Blog

Pulwama, December 29: Two Militants belonging to Jaish e Mohammad outfit have been killed in an encounter that raged between Militants and Government Forces in Bunpora of Hajin area in Rajpora belt of Pulwama in South Kashmir in wee hours of Saturday.

Officials told KNO that 44 Rashtriya Rifles, 182 and 183 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu Kashmir Police had launched a search operation in the area following an input about Militant presence in the area.

As soon as forces started conducting the Cordon and search operation, Militants hold up in the area fired towards the forces, triggering an encounter, he said.

In the ensuing gunfight two Militants have been killed, but the operation is still going on, Sources told KNO.

Meanwhile massive clashes have erupted near the encounter site between Government Forces and youth.

Meanwhile in wake of encounter authorities have suspended Internet services in Pulwama district.(KNO)

Flu cases in Kashmir surge as cold wave intensifies

Two influenza patients died at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, here on Friday, even as the number of patients testing positive for the viral respiratory infection which continues to spread with the cold wave sweeping Kashmir.
In the past 24 hours, two patients who had tested positive for influenza died at the SKIMS, hospital authorities said, adding that both the patients were on ventilator.

One of the patients was an elderly male who also had a co-morbidity, medical superintendent SKIMS, Dr Farooq A Jan said. The other patient who lost life was an 18 year old male who did not have any other co-existing illness. “He was brought to the hospital in a very sick condition,” Dr Jan said.
With these two deaths, the toll of influenza this season has reached four, hospital administration said.
According to the data maintained by SKIMS, 62 patients have tested positive at the Institute. Of these, 29 patients, who had serious symptoms, were admitted for treatment.
However, a source at the hospital said the actual number of patients who have tested positive since September 2018 is over 100. “The hospital data includes positives from only one laboratory. Data from other labs that also do testing for influenza is not included in the records,” he said.
At the various labs of Government Medical College Srinagar, 37 patients have tested positive since September this year, administration of the hospitals said.
Doctors across hospitals of Kashmir report an increasing trend in influenza cases with the temperatures dipping steeply.
Prof Parvaiz Ahmed Koul, influenza expert and head of department of internal and pulmonary medicine at SKIMS confirmed that the numbers were rising.
“There is absolutely an increase in cases as the weather turns cold,” he said. He however added that the activity was “not explosive” and was lesser as compared to the last year.
He said that lab tests had confirmed that the circulating strain of influenza this year was H3N2 and not H1N1. “H1N1 is also there, but H3N2 is being seen much more,” he said.
Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, head of department of Pulmonology at Government Medical College Srinagar said that although the number of patients with confirmed influenza infection had increased but no mortality had been seen. “We are seeing and testing patients at the GMC Srinagar as well as the Chest Diseases Hospital, but we have not recorded any mortality this year,” he said.
Prof Koul said the data from the influenza surveillance laboratory had shown that the vaccine was an exact match to the influenza strains circulating currently.
He said that influenza activity in Kashmir was similar to USA. “Flu-wise, we follow the same pattern as USA and as in the States, we have a high activity currently,” he said.

‘Kashmiris are Indians but they don’t think like that’

New Delhi: Peoples Conference (PC) Chairman Sajad Lone here Thursday said though there was a talk about dialogue, it seemed that there was no desire for dialogue.
“We talk about dialogue but we don’t want dialogue,” he said at an event ‘Kashmir: The Way Forward’ organised by a Delhi-based think-tank the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
“Once there are arrangements for a dialogue, then it should be decided to whom to talk but to say prior to a dialogue process to who you want to talk is not justified,” Lone said.
The PC Chairman said, “Kashmiris are Indians but they don’t think like that.”
About the chances of his party in the forthcoming legislative assembly elections in the State, Lone said he was fighting against “the Uncle” and “the Auntie”, making a reference toward the two former chief ministers of the State – National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti.
“NC and PDP can do anything to remain in power,” he said.
Talking about his experience as a minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government in the State, the PC Chairman said, “There was no ideological conflict in the cabinet.”
However, he said he cannot forget the humiliation he faced as a minster when, despite his repeated requests, the funds he was asking for were not released.
Lone said during the 2016 uprising, the State cabinet was taking decisions unlike in the 2010 uprising when the Union Home Secretary was taking the decision of imposing the curfew or lifting curfew.
On his switch from separatist politics to mainstream politics, he said, “I think that there is no place for a separatist in the mainstream politics and what I am going through no one can understand.”
The PC Chairman said he was not a dynastic politician and did not even poach on any MLA from any other party and that they had come to him and requested him to form the government.
He also raised a question mark on the New Delhi’s role of conduction elections in the State saying that he had been witness to how elections during 1980s were rigged in Kashmir.
Senior journalist Barkha Dutt, who also spoke at the event, said looking at the present plight of “hyper-nationalist journalists”, she was ashamed of being a journalist.
“There is no centrist journalism in India on Kashmir,” Dutt said. “The news hour debate has damaged the situation in the Valley.”
She said people in Kashmir were losing the fear of death.
Former Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Siddiq Wahid said the need of the hour was “free and fair politics” and not “free and fair elections”.
“Are we joking when we say Government of India doesn’t have a policy on Kashmir, and does it mean death and destruction,” he said.

