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  • We support United Nations resolutions on Kashmir: Saudi Foreign Minister in India

    Srinagar: Saudi Arabia has said that the country backs the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Kashmir and that India and Pakistan should hold talks to preserve the Kashmiri interests.

    Saudi Minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir in an interview with India Today TV said: “We have said there are UN resolutions with regard to Kashmir that Saudi Arabia supports.”

    He said that Saudi Arabia has encouraged the two countries sit at the negotiating table and resolve those issues amicably, in a way that preserves the interest of Kashmiri people, and, also the interests of India and Pakistan. “We believe where there is good will and honest dialogue a resolution to this issue can be achieved.”

    Asked that Pakistan was responsible for the “cross border terrorism,” Jubeir said that he was not sure who was responsible. “I am not aware of that,” he said.

    In view of the Pulwama attack which left 49 CRPF men did and triggered tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbors, Saudi Arabia said the situation between India and Pakistan should be de-escalated.

    Earlier during a high profile visit to Pakistan, the Saudi Arabia said that it will take all measure to held and de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan.

  • Govt extends winter vacation in schools til Mar 2, teachers to resume duties on Feb 25

    Srinagar, February 21: Government on Thursday extended the winter vacation in schools till March 2 and will open on March 5.

    According to officials at Directorate of School Education Kashmir they had urged secretary school education department that the prevailing weather conditions should be considered for the decision .

    Officials told KNO that DSEK has recommended that due prevailing weather conditions in Kashmir valley particularly latest snowfall in far flund areas the winter vacation may be extended upto March 2 and to order opening of schoosl on March 5 as Mar 3 and 4 are gazetted holiday.

    “Following DSEK recommendation Government has extended the winter vacation and opening of schools as well,” they confirmed to KNO.

    Earlier Governemnt had ordered winter vacation upto 8th standard to be observed till March 2.

    “For 9th standard and onwards the vacations were scheduled to end on February 23, 2019,” officials said.

    They told KNO that the teaching faculty will be reporting for duties on February 25.

    “Faculty will join duties in advance so as to supervise the arrangements for reopening of the schools,” they said.(KNO)

  • Attack on Kashmiris: Lal Chowk, adjacent areas to remain shut from Friday afternoon

    Srinagar, February 21: The Valley traders Thursday decided to observe complete shutdown in Lal Chowk and adjoining areas from Friday afternoon against the harassment of Kashmiris outside the Valley.

    They have also decided to carry out a protest rally from Ganta Ghar area of Lal Chowk at 04:00 pm on Friday in this regard.

    Kashmir Traders Manufacturing federation (KTMF) president, Muhammad Yasin Khan told KNO that in view of attacks on Kashmiri students, businessmen outside the Valley, the traders jointly have decided to observe a complete shutdown from Friday 03:30 pm and later organize a rally in solidarity to the Valleyities who were either attacked or harassed outside Kashmir.

    Pertinently, Kashmir remained shut on Sunday following the call given by Valley traders here against the attacks on Kashmiris.

    This will be the second protest strike against the attacks on Kashmiris outside the Valley. (KNO)

  • Bajrang Dal to Kashmiris: Return after raising India Flag in every home

    NEW DELHI, SRINAGAR : Following the 49 CRPF men were killed by a suicide bomber in Pulwama area of South Kashmir, Vikas Verma, a Bajrang Dal leader in Uttarakhand said that India that Kashmiri students had to leave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state.

    Verma, who is the right-wing organisation’s convener for Dehradun, Vikas Nagar and Purola, said that the Kashmiri students could return to Uttarakhand only after Kashmiris stopped throwing stones on the security personnel stationed in Kashmir, and the Indian flag was raised in every house in Kashmir Huffington Post reported.

    Verma also said that students could return to Uttarakhand after Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir State, was abrogated, and Indians could live, work and buy property in Kashmir.

    “Kashmiri students cannot come to Uttarakhand until the stone pelting in Kashmir stops. Kashmiri students cannot come here until there is an Indian flag raised in every house in Kashmir,” he said.

    The deadly attack on Indian soldiers stationed in Pulwama on 14 February has triggered a backlash against Kashmiri students in different cities of the country, but largely in BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttarakhand.

    Previously locals, led by a village sarpanch, demanded that Kashmiri students studying in the locality of Mullana in Ambala, Haryana, leave within 24 hours.

    Kashmiri students have been forced to leave hostels or rented rooms in Haryana and Uttarakhand. Almost a dozen have been either suspended or expelled from college for expressing “offensive” views on the Pulwama attack. At least five students — one in Bengaluru and four in Rajasthan — have been booked for sedition under the Indian Penal Code by the local police.

    While, on the one hand, Verma says the Bajrang Dal is targeting Kashmiris who allegedly raised “pro Pakistan” slogans and lauded the 19-year-old suicide bomber, Adil Ahmed Dar, on social media.

    On the other, the 41-year-old activist, who has studied till class 12 and has worked with the Bajrang Dal for the past five years, accused “all” Kashmiri students in Uttarakhand of engaging in some kind of “anti-India” activities.

