Srinagar, Feb 05: State Bank of India, country’s largest lender celebrated the talent of young superstars who are transforming society with their skills and expertise with ‘YONO SBI 20 Under Twenty’ awards.
16-years-old girl, Zaira Wasim-Film Actress who hail from the summer capital of the State, Srinagar emerged winner of this title.
The Kashmiri beauty made her acting debut with the biographical sports drama ‘Dangal’ where her acclaimed portrayal of an Indian sportswoman Geeta Phogat won her the National Film Award for the Best Supporting Actress.
Zaira also won the Filmfare Critics Award for the Best Actress for her role of a headstrong aspiring singer in the musical drama ‘Secret Superstar’.
According to KNS, she was honoured with National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement by Hon’ble President Ram Nath Kovind.
Currently, she is busy working on Shonali Bose’s film ‘The Sky is Pink’ alongside Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar. Before spellbinding her audiences on the silver screen, Zaira featured in 2 television commercials for Microsoft Lumia and Tata Sky.
The winners were chosen through public voting that counted to more than 1.7 lakh in 10 diverse categories such as sustainability, performing arts, acting, entrepreneurship or innovation, sports, global Indian, disability champion among others.
The nominations were shortlisted by an esteemed jury panel of 8 eminent personalities including bollywood actress Dia Mirza, Sports journalist and author Boria Majumdar, Sashi Sreedharan, MD, Microsoft India, Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO, NPCI, Mallika Dua, Social Media Influencer, among others.
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Kashmir’s young film actress, Zaira Wasim wins ‘YONO SBI 20 Under Twenty’ title
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World must respond to wake-up call by Kashmiris: Pak FM Qureshi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the situation in Kashmir is grave which warrants the world to take notice of the “worst kind of human rights violations” by the Indian forces, DawnNews reported on Monday.
Talking to the media after his arrival in London on Sunday, the foreign minister regretted the silence of the world on “unabated incidents of torture and aggression, indiscriminate use of pellet guns by the Indian forces and rape and killing spree of innocent Kashmiris”.
He said that during a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kashmir, there was a complete strike in Srinagar. The Kashmiris were expressing their resentment and had taken practical steps, he said, regretting the “oppressive” measures taken in the world’s highly militarised area in the wake of Modi’s visit.
“Whether such grave human rights violations were allowed in any civilised society of the world,” he wondered and urged India to realise the seriousness of the situation in the valley.
Qureshi, who arrived in London to attend events in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day, asked why India had clamped down on social and print media and disrupted the internet service. It was a kind of media gag, he said and asked the world media to highlight the situation in Kashmir.
He said that certain incidents often made headlines in the international media, but in Kashmir, “grave human rights violations were being committed by the Indian occupation forces on a daily basis”.
In reply to a question, the foreign minister said there was complete national consensus on the Kashmir issue in Pakistan. He said the conference in the UK would deliberate on the Kashmir situation where he would reiterate Pakistan’s stance.
Qureshi said the UK parliament and UN rights body had also released their reports on the “gross human rights violations” in “India-held” Kashmir.
—Agencies -
PM Modi Should Learn From Afghanistan: PDP
Shun muscular approach, initiate dialogue on Kashmir
SRINAGAR : Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday asked the Government of India to learn from the situation emerging in Afghanistan and initiate a comprehensive dialogue process over Kashmir without delay.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech he made in Srinagar on Sunday, PDP’s senior leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar cautioned the Prime Minister that muscular approach vis-a-vis Kashmir is bound to fail and yield any positive outcome.
Modi had stated that his government will continue to adopt tough approach in crushing the militancy in Valley.
However, according to Akhtar, such approach has never worked in Kashmir. “This has been repeated numerous times but nothing was achieved and nothing will be achieved because this is not the world where you can rely only on force,” Akhtar said, adding that even the top Army Generals have publicly cautioned against unifocal policy based on use of force.
“We have to learn from what is happening around the world including Afghanistan where there is a thrust on dialogue and Pakistan has been counted as a major partner. Dialogue is the only way forward and it is only through non-confrontational approach that we will be able to give our coming generations a safer and tranquil place to live. Making peace of graveyard prevalent and never worked and will never work,” Akhtar said.
Akhtar said that if the government of India continues with its iron-fist policy, the space for politics, diplomacy, and dialogue will get further squeezed and youngsters will continue to be forced into the destructive violence.
He said that on one side Prime Minister Modi is making tall claims of keeping the legacy of Atal Bihari Vajpayee alive and on the other hand is not even allowing a 22-year-old boy, who comes from the other side of LOC, to meet his ailing grandmother under valid permission. “Trade and travel across the LOC is the essence of what late Vajpayee and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had achieved. It is ironic that the boy was prevented from meeting his ailing grandmother on a day when Prime Minister Modi was sermonising us on Vajpayee’s legacy in Srinagar,” Akhtar said.