Srinagar: National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah Friday questioned in the Lok Sabha the Jammu and Kashmir Governor’s decision to dissolve the state assembly.
Voicing concern over the situation in the Kashmir Valley, he also advocated talks with Pakistan for restoration of peace.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister made these remarks while participating in the debate on the statutory resolution for proclamation of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the proposed NC-PDP-Cong alliance to form government in the state, he said, “The fax machine of the J&K governor was not working, his phone was not working and I would like to say that Governor’s House is not the place to prove majority but the assembly is. Governor didn’t wait and dissolved it.”
Expressing anguish over the situation in the Jammu and Kashmir, he said the state is going through great “turmoil” and the turmoil does not seem to end.
“The solution to the problems of the state is not through the police and the Army. The unfortunate killing of civilians needs to be stopped, it further worsens the situation. Something has to be done immediately,” he said.
Abdullah, who represents Srinagar constituency in the lower house of Parliament, said J&K was going through a lot of turmoil.
“The only way to resolve it (Kashmir turmoil) is not by using military and force. The Home Minister went and met different stakeholders but he did not meet the Hurriyat members. He should have met with and listened to their view point because no solution can be formed unless you talk to the people,” he said.
Advocating talks with Pakistan, Abdullah reminded the ruling BJP of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks that “we can change our friends but not our neighbours”.
“For peace…we have to find some way of talking to the neighbouring country (Pakistan),” he said.
“For the sake of India, Kashmir needs to be given priority. The state has been suffering a lot. It can suffer more. I urge all of you here to please help us get the state back to normal,” he said. (With inputs from PTI)

Department appeals people yet again not to go for overload especially in peak hours from 06-10 pm

Srinagar: Over frequent power curtailment in the Valley, Power Development Department (PDD) Chief Engineer, Hashmat Qazi blamed people for resorting to overload during winters, saying the department is currently facing power deficit of 900 Megawatt (MW) in Kashmir.

Qazi said that the department is currently facing power deficit of 900 MWT due to which the curtailment program has been started. “In metered areas, there is six hours curtailment and in non-metered, there is nine hours curtailment,” he said.

“We don’t call it power crisis as we are supplying 1300 MWT power instead of 1050 MWT,” he added, saying that people resort to overload by using electric gadgets, which result in tripping of grids, therefore cause sufferings to people of City for a day or half.

He added that the department appeals people yet again not to go for overload especially in peak hours from 06-10 pm so that the department can cater the load easily.

“Action is being taken against those who violate the norms but I want people to become responsible regarding the usage of electricity,” he added.

Qazi further informed that the Alasteng grid is being established from past some years and this year work was apace and is about to complete.

“I believe the work on the grid will be completed in a week following which line process will be done in 10-15 days. Once the grid will start functioning by the end of January 2019, I believe the people will heave a sigh of relief,” he added.

Srinagar: Expressing serious concern over the power crises in the Valley, the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) Chairman Haji Muhammad Yasin Khan has said that “through these deliberate conspiracies the government is systemically ensuring that business community in Kashmir is unable to revive business activities and life in the Valley has been further deteriorated trough “poorest every power supply”.
“As if the government is resorting to some revengeful tactics that Kashmir is witnessing worst ever power supplies this winter. The electricity remains off for most part of the day while low voltage plays hide and seek other times,” Khan who also heads the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) said in a statement issued to KNS.
He said at a time when the business fraternity, particularly shopkeepers are struggling to restore activities, the poor power supply is actually sabotaging such efforts.
The KEA chairman Khan said in the given conditions it was difficult to restore tourism activities. “Unless power supply is improved to level of decency, the tourism activities like hotels, restaurants and shops (boulevard area) can’t operate,” he said.
Accusing the PDD of wasting time in issuing curtailment programs, he said no such roaster was being followed and that it was the responsibility of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission to keep track of this mischief by the official machinery.
“When the curtailment schedule is not to be adhered to, it’s better for the PDD to issue black posters instead,” Khan said
“We only come across silly argument that power demand is more than the supply, why can’t they make supply more than the demand?” he asked.
Threatening to taking to streets, he asked the government to improve power supplies as per requirement. “Why can’t there be uninterrupted power supply, when our water resources are being exploited?” he asked.

