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Labour Day reminds us of their great sacrifices

SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement has urged the Health Department to adhere to the Minimum Wages Act (MWA) as many need-based, consolidated employees particularly the sweepers are not paid wages as per the act.

In a statement Chairman RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that Labour Day reminds us of the fact that the world is built on their contribution and all of them deserve equal respect from us and paying Rs 500 per month to health workers who are COVID warriors is an insult and injustice to them.

“ We must salute to all the workers who work tirelessly for us especially the frontline COVID warriors of the J&K Health Department like consolidated and part-time sweepers, attendants, drivers, HDF workers who are not even paid wages as per Minimum Wages Act (MWA). These people are risking lives in this dreaded pandemic and the Govt is paying them wages as low as Rs 500 or Rs 800 per month. This is complete injustice with these people ” said Dr Raja Muzaffar

He appealed to authorities particularly Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Secretary to come to the rescue of these workers of the health department.

“ I also urge upon Govt to confirm the services of NHM employees as well whose future seems to be bleak as they have no job security at all even after rendering their services for Govt from last 15 years or more” reads the statement .

Jammu:The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries on Saturday said that they are going support the lockdown call of government wants to extend it.

A leader of the Chamber said that it is matter of life and death and they are going to support the lockdown call of government wants to extend it.

Jammu and Kashmir is under 84 hour long strict curfew which started on Thursday evening in 11 districts and was extended in rest districts on Friday evening.

‘Cases of Kashmiri prisoners be reviewed for release on parole in view of deteriorating pandemic situation in India’

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Saturday urged the Government of India and the J&K Union Territory administration to shift Kashmiri prisoners lodged in various jails of India back to the Valley in view of the massive spike in Covid deaths and cases across the country.

In a statement issued to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the HCBA spokesman said that in an extra ordinary meeting chaired by the Bar chairman Advocate Nazir Ahmed Ronga, serious concern was expressed on the health conditions of the hundreds of Kashmiri prisoners lodged in different jails in India who were already in outside jails post 5 August, 2019.

“It was urged upon the Government of India and the and J&K UT administration to shift Kashmiri prisoners from outside jails to the nearest jails in Kashmir in view of the disastrous wave throughout India which is consuming thousands of lives per day,” the statement said.

It said that the family members of these prisoners are seriously concerned about the health and lives of their loved ones.

“In Tihar Jail, New Delhi, Kashmiri prisoner Shahidul Islam is Covid infected. Brain tumor patient Bashir Ahmad Bhat is very sick in prison. Health condition of other prisoners that include Muhammad Yaseen Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Khan, Asiya Andrabi, Nahida Nasreen, Ayaz Akbar, Parvaiz Mir and Ferooz Ahmad Bhat is deteriorating fast,” the statement said.

The statement said that the Bar Association expressed deep concern about the physical conditions of the Kashmiri prisoners lodged in outside jails and demanded immediate shifting of these prisoners to the nearest jails in Kashmir.

“Bar Association also demanded the cases of these prisoners /detenues be reviewed for release on parole and in view of the grave pandemic situation. In the meeting it was decided to appeal the Government of India and UT administration for review of the cases for release on parole and shifting of these prisoners to the nearest jails in Kashmir,” the statement said—(KNO)

35 patients die across UT since last night

Srinagar: Thirty-five fresh COVID-19 related deaths were reported in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir since last night, thus taking total number of Coronavirus deaths to 2,318.

An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that thirty five patients who died include 50-year-old woman from Ashpeer Sopore, 52-year-old woman from Kokernag, 75-year-old man from Solina, 62-year-old man from Hyderpora, 55-year-old man from Nowgam, 75-year-old woman from Barbarshah, 73-year-old female from Sanatnagar, 80-year-old man from Lal Bazar, 25-year-old youth from Natipora, 50-year-old man from Kathidarwaza, 60-year-old man from Karan Nagar, Old aged man from Shopian, 70-year-old man from Pandach, two from Srinagar, one from Kupwara and nineteen from Jammu division.

