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Srinagar, Jan 26: Two soldiers have received injuries in an ongoing encounter in Nowgam Check area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Official sources told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that two soldiers were injured in the initial exchange of fire at Nowgam check, who have been shifted to hospital for treatment.

Earlier, an official said that a joint team of Police, Army and CRPF launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) on specific information about the presence of militants in the area.

He said that as the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering a gunfight—(KNO)

Pulwama, Jan 26: Army Commander DP Pandey Wednesday said that militancy is in the state of decline, and this year it will come to its lowest point in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Lieutenant General DP Pandy visited Pulwama district where he interacted with senior citizens and some traders.

While talking to reporters, the Army Commander said that militancy was at its peak in Southern districts like Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and Pulwama and this will be in a state of decline this year. He said militancy has come to the lowest point and local militant recruitment in Pulwama has stopped.

“People have come to realize the ill-effects of militancy and there is a decline now,” he said.

Army Commander DP Pandey said that it is the people which have to decide while the army is there for providing security. “Earlier militancy was at zenith in North Kashmir and then we saw how it started in South Kashmir. But this year in Pulwama militancy will decline,” he said. (KNT)

Srinagar, Jan 26: National flag was hoisted atop the historic Clock tower in city’s Lal Chowk on Wednesday, 30 years after veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi did it for the first time.

Social activists Sajid Yousuf Shah and Sahil Bashir Bhat along with dozens of supporters had organized the flag hoisting ceremony at Clock Tower, locally known as Ghanta Ghar, to mark the Republic Day.

The activist used a hydraulic crane elevator to install the national flag on top of the clock tower amidst rendition of the national anthem. Young players from Kashmir Martial Arts Academy also participated in the function.

The participants danced to patriotic songs as hundreds of Police and paramilitary personnel stood guard around the clock tower.

Senior BJP leader had hoisted the national flag at Lal Chowk in 1992 at the peak of militancy in the valley. Elsewhere in the city, thousands of tricolors donned the landscape of several public parks including Pratap Park and Iqbal Park to mark the Republic Day.

This is for the first time that the national flag in such large numbers have been installed in the city.–(PTI)

‘Testing will help prevent spread of virus’

Srinagar, Jan 25: Amid the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, most people either symptomatic or asymptomatic in Jammu and Kashmir aren’t going for testing, thereby, risking the lives of other people, doctors said on Tuesday.

They warned against complacency and urged people to get themselves tested if they observe Coronavirus symptoms while asserting that COVID-19 tests in J-K have increased in the last 15 days but there are still thousands of people who have mild symptoms but aren’t going for tests.

Talking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Dr Owais Ahmad from Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag warned against complacency and said that “more and more people should get themselves tested if they observe coronavirus symptoms”.

“Due to overconfidence, some people think they will recover even after they have symptoms. They do not realise that if they do not get tested in time, they’ll end up infecting many people around them eventually,” he said. “People can avail of testing for free in any government hospital or government dispensaries.”

“There was a lot of panic and even for minor symptoms, people were coming to hospitals. But now, they know that if they have minor symptoms, they think they will recover. There is some taboo attached to it. They think that authorities will put up a sticker outside their home and their neighbors will come to know,” said another doctor.

He said that if a person comes positive now, he is just asked to go for home isolation so that he won’t spread the infection to others which helps in stopping the chain of the virus.

Doctors further added that testing of those who have no symptoms, who show symptoms of infection such as trouble breathing, fever, sore throat or loss of the sense of smell and taste, and who may have been exposed to the virus will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by identifying people who are in need of care in a timely fashion.

They said that “a positive test early in the course of the illness enables individuals to isolate themselves, reducing the chances that they will infect others and allowing them to seek treatment earlier, likely reducing disease severity and the risk of long-term disability, or death”—(KNO)

Srinagar, Jan 25: Jammu and Kashmir reported biggest ever daily spike of 6570 cases while 14 persons succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours which is highest single-day toll of the present third wave, officials said on Tuesday.

1555 of the fresh cases were reported from Jammu Division and 5015 from Kashmir, taking the overall tally to 409166, the officials told GNS.

Regarding the deaths, they said, seven each were reported from Jammu division and Kashmir Valley respectively. So far 4627 people have died due to the virus—2260 in Jammu division and 2367 in Kashmir Valley.

On Saturday last, the J&K recorded previous highest daily case count of 6568 since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. The count was breached by two cases today.

