Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 1,104 fresh coronavirus cases and 22 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total infection tally to 68,614 and death toll to 1,084, officials said on Thursday.
The UT recorded 1,104 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours — with 624 in Jammu and 480 in the Kashmir valley,” the officials said.
It was for the 22nd consecutive day that the number of fresh cases have crossed 1,000 in a 24-hour period.
The cumulative figure of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has now risen to 68,614.
Jammu district reported the highest number of 242 new cases, followed by 194 in Srinagar district, the officials said.
There are 19,451 active cases of coronavirus disease, while 48,079 patients have recovered so far, they said.
Meanwhile, 22 deaths took place in the past 24 hours with 14 in Jammu and eight in the valley, taking the death toll to 1,084, the officials said.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu: The Pakistani army resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling in forward areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday, officials said.
“At about 1745 hours today, Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Nowshera sector”, a defence spokesman said.
The Indian Army retaliated befittingly, he said.
Pakistan army violated ceasefire 38 times this month.
An army personnel was killed and two others, including an officer, injured on Tuesday last as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by using heavy fire and mortar shells along the Line of Control in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district, officials said.
On September 2, one JCO was killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan army along the Line of Control in Keri sector of Rajouri.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar: A Boston University doctor says a sufficient amount of vitamin D can cut the risk of catching coronavirus by 54%.
“People have been looking for the magic drug or waiting for the vaccine and not looking for something this simple,” said Dr. Michael Holick, professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine.
Holick and his colleagues studied blood samples from Quest Diagnostics of more than 190,000 Americans from all 50 states and found that those who had deficient levels of vitamin D had 54% higher COVID positivity compared to those with adequate levels of vitamin D in the blood.
The risk of getting coronavirus continued to decline as vitamin D levels increased, the study, published in the Public Library of Science One peer-reviewed journal shows.
A key Opposition leader has been jailed for over a year without recourse to trial, she says
Iltija Mufti, daughter of incarcerated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, on Wednesday filed a fresh plea before the Supreme Court (SC), challenging her mother’s detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and its extension.
The plea argued that “several grounds of detention, including the dossier, are stale, vague and that they suffer from non-application of mind, malice in law and violate the provisions of Section 8(3)(b) of the PSA”.
“We have decided to challenge both the PSA order and the extensions. My mother’s detention is illegal and questionable in a democracy. A key Opposition leader has been jailed for over a year without recourse to trial,” Ms. Iltija told The Hindu.
Ms. Mufti was arrested on August 5 last year and booked under the PSA in February this year.
On the SC’s earlier notice to the J&K administration on Ms. Mufti’s detention, Ms. Iltija said the J&K government “is yet to even file a reply and shows the respect it has for the courts and the SC”.
The plea highlighted the treatment meted out to Ms. Mufti. “She has been deliberately kept out of bounds for party people,” Ms. Iltija said.
The plea said Ms. Mufti’s Gupkar Road residence has been converted into a subsidiary jail and “she has not been allowed any visits by her close relatives barring a solitary visit by her brother and her sister’s husband on August 19 this year despite multiple requests”.
It also claimed that Ms Mufti’s sister Rubiya Sayeed, who herself has been a survivor of kidnapping by terrorists and has been a former Home Minister’s daughter, “has been treated like an anti-social element, in being disallowed to stay at the residence of Ms. Mufti and her mother”.
“Ms. Mufti has not been accorded a chance to attend to her duties as the president of the PDP. Even party officials and cadre who had applied to visit her on several occasions have not been granted permission.”
A letter was written by four members of the PDP to the district administration in August “but there has been no acknowledgement or action from the administration”.
“The continued non-allowance of opportunity to attend to her political affairs is a serious breach of her fundamental rights under Article 19(1)(a). The same is tantamount to the State’s unreasonably and unlawfully interfering with the affairs of an Opposition political party, which is completely antithetical to the value of democracy, a basic feature of the Constitution,” the plea reads.
