Keyword : Kashmir

No separate clusters for Pandits, says J&K CM

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Thursday said that his government has no plans to set up separate clusters for settlement of migrant Pandits in the Kashmir Valley and imme

Terrorist Hafiz Saeed says Pak army helps Kashmiri separatists

India’s most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed has said that his organization (JuD) and Pakistani establishment help separatist wage a war in Kashmir.  He told media channels that “we h

Communication gap

In the nineties when the postal service was the main means of communication for the Kashmir valley, extremists had triggered panic by disrupting it. Now mobile telephony, the modern mode of communi

Landslides halt progress of Amarnath pilgrims

Nearly 2,500 Amarnath pilgrims were stranded as Jammu-Kashmir national highway got blocked by landslides at Gangroo near Ramsu on Friday morning. “The road has got closed near

Morning briefing: Posco suspends $12 bn steel project in Odisha

South Korean steel giant Posco has put on hold its USD 12 billion steel project in Odisha due to delays in various regulatory approvals.“We are tentatively suspending the Odisha (India) proje

Morning briefing: Kejriwal to meet Delhi police chief over law and order issue today

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi today (Monday) to discuss law and order in the city. the immediate provocation is murder of a 19-year-old girl, sta

India may show dignified restraint as Pak invites Kashmiri separatists

The NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan will take place despite Pakistani high commission inviting Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Pakistan’s national security advisor Sartaj Aziz,

Kashmir is unfinished agenda, asserts Pak army chief and warns of unbearable cost

After almost coming to a point of talking last month, there is now war of words. Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif has responded to his Indian counterpart’s remarks about terrorist violen

Evening digest: Bulls take charge; Sensex ends 564 points up

The market closed near its one-month high. The domestic market rallied for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, taking positive cues from other Asian and European markets. The mood across Dalal St

Morning briefing: PM Modi in Kashmir today, may announce economic package

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Jammu and Kashmir today, his first visit after the PDP-BJP coalition came to power in the state. He will address a public meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir crick

Goodbye, Sir

Ved Bhasin, chairman, Kashmir Times, who breathed his last on Thursday at Jammu at the age of 86, is credited with institutionalizing journalism in Jammu and Kashmir. Many a big names in Indian jou

Kupwara operation enters 15th day, firing incidents again today

As Kupwara operations entered 15th day today, fresh exchange of fire took place this morning between security forces and militants holed up in a forest in this north Kashmir`s. The o

Morning briefing: UN chief welcomes India, Pak decision to engage in dialogue

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon today welcomed the decision by India and Pakistan to engage in a comprehensive dialogue to discuss peace and security issues and hoped for progress in their efforts

Morning briefing: Five dead, 100 injured as quake rocks northeast India

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country’s remote northeast region before dawn on Monday, killing at least five people, injuring 100 others and causing damage to several buildings. Indian M

Anupam Kher denied visa by Pak because he is Kashmiri Pandit?

Actor Anupam Kher, who was to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5, has been denied visa by Pakistan. Kher tweeted that “has my visa been denied because I speak about India`s

Meanwhile, in Kashmir it’s food (in)security

In recent days, Kashmir has been seething with anger. Far from greeting the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 – to be implemented in the border state from April 1 – as a safety ne

BJP bets on Kerala, wants to chart Kashmir to Kanyakumari win

After coming to power in India’s only Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir a year ago by becoming a partner of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] mandarins are n

You will need a license to create a WhatsApp group in Kashmir

Moving beyond internet ban, Kashmir’s Kupwara district issued a notice asking all admins of WhatsApp news groups to register their groups with the district authority within ten days. 

Handwara girl feeling unsafe: Kashmir women’s panel chief

The school-going girl from Handwara, a small town in north Kashmir, whose interaction with local youth had triggered violence resulting in killing of two persons, is feeling “unsafe and menta

Amanullah Khan: a terrorist who did not look like one

I met Amanullah Khan, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder, at a Rawalpindi hotel in 2000 on the occasion of his daughter Asma Khan’s wedding to Sajjad Lone, then a businessm

Indian army with guns and roses in Kashmir

If you believe that army in Kashmir is only for killing terrorists, then here is something that will change your perception. 15 out of 30 Kashmiri students are about to enter the prestigious Indian

Taking Kashmir to ICJ not feasible: CJI TS Thakur

 Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has opposed the idea of India seeking arbitration of Kashmir dispute with Pakistan at the international court of Justice [ICJ]. Speaking at the launc

Can’t you see that my beloved Kashmir bleeds

Burhan Wani was just like any other youngster who loved to spend time on the social media. But, there was a sinister, dark side to him. He joined the ranks of terrorists and became the Hizbul Mujah

