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Anantanag, Mar 15: Cordon and search Operation has been launched by government forces in Watrigam village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Official sources told wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that on specific inputs about the presence of militants, a joint team of forces including 19 RR launched search operation in the area.

Locals told KNO, that all entry and exit points have been sealed while as door to door search operation is going on—(KNO)

Further details awaited

Srinagar: Despite the coronavirus scare, there was no impact on congregational Friday prayers in Kashmir.

The people reached mosques in time and attendance was routine. Big congregational Friday prayers were offered in Jamia Masjid, Dargah Hazratbal, Chrari Sharif and other places across Kashmir.

Large congregations were also seen at the Baramulla and Anantnag districts headquarters.

“The assemblies of people during the prayers across Kashmir were as usual,” officials said. They said that official teams carried out fumigation around the mosques since morning.

The officials said that there has been no directive from the authorities decreeing people not to assemble for the Friday prayers in the wake of COVID-19. They said that managing committees of major mosques also carried out fumigation inside the mosque premises at several places.

They said that fumigation process was carried out at Jamia Masjid Srinagar, Hazratbal and other mosques.

During the Friday sermons, the Imams at the most of the places stressed upon the people to take required precautionary measures against coronavirus.

The people prayed for the well being of fellow human beings and also for the speedy recovery of infected people across the world.

Srinagar, March 14: Four persons, who were admitted to the isolation ward of the SKIMS hospital after being recognized as potential coronavirus (Covid-19) patients, have tested negative on Saturday.

Nodal officer for coronavirus control at SKIMS, Dr G H Yatoo, told GNS that one more person was also admitted to the hospital and his sample was sent for the test. “Test reports of four persons who were admitted on Friday came to be negative,” said Dr Yatoo, who is also HoD hospital administration of SKIMS.

Besides, he said, the test report of a woman from Anantnag who had recently returned from Saudi Arabi after performing Umrah also tested negative for Covid-19, also known as novel coronavirus (NCoV).

So far, no person has tested positive for the coronavirus in Kashmir Valley and two such cases were reported from Jammu and include a sexagenarian woman who had returned from Iran and a girl from Ladakh.

An official statement said over overall, no more positive case was reported in entire Jammu and Kashmir where 1878 people have been enlisted for observation.

It said 89 samples were taken across the union territory of J&K and so far two persons tested positive and 78 others tested negative for COVID-19. “Nine test reports are awaited.”

Among 1878 people enlisted for observation, it said, 1567 persons are kept in “home quarantine” and 24 in “hospital quarantine”.

The official statement also informed that 164 persons have completed their 28 days surveillance period.

A home quarantined person has been advised to stay in a well-ventilated single-room preferably with an attached/separate toilet. Besides stay away from elderly people, pregnant women, children and persons with co-morbidities within the household, the advisory said.

Home quarantined persons should also restrict his/her movement within the house and under no circumstances attend any social/religious gatherings like weddings and condolences.

The government also urged general public to lend support to its efforts to strengthen surveillance mechanism by making self-declaration about their foreign travel history to health authorities. Moreover all social, religious and political organisations are urged to avoid large gatherings.

Reiterating that there is no need to panic, the government advised public to maintain social distancing, avoid unnecessary travel and use of public transport; avoid crowded places and large gatherings, taking basic precautions for personal hygiene; frequent hand washing with soap and water; and observing coughing and sneezing etiquettes. “If anyone has fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, seek medical care at the earliest,” it said.

The general public has been also advised to adhere to advisories issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI & UT Government of J&K from time to time in the background of the present COVID-19 outbreak. (GNS)

Meets Dr Farooq, pitches for statehood restoration, early elections

Srinagar, Mar 14: Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday termed the recently floated Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) as a creation of agencies and said that any such measure will only belittle the democratic institutions of the erstwhile state.

According to Press Trust of Kashmir (PTK), Azad soon after meeting the recently released NC patriarch Dr Faroooq Abdullah at latter’s residence spoke to media persons and highlighted the need for the restoration of political activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

When asked about the recently formed political group led by former PDP leader Syed Altaf Bukhari, Azad termed the exercise as a ‘handiwork’ of agencies, stating that any such experiment will not yield any positive outcome and that the government of India must release the detained politicians in unison including Omar Abdullah and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and initiate a political process by announcing elections in JK.

Azad who has also served as the chief ministers for more than two years from 2005 to 2008 in Jammu and Kashmir demanded restoration of statehood. He highlighted how JK in spite of being one of the largest states in India was downgraded to a union territory without any compunction.

Underlining the need for the release of the detained political leaders, Azad said that only such a measure will play a vital role in restoration of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and that elections should be announced at an earliest so that people are given their democratic right to exercise their franchise and elect a government of their own choice. “The political process has to be kick started without any further delay. It will happen only when leaders are freed and polls are held. India is world’s largest democracy and keeping the three former chief ministers behind the bars only undermines the democratic values at large,” Azad said.

Prior to this, NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah thanked Azad for visiting him and stated that though latter attempted to meet him in custody, he was not allowed by the government.

Srinagar, Mar 14 (KNS): People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beg on Saturday termed the release of NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah a “good step” toward right direction and urged authorities to release all detained leaders and activists so that political process in J&K will be resumed.
Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), senior PDP leader welcomed the release of Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
“Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s freedom from seven-months detention is a good step for making the atmosphere conducive for political process in Jammu and Kashmir”, Beg said.
He said it will be good for democracy to release all political leaders who had been taken into custody since August 5, 2019.
“Leaders including Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone, G A Mir and others should be released without any delay in order to make atmosphere favorable for political activities which are invisible since August last year”, PDP leader added. (KNS)

Srinagar, Mar 14: The Bharatiya Janta Party Saturday said that they are hopeful that the delimitation commission will start soon the process of fresh delimitation of Assembly constituencies in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We are hopeful and want that the process for fresh delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir to be taken up very shortly by the delimitation commission,” BJP General Secretary Organization Ashok Koul told Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) on phone.

Sources said that the Bhartiya Janta Party hopes that after delimitation they will consolidate its hold in the Jammu region.

Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir will be carried out as per the provisions of J&K reorganization act that split the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly.

Sources told KINS that the delimitation in J&K will be based on the Census of 2011 due to an amendment in the J&K Reorganization Act. “The latest delimitation in other parts of India has been done as per the census of 2001. The future delimitation will be based on the census of 2031” sources maintained.

The number of assembly seats in J&K after delimitation will increase from 107 to 114.

The J&K Assembly was dissolved in November 2018 after being in suspended animation for six months.

Meanwhile, top sources said that the government has already started the process of redrawing the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland.

It is to mention here that recently a law ministry notification said that former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai has been appointed as the chairperson of the Delimitation Commission. Election commissioner Sushil Chandra and state election commissioners of J&K and the four states will be the ex officio members, the notification said. (KINS)