Kashmir.Watch

Blog

  • 15 Tablighi Jamaat members sent to 14-day judicial custody in U.P.

    They were booked after they failed to tell authorities about their stay at a mosque in Shamli’s Bhesani Islampur village

    PTI

    Fifteen members of the Tablighi Jamaat, including Bangladesh nationals, were produced in a court here, which sent them to 14-day judicial custody, an official said on Monday.

    While 12 of them belonged to the neighbouring country, two were from Assam and one from U.P.’s Moradabad.

    They were booked for the violation of the Foreigners Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act after they failed to tell the authorities about their stay at a mosque in Shamli’s Bhesani Islampur village.

    SP Vinit Jaiswal told mediapersons that police had registered a case against them after they were found residing in a mosque on April 1.

    They were sent to quarantine facilities and arrested after the completion of their isolation period on Sunday.

  • Government allows return of Indian nationals from abroad in phased manner from May 7

    The Government of India will be facilitating the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad on compelling grounds in a phased manner from May 7.

    Return will be facilitated by air and ship. A full SOP has been prepared for screening /quarantine to be undertaken by State governments, coordinated by MEA/MOCA.

  • Migrant workers clash with police in Surat

    In Gujarat, thousands of workers from other States appear impatient to return to their States

    PTI

    Incidents involving hapless and desperate migrant workers continue in Gujarat as thousands of workers from other States appear impatient to return to their native places.

    On Monday, in Kadodara area of Surat, hundreds of workers came out on roads demanding that they be allowed to return to their States. The number grew and the mob clashed with police, who used tear gas shells to disperse them.

    “Now the situation is under control. The police had to lob tear gas shells as the mob was growing with workers pouring in on the streets,” an official from Surat said.

    This is fourth such incident in the migrant hub city.

    In Palanpur Jakatnaka locality, within Surat city, hundreds of migrant workers gathered with the same demand.

    In the last three days, the government arranged 18 trains to ensure the safe passage of as many as 21,000 migrant workers from Ahmedabad and Surat but the State being a hub of migrants from Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other States, there is a massive demand from the workers.

    According to sources, almost two million people working in different locations in the State have enrolled with the authorities for their return to their States.

  • Kashmir reports 24 fresh cases, J&K’s COVID-19 tally rises to 725

    Srinagar: 24 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus in last 24 hours in Kashmir Valley, officials said on Monday.

    A senior government officer told GNS that 20 cases were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab at SKIMS and four others at COVID-19 testing lab at Chest Disease Hospital Dalgate.

    Among the fresh cases include 12 from Baramulla, four from Budgam and two each from Srinagar, Shopian, Bandipora and one each from Pulwama and Poonch district.

    With these fresh cases, the total number of cases has risen to 725 in Jammu and Kashmir. (GNS)

  • Will give proportionate response to Pakistan: Gen Naravane

    Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said India will give “proportionate response” to all acts of infringement of ceasefire and support to terrorism by Pakistan.

    PTI

    New Delhi: Pakistan is still following its “myopic” and “limited” agenda of pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, and India will respond appropriately with precision unless the neighbouring country gives up its policy of state sponsored terrorism, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said here.

    In an exclusive interview to PTI, the chief of the 1.3 million-strong Army said India will give “proportionate response” to all acts of infringement of ceasefire and support to terrorism by Pakistan.

    On the Handwara encounter, Gen. Naravane said India is proud of the five security personnel who laid down their lives saving civilians from terrorists at a village in the North Kashmir locality and particularly complimented Col Ashutosh Sharma who led the operation.

    “I would like to emphasise that Indian Army will give proportionate response to all acts of infringement of ceasefire and its (Pakistan’s) support to terrorism. The onus remains with Pakistan to bring peace in the region,” the Chief of Army Staff said.

    “Unless Pakistan gives up its policy of state sponsored terrorism, we will continue to respond appropriately and with precision,” he added.

    Gen Naravane said the recent infiltration attempts by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir showed that Pakistan is not interested in battling the coronavirus pandemic and is still following its “own myopic and limited agenda of pushing terrorists inside India.”

    “The low priority given to the Pakistani citizens by its own government and the army is apparent by the exponential rise in cases and massive shortages of medical equipment and supplies in Pakistan,” he said.

    The Army Chief said even during the SAARC video conference, Pakistan’s narrow-mindedness was on full display when it used the platform to complain about “non-existent” violations of human rights in Kashmir instead of finding ways to keep its citizens safe from the pandemic.

