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  • 5 Soldiers killed in Keran encounter identified

    Kupwara, April 4: Army soldiers who were killed in Keran encounter have been identified.

    Sources told Kashmir News Trust that a fierce gunfight left 5 militants and 5 soldiers dead. The militants sneaked into this part of Kashmir and were trapped in Zurhama forest of Kupwara.

    After four days of pursuing, all the 5 militants were neutralised while in the gunfight soldiers too suffered injuries. Among the injured soldiers 5 succumbed to their injuries.

    The slain soldiers have been identified as Subedar Sanjeev Kumar No. JC413798Y of Himachal Pradesh, Haveldar Davendra Singh No. 13625231Y of Utarakhand, Para trooper Bal krishan No. 13633013P of Himachal Pradesh, Para Trooper Amit Kumar No. 4093303X of Utarakhand and Chhatrapal Singh No. 1487156H of Rajasthan.

    All dead bodies are lying at PCR Mortuary room for Medico/legal formalities. (KNT)

  • Day 6: JCO Among 5 Army Soldiers, 5 militants killed in Kupwara woods

    Srinagar, April 5: Five militants and as many soldiers including a JCO from army’s elite para force were killed on the five day of an ongoing operation in the woods of Kupwara district in north Kashmir on Sunday.

    Defence ministry spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said that the slain militants were infiltrators and that the operation was still going on.

    In a statement issued here, he confirmed the killing of three soldiers and injuries to several others. However, reliable sources told GNS that two among the injured soldiers, one among them a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) succumbed to injuries at Badamibagh army hospital where they were removed from difficult terrains amid hostile weather conditions in Kupwara. All the killed army soldiers as well as three other injured in the gunfight, sources said, are mainly from elite para force.

    “In ongoing anti-infiltration operation in Keran Sector of north Kashmir, alert troops braving inclement weather and hostile terrain have so far eliminated five militants attempting to infiltrate across the Line of Control (LoC) taking advantage of bad weather,” Col Kalia said.

    Kalia said that three soldiers were killed—one of them on the spot while two others succumbed to critical injuries later on. Police sources said that bodies of the militants were so far not handed over by the army to police. “The army informed us that bodies could not be recovered so far due to difficult terrain and inclement weather,” a police officer told GNS.

    On 4th day of the operation on Saturday evening, the army rushed elite para troopers to Rangdoori, Guguldara and Teen Behak area of Jumgund. Sources said that firing continued throughout the night, reaching at peak wee hours of today.

    The operation was launched initially by army’s 8 JAT after intercepting movement a group of militants on Wednesday.

    Besides, they said, the searches continued along Awaoora, Kumkadi, Zurhuma, Safawali, Batpora, Haihama areas by the joint team of army’s 41 RR, 57 RR, 160 TA and SOG Kupwara. (GNS)

  • Beware! VPN claiming high internet speed looting people

    Srinagar, April 5: A VPN claiming to enhance high internet speed is making rounds on social media in Jammu & Kashmir, with people saying the application is looting people by minting money from them.

    For the last two days, a Virtual Private Network ‘4G VPN For JK’ went viral on social media sites in J&K particularly in Valley. Its description asks people to install the application and get 4G speed by making a payment of Rs 49.

    While many made the payment but they found no increase in the speed.

    “Not only me, but many of my friends also tried it. However, we didn’t get high speed internet. We were fleeced,” Nida Asif, from Kupwara, told GNS.

    “Authorities must take strong action against such fraudulent elements who loot people in these hard times,” Nida said. (GNS)

  • Help needy people and aware masses to combat COVID-19: Haaj Mahdi Mahdavipour

    Asked Scholars & Leaders to establish local committees, Urged respected citizens to support socio-religious organizations

    New Delhi: Hojatul Islam Wal Muslimeen Haaj Aqai Mahdi Mahdavipour, the Representative of the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran Grand Ayatollah Imam Syed Ali Khamenei in India in his message on Sunday urged upon Scholars, Friday Prayer Leaders and Heads of Socio-Cultural organizations to take utmost care of hygiene and health measures and precautions to combat the pandemic COVID_19 and urged the to help the needy and affected people at all levels by establishing committees in respected localities and in such a situation rich people have a responsibility to come forward to serve humanity.

