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  • Jaish Says Afzal Guru Squad carried out Sopore attack

    Sopore IED Blast: Jaish claims responsibility

    Srinagar: Militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad today claimed responsibility for an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Sopore town on government forces in which four personnel have been killed. 

    In a statement issued to news agency GNS, Jaish-e-Mohammad spokesperson claimed that they have attacked the forces party in Sopore. “The Shaheed Afzal Guru squad carried out the attack,” he said.

    The spokesperson said five forces men have been killed and several others received injuries in the attack.

    The attack came on the day when the apple town is observing a complete shutdown to mark the death anniversary of 1993 massacre amid security arrangements in the area. (GNS)


  • CM Mehbooba Mufti grieved over the killing of policemen in Sopore blast

    Taking to Twitter, Mehbooba wrote: “Pained to hear that four policemen have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families”.

    Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed her grief over the killing of four policemen in an IED blast in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Saturday.

    Taking to Twitter, Mehbooba wrote: “Pained to hear that four policemen have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families”.

    Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Munir Khan said that four policemen were killed in the IED blast.

    He said that three shops were also damaged in the blast. “The IED was planted beneath a shop,” said a source.

  • North Kashmir: Four policemen killed in IED blast in Sopore

    Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Munir Khan said that four policemen were killed in the IED blast.

    Four policemen were killed in a blast in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Saturday.

    Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Munir Khan said that four policemen were killed in the IED blast.

    He said that three shops were also damaged in the blast. “The IED was planted beneath a shop,” said a source.

    The identity of the slain policeman was not immediately known.

  • Meet Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo

    ‘When Bill Clinton visited India, he met me before meeting the PM’

    Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo, founder National Cottage Emporium (NEC) enjoys the distinction of being the only Kashmiri trader the US President Bill Clinton met before calling on the Prime Minister of India when he visited New Delhi in 2000. Wangnoo, a devote Muslim, who owns a chain of shops of Kashmir Art in New Delhi says: “When Bill Clinton visited India, he met me before meeting the Prime Minister. He spent 45 minutes at our shop in Maurya Sheraton at New Delhi and made purchases.” “I showed President Clinton a carpet with more than 7000 knots per square foot that he was ready to purchase. But I politely declined and told him that it’s a symbol of our heritage and I want to preserve it.” The next day New York Times carried a story, “Let there be a world record: Before meeting the Prime Minister, President Clinton met a Kashmiri dealer.” Wangnoo said Hillary Clinton wife of the former US President first came to his shop in 1995 and after that she became a regular customer. Wangnoo believes that quality and honesty are key to success in business. “My business has spread because my customers made me popular and never complained about the stuff which they purchased.” Tracing his humble beginning to selling of paper machie items to tourists at the world famous Dal Lake in 1973, Wangnoo says he has never raised any loan from any financial institution. “Almighty Allah has been kind enough to us and till today He has always showered his choicest blessings on our family business,” Wangnoo says. He says: “My father and my brothers have been my strength and all of us together have successfully treaded the business path. We faced crunch situations on many occasions but we never approached any financial institution for assistance.” After completing his schooling in 1973, Wangnoo was offered a government job. “I didn’t take it up and preferred to start my own business. For first three years I used to sell paper machie products to the tourists at the world famous Dal Lake and in winters I used to go to Delhi with my consignments.” In 1975 Wangnoo entered into a partnership with a widow, who owned a shop in hotel Imperial in New Delhi. But in 1977 the hotel carried out some expansion work and the shop was demolished. Wangnoo who has won three international awards and very recently has been awarded a KCCI certificate of appreciation says, “My dream of owning a shop in Kashmir came true in the year 1978 after Auqaf committee announced to auction the shops along Boulevard road.” Wangnoo, who has been active in carrying out a campaign for preserving Dal lake over past some time says, “My father supported me and borrowed from his friends to make sure that I buy the shop. Our business started picking up and there was no looking back after that.” In early nineties Wangnoo along with his employees and artisans shifted to New Delhi, as there was a decline in number of tourists visiting the state. “We had to restart our business journey from New Delhi and with blessings of Almighty Allah today our family owns chain of shops in top hotels of New Delhi.” Giving credit to the artisans and employees for the success of his family business, Wangnoo says, “First it’s Allah whom I am thankful to and then it’s my artisans and workers who through their relentless efforts made our family business a success.” (GK Business under ‘Business Leaders of Kashmir’ will be doing a series on the success stories of people who have carved a niche in business over decades despite hiccups and have emerged as leaders in different sectors.) 

