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SRINAGAR: Union minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the Centre will not compromise on the safety and security of the Kashmiri youth.

In an interview with Aaj Tak Rajnath said “Kashmir aur Kashmiri hamare the, hai aur rahenge (Kashmir and Kashmiris have and will remain ours). I can assure that the country will not compromise on the safety of the Kashmiri youth”.

The remarks came around a week after at least 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing carried out Jaish-e-Mohammed.

On reports of harassment and assault on Kashmiri youth across the country, Rajanth Singh said boycott of Kashmir and Kashmiris is not justified.

“The only assurance I can give to the nation right now is that that under PM Modi’s rule, we will not break your trust,” the Union home minister said.

Rajnath added that soon after the attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, he asked the security agencies to protect Kashmiri youth all over the country.

The Union minister said steps taken by the government till now after the Pulwama attack are just a start. “Will not let India bow down its head,” he added. (PTK)

Repeal article 370 and 35-A, Which makes Kashmir a theocratic state : Ankur Sharma

Jammu, February 22: IkkJutt Jammu a rightwing organisation on Friday asked Government of India to order ‘surgical strikes’ in J&K and to immediately scrap Article 370 and Article 35A of constitution of India. According to a statement issued to KNO they said that that ‘immediate surgical strike should be done against the support structures of Jihad in Jammu and Kashmir’.

Ankur Sharma, Chairman IkkJutt Jammu said that this operation should be immediately started by repealing Article 370 and Article 35-A, which have been used by the Pakistani flanks to convert the State into a Islamic State.

“If the Govt of India means business, it has to dismantle all those instruments which they are using to divide India for the Fifth time on communal basis, this is not acceptable,” said Ankur Sharma.
Ankur Sharma said that Jihad in J&K state is conducted through its flanks within the state.

“The two regional Muslim parties namely National Conference and PDP have acted as its front line flanks in recent times. The Press Conference of Omar Abdullah seeking to claim Jammu and Kashmir as a special preserve of the Muslims of the state was a brazen communal rant,” Sharma was quoted in the statement.
He said that Omar Abdullah claimed J&K as a sole preserve of Muslims because it is a Muslim majority area and ‘threatened to rationalize Two-Nation Theory as a legitimate claim.’

“IkkJutt Jammu wants to say it clearly that J&K is not a Muslim property. It belongs to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and other minorities as it belongs to any Muslim.’
Ankur Sharma said, “No body should have a doubt that the rationale of the special status of J&K was brazenly communal aimed at creating a Theocratic State. The special status of J&K is based upon the same rationale on which Pakistan was created i.e. a claim to a territory and political dispensation based upon Muslim majority character where Muslim hegemony will be the order.”

“J&K has been converted into a Pakistan (Religious Theocracy) on the territory of India first by National Conference in alliance with the Congress, left and the socialists and subsequently pushed towards becoming an Islamist State by both NC and PDP,” Sharma said, adding that Article 370, 35-A, faulty and ‘fraudulent Delimitation, denial of Minority Rights to Non-Muslims and so many other legislative and administrative measures have converted J&K into a theocratic non democratic Muslim State’.

“This Muslim state needs to be dismantled as a first requirement to defeat the nefarious designs of Pakistan and this is possible only by throwing out Article 35A and 370 lock stock and barrel,” he said.(KNO)