    Wilayat Times provides full text of the statement issued by the Office of the Hojatul Islam Wal Muslimeen Haaj Aqai Mahdi Mahdavipour, the Representative of the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran Grand Ayatollah Imam Syed Ali Khamenei in India.

    In the Name of Allah, the All- Compassionate, the All-Merciful

    All praise belongs to Almighty Allah, the Creator of the Worlds, Blessings of Allah Almighty on Hazrat Muhammad al-Mustafa (SAWA) and His Holy Ahlul-Bayt (AS) and the curse on all their enemies.

    Holy Qur’an states
    “We will surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits;”

    The Honourable Ulema, the Imams of the Mosques and the Friday Prayer Leaders, preachers, reciters, and all the responsible personalities of the cultural institutions and the associations of the Mosques and Imam Bargah`s in India are well aware that today the whole world is suffering from a general tribulation from the Corona Virus pandemic named Covid-19.
    This world wide pandemic so far have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and affected more than million people in the world and this pandemic is spreading with fast speed. The Corona virus which is invisible but have brought the most powerful countries on their knees. All the potentials of the most advanced countries in the world have failed and have vanquished the arrogance and vanity of all the powers. You can witness the highly critical situation of countries like USA, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Britain.

    The outbreak of this pandemic in the Islamic Republic of Iran have resulted in unity and solidarity of the nation and under the command of the Supreme Leader of Iran Grand Ayatollah Imam Syed Ali Khamenei all the people in Iran have been mobilized and numerous people based institutions have come to the aid of the government to help the people affected by the pandemic. During last one month many important events have occurred in Iran and the production of the medical and hygiene products have increased by hundred fold. Some of those medical and hygiene products and items one month ago were imported from other countries but due to their mass production Iran have gained self-sufficiency in these products.

    The outbreak of this pandemic in the Islamic Republic of Iran have resulted in unity and solidarity of the nation and under the command of the Supreme Leader of Iran Grand Ayatollah Imam Syed Ali Khamenei all the people in Iran have been mobilized and numerous people based institutions have come to the aid of the government to help the people affected by the pandemic.

    India due to the outbreak of the pandemic in the world is also facing difficulties and in this challenging situation I request you to focus on some important points:-

    It is obligatory for all the Ulemas and the officials of the religious institutions and associations to take utmost care of hygiene and health measures and precautions to combat the pandemic. As per the Islamic injunctions safeguarding the health of the body is obligatory and it is necessary to safeguard themselves from all type of diseases and illnesses which inflict damage to the body. Due to this reason fasting in the Holy Month of Ramadan which is a religious obligation but the health and the safety of the fasting person is taken into consideration. If fasting is injurious to the health of a person then it is not obligatory for that person. Thus, it is very important to take all the precautionary measures during the outbreak of the pandemic and any lapse in this regard is forbidden by the injunctions of the Islamic laws.
    In the present situation the issue of the needy people and assisting them is of great importance and urgency. Those people who before were poor and needy and most of them now have even lost their meager source of income and they are dignified persons. Thus, it obligatory for all the Honorable Scholars to establish a committee in the place where they reside in order to help and assist the poor, needy and affected people of their localities. They should invite the well to do and wealthy persons of their locality to render necessary help to the poor and needy people. Allah Almighty will bless their wealth and will protect their properties.
    Beside maintaining proper hygiene and health, special attention should be given to the supplication and invocations, invoking divine help, pleading to the Holy Prophet (SAWA) and his Holy Ahlul-Bayt (AS). Everybody should be in the state of supplication and invocation, the Ziyarat Ashura, Hadith Kisa, Ayat al-Kursi and the Seventh Supplication from the Sahifah Sajjadiyah should be recited regularly. Likewise the Duas recommended by the Honorable Ulemas in India should also given due attention.