‘Sajad not a threat, two-MLA party not a threat’

New Delhi: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Muzaffar Hussain Baig here Thursday said Kashmiri Muslims would vote for India if the United Nations-mandated plebiscite was conducted in Jammu Kashmir.
“I believe Muslims of Kashmir will stay with India as there is no option of remaining independent,” Baig said referring to the possibility of the United Nations referendum on Kashmir at a one-day conference ‘Kashmir: The Way Forward’ organised by a Delhi-based think-tank the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
Baig was speaking during the session ‘Recalibrating the Politics’ in conversation with senior journalist Barkha Dutt.
“There has been a radical transformation in the nature of dissent since 1947,” Baig said. “The choice in front of the people in J&K is not between India and Pakistan but between paradise and hell.”
He warned New Delhi that the present “anti-India movement” in the Valley could turn into a “pro-Islamic movement”.
When Barkha asked Baig that it was easy to use Islamic tag for disowning the situation in Kashmir, he replied that even the Hurryiat Conference was not comfortable with Islamisation of the region.
“Today in Kashmir, mothers take pride in the death of their sons as militants,” he said.
The former deputy chief minister of J&K said Kashmiri people were secular whose voice was not being heard.
“But those who kill make the headlines and the aspirations of the common Kashmiris remains unheard in this process,” he said.
“Youth control the streets, and indirectly ISI controls the streets,” the PDP leader said recalling that it was during the 2010 uprising that people responded with stones against the armed forces.
Tracing the using of stones in Kashmir, he said Kashmiris first used stones against the Mughals.
On the perception among Kashmiris that all mainstream political parties were the creation of “Indian agencies”, Baig said, “The Indian state and Indian leadership never fulfilled their promises on Kashmir, and rather changed the promises from time to time.”
He said the “communalization in India” was resulting in “radicalization in Kashmir”.
“The aim of PDP’s alliance with BJP in J&K was to make the minorities in India also the part of decision-making process but the alliance proved to be an utter failure,” Baig said.
The senior PDP said Peoples Conference (PC) Chairman Sajad Lone was not a threat to any major political party in Jammu Kashmir.
“How can a party of two MLAs become a threat to the party which has presence throughout the State,” said Baig.
Baig, who earlier expressed support for an emerging Third Front in the State, said he no longer supports the Third Front led by Sajad as the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti assured him that they would take the march of democracy ahead and also take other agendas forward.
The PDP senior leader said it was he who drafted the constitution of both PC and PDP yet remained deputy in both the parties.

PULWAMA: A gun fight between militants and government forces started after militants attacked an Army patrolling party in South Kashmir’s Pulwama village.

Reports said that government forces cordoned off Renzipora village of the district after militants carried out an attack on a patrolling party of 55 Rashtriya rifles of Indian Army.

“As the operation was launched, militants opened fire on Forces leading to a gunfight,” said an official adding that Rashtriya Rifles of Indian Army and SOG are on job.

Latest reports said that intermittent firing is going on between militants and Forces.

Reports added that after a brief shootout, militants managed to escape from the area. The search operation was underway till the filing of this report.

Jammu: Former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday described her party’s three-year alliance with the BJP as the “blackest chapter which not only harmed the PDP politically but also earned it a bad name”.

She also blamed the BJP for creating obstacles in all major decisions taken by her Cabinet vis-à-vis the development of Jammu that led to the delay of many projects, including the work on the prestigious AIIMS.

“We achieved nothing but a bad name after having a three-year coalition government with the BJP which dented the party’s image politically. It was the blackest chapter in the party’s history,” Mehbooba told senior party leaders while interacting with different deputations from districts of Jammu plains, including Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Reasi, at the party office here.

Winding up her four-day interaction programme with zonal, constituency and districts heads of the PDP, the party president rubbished the accusations of the BJP that the PDP had discriminated against Jammu in terms of development. She said her government had ensured equitable development in the Kashmir and Jammu regions but it was due to the internal fighting in the BJP that some projects could not take off.

“We ensured equitable development in the Jammu region and an equal number of development projects was sanctioned for Kashmir and Jammu regions. But the internal issues between the BJP ministers in my Cabinet stalled these projects. The biggest example of it is AIIMS on which work was not started due to BJP ministers’ internal fighting. Both forest and health ministries were with the BJP. Why did they not resolve all administrative issues in time? It was because of their failure that we could not start the project,” she said.

Meanwhile, the PDP chief asked the party leaders to gear up for the Assembly and parliamentary elections

A very poor woman from Kangan Kashmir has been mauled by a bear to the extent that she is unable to eat. ‬
‪Now the doctors have adviced for a major surgery which costs 2 lakh Rupees .. if anyone wants to help please contact the details below.

‪Fatimah , Patient (in pics- graphic images of the woman, that some of you may find disturbing) is admitted in Casualty ward-F of Government Dental College Srinagar.

Act No: ‪0071040120000005‬
‪Qasim Deen‬
‪J&K Bank‬ ‪Kangan‬

IFSC Code: JAKA0KANGAN

‪Phone no : 9906604436 (Husband)