Author: snskashmir

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 15,:

All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) while strongly condemning the fresh arrest spree termed it unjustified, undemocratic and vengeful.

In a statement to KNT, the APHC said it is extremely unfortunate that on one hand, the basic human rights are continuously being trampled through military might in Jammu & Kashmir, and on the other side, hundreds of youth, respectable citizens, political leaders and activists who were arrested on the eve of August 5, 2019, continue to languish in jails, which is extremely condemnable and a matter of serious concern for the human rights organizations.

The APHC also expressed serious concern over the one-and-a-half years house detention of its Chairman Mirwaiz Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq and continuous arrest of several other political leaders which include Mohammad Yaseen Malik,Shabir Ahmad Shah, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Ahmad, Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Nahida Nasreen, and others.

The statement also condemned the re-arrest of Sarjan Barkati who was released after four years in October last year.

The APHC said that silencing the people’s voices by such policies of repression is unacceptable. It said the world community, justice-loving people and the international human rights organizations must raise voice against the aggression and human rights violation taking place in Jammu & Kashmir. (KNT)

Health workers to be administered ‘Covishield’ tomorrow

BANDIPORA, JANUARY 15:

As the drive for administering the Covid-19 vaccine starts from tomorrow (16 January), Government on Friday dispatched these vaccines to far flung Gurez and adjacent areas of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

Official sources told News Agency KNT that Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P. K. Pole and District Development Commissioner Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad flew to Gurez by state chopper along with these Covid-19 vaccines.

In the first phase these vaccines will be administered to 60,000 Health workers from Kashmir Valley.

Official sources said that tomorrow these vaccines will be administered to those health workers who are posted in Gurez and other far flung areas.

Pertinently, a couple of days back, Kashmir received 79,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine which is called ‘Covishield’ and is manufactured by Serum Institute of India for Astra-Zeneca.

These vaccines will be administered to people in phase wise. Covid affected patients will get this vaccine in phase 4.

Doctors Association Kashmir President Dr Nisar-ul-Hasan recently in a statement claimed that this vaccine can be administered to pregnant women and even to the people suffering from different allergies. KNT

POONCH, JANUARY 14:

Five persons were injured when a minibus they were travelling in turned turtle in Poonch district of Jammu on Friday.

Official sources told GNS that at 8:40 hours, the vehicle (Canter) bearing Registration No. JK02V-8466 was on its way from Mandi towards Poonch when it met with the accident at Chandak near Christ School, resulting in minor injuries to five passengers.

The injured were shifted to district hospital Poonch and include Ashaq Hussain (50) son of Shabir Hussain of Sathra, Mohammad Javaid (35) son of Abdul Khalid of Gursai, Wali Mohammad (22) son of Mohammad Sheikh of Azamabad, Mohammad Iqbal (18) son of Mohammad Sadiq of Dara Dullian and Mohammad Shabir (17) son of Mohammad Aslam of Khanater, the officials added. (GNS)

NEW DEHLI JANUARY 15 :

In a strong message to China amid the ongoing border standoff in eastern Ladakh, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday said while India was committed to resolving the row through military and diplomatic talks, “no one should commit the mistake of testing our patience.”

In his customary Army Day address at the Parade Ground in Delhi Cantt, Naravane said India had given a fitting response to the (Chinese) conspiracy of attempting to unilaterally change the status quo along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) where India and China have been locked in a standoff for over eight months. “I want to assure the country that the sacrifice of the Galwan braves will not go in vain,” he said.

The army chief said the morale of the soldiers deployed in forward areas in the Ladakh sector was higher than the mountains they were defending.

On the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the army chief said 300 to 400 terrorists are present in camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and waiting to sneak into India.

On the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the army chief said 300 to 400 terrorists are present in camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and waiting to sneak into India.

Earlier this week, Naravane said the army was prepared to hold its ground in eastern Ladakh “for as long as it takes” to achieve national objectives in case the ongoing military and diplomatic talks with China to reduce tensions in the sensitive sector are “prolonged,” even as he described a joint threat from China and Pakistan as “very potent.”

He said India should not read too much into the recent withdrawal of Chinese troops from depth areas on the Tibetan plateau as there has been absolutely no reduction of troops by either side at friction points in the Ladakh sector.

Hindustan Times reported on Monday that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has moved back at least 10,000 soldiers from depth areas in the Ladakh theatre to rear positions but the PLA’s frontline deployments remain unchanged.

Speaking to reporters at his customary annual press conference on January 12, Naravane said he was hopeful that the ongoing dialogue with China would yield an “amicable solution” but stressed that the operational preparedness of the army was of high order and the force was ready to deal with any eventuality.

The two armies are due to hold the ninth round of military talks between their senior commanders to resolve the lingering border dispute that has brought chill to ties between India and China.

( reported Hindustan Times)

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 15:

A day after Peoples Democratic Party leader and former Minister Nayeem Akhtar was shifted to hospital after being found unconscious in a makeshift Jail, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti alleged that Government of India is deliberately endangering the lives of political opponents.

Nayeem Akhtar was arrested from his home on 21 December last month. The family had alleged that police directed him to come along with them without showing any formal order with regard to arrest.

The 68 year old PDP senior leader was found unconscious in a sub-jail room in Srinagar and was shifted to a hospital.

“Nayeem Sahab’s illegal detention in a government building ill equipped for Kashmir’s biting cold finally took a toll on his health. Going by GOIs callous & spiteful attitude it seems like they deliberately want to endanger political opponents,” Mehbooba Mufti tweeted on Friday.

A family member of Nayeem Akhtar told KNT that there was no doctor available to attend to him in the sub-jail of MLA Hostel.

