SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday attached six shops under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the Lethpora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Quoting an official, KNO reported that the property that has been attached belongs to one Fayaz Ahmad Magray.
Magray, he said, is accused in NIA case RC-10/2018/NIA/DLI.
He said that all the six shops that were built on 5.5 Marlas land in Lethpora have been attached.
SRINAGAR: District Magistrate Poonch, Yasin M Choudhary has ordered an inquiry into the allegations of poor blacktopping work on two roads in the Poonch district.
Quoting an official, KNO reported that there were allegations of poor blacktopping on Chandak to Sathra and Bus stand Mandi to Shri Baba Budha Amarnath temple.
He said that the inquiry officer has been asked to submit a detailed inquiry report within fifteen days for further necessary action.
Locals had alleged that both these roads were blacktopped last year only and have turned dilapidated within less than a year allegedly due to poor quality work.
Additional District Development Commissioner Poonch, Malikzada Sheraz ul Haq has been appointed as inquiry officer and has been asked to submit a detailed inquiry report within 15 days.
SRINAGAR: In a tragic incident that took place more than a decade ago, a man was sentenced to life imprisonment by Principal Sessions Judge Reasi R N Wattal for killing his wife and 10-year-old child. The case had been under trial for years, and the verdict was delivered on Monday.
According to the prosecution, the police received information from reliable sources on March 7, 2010, that the body of Shiv Devi, the wife of Kuldeep Singh, was found on the road leading from Shikari to Thuroo in the Dubri forest. A short distance away, the body of their 10-year-old child, Sachin, and the weapon used in the crime were also discovered.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused and the deceased had been married for 13 to 14 years and had two children. The accused, who was working in Kangra Himachal Pradesh, used to quarrel with his wife over suspicions of her having an illicit relationship. Due to the strained relations, Shiv Devi was living with her parents at Bathoi.
On the day of the incident, the accused called his wife to the Dubri forest and administered some drug to her and their son, rendering them unconscious. He then killed them both. The police presented a charge sheet before Munsiff (JMIC), Mahore, who committed the case to Principal Sessions Judge Reasi for judicial determination.
After hearing the prosecution and the defense, the judge observed that the nature of the offense committed by the accused played an important role in awarding the punishment. “The penal statute has prescribed punishment for the offense of murder for life or capital punishment, and to view such offenses once proved lightly is itself an afferent to humanity,” the court said.
The judge also noted that there are only two types of punishment for an offense under Section 302 RPC – life imprisonment or the death penalty. “The convict is as such sentenced to undergo life imprisonment for the commission of the offense under Section 302 of RPC and imprisonment of two years for the commission of offense under Section 4/25 Arms Act,” the court said.
The verdict has brought closure to the family of the deceased after a long and difficult legal battle. The court’s decision is a reminder that such heinous crimes will not be taken lightly and will be dealt with severely.
SRINAGAR: A search operation was launched on Wednesday in parts of Poonch town after suspicious movement in the area was reported.
Quoting sources, KNO reported that on specific information received by counter insurgent forces about suspicious movement in Purani Poonch locality of Poonch town and a joint search operation was launched in the area.
The searches were going on when the report was last filed.
SRINAGAR: Amidst the forecast for mainly dry weather, night temperatures hovered below normal in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
A meteorological department here said that the weather was likely to remain mainly dry till May 12.
From May 13-15, he said, there was a possibility of rain and thunderstorm at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 6.4°C against 6.3°C on the previous night and it was 4.3°C below normal for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 4.0°C against 5.8°C on the previous night and it was below normal by 5.2°C for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 0.3°C against 1.8°C on the previous night and it was 5.8°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 4.2°C against 4.7°C as on the previous night and it was 5.1°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.