He added that the day coalition government in the state fell, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti had cautioned against the adoption of muscular approach for Kashmir. However, said Akhtar, it looks like that there is only muscular policy and no other policy that has been pressed into service for the state and especially for Kashmir.
“Kashmir is a political issue which needs a political solution. Announcing mega developmental projects has never and will never help us achieve any progress on ground vis-a-vis making peace state’s permanent feature,” said the PDP leader.
He added that the projects that were inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in Srinagar on Sunday too are questionable in nature as nothing has moved forward in the state during the past six months. “Contrary to what Mr Modi claimed, even the ongoing centrally funded projects in the state have been shut and while leaving the state in lurch on developmental front, the Prime Minister goes further in announcing the Kamar tod policy for Kashmir.
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NOBODY CAN BECOME MUSHTAQ CHAYA IN A DAY OR A MONTH
CHAIRMAN, MUSHTAQ GROUP OF HOTELS AND HEAD PHD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES, JK CHAPTER, MUSHTAQ CHAYA TALKS ABOUT PRESENT BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT SCENARIO IN KASHMIR IN A FREEWHEELING INTERVIEW WITH Kashmir Ink ( A Greater Kashmir Publication)
Q. WHAT IS THE CURRENT BUSINESS SCENARIO IN KASHMIR?
A. To be frank, it is depressing. In fact, the businessmen are passing through difficult times. On the one hand we see civilian killings followed by protests in Kashmir, on the other the economy is witnessing downslide. Unfortunately Kashmir since 2014 has faced too many difficult phases which have left negative impact on the business outlook. You cannot take situation in Kashmir out of the equation and then talk about business. You must have peace. I believe those framing policies in the state or at the central level, should treat Kashmir differently while drafting policies for entrepreneurs or for that matter business community. I will give you an example, it is a banking norm across the country that if any borrower doesn’t pay his/her three scheduled EMIs on time, he/she is classified as non-performing asset. Now come back to Kashmir scenario and you have 2016 strife, where even business establishments could not be opened for six straight months, these things add up to the worries of the business community.
Q. HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE OF BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN RESTORING THE PEACE IN THE VALLEY?
A. At best we can act as facilitators of peace between different confronting parties, but we have a responsibility of being a pressure group to ensure that civilian killings are stopped. When there are innocent killings, business and economy take a back seat.
Q. DO YOU THEN BELIEVE THAT TILL KASHMIR ISSUE IS RESOLVED, BUSINESS CANNOT REALLY FLOURISH IN THE VALLEY?
A. No, that’s not my point. But since 2014 the situation has worsened as the policy of the central government towards Kashmir has changed. In the name of flood package, we got peanuts as major portion of the funds were repackaged into developmental projects that had already been announced by the previous governments. Since 2014, the tourism sector became a victim of well-thought out conspiracy.
Q. CAN YOU THROW SOME LIGHT ON WHAT KIND OF CONSPIRACY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT?
A. It is an open secret, how some sections of national media beam out negative propaganda about the Kashmir which in reality is far from truth. They present a skirmish in the border area in such a way as if it has happened in the heart of Srinagar city. This type of reportage shoos away the intending tourists. We have also witnessed during our promotional campaigns that how worried the intending visitors are, not because of the situation but because of what is being dished out by these venom spewing channels. That is a concern which has remained unaddressed despite being taken up with even the union home minister as well as the former chief ministers of the state. We are suffering a lot by this.
Q. IS ONLY NEGATIVE PUBLICITY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DOWNFALL IN THE TOURIST SECTOR?
A. Negative propagation of Kashmir destination is a major cause for low tourist footfall. According to government figures, only 8.5 lakh tourists visited Kashmir which is a cause of concern. Majority of our hotels have less than 30 percent occupancy which means loss for them. If a hotel is having less occupancy, the owner is forced to go for austerity measures which mean job cuts thus people loss jobs. Secondly, the extension of the GST added to the woes of the hospitality sector. We begged before then government not to extend the GST to Jammu and Kashmir as we are passing through difficult times. They assured at that time that it would be beneficial but result is before everybody that how things have gone from bad to worse when it comes business in Kashmir after implementation of GST.
Q. THE NUMBER OF FOREIGNERS VISITING KASHMIR HAS BEEN ON DECLINE FOR A DECADE NOW. DO YOU FEEL WE HAVE THE REQUIRED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WELCOMING THE HIGH END TOURISTS?
A. Definitely yes, we have good properties in place. But the point is that the tourists should visit. The main problem is that most of the foreign countries have issued adverse travel advisories on Kashmir. The state government should take up this issue with the external affairs ministry so that the foreign countries are persuaded to withdraw these advisories.
