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The identity and the affiliations of the slain militants could not be ascertained immediately.

Three militants were killed in an operation of the security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian on Saturday.

“Three militants have been killed in the operation and their bodies were recovered from a cowshed, where they were hiding,” a police official said.

A gunfight erupted in Shopian’s Amshipora early Saturday morning when the security forces launched an operation based of a tip off about the presence of militants in the area.

“Militants opened fire when zeroed in,” said the police.

A joint team of Police, Army’s 62 RR and CRPF was part of the operation.

The identity and the affiliations of the slain militants could not be ascertained immediately.

Three Jaish-e-Muhammad militants were killed on Friday in south Kashmir’s Kulgam, including an IED expert.

Around 136 militants have been killed in stepped up operations in Kashmir so far this year.

With inputs from The Hindu

Lukung (Ladakh): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said progress has been made in the ongoing talks with China to find a solution to the border standoff in Ladakh but he cannot guarantee to what extent it would be resolved as he sent a strong message to the neighbouring country that no power in the world can touch even an inch of the country’s land.

In an address to a group of Army and ITBP personnel at a high altitude forward post in Lukung in eastern Ladakh, Singh said India is not a weak country and it will give a befitting reply to anyone hurting its national pride.

“Talks are underway to resolve the border issue(with China). Whatever progress has been made, the issue should be resolved. But, I cannot give a guarantee to what extent it will be resolved. I want to assure that no power in the world can touch even one inch of India’s land or can occupy it,” he said from a makeshift stage just a few hundred metres from the Pangong Tso lake.

“There cannot be a better option than finding a solution through talks,” he said in the backdrop of a huge Indian flag fluttering in the wind.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi, Commander of the 14 Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh and several other senior Army officials were on the stage when Singh made the remarks.

It was Singh’s first visit to Ladakh after the bitter border face-off between India and China began in multiple locations following a violent clash between the two sides on May 5 in the Pangong lake area. The visit also came a fortnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit to Ladakh during which he signalled India’s firmness in dealing with the border row with the neighbouring country.

Before reaching Lukung, Singh visited a forward post in Stakna where he witnessed a major military drill involving attack helicopters, T-90 tanks, infantry combat vehicles and special forces.

The exercise showcased integrated combat prowess of the Army and the Indian Air Force in dealing with complex security scenarios in the high altitude terrain.

A large number of ground commandos, T-90 tanks, infantry combat vehicles, Apache, Rudra and Mi-17 V5 helicopters featured in the drill.

In his address at Lukung, Singh, referring to the Galwan Valley clashes said the Indian soldiers killed in the incident not only showed exemplary courage in safeguarding the border but also protected the pride of 130 crore Indians. Twenty Indian army personnel were killed during the clashes with Chinese troops on June 15.

“I want to say that the country will never forget them. You inspire the whole nation. We do not want unrest, we want peace. We never hurt the pride of any country. But if any country tries to hurt our self-respect and pride, we will not tolerate it at any cost. We will give a befitting reply.”

“India is the only country in the world that has given a message of peace to the world. We have never attacked a nation and have never staked claim to any country’s land. India considers its bordering countries as its family. We believe in the message – ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (world is one family),” he said addressing the soldiers at the Lukung post located at an altitude of 14,000 feet.

The defence minister also carried out a comprehensive review of the security situation in Ladakh and India’s combat readiness with the top military brass. He also interacted with the troops.

The Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The tension escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley.

Following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides began a mutual disengagement process at most of the friction points from July 6.

The Indian Army on Thursday said both sides are committed to “complete disengagement” of troops, and the process is “intricate” that requires “constant verification”. The comments came following the fourth round of Lt General-level talks which was aimed at finalising modalities for further de-escalation of tension in the region.

Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said there is absolutely no change in India’s position on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and any “unilateral attempts” to change the status quo are not acceptable to it. It also said the disengagement process was complex.

The disengagement process began a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tension in the area. Doval and Wang are designated special representatives for boundary talks.

From Ladakh, the defence minister travelled to Srinagar where he is carrying out a review of the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.

PTI

Jammu: A Pakistani intruder was arrested by the Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Saturday.

The intruder was found moving into this side in Nowshera sector late Friday night and was immediately arrested, he said.

The official said the man was being questioned.

This is the second such arrest along the LoC in the past four days.