Kashmir: Trouble in paradise

The imagery of Kashmir is heart-breaking: children with swollen faces and closed eyes lying on hospital beds, women wailing over their dead men, angry mourners accompanying the dead for burials and

Eye specialists carry out 40 surgeries in Kashmir

 Hope has returned to the lives of those young Kashmiris who had feared  that they may lose their eyesight  to the pellet gun injuries they had received during the fortnight-long pro

Resolving Indo-Pak conflict

What is today the mother of all imbroglios, Kashmir, was a script directed by the wily British rulers, as part of their design to divide India. The British had used Mohammad Ali Jinnah to v

Modi puts Pakistan in its place

A combative Narendra Modi on August 15 prised open the fault lines within Pakistan, touching upon Balochistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in a move that will definitely leave Islamabad squi

“The reality is that the Valley is up in arms against India”

PM Narendra Modi finally spoke about Kashmir. He talked of Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat. How do you view it? I wonder if the PM said anything impor

Mehbooba has emerged as a very strong person in the crisis: Naeem Akhtar

Mehbooba Mufti’s close political aide and education minister Naeem Akhtar spoke to Aasha Khosa in Srinagar. Excerpts from the interview:

We had warned against this unnatural alliance: Omar Abdullah

What is your assessment of the situation in Kashmir? The situation is very bad. What we see today is a complete breakdown of governance and law and order. We

Why Kashmir is angry again

When a small team of the Special Operations Group of the J&K police and troops of 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was pumping the last bullet into Burhan Muzaffar Wani in his hideout at Bumdoora vil

Find lasting solution to Kashmir turmoil, PM tells leaders

“There has to be a dialogue,” Modi told the 21-member legislators group led by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah that came calling on him on Monday morning.  Modi ac

Modi government asks Mehbooba to round up OGWs

In a major policy shift on counter terrorism strategy in Kashmir, the Narendra Modi government has asked Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to go after the over ground workers [OWGs] o

It’s the best time to address Kashmir problem: Mehbooba Mufti

Mehbooba Mufti said that the best time to solve Kashmir’s problem was now – when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had absolute majority in the parliament. “If it does not happen n

“Now we know we can become the next Bangladesh”

Mir Mazdak Dilshad Baloch is one of those who have been spearheading an independence movement in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. The freedom movement received a shot in t

Srinagar in pictures: Another day in paradise

Hoping that the cycle of violence in Kashmir would end soon, a lone boatman waits for tourists in Srinagar’s Dal Lake

The India-Pakistan face-off at the UN

The glaring highlights for the Indian (and the Pakistani) reader from the 33rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) were the verbal spats between India and Pakistan. As the tones got increa

Surgical strike: A middle path between restraint and aggression

India has finally struck, albeit surgically. After the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks in Poonch and Uri on September 11 and 18,

The sledgehammer blow and its aftermath

The time has come for India to announce to the world that India can no longer be transgressed or trespassed with impunity. And there couldn’t have been a more telling way of doing so than by

Ajit Doval: The hawk

Should the Indians be worried about Afghanistan’s future? National security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval offers a perspective on this. In 2001 then US president George W Bush had l

The year that was

2016 was a year that kept India on the edge. The dramatic decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes was like a bolt from the blue, forcing people to stand in serpentine queues at banks a

Water a key point of tension in Kashmir: WEF

Disputes between communities – or even countries – over the water from shared rivers, forest ecosystems and atmospheric conditions can inflame existing tensions in fragile regions, said

When did you celebrate Republic day last time?

 When did I celebrate Republic day last time? I am thinking about it while negotiating my way through a pin bend curve and the next one created by iron barricades that the police had put up on

Convenient coalition vs. aspirational alliance

 It is that time when contesting parties take the road less travelled, woo their voters with dream schemes and swear by their promises. Each party attempts to gerrymander vote share and appeas

India, Pakistan spar at UN Human Rights Council

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) has become the new platform for verbal spats between India and Pakistan as the rival countries have already clashed four times during the ongoing session o

‘Stone-pelters’ linked to Kashmir floods

 The five-month long unrest in Kashmir, which saw a ding-dong battle between the stone pelting mobs comprising young agitators and the pellet gun holding security forces after the death of a l

What the lowest turnover in Srinagar by-poll means

Though Lok Sabha elections have never generated enthusiasm among voters in Kashmir, the antipathy that the ubiquitous mobs of young men hurling stones and petrol bombs at polling stations displayed

Kashmir, a laboratory to test crowd-control weapons

The volatile situation in the Valley has prompted the security forces to experiment with a variety of weapons. There are the PAVA shells packed with chilli, the rubber bullets that ricochet