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief and one of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) trio, Muhammad Yasin Malik, on Thursday challenged the government to show a single instance when he either asked for government security or was provided it by the government.
“I will quit resistance politics for life if government can prove it,” he told reporters at a press conference here.
Malik issued his challenge after his name figured in the list of resistance leaders whose security cover had been removed on the directions of Indian Home Minister Rajanath Singh in response to the Pulwama fidayeen attack. Nearly 50 CRPF troops were killed in the attack which was the deadliest in terms of casualties in the 30-year-old armed insurgency in Kashmir.
Yasin said that in fact, the government itself had offered him security at least four times since he gave up armed struggle in the mid-1990s. He said he gave the government in writing that he did not require any security, and will himself be responsible for its consequence.
“I was offered security for the first time in 1996. I refused. Then I was offered it again when the uncle of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was killed by unidentified gunmen. The third time was when the religious scholar Molana Showat was killed. The fourth time was when Fazlul Haq Qurashi was attacked,” he said.
“I refused each time. I would never ask for nor agree to having government security. In fact, one top police officer even told me that security has been provided to me by the government, without my asking. I refused to have it. I was asked to give in writing that I will be responsible for my self. I did that, too. Yet the government claims to have removed my security,” Yasin said.
The government had also included the name of Syed Ali Geelani in its list, but he, too, was never provided any security any by government. Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has also said that the government provided him security despite his refusal, after his father was assassinated.

Srinagar: After 8-hours long siege, a gunfight broke out in Warpora area of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Thursday.

Reports reaching GNS that army’s 22 RR, CRPF and SOG cordoned off Warpora area at around 2:35 pm today.

A police officer also confirmed that the joint team of forces laid a siege in the area following specific information about the presence of some militants.

As such the forces intensified the searches and fired some warning shots towards the suspected spot, the militants, believed to be two in number, opened fire, triggering off a firefight, he said.

When reports last came in the intermittent exchange of firing was going on.

In wake of the gunfight, the authorities have suspended internet services in Sopore and its adjoining areas.

Meanwhile, authorities have also ordered imposition of restrictions in Sopore.

“In view of the apprehension of law and order problem, restrictions under sec 144 CRPC are hereby imposed on the gathering of more than 4 persons in entire Sub-division Sopore with effect from evening 21-02- 2019 till further orders,” reads an order issued by the Additional District Magistrate Sopore. (GNS)

Sopore, February 21: Gunfight broke out between forces and militants in Warpora village of Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district and authorities have imposed Section 144 in the area to thwart protests.

Sources told KNO that an encounter broke out between forces and militants in Warpora village of Sopore after forces launched search operation jointly following the inputs about the presence of militants. To thwart protests that usually erupt at gunfight sites between people and forces authorities imposed section 144 in the area.

“In view of the apprehension of law and order problem, restrictions under sec 144 CRPC are hereby imposed on the gathering of more than 4 persons in entire Sub-division Sopore with effect from evening 21-02-2019 till further orders,” officials said.

Earlier a team of Army’s 22 RR, Special Operations Group of Police (SOG) and CRPF jointly conducted searches in Warpora area of Sopore following the inputs about the presence of militants there. However, sources said that two to three militants of Lashkar are believed to be trapped in the village.

The exchange of fire was going when the report was last filed. Meanwhile, mobile internet services have been suspended in Sopore. (KNO)

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today opposed the demand for abrogating Article 370.

We can never think in terms of abrogating Article 370. Our party’s stand has been clear on this issue. There has been a attack and whatever action is required to punish those guilty besides preventing such incidents in future should be taken, Kumar, News 18 reported.

But this does not mean that Jammu and Kashmir should be deprived of a provision that has been in place, he added.

SRINAGAR, FEB 21: Days after the Pulwama attack which claimed lives of 44 CRPF men, intelligence agencies have alerted security forces about fresh intercepts on Jaish-e-Mohammed planning more such ‘fidayeen’ attacks.

According to Zee News, specific inputs have warned that an IED blast, similar to one carried out in Pulwama on February 14, is being planned in areas of routes of Chowkibal and Tangdhar convoys in coming two days.

According to intel inputs, the Jaish-e-Mohammed is planning the next attack on security forces by a green-colour Scorpio car.

Sources further revealed that guns, grenades and RDX is being brought into Indian territory from across the border to carry out the attack.

The intercepts picked up by the agencies also revealed that JeM is to release the video of the preparations of the Pulwama suicide bombing preparations.

The intelligence inputs received on Hizb-ul-Mujahideen suggest a surge in infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) by its .

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen have been receiving big support from local Kashmiri youths, the agencies warned.