It also claimed that Ms. Mufti continued “to have little access to the world outside and even her access to the landline telephone and Internet has been illegally and unreasonably disconnected”.
The Constitution of J&K was still in force and Urdu, the official language under the Section 145, ‘is still the official language of the State’, he says.
A video grab of National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi speaks in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI
National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament (MP) and former judge Hasnain Masoodi on Wednesday said the J&K Official Languages Bill, 2020, was against the constitutional propriety because it was a consequence of the J&K State Reorganization Bill, which is under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.
“Parliament is not competent to abrogate the constitution of the State by bifurcating it into UTs and that the Constitutions cannot be nullified and obliterated altogether even though amendments as per the prescribed law and valid constitutional procedures”, Mr. Masoodi observed.
The Constitution of J&K was still in force and Urdu, the official language under the Section 145, ‘is still the official language of the State’. “The constitutional propriety demands that the J&K Official Languages Bill be taken back as a mark of respect for the country’s judiciary and principles of parliamentary democracy,” he stated.
Using the emergency section, Section 73, was also unreasonable because Urdu and English were already the working official languages of J&K. “What will the Government of India [GoI] do if the Supreme Court decides against the measures of August 5 and all the laws that were enacted as a consequence of it? The GoI should wait for the verdict of the apex court.” he added.
Arif Saleem Bohru is 23 years old Pro Wrestler from Jammu and Kashmir. Arif Saleem Bohru was born in a remote village called Neel in Ramban region of J&K.
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He started his journey in the world of wrestling with the stories of The Great Khali which his father used to say when he was 13 years old. Those stories were about the passion, struggle, and achievements of The Great Khali, that thing ignited the hunger in him to create a place in the ring as a wrestler.
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It was his father’s inspiring stories who pushed him towards wrestling which eventually not only made him famous but also the first ever wrestler from the J&K.
Full Name – Arif Saleem Bohru Stage Name – Badshah Khan Father’s Name – Mohd Saleem Bohru Age – 23 Years Height – 6 feat 2 inch Weight – 105 City – Ramban (J&K) Profession – Pro Wrestler
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It was The Great Khali himself who named him Badshah Khan because of his farelessness which he showed in the ring . He has worked very hard to reach where he is today. He is considered as the toughest wrestler of the arena and have also gained a position among the top wrestlers of the country, as he have won the tag team championship twice and world heavy weight championship 2020. His success rate in more than 100 matches is an outstanding 85% at 105 KG weight and 6.2 height and towering personality is enough to subdue my competitors in the ring.
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In order to continue winning and maintain his wrestling skills he keep on learning and training everyday. He has a daily routine of 6 hrs of workout and 4 hrs of wrestling classes. When ever he is in the ring he feel like a king . As per Badshah Khan he is not afraid of any one because he show the real power of Kashmir and India. With the love of his Kashmiri and Indian brothers he want to represent India all over the world. His dream is to fight in WWE and become a world champion.
Budgam: Suspected militants shot dead an independent Sarpanch and Block Development Council (BDC) Chairman (BDC) at Khag area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district, officials said Wednesday.
They said that gunmen fired at the head of Bhupinder Singh, an independent Sarpanch for Khag area of Budgam just outside his residence. “He was taken to hospital where he was declared as brought dead,” an official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
Officials said that the police teams have rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, BJP JK spokesman Altaf Thakur while condemning his killing, said that the slain wasn’t affiliated with the BJP—(KNO)
The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Lok Sabha MP tells Karan Thapar that he committed to restoring the dignity of Kashmiris by which he meant reinstating Articles 370 and 35A and restoring statehood. He said he would fight for this – but always peacefully – till his last breath.
New Delhi: In a powerful and passionate interview with frequent flashes of anger and displays of emotion, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has said that at this moment the Kashmiri people do not feel and do not want to be Indian. He even went so far as to say that they would rather be ruled by the Chinese, a point he reiterated when he was asked if he really meant this.
