Militants hurled a grenade on joint naka party of CRPF Police at Chatapora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama.
No loss of life or injury reported till now.
Further details awaited.
This is a developing story: We’ll give updates on the situation as we learn more.
Pakistan has used terrorist groups to change the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir, which has undermined every peace effort and impacted human rights negatively, a Barrack Obama-era diplomat has told US lawmakers.
Alyssa Ayres, US South Asia expert | Photo Credit: THE HINDU
In a statement to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, Alyssa Ayres, senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank, on Monday said the situation is complex and tragic in Kashmir
The committee will schedule a hearing on “Stemming a Receding Tide: Human Rights and Democratic Values in Asia” on Tuesday.
There is documented history of Pakistan-based terrorists active in Indian-administered Kashmir, and Kashmiris and the Indian government continue to face a difficult challenge of border security and terrorism in this region, Ms. Aryes said.
“Terrorism has undermined every effort at peace in the last two decades and continues to create insecurity. I would also like to acknowledge the longstanding suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits, a Hindu community driven from their Kashmiri homeland in the early years of the insurgency at the beginning of the 1990s, she said.
Ms. Ayres said the Indian government revoked Article 370 last year to tackle terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The move was followed by deployment of additional troops, statewide communications and internet shutdown and several Kashmiri leaders were placed in detention.
More than a year on, it is hard to see improvements on that front, she said adding that the impact on democracy and human rights has been negative.
With inputs from The Hindu
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Raashid Maqbool is a journalist and media trainer based in Srinagar, Kashmir.
On August 29, the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram, known as Ashoura, Indian security forces fired pellets and tear gas shells to disperse hundreds of Shia Muslims participating in a traditional religious procession in Kashmir, seriously injuring dozens of people.
Security forces besieged Shia mourners in the Zadibal area of Srinagar, forcing them to seek shelter in residential compounds, as tear gas shells and pellets rained on them. I saw young boys hit with pellets writhing in pain on the ground, as dozens of others choked and coughed among thick clouds of tear gas, unable to help the injured or find a safe spot to catch their breath.
Officials later said at least 200 people were detained for participating in the Muharram processions and at least seven were arrested under anti-terror law for raising anti-India slogans.
The Indian Administration’s decision to clamp down on this year’s Muharram procession with such force was a sign of its growing concerns over the support Kashmiri Shia started to show for the freedom and self-determination movement in the valley.
Indian authorities have long been pushing the narrative that Kashmir’s Sunni-led pro-freedom movement is shunned by Shia and other minority communities in the region. In recent years, however, young Shia men and women became increasingly vocal about their demand for political rights, and many of them started to openly back the resistance against India.
For decades, Shia in Kashmir have been commemorating Ashoura, the day that marks the death of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandson Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions in Karbala, with processions. The main procession that traditionally took place in the Srinagar city centre covering 9 kilometres (5.6 miles), however, was banned in the early 1990s, when an armed rebel commenced.
Since then, Muharram processions have only been allowed in Shia neighbourhoods of the city. Shia community leaders demanded the restoration of pre-1990 processions, but local authorities denied their requests, citing “security concerns”.
Since the ban, a handful of Shia made attempts to defy the administration’s orders and tried to hold unauthorised Muharram processions, but this limited resistance caused little alarm for the authorities who were all but convinced that Kashmir’s Shia community posed no threat to their rule.
In 2018, however, they noticed that things were starting to change.
A poster of the young, popular Sunni rebel commander Burhan Wani appeared in one of the Muharram processions in Srinagar, leaving the government and security services apprehensive. Indian security troops killed Wani in an encounter in July 2016, which led to widespread protests in Kashmir that lasted for months.
For a section of the Shia youth to hail a Sunni rebel like Wani in a Muharram procession was unprecedented. Being a regular participant in these processions all my life, I had not seen anything like this before.
Seeing Wani’s face in a Muharram procession may have shocked authorities, but among Shia youths, support for the struggle for self-determination had been growing for some time.