Intelligence sources claimed that at least 5 to 6 trained ‘fidayeen’ are ready to infiltrate into the Indian side and presently stationed at terror launch pads along the LoC near Gurez sector and waiting for an opportune time.

Top intelligence sources said on Wednesday that women and children were recruited to transfer explosives used in the Pulwama attack from one point to another.

The explosives were carried from across the border over a period of few months and the actuating mechanism to trigger the explosives were created locally. Both the components were fitted in the bomb justs days before the attack.

On February 14, over 2000 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel travelling in a convoy of 78 vehicles on Jammu-Srinagar highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora (near Awantipora) in the Pulwama district. The attack resulted in the death of at least 44 CRPF men and injured many others.

JeM claimed responsibility for the attack and local militant Adil Ahmad Dar was identified as the suicide bomber.

The RDX used in the attack is reported to be of Military A5 grade category and was transported across the border in small quantities over a period of few months primarily by women and kids. These were accumulated in Pulwama for the February 14 attack.

RDX is a highly unstable compound and is often mixed with wax or soap to make it stable for easy handling, said sources in the Army. Military grade RDX is, however, mixed with high quality stearic or octadecanoic Acid. An A5 grade RDX denotes 98.5 to 99.5 percent purity and is reportedly very expensive. (PTK)

SRINAGAR, FEB 21: Bharatiya Janata Party, Jammu & Kashmir welcomes the decision of government in which the security cover was withdrawn from separatists. BJP also welcomes the decision of Union Cabinet in which the reservation to economically weaker sections and the reservation in promotion to SC/ST is extended to the state of J&K. Those who favour Pakistan need to be taught a lesson.

This was stated in a Press Conference addressed by BJP State President Ravinder Raina, accompanied by former Dy. CM Kavinder Gupta, BJP State General Secretary Yudhvir Sethi and State Chief Spokesperson Sunil Sethi, while he addressed media persons at party headquarter, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu.

Ravinder Raina, while addressing media persons, thanked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh & honourable Governor Satya Paul Malik for giving set back to anti-national forces by taking back the security cover from separatist leaders of Hurriyat Conference, who have always conspired to drain innocent blood in the streets of valley. Security cover of more than 150 leaders from various affiliations has been withdrawn for the obvious reason of fiddling with the security of the Nation. More than 1000 security personnel and more than 100 vehicles have been taken back. Security withdrawal is a step to nail anti-National elements, he said.

Very strict message has been given by Governor and Union Minister to the anti-National elements for supporting Pakistan by this move. BJP has always demanded to withdraw such privileges at the cost of National and state exchequer and this became absolute necessity after Pulwama attack. These people always conspired against nation and worked to halt development. They took away books handing guns to the innocent kids of valley. They all acted as agent of Pakistan and destroyed Kashmir, said Ravinder Raina.

We request government to give speedy trial on the cases pending against such persons. They are murderers, they tried to disturb the peace of the region. We thank Centre government, Union Minister and Governor for the move, added Raina.

Raina said that Pakistan has been given befitting rely by our brave security forces for its actions on the borders and Pakistan has suffered heavy losses due to the retaliatory action of our forces in the areas of Poonch.

Raina, targeted Congress, NC, PDP leaders for having soft corner for Pakistan and its sponsored militancy. He emphasized that these so called leaders have no time to visit Mohd. Ayub Pandit and others who also sacrificed their lives.

Raina, also said that now the civil society of Kashmir has also started to understand the reality that these leaders have no respect for the lives of common masses. The society of Kashmir is now supporting security forces and coming forward to join them in large numbers, he added.

Kavinder Gupta, in his address, thanked the Union Government and Governor Satya Paul Malik for extending the benefit of reservation to the economically weaker sections. He also appreciated the move of Union Cabinet in which the reservation benefits in promotions for SCs, ST has also been extended to the state of J&K. He said that going by the policy of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas”, BJP government has lightened up the life of every section by doing ground work on their expectations.

BJP State Additional Publicity Secretary Ajay Vaid and State Incharge Library Kulbhushan Mohtra were also present in the Press Conference. (PTK)