Farooq Abdullah and Karan Thapar. Photo: Devi Dutt
Abdullah, who heads the National Conference party and had been the most prominent ‘pro-India’ face in Jammu and Kashmir for the past four decades, also described the Kashmiris as slaves who were being treated like second class citizens.
In a 44-minute interview to The Wire, Abdullah said it was complete rubbish for the Bharatiya Janata Party to claim that the people of Kashmir have accepted the August 2019 changes just because there have been no protests.
He said if the soldiers on every street and Section 144 were to be lifted, people will come out in their tens of lakhs. Abdullah told The Wire that the new domicile law was intended to flood the Valley with Hindus and create a Hindu majority. He said this has further embittered the Kashmiri people.
Asked as to how Kashmiris view the Central government and, in particular, Prime Minister Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, Abdullah said they were deeply disillusioned. He said they had no trust in the Central government. The trust that once bound Kashmir to the rest of the country has completely snapped, he added.
Abdullah revealed details of his meeting with the Prime Minister roughly 72 hours before August 5, 2019 when the constitutional changes in Kashmir were announced.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Sheikh Abdullah on August 1. Photo: PTI
He had met the Prime Minister seeking assurances about the continuation of Articles 370 and 35A. He asked the prime minister why there were so many troops in the Valley and whether this was because of any perceived military threat.
Abdullah suggested the prime minister deliberately went out of his way to give him the impression the massive increase in troops was for security purposes. He said Modi did not say a word about Articles 370 and 35A. Consequently, Abdullah emerged from that meeting believing the two Articles were not in danger.
When asked, he agreed that the prime minister had misled and deceived him.
Abdullah told The Wire that on August 5, 2019, when the constitutional changes were suddenly announced, the National Conference and all other mainstream political parties stood badly discredited in Kashmiri eyes. Speaking of himself, he said he seemed to have fallen between two stools. The Centre viewed him as a traitor and arrested him. Kashmiris, on the other hand, saw him as a servant of India and said things like this ‘serves Abdullah right’. They chided him and taunted him for having said “Bharat Mata ki jai.” This left him deeply shaken and upset.
However, after 7-8 months in detention his standing and that of his party and other mainstream parties has been considerably restored in Kashmiri eyes. People now realise they are not “servants of India”, he said.
Abdullah said that the National Conference and, in fact, all the other parties that had come together to issue the Gupkar Declaration of August 2019, which was reiterated on August 22 this year, were committed to restoring the dignity of Kashmiris. He said this meant reinstating Articles 370 and 35A and restoring statehood. He said he would fight for this – but always peacefully – till his last breath.
Abdullah said that he had faith in the Supreme Court and hoped that it would stop postponing the petition his party has brought and hear it expeditiously. In the interview he, in fact, appealed to Supreme Court judges to hear the constitutional case quickly.
Asked why he had not raised this matter during the present session of parliament, which ends on Wednesday, September 23, he said he was not given time. He said he had gone to meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, along with MPs from Congress, Trinamool, DMK and the Communist Parties, and the speaker had assured them time for a discussion would be allocated. But that never happened. Asked if he believed the government had intervened and told the speaker not to give time, Abdullah said he did not know but agreed that the speaker had not kept his word.
Abdullah told The Wire that in the greater interest of Kashmir, the Mufti and Abdullah families have buried their past differences and come together. He said, today, Mehbooba Mufti was politically close to both his son Omar and himself. He said that he was in touch with her frequently, every week.
In one of the more angry moments of the interview, Abdullah asked why Mehbooba Mufti has not been released. “Is she a criminal?” he thundered.
Asked if her incarceration has begun to affect her, Abdullah asked a question in return: “How can it not? She is a human being after all.”
Abdullah added that whether the National Conference will contest the next state elections is a decision that will be taken, first, democratically within the National Conference itself and he, as president, will not impose his personal thinking. The decision will also be taken in concert with all the other Gupkar parties, he said.