  • Sopore Massacre: When 57 civilians were shot dead on Jan 6, 1993

    ‘BSF Troops Also Burnt Down 400 Shops And 75 Residential Houses’.  

    On Saturday, Sopore will observe the anniversary of one of the worst massacres in Kashmir when Border Security Force soldiers massacre 57 civilians and set the main town on fire. The survivors still recall how many injured civilians who took shelter inside shops were burnt alive.

    Locals said the massacre took place after militants attacked BSF men of 94 battalion at Baba Yousuf Gali near women’s college main chowk and snatched gun of a BSF personnel. After the incident BSF went berserk, opening indiscriminate fire on unarmed civilians and setting ablaze the markets.Ghulam Rasool Ganai, who witnessed the massacre and arson, said the marauding troopers dragged out the driver of an SRTC bus (JKY-1901) from the vehicle and fired into the passengers, killing 20 of them.

    “The troopers then set shops and buildings on fire after sprinkling gun powder. About 400 shops and buildings including 75 residential houses were gutted in Shalpora, Shahabad, Muslimpeer, Kraltang and Arampora areas of the town.”

    Among the gutted buildings were Women’s Degree College and Samad Talkies. 

    The family which suffered the highest number of casualties was the Shalla family of Shalpora. Four of its men were killed.

    Mohammad Shafi Shalla, a member of the family, said, “We had fruit business. A day before the massacre one of our fruit-laden trucks had got stuck in a drain. Four members of our family who were retrieving the truck on the day of the massacre had taken shelter in a shop when the BSF started firing at people. The BSF men entered the shop and killed them all.”

    The deceased Shallas were Mohammad Ashraf Shalla (a class 8 student aged 14), Ghulam Rasool Shalla, Sajad Ahmad Shalla and Bashir Ahmad Shalla. 

    Tariq Ahmad Kanjawal, 25, a survivor and eyewitness of the massacre, was 20 then.

    “The image of a burning shopkeeper emerging out of his shop and shouting hysterically has stayed with me all these years. His head was in flames. I remember a BSF officer telling his colleagues not to shoot him as he will be dead soon,” said Tariq.

    Tariq also remembers how Shaheen, the owner of Shaheen Studio, a photo shop, and his assistant, were burnt alive in the shop. The charred bodies of the duo were found hugging each other and they were buried in a single grave, hugging.

    Human rights organizations like Amnesty International had condemned the killings and demanded justice for the victims. The Sopore massacre also got published in the Time magazine under the heading ‘BLOOD TIDE RISING.’ According to the magazine 55 persons were killed in the massacre.

  • Chinese Globes Showing India Without Kashmir

    Social media erupted as Indian-origin customers learnt about ‘Made in China’ globes being sold at leading Canadian stores which depicted Jammu and Kashmir as a ‘disputed area’ and Arunachal Pradesh as a part of China. 

    Toronto: The 2015 controversy over China’s state-owned television CCTV showing India’s map without Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh while Prime Minister Modi was visiting the country has found a new facet.

    Social media erupted as Indian-origin customers learnt about ‘Made in China’ globes being sold at leading Canadian stores which depicted Jammu and Kashmir as a ‘disputed area’ and Arunachal Pradesh as a part of China.

    Pictures of the globe being sold at the multinational retail chain, Costco stores in Canada have gone viral as Twitter users expressed shock and anger, Times Now reported.

