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  • Brutal Killing Of Junaid at Eidgah Has Again Revealed The Ugly Face Of Indian Brutality in Jammu Kashmir: Yasin Malik

    Unabated Spree of innocent Killings, Arrests, Nocturnal Raids and Increasing Number of Injured and Disabled People a Testimony to the Hollowness of Indian Democracy

    Srinagar: Brutal killing of Kashmiri kid Junaid Ahmad at Saidpora Eidgah has again revealed the ugly face of Indian brutality in Jammu Kashmir. Unabated spree of innocent killings, arrests, nocturnal raids and increasing number of injured and disabled people a testimony to the hollowness of Indian democracy.

    This was stated by the chairman of JKLF Muhammad Yasin Malik who continues to remain incarcerated in solitary confinement while strongly condemning the brutal killing of a 12 year boy at Saidpora Eidgah yesterday. Yasin Malik said that despite tall claims by Indian rulers and their Kashmiri puppets about stopping the use of pellet guns, this so-called non-lethal weapon is on daily basis hunting Kashmiris and ironically so-called rulers instead of showing some humanity keep on blaming those killed instead of killers. Yasin Malik said that during last 92 days of resistance pellets, bullets, tear gas shells and Lathees of Indian soldiers, security forces and police have taken lives of more than 95 innocents, injured more than 18000 among whom hundreds lost their eyes, vandalized properties worth crores and shattered lives of millions of Kashmiris. He said that on daily basis hundreds are being injured and arrested and rulers and their authorities shamelessly keep on boasting about these atrocities and human rights abuses and legalizing these through their civil administration. He said that so-called rulers and their authorities don’t know that these brutal killings, inflicting injuries to innocents, arrests, slapping blac law PSA and other oppressive measures can yield them nothing but shame and according to the law of retribution they will have to answer one day for their crimes against humanity. Yasin Malik said that Kashmir has been turned into a concentration camp where no space has been left for peaceful struggle. He said that so-called rulers have let loose the forces of evil and every time people try to demonstrate peacefully and raise their voices democratically, these forces start tear gas and pepper gas shelling, pellet and bullet firings and cane charging and thus promote violence by pushing peaceful people to the wall. How can these so-called rulers talk of democracy, non-violence, battle of ideas and talks not bullets, when they have caged almost whole resistance camp and thousands of young and elderly and are not letting anyone to raise his or her voice peacefully? Asked Yasin Malik. While paying tributes to innocent martyr Junaid Ahmad of Saidpora Eidgah who fell to pellet terrorism on India yesterday, Yasin Malik said that that the blood of these innocents will never go in vain and the killers of these innocents and those who patronize these killings will have to answer for these crimes against humanity.

  • Nayeem Akhter is thinking about our future and nothing else

    Original Text 

    Sir

    This is in reference to the previous article you posted An Open Letter To Education Minister Naeem Akhtar From 12th Class Students (Read Letter Here: https://goo.gl/zQvzYV )

    Protesting against exams is not a resort yes no doubt the circumstances are harsh but if our exams are scheduled to be held in march then it will be impossible for us to qualify any competitive exam. I agree that our syllabus was not completed but being a 12th class student you have to study all by yourself these must not be any excuses.
    I don’t want to hurt anyone’s sentiments and I agree that many innocent people died and were blinded but protesting against exams is not right. Mr. Nayeem Akhter is thinking about our future and nothing else. I can assure that no medical or non medical student wants their exams to be held in march. The students protesting right now belong to arts and commerce group and they’ve already completed their syllabus they don’t even have to appear in any competitive exam they are just simply trying to create menace. They are making excuses that we were not able to study but I belong to that area which has been attacked by grenades 2 time and still I have completed my syllabus. There are many students like me who are prepared to appear in exams and we don’t support the protest.

    Received From a 12th Class Student 

     

     

  • Force prepared to take up any challenge: IAF chief

    New Delhi: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday said the IAF is prepared to deal with “any challenge” in “most befitting manner”.