Abdullah said his son Omar Abdullah’s announcement in a recent Indian Express article that he would not contest elections whilst Kashmir remains a Union Territory is Omar’s personal decision and not the position of the National Conference. However, he added that if Omar does not wish to contest, that is his right. Of himself, he said, he would abide by whatever decision the party took collectively.
The above is a paraphrased précis of Farooq Abdullah’s interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire. Watch this space for the full interview which will offer a better understanding of the many points made by Abdullah as well as the strength and passion with which he has spoken.
Saudi Arabia will reopen the pilgrimage to residents, and then visitors from select countries. Authorities said it will return to its full capacity only after the threat of the virus has been eliminated.
Saudis and foreign residents can make pilgrimage from Oct. 4, while Muslims abroad will be allowed entry as of Nov. 1
Saudi Arabia will gradually lift a coronavirus-related travel ban for the Umrah pilgrimage starting early next month, its official news agency said early Wednesday.
The decision to allow the resumption of Umrah, or the minor pilgrimage undertaken by Muslims, came after a nearly six-month hiatus.
As of Oct. 4, Saudis and foreign residents of the Kingdom will be allowed to perform Umrah at the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque, in Mecca at a 30% capacity or 6,000 people per day, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing a source in the Interior Ministry.
Meanwhile, as of Oct. 18, the kingdom will allow 15,000 pilgrims per day to perform Umrah and prayers at Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, or the Prophet’s Mosque, in Medina will also be allowed to resume.
The agency said both local and international worshippers coming for Umrah and worship will be accepted as of Nov. 1, while the Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi will be opened for worship at full capacity by taking COVID-19 protective measures.
“An official source at the Ministry of Interior affirms the Kingdom’s keenness to enable the pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom to perform the rituals in a safe and healthy manner fulfilling the preventative requirements and spatial distancing in order to ensure human safety,” SPA said on Twitter in English.
Due to the pandemic, the Hajj pilgrimage this year was limited to those living in Saudi Arabia, and pilgrims from abroad were not accepted.
The novel coronavirus has spread to 188 countries and regions since emerging in Wuhan, China in December, with the US, India and Brazil being the hardest-hit areas in the world.
More than 31.45 million cases have been reported worldwide. The death toll has exceeded 967,300, while recoveries have surpassed 21.58 million, according to data compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.
Srinagar: Noted Seismologist Dr Bikram Singh Wednesday said Tuesday’s earthquake occurred due to a fault which runs through Kashmir but its epicenter was yet to be located. Strong tremors were felt across Srinagar on Tuesday evening after an earthquake of magnitude 3.6 hit Kashmir.
The National Centre for Seismology said that the quake occurred at a depth of 5 km from the surface at 9.40 pm.
Seismologist Dr Bikram Singh, who teaches at Earth Sciences Department of Kashmir University, said the reason for the earthquake was fault that runs through Kashmir.
“There are many faults in Kashmir. We can’t say which fault is responsible for the earthquake till we know the epicenter,” Dr Bikram told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
“When there is displacement of strata down there many changes occur in the geometry and sometimes gas may erupt with a bang. The earthquake happens due to displacement of rocks as fault has slipped somewhere,” he said.
He however said he could not locate the epicenter. “The information provided by NSC New Delhi indicated that the epicenter of the earthquake was five kilometers from Mujgund. But we could not locate the epicenter and we cannot say which fault has slipped and where,” he added.
He said they got to know about these faults by ground penetrating radars.
On Tuesday evening, panicked residents rushed out of their homes after strong jolts were felt. Initially, there were conflicting conjectures about what exactly caused the tremors, with several social media users speculating it was a blast or an explosion.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, most parts of Kashmir covering the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Anantnag and parts of Jammu region, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar come under Seismic Zone V and are prone to earthquakes.(KINS)