Pertinently, Nayeem Akhtar was first detained in August 2019 and later booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), and released in June 2020 last year after 10 months of detention. He was again arrested in December last year under Sections 107 and 151, with the authorities fearing “breach of public order”, just ahead of counting of votes for the District Development Council. (KNT)

CHANDIGARH JANUARY 15 :

A Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the BSF along the International Border in Punjab’s Amritsar district, an official said on Friday.

The force personnel noticed suspicious activity near the border fence on Thursday evening, said the BSF official.

Sensing threat, troops shot him dead at around 8:30 pm, the official further said.(PTI)

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 14 :

Religious preacher Sarjan Barkati was detained by police on Thursday evening, officials said.

An official told GNS that Barkati was “picked up” by police from his residence in Reban Shopain . However, the officer did not reveal the reasons behind the police action.

Official sources said that Barkati was supposed to lead prayers at Budgam tomorrow and he might be detained temporarily.

Barkati was released on October 28 last, four years after he was arrested during unrest in the aftermath of the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani in 2016.

Soon after his arrest, he was subsequently booked under Public Safety Act for organising anti-government rallies.

The cleric had earned the sobriquets like “pied piper of Kashmir” during 2016 agitation for his peculiar method of sloganeering that attracted large crowds. (GNS)

‘Either prove our kin militants or return bodies’

SNS KASHMIR

PULWAMA JANUARY 14 :

Pulwama, Jan 14 : The three families from South Kashmir, whose kins were killed in Lawaypora encounter on 30 December last year, Thursday demanded a special investigation team (SIT) probe into the killing.

The three youth namely Athar Mushtaq resident of Bellow Pulwama, Aijaz Ahmad resident of Putrigam Pulwama and Zubair Ahmad lone were killed in an encounter at Lawaypora in the outskirts of Srinagar on 30 December. While as police and army claimed that the trio were militants, their families claimed trio were innocent and killed in a staged encounter.

The trio’s family also asked authorities to break silence on the encounter and either prove their wards militants or return the bodies.

Mushtaq Wani, father of Athar Mushtaq, while talking with news agency (KNO) questioned the government’s silence on the issue.

“Two weeks have passed but no investigation has been ordered. We too were silent as we had given time to the authorities to prove that our sons were militants but they have failed to do so,” Wani said. “Authorities must start the investigation at the earliest.”

Family members of Zubair Ahmad also said that if any way authorities can prove their son was a  militant, they will never seek his body.

“However, if they have failed to get single evidence against him, then they must return his body and punish the culprits who killed him,” they said.

Mohammed Maqbool, father of Aijaz Ahmad also echoed the same voice and said that authorities must come clear and break the silence.

The families of the trio also said that if they were hardcore OGWs then there would have been at least a single FIR registered against them.

“If they would have joined militant ranks, they would have called their families once that they got trapped but we didn’t receive any call in 18-hour encounter,” they said.

“Trio were innocent and were killed in a fake encounter,” they said while requesting authorities to constitute SIT and investigate the matter besides return their dead bodies.

Earlier, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha said that J&K that he will come up with facts about the Lawaypora encounter at an “appropriate time.”

“Let me tell you that J&K is a very sensitive UT. I have noted all versions including that of forces’ and the families of the (slain trio). I will come up with facts before you at an appropriate time,” he said.(KNO)

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 14 :

Three more persons, one of them a 55-year-old man, succumbed to covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 24 hours, officials said on Thursday.

Official sources told GNS that the 55-year-old man was from Rainawari Srinagar while two others include a 75-year-old man from Samburbugh Chattergam and a 78-year-old man from Hajoora Chadoora Budgam.

So far 1915 people have succumbed to virus in J&K— 1203 in the Valley and 712 in Jammu region.

Srinagar district with 453 deaths tops the list followed by Jammu (365), Baramulla (172), Budgam (113), Kupwara (94), Pulwama (88), Anantnag (84), Doda (64), Bandipora (61), Udhampur (57), Kulgam (53), Rajouri (55), Kathua (50), Ganderbal (46), Shopian (39), Samba (39), Poonch (24), Ramban (21), Kishtwar(22), and Reasi (15). (GNS)

SNS KASHMIR

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 14:

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reached Bangladesh to probe an alleged “love jihad” case involving Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and two hardline preachers of Pakistan origin, sources said on Wednesday.

An NIA source related to the probe told IANS, “A team of NIA has reached Bangladesh to collect details in the alleged love jihad case it had registered in August last year.”

The source said that the team has gone to Bangladesh to question an Indian woman and the son of a Bangladeshi politician named Nafees. The NIA had recently questioned the woman through WhatsApp. The woman belongs to the family of a Chennai-based businessman.

The source said the NIA will question the woman on whether she married on her wish or was kidnapped from London, where she was living earlier for higher studies, and then taken to Bangladesh.

The source said the anti-terror probe agency will also question Nafees and his politician father Sardar Shekhawat Hussain.

The NIA has named Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and two hardline preachers of Pakistan origin as accused in an FIR pertaining to the high-profile “love jihad” case.

The case involves the daughter of a Chennai-based businessman and the son of a top Bangladesh politician belonging to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The NIA is probing the Indian businessman’s daughter and the Bangladesh politician’s son’s marriage in London.

Zakir Naik, who is wanted by the Indian enforcement agencies, and the hardline preachers of Pakistani origin based in the US have been named as accused in the case.

The girl’s father had initially lodged a complaint with the Chennai Central Crime Branch in May last year, alleging that his daughter, who was studying in London, was radicalised and forced to covert to Islam.

He had also alleged that his daughter was abducted from London and taken to Bangladesh by some Bangladeshi nationals. (IANS)