An official said that 52-year-old lady from Kokernag, 73-year-old woman from Sanatnagar, 25-year-old youth from Natipora, 50-year-old man from Kathidarwaza, 60-year-old man from Karan Nagar and 70-year-old man from Pandach died at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute Of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) died since last night days after testing positive for COVID-19.

He added that a 75-year-old man from Solina, 62-year-old man from Hyderpora, 55-year-old male from Nowgam, 75-year-old woman from Barbarshah and 80-year-old man from Lal Bazar died at SMHS Hospital.

He further added that two patients from Srinagar died at JLNM Hospital Rainawari and one each at DH Shopian, SDH Sopore and SDH Kupwara.

Moreover, sixteen patients died at GMC Jammu since last night and three patients from Poonch also died at GMC Rajouri.

With thirty-five fresh deaths, the total fatalities count soars to 2,318, including 908 from Jammu division and 1,410 from Kashmir division—(KNO)

Srinagar: After witnessing a significant dip in positive cases and deaths in last five months (Nov-March), the intensity of Covid-19 pandemic in J&K witnessed a steep surge in positive cases and April month turned out to be deadliest so far as 289 persons died of infection while as 45123 positive cases were recorded in the month that just left.

The deaths reported in the month of April also showed a surge as compared to the deaths reported in first three months of the ongoing year.

As per official data available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), 45,123 positive cases and 289 deaths were reported in Jammu and Kashmir in month of April.

“Out of 45,123 positive cases, 28,540 cases are from Kashmir division while as 16,583 are from Jammu division and out of 289 deaths, 136 are from Kashmir division and 153 are from Jammu division,” the data states.

In ongoing year, J&K reported 3,579 positive cases and 53 deaths in January, 1,998 positive cases and 21 deaths in February and 4,456 positive cases and 37 deaths in March.

In December last year J&K reported 10747 positive cases and 189 deaths, in November J&K reported a total of 15, 439 positive cases and 216 deaths and in October last year, J&K reported 19,715 positive cases and 297 deaths

Pertinently, 37,373 positive cases and 478 deaths were reported in J&K in month of September 2020, highest in last year.

“17,339 positive cases and 326 deaths were reported in J&K in month of August 2020,” the figures suggest. Moreover, 12,862 positive cases and 276 deaths were reported in J&K in month of July 2020

As per the official data available, in the first 115 days (from March 08-June 30, 2020) 7,497 positive cases and 101 Covid-19 related deaths were witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Interestingly, the first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China.

Slowly, the pandemic spread to various states and union territories including the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Two suspected cases with high virus load were detected and isolated on March 4 in Government Medical College, Jammu. One of them became the first confirmed positive case on 9 March 2020. Both individuals had a travel history of outside J&K—(KNO)

Srinagar, Apr 29: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Thursday said Tocilizumab drug prevents Covid-19 patients from dying.
“The drug saves lives,” said DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
Quoting a study from United Kingdom, he said Tocilizumab reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19 disease.
“The study also showed that the drug shortens the hospital stay and reduces the need for a mechanical ventilator,” he added.
Dr Hassan said we have been able to save lives of many Covid-19 patients in Kashmir hospitals with early institution of the drug.
“But, now the drug has run out of stock in valley hospitals putting lives of patients at risk,” he said.
Urging government to make the life-saving drug available for Covid-19 patients, Dr Hassan said we must ensure that every patient who needs the drug should be able to access it.
“Originally developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, the drug combats the disease by quelling cytokine storm which is the hyperimmune response of the infected person to the virus,” he said.
“Mortality in Covid-19 patients has been linked to the presence of the cytokine storm induced by the virus,” Dr Nisar said adding that “excessive production of cytokines leads to respiratory failure and widespread tissue damage resulting in multiorgan failure and death.”
“Tocilizumab suppresses the hyperimmune response by blocking receptor for a key cytokine known as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and improves survival rates and reduces mortality among Covid patients,” he said.
The DAK President said it is vitally important to know that there is no single magic bullet to treat the novel coronavirus and several drugs in combination are needed to tackle the virus.
“With the approval of several therapies, combination of them given at the right time gives a good result,” he said.
“Apart from oxygen, moderate to severe patients are given steroids, remdesivir, convalescent plasma and Tocilizumab in various combinations,” he added.
“Initially it was believed that deaths were happening because of poor oxygenation. Now we know that intravascular clotting can also lead to lung dysfunction and death. So heparin is given in Covid patients to prevent clotting,” said Dr Nisar.