     In his message on official Facebook page of the IAF — Indian Air Force, Power to Punish — the Air Force chief said the force is operating some of the most modern weapon and equipment and the air warriors exercise ceaseless vigil of skies.
    “We continue to train to take up any threat and are fully prepared to undertake any challenge in most befitting manner,” the IAF chief said.
    The official Facebook page of IAF was launched on Saturday on 84th Air Force Day.
    The Air Force Day is celebrated to commemorate the day the force was officially established, October 8, 1932. (IANS)

  • Curfew in Srinagar as 13-year-old dies after clash with security forces

    Srinagar: A 13-year-old boy, Junaid Ahmad Bhat, who was injured in the clashes between protesters and police forces in Eidgah area here yesterday, succumbed in the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) early this morning.

    The administration, in view of the mounting tension following the death, has decided to impose restrictions in the areas falling under seven police stations—Nowhatta, Kahnyar, Rainawari, M R Gunj and Safakadal in the down town and two police stations of Maisuma and Batamaloo.The restrictions have been imposed to maintain law and order, said the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Lone.Junaid, 13, received pellet injuries during the clashes between protesters and the police forces in Eidgah area here after Friday prayers.

    He was shifted to the SKIMS in a critical condition where he succumbed early this morning, officials said. The police lobbed teargas shells to quell the demonstrators that took to streets with the body of the deceased boy at Eidgah.With this, the death toll in the current unrest, which entered day 92 today, has gone up to 87, including two policemen, since the unrest began following the killing of a militant commander, Burhan Wani, and two of his associates in South Kashmir on July 8.

    2016_10largeimg108_oct_2016_103254487gallery
    Forces fire teargas shells at mourners carrying the body of Junaid Ahmad, 12, in Srinagar on Saturday

    Normal life continues to remain paralysed due to the restrictions in the capital city and other major towns of the valley across 10 districts.All the shops and business establishments are closed and traffic is off the roads, with the ‘relaxation” as per the “protest calendar” issued jointly by the separatist organisations.They have already called for shutdown from October 6 to 13. (Tribune News Service)

  • An Open Letter To Education Minister Naeem Akhtar From 12th Class Students

    Original Text

    Sir,
    We are really sad to be saying this, but you and your government has disappointed us deeply.
    Honestly speaking, when you became the education minister, your statements ignited  hope in us; the hope that our Education department will improve. Your statements were always student-friendly, but now it has turned out that they were only ‘statements’. You have proved to be just like any other ‘education’ minister that we have seen in the past, may be even worse.
    We are writing this letter to you in a last desperate attempt to get you to understand our point of view and then decide about our exams accordingly. We have tried everything Sir; from protesting peacefully on the streets to sending articles to newspapers and approaching the authorities; EVERY SINGLE THING, to get our point across, which after all is a valid point, if you think about it.
    Please consider yourself in our situation: You are in class 12; this class will decide your future, you go to school for barely 3 months, Burhan Wani is killed and Kashmir is on boil; 90 people are killed, thousands injured, maimed and blinded; some of your age too; some even younger, you’re traumatised, you try studying because you know you have to, you hear slogans being shouted on speakers, you see protests, you hear the sounds of bullets, sometimes suddenly everyone in your house starts coughing, your throat feels dry; you know pepper gas has been sprayed, you hear of people and  even kids being arrested everyday & so so many more things- this goes on for 3 months. In the meantime, you had tried to study, but could you study amidst all this? Of course your attempts didn’t all go in vain, you did study a little, but sir, you have to appear in your 12th Board Exams. The Education Minister says that you won’t get any sort of concession, you just have to appear in the exams for the full syllabus. What would you do?
    Sir, we have done every possible thing that we could do to tell the authorities about our awful situation, but they have given a cold shoulder to all our pleas.
    In this last attempt, we’d like to appeal to you, sir, to please give us some sort of relaxation in the exams. We’re not telling you that we won’t appear in the exams till we get Azadi, no, we will study and get educated and fight for our rights; but the fact remains that when you say you are ‘concerned’ about our future, you forget that Insha is one of us too. She wanted to become a doctor. She has been blinded forever.
    At this point of time, our request to you is just this; Please be a little considerate of the situation in which we’ve had to ‘study’, less than 50% of our syllabus has been completed at our schools and tutions, and this is 12th class that we’re talking about, not just any other class where the syllabus isn’t this vast and where your marks don’t have the power to decide your future; it wouldn’t matter if you got 50%- you passed and nothing’s wrong.
    You said you wouldn’t reduce the syllabus as we have to appear in ‘competitive exams’, but sir, if we are asked to appear in board exams with full syllabus without having been taught less than half of it, we won’t be in a position to even fill the forms of those competitive exams as there’s a certain good percentage of marks that is required to be eligible for them.
    This pressure and stress is taking a toll on our health now.
    We hope that you consider our request.