There is no doubt that the Kashmir struggle is dominated by the Muslim population, a majority of whom are Sunni. But Shia have always played some kind of role in Kashmir’s struggles. In the 1930s, Shia leaders stood next to Sunni leaders in the anti-monarchical struggle against the Dogra rulers.
In post-1947 political and militant assertions against Indian rule, Kashmiri Shias played a leading role, especially in 1950s and 1960s, because of which the community faced reprisal from the state. Socio-economic backwardness of many Shia areas is also attributed to that vengeance.
During the armed rebellion of the 1990s, there were exclusively Shia rebel groups like the Hizb-al-Momineen, and Shia youths also joined other, Sunni-dominated, rebel groups.
In recent decades, though, sectarian violence in neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan influenced Kashmiri Shia’s perception of the resistance movement. They continued to take part in Kashmir’s political life – there has always been a number of Shia both in pro-freedom groups and pro-India political parties – but their involvement in the armed rebellion was reduced to almost nil by the early 2000s.
In addition, some Shia religious leaders participated in the state elections amid boycott calls from the pro-freedom leadership. And high voter turnout in some Shia areas also led to the perception that Shia do not support “the cause”.
Of course, Shia were not the only community in Kashmir that has voted in elections. However, a degree of sectarian bias, mixed with tactful propaganda churned out by the state machinery, strengthened the perception that Shia do not support the Kashmiri resistance.
As with other colonial powers, historically they have gained from creating divisions across religious, sectarian, and ethnic fault lines within Kashmir – the Sunni-Shia divide being one of them. That is why the administration is scared of Shia’s growing support for the resistance, and has responded so brutally to the young Shia expressing pro-freedom slogans during Muharram processions.
There are many reasons why Shia are now becoming more and more visible within the Kashmiri self-determination and freedom struggle. Social media exposed Shia youths in Kashmir to a wide variety of views and narratives on the situation in their homeland and increasing state repression accelerated their politicisation.
Last year, for example, India removed Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and fully annexed the disputed region. It split the region into two union territories, and brought both sections directly under New Delhi’s control. The move outraged the majority of Kashmiris, including the Shia.
Even in the Ladakh region, where the Shia community – like the Sunni community – remained distant to the pro-freedom movement for years, the removal of the region’s semi-autonomous status led to rapid politicisation. People living in the Shia-majority Kargil district of Ladakh, for example, openly voiced their rejection of the abrogation of the special status and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.
For years, the attacks by violent Sunni groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Shia communities, coupled with the efforts to brew sectarian divisions in Kashmir, limited Kashmiri Shia’s participation in the pro-freedom movement. This gave weight to the Administration’s claims that Shia do not support the political struggle in Kashmir.
However, in the face of increasing state repression and violence, young Shia have now decided to articulate their own narrative and negotiate their own space in the landscape of the Kashmiri struggle. Muharram processions, which by their nature underline the importance of values like justice, honour and resistance, are a potent media in their hands.
As India’s right-wing, Hindu nationalist government continues with its efforts to change the demographics of the Muslim-majority region, Shia voices for freedom are now rising. For decades, the Indian administration was not bothered by the Kashmiri Shia’s mourning wails during Muharram. But with state-crafted narratives that long framed Shia as overwhelmingly pro-India and anti-freedom falling apart, and divisions within Kashmir’s Muslim communities being bridged, the state is now scared of the new, bold Shia voices calling for justice and freedom.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Kashmir Today and Kashmir Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
With inputs from Al Jazeera
Raashid Maqbool
Raashid Maqbool is a journalist and media trainer based in Srinagar, Kashmir. He is working on doctoral thesis on growth of press in Kashmir post-1990. He has been on the editorial board of four Srinagar based vernacular publications.
In a scathing attack on Pakistan, India has said that if there is an “unfinished agenda” at the UN, it is that of tackling the scourge of terrorism and the country, a globally-recognised epicenter of the menace, which harbours and trains terrorists and hails them as martyrs.