Giving district wise details, the officials told GNS that Srinagar reported 1450 cases, Baramulla 396, Budgam 971, Pulwama 107, Kupwara 395, Anantnag 416, Bandipora 243, Ganderbal 295, Kulgam 697, Shopian 45, Jammu 849, Udhampur 121, Rajouri 100, Doda 114, Kathua 81, Samba 112, Kishtwar 12, Poonch 82, Ramban 41 and Reasi 43.

There has been surge in covid-19 cases in J&K since the start of the New Year. On January 1, J&K reported 169 cases, 165 cases on January 2, 178 on January 3, 199 on January 4, 418 on January 5, 349 on January 6, 542 on January 7, 655 on January 8, 687 on January 9, 706 on January 10, 1148 on January 11, 1695 on January 12, 1966 on January 13, 2456 on January 14, 3251 on January 15, 3499 on January 16, 2817 on January 17, 4651 on January 18 and 5818 on January 19 and 5992 on January 20, 5720 on January 21 and 6253 on January 22 and 5394 on January 24.

A number of these cases were confirmed at diagnostic laboratories of GMC Srinagar and include male (32) from Brain nishat, male (70) from Anantnag, female (85) from Sgr, male (70) from Pulwama, male (32) from Sanatnagar, female (32) from Sanatnagar, female (80) from Naseemabagh, female (26) from Hostel, male (58) from Rawalpora, male (28) from Rawalpora, male (70) from Pulwama, male (31) from Baramulla, male (47) from Sgr, female (30) from Baramulla, male (54) from Sgr, male (30) from Shopian, male (70) from Sgr, female (28) from Sgr, male (23) from Sgr, female (53) from Sgr, female (40) from Budgam,female (74) from Sgr, male (33) from SMHS Hospital, male (30) from Pulwama, male (28) from Sgr, female (26) from Bandipora, female (90) from Budgam, male (65) from Ganderbal, male (17 months) from Budgam, female (27) from Sgr, male (45) from Nishat, male (48) from Sgr, male (67) from Sgr, female (60) from Bemina, female (60) from Baramulla, female (85) from Sgr, male (65) from Sgr, female (50) from Sgr, female (75) from Sgr, male (36) from Sgr, female (32) from Sgr, male (50) from SMHS, female (50) from Bandipora, male (56) from Sgr and male (34) from Sgr.

Besides, they said, 3789 Covid-19 patients recovered during the time—1278 from Jammu Division and 2511 from Kashmir. So far 357163 people have recovered, leaving active case tally at 47376—13812 in Jammu and 33564 in Kashmir.

They said there was no new confirmed case of mucormycosis (black fungus) reported today. So far 51 black fungus cases have been confirmed in J&K, the officials said.

They also informed that 36, 620 doses of covid-19 vaccine were administered during the time in J&K. (GNS)

Srinagar, January 25: Suspected militants hurled a grenade on security forces at Hari Singh High street area of Central Kashmir’s Srinagar district on Tuesday.

A top Police officer told GNS that militants attacked by lobbing a grenade towards security forces. However In this incident no one was injured so far as per the reports received.

Meanwhile whole area has been cordoned off to nab the fleeing militants, they said.(GNS)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday warned the Opposition parties that he would be more dangerous if they forced him to step down as he ruled out granting any concession to them.Responding to a question about the planned long march by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on March 23 during live calls by the public, Khan said that the move would fail.
“If I take to the streets, then you (opposition parties) won’t find any place to hide,” Khan said, adding that he would be more dangerous if forced to step down.
The PDM – an alliance of nearly a dozen opposition parties – was formed against the Pakistan Army’s interference in politics and installing “puppet” Prime Minister Khan through a “manipulated” election. PDM President and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl head Maulana Fazlur Rahman has announced that the opposition parties would launch a long march towards Islamabad on March 23 to rid the nation of the “incapable and illegitimate” government of Imran Khan.
Khan also slammed the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and refused to have any interaction with him. “I get called out for not meeting Shehbaz as he is the Leader of the Opposition.
(But) I see him as the nation’s criminal,” he said.
He accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief of evading cases of corruption by not responding to allegation charges.
Khan said that the entire Sharif family would end up fleeing to London where Nawaz Sharif and his two sons were already living.
To a question about the possible return of Nawaz Sharif, he said, “Please come back, we are waiting for you” but added: “He will not come back.
He loves money.
” Sharif has been living in the UK in self-exile since November 2019. He had gone to London after the Lahore High Court granted him bail for four-weeks to get his treatment abroad. He was serving a seven-year term at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail in a corruption case. Khan said that former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf committed the “biggest sin” by granting NROs (National Reconciliation Ordinances) to the Opposition.
—PTI