  • Altaf Bukhari appointed member Horticulture Board

    Srinagar: J&K Government Friday ordered that MLA Amira Kadal, Syed Altaf Bukhari shall replace Muhammad Khalil Bandh as member of the State Horticulture Board.
    GAD issued an order in this regard, an official handout said.

    The government also ordered that MLAs Shakti Raj, Rajeev Sharma, Rajiv Jasrotia and Shah Muhammad will also be members of the Board, which was reconstituted in August this year.
    The Board headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and comprising MLAs, experts and officials from both Central and State Governments, will work for promotion of horticulture sector in JK, which is considered as backbone of Kashmir’s economy.

    “The Board will guide formulation of policies governing integrated development of horticulture industry in the state and identifying short-term and long-term strategies as per the policies,” it said.

  • Kashmir killings: 12-year-old city boy succumbs at SKIMS

    Srinagar: A 12-year-old boy, who was hit by pellets in Saidpora area of Eidgah on Friday evening, has succumbed to his injuries at SK Institute of Medical Sciences Soura early Friday.
    Junaid Ahmad, son of Ghulam Ahmad, was shifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries last evening where he passed away at 4 am today, family sources said.

    He had sustained injuries in his head and chest and was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.
    The minor was injured when forces fired pellets and teargas shells at demonstrators in the Eidgah area after Friday prayers.

  • Cop killed, another injured in shootout with militants in Shopian

    Srinagar: A policeman died while another was injured after militants attacked a police post in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday night.

    Reports said that militants fired at the cops who tried to repulse their rifle-snatching bid at minority police post in Reshnagri area of the district.

    A cop died in the shoot-out while another was injured, they said.

  • NC ridicules BJPs defence over RSS march in Doda

    ‘BJP is defending indefensible’

    Jammu: National Conference on Friday assailed the justification being offered by the Bharatiya Janata Party over permission granted to lathi-wielding RSS volunteers to take out march in the sensitive Doda, ignoring the ramifications of such activities to incite passions, especially at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is passing through difficult times due to wrong policies of the present dispensation.
    “BJP is defending indefensible”, a Spokesperson of National Conference said while reacting to the statement of the ruling coalition partner, saying that instead of taking serious initiatives to generate an atmosphere of trust and tranquility, the ruling coalition seems to be adamant to vitiate it by such provocative acts.
    Referring to the charge that National Conference was attempting to communalize the situation, the Spokesperson observed that “it is like kettle calling the pot black”. He said history stands testimony to the fact that National Conference has all along braved most turbulent winds to maintain communal harmony and regional unity. “We are committed to preserve this glorious ethos of the state, no matter how many sacrifices are needed to be offered”, he said, adding that the party will not allow myopic political players to disturb the peace and tranquility. (KNS)

  • All Communication Channels Between Indo-Pak Militaries Are Open

    Srinagar: All communication channels between the Indian and Pakistani militaries remain open in wake of tensions that have gripped the South Asian nations over Kashmir, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Asim Bajwa has said.

    Stressing the need for resolving issues through dialogue, Bajwa confirmed that the Director Generals of the Military Operations (DGMOs) from both sides have communicated after escalation in cross-border firing at the Line of Control (LoC).

    “All communication channels including the hotline between the two militaries are open,” he told a international wire news agency in an exclusive interview.

    He said Pakistan wants peaceful neighbourly relations with all countries in the region “and that is the policy of the state of Pakistan and that is the policy of the political government and every element of power in the country follows the same policy”.

    Bajwa reiterated that India “violated” the ceasefire along the LoC on Sept 29 and later claimed to have conducted “surgical strikes along LoC”.

    “We did check everything on ground and we found the claim was absolutely false.”