    “The increased intensity of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army, where its targets innocent civilians on the LoC, just shows that the country is a global risk and is not interested in providing relief to its own citizens,” he said.

    “In fact, Pakistan’s removal of names of hardcore terrorists from the terror watch list just proves that it still believes in exporting terrorism as an instrument of state policy,” he added.

    On implementation of recommendations of terror anti-terror watchdog FATF, Gen Naravane said Pakistan has sought to “blindside” the international community by making superficial changes and amendments to its “non-existent” checks on terror financing and money laundering.

    “It still continues to employ proxies to inflict terror and violence not only inside India but also in Afghanistan where it supports the Taliban militarily and financially,” he said.

    “The sudden spurts in violence against Afghan security forces are indicative of the illegal and illicit drug and money laundering networks that fuel the conflict,” Gen Naravane added.

  • Police start fining people for not wearing face masks

    Srinagar: Srinagar police has started fining people failing to wear the face mask as ordered by the Srinagar administration in a measure to prevent the spread of Corona virus.
    According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), police has geared up its manpower in Srinagar district to fine those who step-out from their homes without wearing masks.

    During a checking on Monday police fined violators more than Rs 1800 for not wearing masks. Besides Police, Municipal Committee members and Revenue Department officials were also present during the checking.

    Movement passes were also checked by the police as many persons were caught with fake passes by the DC Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Chowdhary a week back.

    Police urged the public to use masks whenever coming out of their homes.

    It is pertinent to mention that authorities in the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir have made mandatory wearing face masks in all public places from May 1, and directed any violation of the order will be treated as an offence under Disaster Management Act.

    Jammu and Kashmir crossed the 700 mark of Corona virus cases on Sunday with over 100 from Srinagar city. (KNS)

  • Congress will pay for rail travel of migrant workers, says Sonia Gandhi

    What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the Rail Ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis, the party president says in a statement

    PTI

    The State units of the Congress or the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) will bear the cost of rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labour, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said in a statement on Monday.

    She called it ‘disturbing’ that the Railways and the Union government were charging the migrants even for distress travel when it could spend nearly ₹100 crores on a public programme in Gujarat, a veiled attack on the Namaste Trump programme to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump.

    “What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the Rail Ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis,” Ms. Gandhi said in a statement.

    “The Indian National Congress has, therefore, taken a decision that every Pradesh Congress Committee shall bear the cost for the rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and shall take necessary steps in this regard.”

    Questioning the responsibility of the Union government, the Congress chief said there were lakhs of migrant workers who were ‘languishing’ in different parts of the country with neither food nor money to travel.

    “Post the Partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot — without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones. The very thought of their plight is enough to break our hearts as there was also the outpouring of support from fellow Indians for their inspiring resolve,” she said.

    ‘Ambassadors of nation’s growth’

    “Our workers and labourers are the ambassadors of our nation’s growth. When our government can recognise its responsibility by arranging free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad, when the government can spend nearly ₹100 crores on transport and food etc. for just one public programme in Gujarat, when the Rail Ministry has the largesse to donate ₹151 crores to the PM’s Corona fund, then why can’t these essential members of our nation’s fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress,” asked Ms. Gandhi.

    The Congress chief stated that by making a “humble contribution” the Congress would stand “shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the workers”.

    Cong. releases Railways guidelines

    As soon as Central government ‘sources’ stated that the Centre would fund 85% of the rail travel cost of migrant workers, the Congress on Monday released a copy of the Indian Railways guidelines where it was clearly mentioned that the fare had to be collected from the passenger.

    The government’s damage control came soon after Ms. Gandhi issued a public statement that her party would pay for the rail fares of the migrant workers.

    Addressing an online press conference, party general secretary K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala said the government’s move was an afterthought and asserted that the party had already paid ₹1 crore to the BJP government in Karnataka to facilitate smooth travel of migrant labour and workers.

    “The local State government authority shall hand over the tickets to passengers cleared by them and collect the ticket fare and hand over the total amount to Railways,” Mr. Venugopal read out from order signed by a senior official of the Railway Board.

    The Congress general secretary said that all the State party units or Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) had been informed to get in touch with the Chief Secretaries of the State government to make the offer of payment.

    PM CARES Fund

    “Nobody should stand on false prestige, and we call upon Prime Minister Narendra Modiji to utilise thousands and thousands of crores lying in the PM CARES Fund,” Mr. Surjewala said.

    Former party chief Rahul Gandhi too made a similar point on twitter.