Exercising India’s right to reply on Monday, First Secretary in the country’s
Permanent Mission to the UN Vidisha Maitra said: “Pakistan is a country which is globally recognised as the epicenter of terrorism, which by its own admission harbours and trains terrorists, and hails them as martyrs and consistently persecutes its ethnic and religious minorities”.
She was referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks in the country’s Parliament where he had termed former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as a “martyr”.
“We reject the malicious reference made to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. If there is an item that is unfinished on the agenda of the UN, it is that of tackling the scourge of terrorism,” Maitra said.
As the UN member states marked 75 years of the United Nations in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during his address to the high-level meeting on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the world organisation.
Qureshi said Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine were the UN’s “most glaring and long-standing disputes” and the people of Jammu and Kashmir still await the fulfillment of the commitment made to them by the UN to grant them their “right to self-determination.”
With Pakistan yet again raising the Kashmir issue at a UN platform, Maitra said India had hoped that during this solemn commemoration of a shared global milestone, the General Assembly would be “spared another repetition of the baseless falsehoods that have now become a trademark of Pakistan’s interventions on such platforms”.
“However, for a nation that is bereft of milestones, one can only expect a stonewalled and stymied approach to reason, diplomacy and dialogue.
“What we heard today is the never-ending fabricated narrative presented by the Pakistani representative about the internal affairs of India,” she said.
Strongly rejecting the reference made to Jammu and Kashmir, Maitra said Pakistan “will do well to turn its attention inwards to immediately addressing these pressing concerns instead of diverting attention from them by misusing the UN platforms.”
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A militant was killed in an overnight encounter with the security forces in the Charar-e-Sharif area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, the police said. The identity and the affiliation of the deceased militant is yet to be ascertained.
The operation, which began on Monday evening, is still underway, the police said.
The gunfight ensued after a joint team of the Central Reserve Police Force, police and army launched a search and cordon operation on Monday, Greater Kashmir reported.
After the team neared the hiding spot of the suspected militants, they fired upon them. The security forces retaliated, leading to the gunfight.
The security forces maintained a tight vigil around the area in the night and the gunfight resumed in the morning, an official said, according to PTI. A CRPF personnel was injured during Monday’s firing and was taken to an army hospital.
On Thursday, three suspected militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar’s Batmaloo area. A civilian was also killed in the crossfire and a CRPF personnel had sustained injuries, the armed forces said in a statement.
On August 29, security forces had killed another three suspected militants in a gunfight in Zadoora area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmir Zone Police said. The police added that incriminating materials such as arms and ammunition were found on the suspected militants.
Four suspected militants were killed in Shopian on August 28 following a gunfight. A fifth suspected militant had surrendered to the security forces.
On August 17, two Central Reserve Police Force soldiers and a special police officer were killed in a gunfight with suspected militants in Baramulla district. The two CRPF jawans were initially injured in the gunfight but succumbed to their injuries after they were taken to a nearby hospital.
With inputs from Scroll.in
(Except for the headlines, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is vying for the leadership of Islamic nations, brought up the Kashmir yet again at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
During his address, he said, “the Kashmir conflict which is also key to the stability and peace of South Asia is still a burning issue.”
“We are in favour of solving this issue through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations resolutions, especially in line with the expectations of the people of Kashmir,” he added.
The prime Security Council directive on Kashmir, Resolution 47, called for Pakistan to remove its troops and personnel from the region as the first step and a pre-condition for a referendum.
Islamabad has rejected it and continued its occupation allowing for India to settle the matter through elections in Kashmir.
Erdogan avoided naming India directly, while he had named countries in many of the conflicts from Azerbaijan to Armenia that he spoke about.
At last year’s high-level meeting of the General Assembly, only Erdogan and Mahatir Mohammed, the then-Prime Minister of Malaysia, joined Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to talk about Kashmir.
While he condemned terrorism in other parts of the world, Erdogan was silent on the terrorism directed against India.
In his attempt to challenge the Saudi leadership of the Islamic nations, he criticised attempts to bring about reconciliation with Israel, but did not directly mention the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which recently set up diplomatic resolution with Israel, with the apparent approval of Riyadh.