Q. AMIDST DEPRESSING BUSINESS SCENARIO, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE WAY OUT?
A. The government should walk the talk, and work for the development which includes bring back peace to the Valley. Besides, policies must be drafted to promote import substitution. Currently if we go with J&K Bank report it mentions that annually we import goods worth Rs 40,000 crore, which is a huge thing for a small state like Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, special emphasis must be given to all segments of trade particularly the horticulture and the tourism as they bring foreign exchange to the state.
Q. ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS ?
A. Anybody who wants to become an entrepreneur, he/she must be prepared for hard work. Nobody can become Mushtaq Chaya in a day or a month, it takes decades. I am here because of my continuous hard work of over three decades. So be patient and work hard, InshaAllah you will achieve success.
This Interview First Appeared On Kashmir Ink ( A Greater Kashmir Publication, one of the largest circulated regional dailies)
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Joined politics to represent those laying sacrifices for Kashmir cause : Shah Faesal
Kupwara, February 04: The record maker IAS topper, Shah Faisal on Monday said that one of the reasons behind joining politics is to represent those who lay down their lives for Kashmir cause.
In his maiden public meeting in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district today, Faisal said that Kashmiris are ‘putting sacrifices for Kashmir cause and they need to be represented’.
According to KNO correspondent, Faisal was received amid sloganeering in the area. “There are people who are being martyred including PhD scholars and people of the Kashmir are giving all the sacrifices for it. There is none to represent them,” he told a mammoth gathering that assembled to hear to him.
Faisal while castigating the government said that people at the helm of affairs enjoy their perks while people in general suffer in their cozy rooms. “I have experience of being an officer, people suffer due to lackadaisical approach of people in power,” he said, while adding that corruption and loot has eaten the system from inside.
He told the gathering that he has headed power development corporation and resources of valley are being exploited that needs to be stopped.
“I know in this I will be facing many hardships and I may fail in polls but I will endure all the problems for the people,” he said, while claiming that he had left valley for America after being disappointed at the pathetic state of affairs in the state but his ‘conscience brought him back’.
Faisal said that people that will join him will work for the betterment of people selflessly. “My politics will be that to Imran Khan and Arvind kejriwal,” he said.
Faisal on Monday held a maiden public meeting in TRC ground Kupwara his home district. “ I was not expecting such a great crowd but this has shown like in other ways that people have supported me,” he said, claiming that while in services he was like in ‘cage’ and could not speak for people.(KNO)
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BJP can make movies to lure voters, but it can’t befool people of Kashmir: JRL
SRINAGAR, FEB 04: Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik Said that the threatening speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kashmiri’s struggling for achievement of right to self-determination is a reflection of extreme arrogance of power and electoral opportunism. JRL said that the Indian state is immorally and illegal holding on to Jammu and Kashmir without ascertaining the will of its people by blocking the holding of UN backed referendum.
It is ruling the state by sheer military might resulting in extreme repression and human rights abuses. Instead of addressing the globally acknowledged dispute lingering for the past 71 years and working towards its resolution in a democratic manner which it claims to be a champion of , the head of this huge country stoops to threats and warnings on the back of its huge military apparatus spread across the length and breadth of J&K. JRL said the young and educated boys killed each day by this vast web of military might with vengeance are not some hard core members of terrorist cartels but young idealists driven by passion for freedom and resistance to oppression, paying the price of the non-resolution of an essentially human and political dispute being dealt militarily by GOI. JRL said that while there are 8 lakh Indian forces manning this land and as per GOI own admission only 300 armed youth are fighting them most of who are untrained and novices driven only by passion. what’s there to boast in this most disproportionate equation.
JRL said for the last 30 years in particular people of J&K at all levels and fronts are bearing the brunt of being under arbitrary and forcible control more than two lakh Kashmiri’s have been killed and all forms of torture and harassment resulting in severe human right violations borne. Yet the nation is unrelenting and unwavering on its goal to self- determination. it is no small feat that a small nation like ours is giving such a tough fight to a mighty and resourceful adversary. JRL said it must be reminding the Indian state of its own freedom struggle against the might British empire on whom the “sun never set. “ But one day the sun did set on them as in a fight between might and truth , truth always prevails. The Leadership said that no nation can be enslaved for a long period by banking on military might as the recent example was well before the world as to how the US was forced to acknowledge the facts and ground realities in Afghanistan and today is talking about engagement and looking beyond military options.
JRL said the exemplary strike and unconcerned population on Indian PM”s visit should serve as eye opener for Indian rulers. They said that in India people throng in large numbers to greet their political leaders, shower petals and express their happiness and jubilation, but the response from the population in this forcibly occupied land is enough to convey a clear and loud message.