    “On the one hand, the Railways is charging fares from migrant workers stranded in other States while, on the other hand, it is donating ₹150 crores to the PM CARES Fund. Just solve the riddle,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted.

    Calling the party president’s decision to direct PCCs to bear the cost of rail transport for migrant workers historic, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the move “puts the Government of India to shame”.

    Senior party leader Ahmed Patel asked why the issue of migrant workers had not got the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) it deserved.

    “The near silence of the NHRC is surprising. Two major human rights abuses have occurred during this pandemic & we are yet to hear from this constitutional body.1) Forced exodus of poor migrants on foot. 2) Stigmatisation of a community contrary to WHO guidelines,” Mr. Patel tweeted.

  • India lodges protest with Islamabad over Pak court’s order on Gilgit-Baltistan

    India demarched senior Pakistan diplomat and lodged a strong protest

    PTI

    India has conveyed its strong protest to Pakistan over an order by that country’s supreme court allowing the conduct of general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistan was told that entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India and that Islamabad should immediately vacate the areas under its illegal occupation.

    In a recent order, the Pakistan Supreme Court allowed the amendment to the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Order of 2018 to conduct the general elections in the region.

    “India demarched senior Pakistan diplomat and lodged a strong protest to Pakistan against Supreme Court of Pakistan order on the so-called ‘Gilgit-Baltistan’,” the MEA said in a statement.

    “It was clearly conveyed that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession,” it said.

    The MEA said the government of Pakistan or its judiciary has no locus standi on territories “illegally and forcibly” occupied by it.

    “India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” it said.

    “Instead, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation,” it added.

    The MEA said Pakistan’s recent actions can neither hide the “illegal occupation” of parts of union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh by it nor the “grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom” to the people residing in these areas for the past seven decades.

  • Everyone got second chance, PCB never tried to save me: Mohammad Asif

    Tainted former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif says he wasn’t the first nor would be the last to have indulged in spot-fixing and should have been treated better by his country’s Cricket Board, which gave “everyone a second chance” except for him.

    Asif was banned for seven years for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal during Pakistan’s tour of England, where he bowled deliberate no balls for money. He also served jail time in the UK after being found guilty along with Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt.

    Asif said he should have got a second chance like many others, whom he did not name.

    “Everyone makes mistakes and I did too. Players had been indulging in fixing before me and even after me. But those before me are working with PCB and there are few after me still playing,” Asif told ‘ESPNCricinfo’.

    “Everyone was given a second chance and there are few who never got the same treatment (as me). PCB never tried to save me regardless of the fact that I am the kind of bowler who was highly regarded by everyone in the world.

    “But anyway I’m not sitting around brooding about the past or hung up on it.”

    Asif said he takes pride in the performances he dished out in his limited career.

    “However much I played in my career, I made it count, duniya hila ke rakh di thi (I shook up the world). That is more important for me to think about. Even today, so many years later, the best batsmen in the world still remember me and they talk about me.

    “Just think how big the impact was that I had on the world. So this is what makes me proud – that there is a reason KP, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla talk highly about me. That is what makes me happy.”

    The 37-year-old, who also failed a dope test in 2006 and served a one year suspension for it, admitted that he “should have behaved better off the field”.

    “That is where I had issues. I want to give the kids this message that when you cross the boundary line into the field, your ambition should be to do well for yourself and for your team.”

    “I was selfish as a bowler because I wanted to take wickets, and that was to help the team win. Being selfish isn’t bad if you’re playing your part for the team,” he said.

    Asif remembered the days when he made the ball talk and created a lasting impression on players like Wasim Akram and Mudassar Naazar.

    “I proved myself not just once but repeatedly. I got the same batsmen out more than once, and it’s not like I bowled one fluke great delivery and never did it again.

    “With ball in hand I was in control. Moving the ball in and out wasn’t just a one-off thing. And I didn’t learn to do it in days. It took me years and I worked really hard for it.”

    Asif did not like the fact that Amir retired from Test cricket at the age of 27, saying he let PCB down with his decision since the Board helped him a lot in his difficult time.

    “I curse the PCB for how they rescued his career. But it was his obligation to help Pakistan cricket in a tough situation and he should have stayed, especially when they had helped him return.”

    “If they (the PCB) had done the same with me, then I’d still be available to rescue Pakistan in Test cricket for the next two years. I know there are fitness standards, but I can work that out and whatever is required I can do it”.

  • Video | No Need To Worry About Coronavirus Or Any Other Virus

    Watch Video:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=p_DDang6mco

    Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.