“Participation of some countries of the region in this game does not mean anything beyond serving Israel`s efforts to erode basic international parameters,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan also called for “sincere” dialogue to settle the growing row with Greece over Ankara’s energy search in the eastern Mediterranean, rejecting “harassment”.
NATO members Turkey and Greece have been at odds over rights to potential hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean and the extent of their continental shelves.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres kicked off the six-day General Debate.
Despite this year’s United Nations General Assembly General Debate being a mostly virtual event, there was a heavy presence of New York City Police officers in front of the UN building.
The annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations, started on Tuesday with no presidents or prime ministers physically present in New York, because of the world-wide coronavirus pandemic. All statements have been pre-recorded and will be broadcast in the General Assembly hall.
The United Nations was created when countries came together after World War II to prevent conflict.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
M: 3.6
Date: 22/09/2020
Time: 21:40:29 IST
Lat: 34.15N
Long: 74.70 E
Depth: 5 Km
Region: Srinagar, J&K
This service is an effort from National Center for Seismology (NCS), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India.
For more information on event, please visit www.seismo.gov.in
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Introducing the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said it was a demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the language they speak should be the official language.
The minister pointed out that 53.26 per cent of the population of Jammu and Kashmir speaks Kashmiri language.
Reddy said 26.64 per cent of the population of the UT speaks Dogri while Urdu, which is currently its official language, is spoken only by 0.16 per cent population there. Still for the last 70 years, Urdu continues to be the official language of Jammu and Kashmir, he said, adding that 2.36 per cent population in the UT speaks Hindi.
Opposing the bill, Hasnain Masoodi (National Conference) said the central government does not have the legislative competence to frame a bill in this regard.
He said it is not a fact that only 0.16 per cent population of the UT speaks Urdu which is a link language between Jammu region and Kashmir.
Masoodi said if only 0.16 per cent people in the UT speak Urdu, then why would the government include it as an official language.
No other state has five official languages, he said.
Intervening in the discussion, Union minister Jitendra Singh said he wondered why the NC was opposing the inclusion of Kashmiri as an official language. He alleged that the NC has done politics in the name of “Kashmiriyat” and still it was opposing the bill.
The bill was later passed by a voice vote.
Sikh and Gujjar communities have protested the exclusion of Punjabi and Gojri languages from the bill. (PTI)
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu: An arms consignment believed to have been dropped by a drone from Pakistan-based terrorists was seized in Akhnoor sector here in the early hours of Tuesday, a senior police officer said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Jammu) Shridhar Patil said two packets containing two AK assault rifles, three magazines with 90 rounds and a pistol with two magazines and 14 rounds were seized in a joint operation by police and special forces of the Army from Sohal Khad, located at an aerial distance of 13 km from the border.
“We have successfully scuttled the attempt to send weapons to the terrorists active in Jammu and Kashmir… Dropping weapons from drones is a new technique being used by terrorist organizations,” he told reporters here.
He said investigation is on to identify the terrorist group which is behind the dropping of the weapons.
“A case has been registered in connection with the recovery of the weapons and further investigation is on,” Patil said.
He said security agencies are aware of the threat posed by the use of drones to drop weapons in India from across the border and “we are tackling it by the use of technology and human intelligence. Human intelligence played a key role in today’s recovery”.
The arms and ammunition were packed in blue thermacol with wooden fittings, wrapped by adhesive tape, the officer said, adding that two rolls of parachute thread about 300 metre in length was also seized.
The SSP said a joint operation was launched after credible information was received about a planned attempt by anti-national elements to smuggle arms into India.
“The search operation was started at various places in Jammu, including Sohal Khad, Shamshan Ghat, Punnu Chowk, Sohal Market in Akhnoor sector. While recovering a packet containing arms, the sound of a drone was heard but it was not visible due to darkness,” he said.
Patil said continuous search led to the recovery of another packet of arms and ammunition. (PTI)
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)