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Srinagar: Senior PDP leader and MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig Tuesday said that the blood of Kashmiri youth is not cheap that it can be splattered ruthlessly and politicians will run their politics on it.
While regretting the killing of three youth in Chadoora, Baig said that the intellectuals and politicians across the spectrum should rise above their cheap vested interests to think about safeguarding the future generation of Kashmir.
Talking to KNS, Baig said neither is Kashmir issue that simple that it can be resolved by using bullets and stones nor is it so too ordinary that the political leadership of India and Pakistan can keep on ignoring it.
“India and Pakistan has to take concrete and serious steps for resolution of the issue. Both the countries have to resolve it for the progress and prosperity of their nations. But it is only possible when democracy flourishes in Pakistan and extremist ideologies in India change their thinking,” the former finance minister told KNS.
“I hope that the government forces will exercise maximum restrain and desists from using extreme force. I am morally against the use of pellets as I have insisted it in my speech in parliament,” he said.
While expressing sympathy with the families of the slain youth and the policemen injured in Chadoora clashes, Baig said both the sides must exercise patience so that Kashmir does not lose more innocent lives. (KNS)

Srinagar: Ignoring the Army Chief’s warning and the state government advisories, hundreds of youths from various districts today assembled at the encounter site in Chadoora town of Budgam district.Youths threw stones and blew whistles at security personnel deployed around the house in which a Hizbul Mujahideen militant was hiding. The militant was killed in a day-long gunfight with security forces.However, the relentless stone-throwing by youths was retaliated by security personnel with bullets, pellets and teargas shells, killing three youths and injuring 15 others.“I had come to help the militant escape. He (militant) had taken up gun and I have picked up stones to fight the oppressors,” said an injured youth from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. “I was throwing stones (at security personnel) when policemen resorted to indiscriminate firing and lobbed pellet grenades during which I received pellets in my chin,” he said.Another youth said he along with his friend Ishfaq Rashid, a resident of Rangreth in Srinagar, had gone to Chadoora to disrupt the anti-militancy operation and help the militant flee. However, Rashid received a bullet during clashes with security forces and died on the spot.Eyewitnesses said youths had come from Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, and Srinagar to throw stones at security personnel during the gunfight. The Valley is lately witnessing a trend where local youths flock to encounter sites to help militants escape. Security forces have had to call off several anti-militancy operations following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016, after locals attacked them with stones.Security forces have also suffered several casualties, including of an officer in February, after locals threw stones at security men during gunfights.The growing public interference in anti-militancy operations had forced Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on February 16 to issue a warning to the youth attacking security forces during anti-insurgency operations. “If they (youth) do not relent and create hurdle in our operations, then we will take tough action,” the Army Chief had said.Following the Army Chief’s warning, the state government issued an advisory asking people to stay away from counter-insurgency operation sites for their “own safety”.“The prohibitory restrictions have been imposed within the radius of 3 km from the site of any counter-insurgency operation in the districts,” said the statement issued by the district administrations of Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian.However, there seems to be no end to stone-throwing during the anti-militancy operations.The phenomenon, which was earlier prevalent in south Kashmir districts, is fast spreading to other districts of Kashmir.Budgam district, which is considered a bastion of the pro-militant sentiment in Kashmir, has for the first time witnessed such stone-throwing by youths. (Tribune News Service)

Welcomes Rajnath’s statement on reaching out to everybody in Kashmir

Anantnag: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the people of Kashmir would have to understand that violence was not an answer to anything and dialogue was the way forward.Mehbooba said this in response to a question asked by mediapersons regarding the civilian killings during an encounter in the Chadoora area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district today. The Chief Minister was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a workers’ convention of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district today.Three civilians were shot dead amid clashes between the security forces and local youth, who were trying to give an escape route to the militants near the encounter site in Budgam district today.“The common people will have to think about this,” Mehbooba said. “Militancy has been going on in Kashmir for many years and thousands of people, including civilians, militants and security personnel, have been killed. But the killings have fetched us nothing at all,” she said.Mehbooba maintained that there was nothing positive in violence, and, if at all anything could be achieved, it would be through dialogue and peace.The PDP convention was also attended by Mehbooba’s brother and PDP candidate for the Anantnag Lok Sabha bypoll Tassaduq Mufti.Mehbooba also welcomed Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent statement in which he said that the time was right to talk to everybody in Kashmir. “We welcome the Home Minister’s statement wholeheartedly. During the unrest last year as well, a team was sent by New Delhi to talk to separatists. I also wrote to the separatists, urging them to talk but, unfortunately, they did not,” Mehbooba said.She hoped that the separatists would come forward this time around and avail themselves of this opportunity. (Tribune News Service)

NEW DELHI: Pellet guns “may be” used by the forces in Kashmir valley to disperse the protesters if their alternatives fail, the union government said Tuesday.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj G Ahir said that the government had constituted an expert committee on July 26, 2016 to explore other possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons.