Internet shutdown is a knee-jerk reaction: IAMAI

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has opposed the J&K government order to

Kashmir’s second stone age

Kanni jang’, or the fighting with stones, is an expression in Kashmiri language for a street clash between two rival camps. These fights would see a lot of bile flowing around and sto

A rail bridge that will be higher than Eiffel tower

Three years ago Ashwani Kumar Sharma, who hails from Kauri block in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, was finding it difficult to run a family of five as he was unemployed. Little did he im

Tie up Arundhati Roy instead of stone pelter: Paresh Rawal

National award winning actor and parliamentarian Paresh Rawal wants noted author Arundhati Roy to be tied up on an army jeep instead of a stone pelter. He tweeted: 

Bridging lives

Three years ago, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, a resident of Kauri block in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir, lost his job as a labourer. Kauri, a small village located beyond the Vaishno devi hills, arou

Death unites three terrorism warriors

Three men who have played a key role in India’s fight against terrorism have passed away, one after the other, in the last one-and-a-half months. They are Girish Chandra Saxena, an IPS office

Building a better home

Growing up in a village in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, Ravinder Kumar had often witnessed the lackadaisical attitude of government officials. An ambitious teenager, he believed that there wer

Stone’s throw from Pakistan

In the 1990s in Kashmir, one could meet a militant (back then we didn’t call them terrorists) as easily as perhaps one’s neighbour. Hordes of them were returning from Pakistan, where th

Engineering job crunch; case of HC Gupta; understanding Kashmiri youth and biometrics in Aadhaar

About 15 lakh engineers pass out every year; but there are jobs only for about a third of them. Most passouts have degrees in information technology and electronics, because the IT sector was boomi

Israelis helped check infiltration in Kashmir

A small but sophisticated night vision device (NVD) that could track moving terrorists in the dark was the first gift from Israel to the Indian forces at a time when the latter was facing a huge ch

Burhan Wani cult – genuine or orchestrated

Is Burhan Wani a real hero for many people in Kashmir or the separatists’ and their masters in Pakistan are using his image to lure more local youth into terrorism to sustain the political ca

Amarnath Yatra killing: The kid gloves will now come off

 The fatal shooting of seven pilgrims from Gujarat during a terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra will be a crucial moment in militancy-ravaged Kashmir. The attack on a group of pilgri

China’s aggression in Doklam will grow in coming days: Experts

In the Chinese calendar, August 1 and October1 are important days. August 1 is the foundation day for the Chinese army, while October 1 is the establishment day for the People’s Republic of C

Terror funding through cross LoC trade in Valley unearthed

Much before the National Investigating Agency (NIA) had arrested seven Hurriyat leaders on Sunday in connection with the funding of terror activities in Kashmir, the agency had unearthed a racket i

Kashmir’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ arrested for terror funding

 The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has arrested Shabbir Shah, who was once called the Nelson Mandela of Kashmir for his advocacy of peace, for his alleged involvement in money laundering

LeT head’s killing a huge blow to terrorism

The killing of Abu Dujana, head of Lashkar-e-Toiba in Kashmir, is the culmination of years of efforts of the army and police to trap this hardcore Pakistani terrorist around whom folk tales were ci

It’s now up to Pakistan to claim Dujana’s body

In what is a clear shift in handling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, the Jammu and Kashmir police, has, for the first time, refused to hand over the body of

It’s now up to Pakistan to claim Dujana’s body

 In what is a clear shift in handling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, the Jammu and Kashmir police, has, for the first time, refused to hand over the b

For her place in the republic

When Charu Wali Khanna had petitioned the supreme court for striking down Article 35A of the constitution, she had wanted restoration of her right as a native of Kashmir to live there. Little did s

For her place in the republic

When Charu Wali Khanna had petitioned the supreme court for striking down Article 35A of the constitution, she had wanted restoration of her right as a native of Kashmir to live there. Little did s

Jammu airport’s upgraded terminal building inaugurated

Union minister for civil aviation, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju inaugurated the upgraded passenger terminal building of Jammu airport.   Notably, Jammu airport belongs to t

India’s perseverance on Pakistan paid off at Xiamen

 When Chinese President Xi Jinping was signing on the declaration of the BRICS that referred to the Pakistan- based terrorist groups as threat to peace and security in the region, the Indian d

Kashmir’s Bloody Money Trail

Till the National Investigation Agency (NIA) caught up with him in Delhi on August 17, 70-year-old Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, a businessman, was indeed one of the most powerful persons in Kashmir va

J&K projects to be fast tracked

A decision to fast track development projects in Jammu and Kashmir was taken on Thursday during a meeting between chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and union home minister Rajnath Singh.