Srinagar: Khateeb Jamia Masjid Srinagar Syed Ahmed Syed Thursday made an appeal to people to not congregate and offer namaz at home.

Syed Ahmed Syed told news agency Kashmir News Trust that Government should impose lockdown across Kashmir Valley like last year.

“It is the need of the hour to close public parks, tourist places, shrines and mosques. People should offer prayers at home and supplicate before Almighty Allah,” Syed said.

While emphasizing the need to observe social distancing as the only measure to combat coronavirus, head cleric of Jamia Masjid even made an appeal to Ulemas and clerics of Jammu and Kashmir who yield influence over people to direct the community against congregation in the mosques. (KNT)

AL JAZEERA

Islamabad: Pakistan says it is ready to engage in dialogue with India if its eastern neighbour “is willing to revisit” its recent actions in the disputed territory of Kashmir, Pakistan’s foreign minister says.

Speaking to Anadolu news agency in an interview released on Sunday, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi welcomed a recent thawing of relations between the two countries.

“If India is willing to revisit some of the decisions that they took on August 5, 2019, Pakistan will be more than happy to engage, sit and talk out our differences and sit and, through a dialogue, resolve the outstanding issues,” said Qureshi, referring to India’s 2019 move to revoke Indian-administered Kashmir’s special constitutional status and launch a widespread crackdown in the territory.

Qureshi’s statement is in line with Al Jazeera’s exclusive reporting of specific actions Pakistan is seeking in relation to Kashmir – the Himalayan region that both countries claim in full but administer separate portions of – to restart bilateral talks.

Those actions include, but are not limited to, a reversal of the alleged demographic change in Kashmir, the release of political prisoners, the restoring of statehood to the territory, lifting all restrictions on communication and movement, and reducing Indian troop levels.

India’s foreign ministry has not commented on the Pakistani foreign minister’s comments or the Al Jazeera report.

Ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been virtually frozen since February 2019, when an attack by an armed group on Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir sparked a military standoff with Pakistan that saw both countries bomb each other’s territory.

This February, however, saw the surprise announcement of a reaffirmation of a 2003 ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Indian-administered Kashmir from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and had seen an increased level of violence from both militaries firing at each other since 2019.

In March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan to congratulate him on the occasion of Pakistan Day, a national holiday. Pakistan PM Khan responded in kind.

A meeting of the countries’ Indus water commissioners also occurred that month in New Delhi.

On Sunday, FM Qureshi cautioned against attaching too much importance to the nascent process of talks.

“It is too early to make a value judgement on that,” he said, stressing the need for the two countries to avoid active conflict.

“We cannot afford to go to war, you know, it will be mutually suicidal,” he said. “And no sensible person will advocate a policy of that nature. So, we need to sit and we need to talk.”

Regarding the recent communication leading to the reaffirmation of the ceasefire, Qureshi said only that “both sides contacted each other”, offering no details on the current mechanism for communication between the countries.

On Friday, he had denied that any “peace talks” were taking place or that the United Arab Emirates had any role in the process, contradicting a statement by the UAE’s ambassador to the United States

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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

PTI

Srinagar: The Srinagar authorities on Tuesday announced barring assembly of five or more people under Section 144 of the CrPC in view of a massive surge in COVID-19 cases in the city.

“In view of massive spurt in positive cases in District Sringar & after due deliberations, Section 144 CrPC is imposed hereby within the municipal limits of the district to contain further spread of the epidemic. Assembly of five or more persons is banned with immediate effect,” Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Aijaz Asad said on Twitter.

The city recorded 1,144 coronavirus cases on Tuesday — the highest tally since the pandemic began.