On July 15, Abdul Rehman (28), a resident of Nakyal village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was arrested when he sneaked into this side from across the LoC in Balakote sector of Poonch district.

Srinagar: An 80-year-old covid-19 positive woman from Bandipora died at a hospital here, taking the fatality count due to the virus in J&K to 232, officials said on Saturday.

The octogenarian was admitted on July 11 as a case of “hypertension, Community Acquired Pneumonia with shock with MODS.” “She died at 11.p.m. last night,” a senior doctor at SKIMS told GNS.

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With her death, 214 people in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu have died so far due to the covid-19.

Srinagar district with 59 deaths has the highest fatalities followed by Baramulla (48), Kulgam (23), Shopian (18), 17 each in Anantnag and Budgam (17), Kupwara (13), Jammu (11), Pulwama (10), four each in Ganderbal and Bandipora (4), Doda (2) and one each in Poonch, Udhampur, Rajouri, and Kathua. (GNS)

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People facing penury, deprivation; nothing substantial been done to alleviate their predicaments

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Friday said the COVID-19 crises has created an existential crises for poor who are facing penury and deprivation as economic activity has come to a grinding halt due to the anew lockdown in place, saying the administration has failed to lessen the sufferings of people.

Party’s Member of Parliament from Anantnag Hasnain Masoodi said the government’s response to the aftermath of previous lockdown has been a spectacular failure and it was again using the same failed strategy to cope up with the crises which has morphed into a dire one than what it was before.

“The spike in the cases of new infections and mortality rate raises some straight questions. What went wrong in the previous lockdowns which were dubbed as “world’s stringent.” Was it too early to lift? Why didn’t administration procure necessary life saving equipments since the first lock down? The government was in knowhow of the situation prevailing around the world and the data from the ground was also known to it, then why was it not able to anticipate the spike in infections, given the fact that world health organization and other national agencies had hinted towards such a large scale community level infectivity. We see no makeshift hospitals in place to relieve the main hospitals from mounting rush of patients,” he said adding, “J&K administration running the show has failed to assuage the sudden spike of COVID19 cases. Regrettably the burrowed lockdown strategy was put in place in haste without adapting it to the ground realities in Jammu and Kashmir.”

“As has been reported, the impact of previous lockdowns has been exceedingly disruptive on the economy of J&K, especially Kashmir. Now that we are already lurching through yet another one, what is it that the government is doing to lessen the suffering of masses,” Masoodi asked.

“We have been only seeing government giving out a small amount of ration to people to withstand the crises. Nothing substantial was done to alleviate the suffering of hoteliers, agriculturalists, traders, craftsmen and people associated with transport sector. Unfortunately it even closed the employment avenues for people in mining, dredging sector. The daily wagers, contractual, need based employees and Rehbar- e-Khel employees continue to hanker for the redressal of their due rights, including timely disbursement of their wages,” he said

Srinagar: At least 50 COVID positive patients who turned negative earlier desperately await their swab results even after passing seven days at national institute of technology (NIT) Srinagar fearing they may contract the disease again as more positive patient’s get regular admission there.

Fifty individuals including travellers who earlier tested positive for novel coronavirus and proved negative in the prevailing month whose second round of swabs were taken on July 10 await their swab results desperately as the positive figure has shown huge surge in past few days with affected getting regular admissions at NIT Srinagar.   

Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the aggrieved patients said that even after passing of seven days authorities seem to be non-serious about our safety as more and more positive patients get admission here forcing all to mingle and use common bathroom and collect the food from same spot increasing the chances to contract the virus from high viral load patients.

The patients said that at least 50 of us have proved negative while the second round of samples were collected on July 10 result of which is yet awaited  leaving us on god’s mercy as the number of positive patients is showing a surge so are more getting admitted here for isolation which increases the risk of getting infected again.

They said that a huge number of patients are already here who use the common washroom and collect the food from the same spot which should have happened with the patients who have already proved negative.

One of the patients who tested negative said that as per the norms and guidelines a patient has to mandatorily observe 14 days quarantine which we have completed but even after completion of around 18 days and seven days of second round of swabs authorities have left us to crumble here among the positive patients at NIT Srinagar forcing us to fear for safety.

The aggrieved negative turned patients have requested the medical authorities and administration to get the out of the vicinity son as possible and declare their swab results at an earliest—(KNO)