    “Our campaign against them will continue,” he said. (PTK)

  • Jaish-e-Mohammed Planning more Pulwama-like ‘Fidayeen’ Attacks: Sources

    New Delhi: 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 sources, 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. (PTK)

  • People don’t want Kashmiris to be part of India: P Chidambaram

    SRINAGAR: senior Congress leader and Former home and finance minister of India P Chidambaram said that Some people want Kashmir to be part of India but don’t want Kashmiris to be part of Indians, said on Thursday and asserted that the “irony of the situation is depressing”.

    He said that the also took a dig at Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy’s statement that he favoured a call for the boycott of Kashmiri products and visiting the state as tourists.

    “The irony of the situation is depressing. We want Kashmir to be part of India, but we do not want Kashmiris to be part of Indians,” he said in a tweet. (PTK)

  • 4 Kashmiri girls booked under sedition gets clean chit, lauds Salman Nizami

    JAIPUR 21 Feb: Four Kashmiri origin girls who were booked last week have got the clean chit and have safely reached home today. An FIR was registered at Jaipur district’s Chandwaji police station based on a complaint lodged by authorities of the National Institute of Medical Sciences, a private university where the students are studying. The Rajasthan police on Sunday had booked four women paramedical students of Kashmiri origin under sedition charges for allegedly posting on social media pictures of their purported celebration of the Pulwama terror attack. The girls when contacted said “The complaint was wrongly filed, we had reacted to the crowd out side the gate raising slogans against Kashmiri’s but not over Pulwama attack. They said, the miscrants tried to enter the college premises raising slogans against us, In response to that they had shared a picture of Juice Glasses, to show we are not scared of these slogans & threats. There was no question of any anti-national post. The girls cooperated with the Police and cleared their stand. They also thanked Senior Congress Leader Salman Nizami for his timely intervention and help. Jaipur (Rural) Superintendent of Police Harendra Kumar said the FIR was registered under Sections 124-A (sedition) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. Senior officers after probing the matter found the content didn’t match the sedition charges. The girls were released. The police ensured their safety and security.

  • Chhattisgarh food vendor offers Rs 10 discount to customers shouting ‘Pakistan Murdabad’

    SRINAGAR: Restaurant owners and food vendors are offering discounts to customers shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, days after the Pulwama attack.

    A street vendor in Chhattisgarh has started offering a discount to those who chant ‘Pakistan Murdabad’. Anjal Singh, a food stall owner in Jagdalpur, offers Rs 10 discount on a chicken leg piece to any customer who shouts ‘Pakistan Murdabad’. He started this offer days after the Pulwama attack in which over 40 CRPF men were killed. (PTK)

  • Security cover from 18 leaders including Geelani, Malik, Shah Faesal withdrawn

    Is Ram Madhav ‘misinformed’ about security of Geelani, Malik?

    Jammu, February 20: Days after top BJP leader claimed that Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Geelani and JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik don’t enjoy security cover, the government on Wednesday evening said it has downgraded and withdrew security of 18 Hurriyat leaders including Geelani and Malik in the state.

    Earlier, Ram Madhav had tweeted that Geelani and Malik don’t enjoy security cover. “Several people asking about SAS Gilani and Yasin Malik may note that neither enjoys any security cover or other facility from d government. Gilani is under house arrest,” Madhav had tweeted.

    However, Government of Jammu & Kashmir in this evening informed to have downgraded and withdrew the security of 18 Hurriyat leaders in the state.

    According to the spokesperson of Home Department, it was felt that providing security to these separatist leaders is a wastage of scarce state resources which could be better utilised elsewhere.

    Among the leaders whose security has been downgraded and withdrawn are SAS Geelani, Aga Syed Mosvi, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, Yaseen Malik, Saleem Geelani, Shahid ul Islam, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Farooq Ahmed Kichloo, Masroor Abbas Ansari, Aga Syed Abul Hussain, Abdul Gani Shah and Mohd Musadiq Bhat.

    This is in addition the 4 persons whose security was withdrawn on Sunday, a statement issued by government to KNO reads.

    In addition, the security of 155 political persons and activists, who did not require the security provided to them based on their threat assessment and their activities, was also withdrawn. This includes Shah Faesal, who resigned from the IAS and Wahid Parray. Through this, over 1000 police personnel and over 100 vehicles are freed to do regular police work.(KNO)

  • Kolkata woman gets rape threats for on Kashmir

    SRINAGAR: A woman from Kolkata on Wednesday alleged that she received non-stop death and rape threats over her Facebook post that criticised the Narendra Modi-led government after the Pulwama attack. She claimed that most of the threats have come from the right wing and VHP/RSS activists India today reported.

    In her February 15 Facebook post, she had asked if those who are crying over the deaths of the Army men also feel the pain for ordinary Kashmiri citizens.

    “Do those who are weeping for the Army men feel a similar pain for ordinary Kashmiri citizens? Will they remain left out? Just because they are Kashmiris? Kashmiri shawls and Kashmiri corpse, both are in demand,” the woman’s Facebook post read.

    Speaking to India Today, the mother of a seven-year-old said that she was subjected to a barrage of hate messages on social media ever since she put up the post.

    “I have been getting non-stop rape threats. Mostly form right wing trolls and VHP/RSS activists online. They are circulating my images in various groups calling people to target me. They are stalking me, trying to search and hunt me down. I have filed an FIR against those profiles but police is yet to take any action. I am scared.” (PTK)