    According to reports, the globes depict Kashmir as a separate territory and a complaint had been filed with Costco management, as Indian customers demanded the withdrawal of the globe from sale immediately.

    A professor at University of Toronto who encountered a similar globe at another outlet in Canada called Homesense told the Hindustan Times, “I think it’s very important that we don’t let our country be divided into pieces. Action must be taken and these must be withdrawn everywhere.”

    Sandeep Deswal an Indian-origin Canadian purchased a globe as a present for his 6-year-old daughter and noticed a similar discrepancy. Upon closer inspection he realised that “Jammu and Kashmir had been shown as separate from India,” he told the Hindustan Times.

    These erroneous globes have racked up concerns amid Indo-Canadians who worry about their impact on Indian-origin children born abroad.

    “If we don’t tell her Kashmir is an integral part of the country, she will get a different image of India. The next generation will believe something else,” Deswal said.

    An Indo-Canadian organisation, National Alliance of Indo-Canadians (NAIC) has taken the matter into their own hands appealing to stores to pull out the globes. NAIC President Azad Kaushik told Hindustan Times, “A country can now freely engage in a veiled war through business and trade practices by influencing young minds with long-term consequences. The manipulation of a map on an educational globe is but an example of a new kind of war through business in a globalised world.”

    Costco which is the second largest retailer after Walmart and which operates more than 700 warehouses has been quick to respond to the complaints by withdrawing the product, however NAIC’s complaint to Homesense is under review in the company’s product compliance department.

  • In Kashmir Doctors treat heart attack via WhatsApp

    Srinagar: To reduce deaths by heart attacks, doctors posted in rural and urban areas of Kashmir have come together and created an online network to treat patients.

    Disturbed by the increasing number of heart attack deaths mainly contributed by delay in treatment, two well-known cardiologists have started an online ‘Save Heart Initiative’ group on WhatsApp to stay connected with doctors posted across the peripheries of Kashmir.

    “By the time a heart attack patient from the peripheries reaches a tertiary care hospital in Srinagar, he or she has suffered 70 per cent damage to the heart muscles. Then, it is very difficult to save the patient’s life,” said well-known cardiologist Dr Imran Hafeez of SMHS Hospital.

    To minimise the damage to the heart, the cardiologists are guiding doctors in the peripheries on the treatment to be provided to the patients, Hafeez said.

    Ghulam Rasool Wani, 55, of Taingan, Pampore, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, suffered a heart attack during late night on December 17. Wani was rushed to Sub-District Hospital, Pampore, where doctors led by Dr Firdous Masoodi shared electrocardiogram and other diagnoses with the experts in the ‘Save Heart Initiative’ group. Doctors found two dangerous clots in his vessels, which had blocked blood flowand oxygen. Cardiologists advised immediate thrombolysis which dissolved dangerous clots in Wani’s blood vessels and prevented damage to tissues and organs.

    After facilitating the proper flow of oxygen to the heart muscles, Wani was referred to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, for advanced cardiological treatment. Wani’s family last week issued public gratitude through newspapers to the doctors for saving his life.

    Like Wani, several other heart attack patients from the north and south Kashmir have been saved through online sharing of their diagnosis and line of treatment.

    Hafeez, along with Dr Muzaffar Zargar, created the online group in the second week of December and brought together doctors posted in far-flung areas to prepare immediate treatment for heart attack patients.

    “In past five days, we have managed 25 heart attack cases. We are surprised by the effectiveness of the treatment and success rate,” said Dr Nasir Shams, who is a part of the initiative.

    Online group

    Doctors posted in rural and urban areas of Kashmir have come together and created an online network to treat patients. 

    Tribune News

  • Kashmiri father of three kids admitted in Gurgaon hospital needs financial help

    A Kashmiri father of three children who is suffering from spinal tumour needs immediate help to fund his treatment costing approximately Rs 30 lakhs.

