

 In the incident, one fire fighter identified as Ansar Ahmad Malla was injured while dousing the flames, he was immediately referred to SMHS Hospital for treatment, where his condition is said to be ‘stable’.

On Wednesday, the Traffic Police headquarters was partially damaged in a blaze, which broke out in the wee hours. The fire damaged the top floor of the headquarters with all the high-end equipment in the Traffic Control room gutted. (KDC)