The Leadership said that the slogan raised by the Indian PM –Insaniyat, Jhamooriyat aur Kasmiriyat was nothing but a farce to befool the world community as the reality is that oppression touched new heights in Kashmir. Reacting to the Indian PM’s claims of giving electricity to every household, the JRL said that Kashmiri people have never gone with a begging bowl before New Delhi over electricity as the reality is that some vested interests and greedy politicians who sold their conscience handed over the state’s power resources to New Delhi and deprived the people of Kashmir from their own power resources. The JRL said that they want return of all the power projects being handed over to the Indian executing agencies.
The JRL said that Kashmiri Pandits were the part and parcel of Kashmir’s age-old culture and ethos and they have always been urging them to return to their homes in a dignified manner but separate colonies and transit camps were highly objectionable and not acceptable.
The Leadership also said that by blowing the trumpet of surgical strikes everytime BJP can make movies to lure voters, but it can’t befool people of Kashmir who are engaged a sacred and genuine struggle that has priceless sacrifices at its back and that the movement to achieve the final goal will be further intensified.
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‘191 Local Youth Joined Militancy In 2018’
JAMMU — As many as 191 local youth joined various militant outfits in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018, 65 more than 2017, a senor Army official said Monday.
The new recruits mostly hailed from the restive south Kashmir region, he added.
“As many as 191 Kashmiri youths joined militancy in 2018,” the official told PTI.
In 2017, 126 locals had joined militant ranks, he said.
South Kashmir districts — Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag — have become a breeding ground for militants with many youths joining their rank and file, the officer said.
Outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e- Taiba find more recruits, he said.
The official said out of the 191 recruits in 2018, 139 alone hailed from south Kashmir. The highest — 59 — was from Pulwama, he added.
In 2016, the official said, 88 Kashmiri youths had joined militancy.
Since 2016, there has been a constant rise in the number of youths joining militancy, he added.
As many as 66 youths joined militancy in Kashmir in 2015 and 53 in 2014.
In 2010, 54 youths had joined militancy, while in 2011 the number came down to 23. It further dipped to 21 in 2012 and 16 in 2013, the official said.
The data is based on technical and human intelligence, besides interrogation reports of militants arrested during various counter-insurgency operations in the valley, he added.
Although more youths were attracted towards militancy in 2018, state forces killed 257 militants this year.
As many as 257 militants were killed across Jammu and Kashmir in 2018, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh had said last month, asserting that counter-insurgency operations would continue in 2019 with major focus on strengthening border and hinterland security.
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Newborn burnt to death at GB Panth Hospital Srinagar by doctors
Newborn burnt to death at GB Panth Hospital Srinagar by doctors and paramedics who kept her very closeh to blower, the bereaved family said.
To hide the murder, hospital administration rushed body out without ambulance to her home in Kreeri.
Images Were Posted By Kashmir Based Journalist Majid Hyderi On His Facebook Timeline.
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How will we promote tourism when air fares are skyrocketing: Guv asks Modi
Srinagar: Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday in his day long visit to J&K, Governor Satya Pal Malik brought to notice the ‘nuisance of rising air fares’ during winters in Kashmir.
As per Kashmir News Service (KNS) correspondent, Governor Malik spoke to Prime Minister on ‘behalf of Kashmiri people’, saying that during snowfall the air prices rise to 28 thousand rupees which amounts to a back and forth flight to Dubai.
Highlighting the odd bearing of the rise in air tickets on J&K tourism Malik said, “jab athayees hazaar mai Dilli se yahan aana paday tou kesay tourism behtar hoga ,(How would tourism thrive here if we pay same amount from Delhi to Srinagar in which a person would fly to Dubai back and forth).”
Turned into a fortress, PM was to lay foundation stones of various projects at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. (KNS) -
Valley likely to receive snow from tomorrow
Srinagar: The Kashmir valley is likely to receive its ninth snow spell from Tuesday. The meteorological department has said the wet spell will last till Friday.
Sonam Lotus, director of the Srinagar Meteorological Centre, said the wet spell in the Kashmir valley was likely to begin on Tuesday. He said the spell of rain in the plains and snow on the higher reaches of Kashmir, Jammu and the hilly areas of the Ladakh region would continue from Tuesday to Friday.
Lotus said the precipitation would increase on Wednesday and Thursday. The official said there was a likelihood of “heavy rain and snow” in south Kashmir and the Ramban-Banihal stretch on Wednesday and Thursday. This winter has seen an extraordinarily high number of wet phases. The Valley witnessed its first snowfall in November last year, marking an early winter.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, 14 of the 22 districts — most of them in the Kashmir valley — have recorded excess and large excess precipitation in the past month. In the past month, the state has received 135.2 mm of rain and snow, which is 47 per cent higher than the average 92.2 mm.