Kokernag recorded a low of 4.9°C against 4.0°C on the previous night and it was 4.9°C below normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of 1.0°C against minus 0.5°C on the previous night and it was 4.2°C below normal for the world-famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
Jammu recorded a low of 15.8°C against 17.4°C on the previous night and it was 7.2°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 8.4°C (below normal by 2.5°C), Batote 9.7°C (3.1°C below normal), Katra 15.0°C (4.7°C below normal), and Bhaderwah 6.0°C (below normal by 3.6°C). Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 3.8°C, he added. (GNS)
SRINAGAR: A massive fire broke out in the Jamia Masjid Noor-ul-Islam in Tral township of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday morning.
Quoting an official, KNO reported that fire broke out in Jamia Masjid Noor ul Islam in Tral town following which locals, police and fire tender rushed to the spot and prevented the fire and from spreading to nearby locality.
He said that the fire has been brought under control after extensive damage to the Masjid.
Initial reports suggest a short circuit to be the cause of fire while further investigation has been taken up, he said.
SRINAGAR: In a major breakthrough, a Kashmiri scientist along with a group of European scientists has discovered a new potential drug for the treatment of metastatic hypoxic cancers. The drug is currently in an advanced stage of further investigations post-animal trials.
Dr Musadir Nabi Peerzada (AIIMS)
Hailing from Muqami Shahwali in Kupwara’s Drugmulla belt, Dr Mudasir Nabi Peerzada led a team of eminent European scientists and co-workers to discover a new drug for the treatment of various metastatic hypoxic cancers.
Dr Peerzada who is currently working as a C-Level scientist at AIIMS New Delhi, has completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Pathology. He was awarded a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of health research, Government of India.
The discovery is believed to help in silencing the HIF-1 factor-controlled human CAIX and CAXII activity in cancerous cells. The hCAIX and hCAXII are overexpressed in the renal, pancreatic, gut, oral, brain, lung, and ovarian cancers, therefore the drug could be significant in treating multiple cancers with greater efficacy.
Dr Mudasir said that he and his team strenuous efforts for many years to make this path-breaking discovery. The drug has shown satisfactory results in various tumour models and is currently undergoing advanced investigations.
“This discovery took us years of tests and trials. We tested it on animals before going ahead,” Dr Peerzada said, adding that the drug is undergoing advanced clinical trials for further investigation.
The study was published in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters entitled Discovery of Novel Hydroxyimine-Tethered Benzenesulfonamides as Potential Human Carbonic Anhydrase IX/XII Inhibitors was published on May 8, 2023.
He said that the new findings are remarkable in curing hypoxic cancers and will be a boon for cancer-related research.
The other scientists who are part of this invention include Dr Alessandro Bonardi, Dr Niccolò Paoletti, Dr Daniela Vullo, Dr Paola Gratteri, Dr Claudiu T Supuran, and Dr Amir Azam
Dr Peerzada is working on the development of anti-cancer therapeutics discovery taking into account the ATP binding site of kinases, hCAIX, hCAXII activity, cycle arrest at the G2/M phase of mitosis, prevention of HER2 dimerisation to deregulate PI3K/AKT and MAPK cell signalling pathways.
SRINAGAR: On the direction of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, a team from the Drug Control Department conducted a special drive to inspect Pharma Dealers and Chemist Shops in various parts of Srinagar City. The aim was to ensure that pharmaceutical preparations are being sold as per the prescriptions generated by Registered Medical Practitioners.
The inspection teams, headed by Deputy Drugs Controller Nighat Jabeen, inspected various markets in Karan Nagar, Kak Sarai, Nawakadal, Khanyar, Rainawari, Magarmal Bagh and other City Markets to ascertain the implementation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
During the checking, 35 Chemist Stores were inspected, and the checking teams observed that some of the chemist/drug establishments were violating the provisions of the Act. Operations of 8 Medical Establishments were disallowed for contravening various provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules.
The Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Aijaz Asad, has asked the inspection teams to continue the surprise checking of the pharmaceutical/medical stores running in the district to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines laid down under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act.
He also asked all Pharma/Chemist establishments operating in Srinagar to adhere to the laid-down norms strictly. The defaulters were warned to desist from any unethical trade practices, failing which strict action as warranted under the Act shall be taken against them. Aijaz further said that periodical inspections will continue.(GNS)