    In conclusion, I on behalf and representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran giving permission to the Momineens so that they can give the full portion of Sahm-Sadaat and half of the Sahm Imam(AS) as the help to the poor and needy in this condition.

  • BJP at forefront in tacking Covid-19 crisis in Kashmir

    Sunday-05 April: BJP Kashmir unit on Sunday appraised central party leadership about the present situation in Kashmir valley and stated that party is at forefront in tackling coronavirus crisis in the region.

    The video conference hosted by BJP national president JP Nadda and National General Secretaries B.L Santosh, Ram Madhav and Arun Singh.

    They interacted with party leadership in J&K including UT President Ravinder Raina and unit leadership of both Kashmir and Jammu about COVID-19.

    From Kashmir Unit, Vice president Sofi Yousuf, Kashmir Media-in-charge Manzoor Bhat and district president Srinagar Ashok Bhat attended the conference.

    They informed the national president about ground situation valley and informed them that party is facing shortage of ration in valley.

    “UT President Ravinder Raina was directed to avail the ration for the valley immediately,” they said.

    The national president was appraised about the present situation in Kashmir including health, sanitation bodies, NGO’s and other essential departments.

    They also informed party leadership about the Kashmir unit’s outreach program in helping poor and needy people by providing them assistance during the lockdown.

    “BJP helpline in Kashmir responded around 60000 queries and provided them timely assistance. They also urged part to help Kashmiri people who are presently stuck also ensure their safely return,” they said.

    The BJP unit while responding to JP Nadda’s enquires over the spread of the pandemic, the governor led administration and all others have been working in unison to contain whatever little the coronavirus has spread, he said.

    Vice President also informed about the required amount of food, masks, sanitizers and other essentials.

    Later Nadda assured of full support to the BJP Kashmir and appreciated their ground work in fighting the deadly virus in the Kashmir.

    BJP Kashmir Media-Incharge Manzoor Bhat said that BJP is at forefront in tacking Covid-19 crisis in Kashmir and stated party is doing great service in serving the people of valley during the Covid-19 crisis.

  • ‘Our family members cry so do we and at times calls drop’: Covid- 19 patients at SKIMS

    Srinagar, April 05 (KINS): Wearing masks, a lost in deep thoughts, majority of them are asymptomatic, but yet they turned to be positive for deadly Covid-19. They are the bunch of patients under quarantine or what is called isolation at Sher – i – Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura, Srinagar.

    Sitting on their beds, these patients are pondering as to what this novel coronavirus has brought for them as they are not even able to see their loved ones and even those who are assigned to care for them “doesn’t come too closer to them fearing they may catch the disease”.

    Moved by the sudden change in the life just because of a small virus, there is silent prayer right from the bottom of hearts of these patients who are fighting novel virus and i.e. “O, Almighty, don’t spread this disease anymore, stop it with us only.”

    “Ask me what it means to stay away from families, children and home,” a visibly upset patient, ready to fight Covid-19 in an isolation ward of SKIMS, Soura told Kashmir Indepth News service (KINS).

    “God should save Kashmir and its people from this disease. We have seen worst and can’t bear this pain now. We have not even taken a bath since past almost over a week. We go to collect meals from a gallery.

    Doctors do come to us and maintain distance. This all is for our safety, but feeling of this all is not good at all.”

    Another patient told KINS being in an isolation ward may be good for us but a psychological trauma we are going through is something we can never forget if we succeed to defeat this deadly pandemic.

    “Thank God, we are able to speak to our dear ones back home through video calls even though calls buffer most of the time due to little over 2 G speed,” the patient said, amid a laugh over phone.

    “Whenever we speak to our family members including children, it’s not just our tongue but tears speak more than our tongues. Our family members cry so do we and at times calls drop. We console them and they console us. We hope things will get better and this disease doesn’t spread.”

    Emotions run high in the ward as a father, with wrinkles of worry on his face, refusing to leave his 10-year-old son, alone. The boy was tested positive for Covid-19 and his father negative. But father-son love is at its peak in the isolation ward.