“The committee has submitted its report and the recommendations have been taken into account by the government for appropriate implementation.

Accordingly, the government has decided that the security forces will resort to various measures such as using PAVA- chilli (shells and grenades), Stun Lac (shells and grenades) and tear smoke shells to disperse the rioters,” he said.

The Minister added, “however, if these measures prove to be ineffective in dispersing of rioters, use of pellet guns may be resorted to.”

He was replying to question whether the government is planning to take a re-look at the non-lethal weapons used by the security forces as scores of people have lost their vision due to shots fired from pellet guns in the Kashmir valley. 

Srinagar: Police on Monday claimed to have busted a module of the Hizbul Mujahideen by arresting seven suspected militants in Kashmir who were allegedly tasked to disrupt the upcoming Lok Sabha bypolls.The arrests were made in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, 70 kms off here, ahead of bypolls in Anantnag and Srinagar due in April.”We have busted a module of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen militant organisation by arresting seven militants,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kulgam, Shridhar Patil told reporters today.He said the district police received a specific intelligence input on March 21 that the militant outfit has constituted a module to carry out attacks on security forces and disrupt the election process.The district commander of the outfit, Altaf Dar alias Al-Kachroo, and Towseef Sheikh alias Mossad had constituted the module for allegedly disrupting the elections.”We registered a case on the basis of this information and during investigation it was found that Zubar Ahmad Badar, a resident of Nai-Basti in Qaimoh area of the district, was the king-pin of this module. He was subsequently arrested,” Patil said.The SSP said a pistol, three bullets and two AK-47 magazines were recovered from Badar’s possession. “During his questioning, we came to know about his associates and among them till now six have been arrested and we expect more arrests,” he added.The police officer said the main aim of the module was to target security forces during the elections and they had even made a failed attempt in Bijbehara area of Anantnag on March 19.”The arrest of these persons and recoveries made is a big achievement for us especially because of the elections,” the official said. He also claimed that Hizbul Mujahideen was trying to recruit new people”The by-elections to Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies are to be held on April 9 and April 12, respectively.On 4 July, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who represented Anantnag in Lok Sabha, resigned, following her election to the Legislative Assembly. The Srinagar parliamentary constituency seat fell vacant in September after PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra resigned from the party as well as Lok Sabha. PTI

Srinagar: Senior leader and PDP Chief spokes-person, Dr. Mehboob Beg has termed the Agenda of Alliance as a historic document.
Stating that all sections of the society must now get together to ensure an environment and atmosphere where the issues provided in the Agenda of Alliance can be taken-up.
“Everyone in the State supports issues like handing over of the power projects and talking to all the sections of the society including the alienated section and all of us must get together to ensure a peaceful and fruitful environment for the logical culmination of these issues” said Dr. Beg.
Dr. Beg, while applauding the late Mufti for having the vision and capability of having hammered out a document like the Agenda of Alliance stated that it was the first time that issues concerning the political as well as economic front were so well documented and that the Central as well as the State leadership were brought on the same page.
“The Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti is relentlessly pursuing the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance at the highest level and we must strive towards building a peaceful and conducive environment for implementing the terms of the Agenda of Alliance as it will go a great deal in not only addressing the political issues that the State faces, but will also help in boosting the State’s economy”’ said Dr. Beg.
‘Not only that, Mehbooba Mufti has also taken-up the issue of connectivity between different regions of the State with the Prime Minister and the same will help bolster the State’s economy as will the declaration of Moghul road as a National highway and the steps like construction of tunnels between places like Kishtwar and Kokernag’, concluded Dr. Beg. 

Srinagar: Shopian District Court on Thursday released Sarjan Barkati but police again rearrested him as soon he was bailed out, family sources told KNS.
Barkati, known as pied-piper for his rhythmic pro-freedom slogans during 2016 uprising, was arrested by Police in October last year. Barkati was instrumental in organising pro-freedom rallies in south Kashmir during the uprising that had erupted after the killing Hizb militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year. (KNS)

Unvaccinated children can pass the virus to others and can lead to institutional and community outbreaks.

Srinagar: Amid the surge in flu cases that is hitting children especially hard, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that lack of vaccination is responsible for increase in influenza-like illness.