    48-year-old Sofi Nazir Ahmed, currently undergoing treatment at Fortis Hospital Gurgaon (UID number: 000805306), was diagnosed with Metastatic Paraganglioma (Spinal Tumour) in 2012.

    He was operated for the tumour in 2012, 2014 and in November last year.

    According to Dr Priya Tiwari, Ahmed is a known case of recurrent metastatic paragangioma of spine. “He has been planned for Lutetium based PRRT therapy. He will require at least three more cycles of PRRT. Also, he would require chemotherapy indefinitely with PRRT and also after PRRT. Total cost of his treatment would be around Rs 30 lakh,” says Dr Tiwar.

    According to his family, Ahmed was admitted at Fortis Hospital and underwent the PRRT as planned on December 28.

    “Next morning, around 5:45 am, he developed severe shortness of breath followed by hypotension and was immediately shifted to ICU  and put on ventilator,” they said.

    Ahmed, a businessman, is a father of three children and has exhausted all his savings on the treatment.

    Anybody who wants to fund his treatment can deposit the money in his bank account number, details of which are mentioned below.

    Contact No. of Patient: 09911418356

    Bank Details:

    Nazir Ahmed

    J&K Bank Alamgari Bazar

    Account No: 0100040100003006

    IFSC code: JAKA0ALMGRI

  • Missing Pattan girls recovered from Banihal

    Baramulla: Two girls belonging to two neighbouring families of Pattan tehsil who had gone missing for the last 4 day have been traced from Banihal, police said on Friday.

    A spokesman of police said that  after receiving the missing report of two neighbouring girls from Nehalpora village in Pattan, police immediately swung in action and launched manhunt.

    “The girls were finally traced from Banihal after strenuous efforts by police. A police party accompanied by family members have been sent to Banihal to handover the missing girls to their families” the official said.

    Pertinently, Shaishta Bano daughter of Abdul Razak Shah resident of Nehalpora Pattan and Masrat Bano daughter of Ali Mohammad resident of Mirya Mohalla had gone missing in north Kashmir’s Pattan on Tuesday.

  • Wife gets divorce from man who loved her more than his mother

    BAHA: A 29-year-old Saudi man was in for the shock of his life when his wife, whom he loved so much, approached the court for a divorce.

    The estranged husband did not know why his wife would want divorce from him even though he did everything possible for her, but she was adamant in her demand.

    She admitted that her husband had never denied anything to her but she insisted on leaving him because he preferred her over his own mother.

    “I can never trust a man who does everything for his wife while he denies even a small favor to his mother,” she told the judge.

    Neither the husband nor wife was identified. The husband, who was in a deep shock, told the judge that he did not want to leave his wife and that he would do everything to keep her but she bluntly rejected the offer.

    The woman admitted that her husband had spent a lot of money on her, taking her on foreign trips and buying her everything she wanted, but said she did not want to continue her life with him.

    “A man who is not good to his own mother cannot be trusted. He may turn his back on me anytime in the future,” she said.

    The surprised husband asked her, “Didn’t I abandon my own family for you?”

    She replied, “Yes, and this is the very reason I want divorce from you.”

    The woman told the judge that everything her husband said in the court was correct but she was determined to leave him because he preferred her over his family members, including his mother.

    She told the judge that she could not wait until the day her husband would abandon her the same way he had abandoned his mother.

    The woman returned the dowry her husband had given her and the judge granted the divorce.

    A judicial source praised the woman for her noble stand and said she was right to ask for divorce since the husband placed her above his own mother.

    He said the woman thought that a man who would leave his own mother for another woman could never be trusted.

    The source said some men believed that blindly obeying their wives and doing everything for them was the way to win perpetual love.

    “This is not correct. A man must put his family, especially his mother, above everything else,” he said.

    He said his wife was not happy because he did more favors to her than to the woman who gave him birth, brought him up and sacrificed her own life for his happiness.