    “How can I leave my son alone in this ward? He is too little to be left alone,” the visibly upset father told KINS over phone.

    The patients in isolation have no complaints against doctors, food and overall care by the para-medics, but in their heart of hearts, they are praying for the end of this pandemic soon from the soil of Kashmir.

    They say, people of Kashmir have been going through so many odds since past over three decades and Kashmiri society is too weak to fight this virus, but maintain that “the only hope is Almighty and they were hopeful this too shall pass….” (KINS)

  • Kanwal Foods presents 50 PPE kits, 300 food packets to district administration

    #COVID19

    Kulgam, April 06: Kanwal Foods, Anantnag, handed over 50 PPE kits for health workers and 300 Food packets for destitute to district administration, Kulgam, here today.

    At mini-Secretariat, Kulgam They handed over these items to Deputy Commissioner.

  • Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone, Srinagar took cognizance of circulation of fake news on social media FIR registered, 02 arrested.

    April 05: Cyber Police Station received information through reliable sources that some miscreants with criminal intention and to create panic amongst public have circulated fake information/videos having bearing on law and order on social media platforms. It was also learnt that the miscreants are circulating photographs of terrorists of proscribed terrorist organization on social media and networking sites in order to provoke the masses and cause disaffection against the country. The said actions have been undertaken by these miscreants in order to mislead the public in general and youth in particular.

    Accordingly, a case FIR No. 05/2020 under relevant sections of law stands registered in Cyber Police Station, Kashmir Zone, Srinagar and investigation set into motion. 02 miscreants (names with held) have been arrested in the instant case.

    General public is advised not to circulate unauthentic and fake information through social media platforms. Any person found indulging in such activities will be dealt with strictly under law.

  • Video | COVID-19: Call to prayer gesture in heart of Europe

    Adhan or call to prayer chanted from loudspeakers at mosques in Germany, Netherlands

    Agencies

    Berlin: Nearly 100 mosques in Germany and the Netherlands on Friday rang out with the sound of the call to prayer, as a gesture of support for Muslims amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    Watch Video:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MWz1WaoOGZw

    The call to prayer (adhan) was chanted from mosques belonging to the Turkish-Muslim umbrella group DITIB, and the Islamic Community National View (IGMG), one of Germany’s largest Muslim-Turkish associations.

    Fahrettin Alptekin, a DITIB representative in Essen, Germany, told Anadolu Agency that the adhan could be heard from over 50 local mosques.

    Alptekin said that adhan being broadcast by loudspeaker is generally not allowed in Germany, except for special occasions.

    Meanwhile, in the Netherlands broadcasting the adhan through speakers is growing more widespread to promote solidarity against the virus.

    After Italy and Spain, Germany is the country in Europe worst hit by the pandemic.

    Germany’s death toll rose to 1,230 on Friday, while the Netherlands’ death toll surpassed 1,487.

    Since appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 181 countries and regions.

    Data compiled by the U.S.’ Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections surging past 1 million, with more than 58,000 deaths. Over 225,000 people have recovered.

  • Kanika Kapoor is finally Corona negative

    Singer Kanika Kapoor has tested negative in her sixth coronavirus test indicating that she is recovering from the highly contagious and dangerous disease. The singer, who was first tested positive on March 20, will have to stay hospitalised till another COVID-19 test result comes back as negative.

    “Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor’s sixth COVID-19 test result comes negative. However, she will have to stay at PGI Hospital Lucknow until one more test result comes as negative,” Sanjay Gandhi PGIMS said, according to a report in ANI.
    Earlier, the Lucknow police booked the singer for negligence as instead of self-isolating for 14 days like mandated, the singer attended various social gatherings with hundreds of people and risking them exposure to the Coronavirus.

    She has been booked under Sections 188, 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sarojini Nagar police station in Lucknow. The complaint was filed by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Lucknow.
    Kanika Kapoor had announced the news of her being tested positive on Instagram through a now-deleted-post. The singer was met with harsh criticism and trolling due to her “recklessness” with the diseases. However, there have not been any other Coronavirus positive cases detected from people who were in contact with the singer.