Pak rattled by Indian wheat for Afghans via Chabahar

Pakistani experts and commentators seem rattled by India’s rather swift move to operationalise the seat route to the landlocked Afghanistan via the Iranian port of Chabahar, ending, for all t

Interlocutors have helped engage Kashmiris

 Hoping that former bureaucrat and Kashmir hand Dineshwar Sharma would be able to bring peace to Kashmir is certainly a tall order. However, like all the interlocutors in the past, he too woul

Interlocutor’s talks with Kashmir groups break the ice – but that’s about it

After a series of consultations with various groups in Jammu and Kashmir during his visit of the state last week, the union government’s designated interlocutor and former intelligence bureau

Indians want more military force in Kashmir: Pew

When it comes to dealing with the disputed border regions of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian public favours an aggressive stance, said the Pew Research Center, a US based think-tank. A

View from the tightrope

With the advantage of hindsight, one can say that the summer of 2016 was a turning point in Kashmir. Within days of the killing by the army and police of Burhan Wani, a handsome young man who was t

Think twice before tarnishing image of Indian Army

Ever since the controversy over Major Leetul Gogoi`s meeting with a young girl in a Kashmir hotel started raging on May 23, I have seen that people, particularly scribes, are leaving no stone untur

The neighbour and the valley

The declaration communicated through the director general of military operations (DGMO) of Pakistan and India on May 29, 2018, to implement the ceasefire agreement of 2003 between the two countries

The man in the muddle: NN Vohra

Amid a welter of images of blood and war, it is easy to lose sight of how deeply people crave for good governance. The good news from Kashmir last fortnight was that people by and large welcomed

The shell of stories once told

A businessman recently announced that he would open a cinema hall in Srinagar. The  Guardian newspaper of the UK reported it. The event made news because, since the rise of militancy in Kashmi

Kashmir to lose special status

In a historic move with long political repercussions, the Narendra Modi government on Monday moved to scrap the special status granted via Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir, ending decades of debate

Kashmir decision “sole prerogative of the country”

India has told China that the legislation changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir was “an internal matter. External affairs minister S Jaishankar, visiting China Monday, told

Talking to Trump, Modi hits out at Imran’s anti-India rhetoric

Prime minister Narendra Modi has told US president Donald Trump that Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s “incitement to anti-India violence” was not good for peace in south Asia.

What Imran’s rant against RSS tells us about Modi’s Kashmir policy

An unintended consequence of the inversion of Article 370 and the division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories is the curious revival of Pakistan’s interest in Indian

Why Modi-Xi informal summit in Mamallapuram is important

Barely four days are left for Chinese president Xi Jinping to land in Mamallapuram (or Mahabalipuram) for an informal summit with prime minister Narendra Modi. While official confirmation is still

Modi-Xi script a new chapter in bilateral relations

Prime minister Narendra Modi has accepted president Xi Jinping’s invitation to visit China in 2020 for their third informal summit after Wuhan and Mamallapuram, indicating both sides’ r

People-to-people relations the real foundation of Indo-US friendship: Modi

On the second and last day of US president Donald Trump’s India visit, prime minister Narendra Modi said the real foundation of Indo-US friendship is people-to-people relations. Trump, meanwh

Streets are locked down, not hearts: A story of hope and humanity from Kashmir

When Javed Sheikh and his mother Khadija set out from Mumbai for a week-long trip of Kashmir, they could not have imagined it would turn out to be much longer than a week, and they would have a gli

Kashmir valley railway stations get rail Wi-Fi network

 All 15 Kashmir Valley Railway Stations, including Srinagar, have now got integrated with 6021 Station Wi-Fi Network of Indian Railways. Public Wi-F

“But for Nehru’s non-alignment, India would’ve been where China is today”

Dark Secrets: Politics, Intrigue and Proxy Wars in Kashmir By Iqbal Chand Malhotra Bloomsbury, 277 pages With his latest work, ‘Dark

Volcano has erupted with `The Kashmir Files`: Ashoke Pandit

Filmmaker and social activist Ashok Pandit has said that the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus was known to everyone for over 32 years, but political leaders, political parties and celebrities refused to

Snow leopard spotted in upper reaches of Kashmir

Snow leopard, the elusive great cat, has finally been spotted in Kashmir, bringing cheers to the conservation community. Researchers from Nature Conservation Foundation have recorded

Shooting in Kargil: A man, a camera and a war

Shiv Kunal Verma is a well-known military historian, filmmaker, and author who has closely experienced war and life that included protecting a beleaguered family from a murderous mob during the

SC verdict on Article 370 abrogation is historic: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi said that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on 5

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


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