JAMMU: Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana on Monday exhorted the administration to take effective measures for allaying the fears of common masses about the ongoing anti-encroachment drive as per the clear directions of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on the matter, saying that this will silence the vested interests who are out to exploit the situation as per their contingencies.
Addressing a delegation of the Civil Society, comprising representatives of every walk and shade of life, which met him at his residence, here this morning, Rana referred to the assurance held out by Lieutenant Governor that the poor would not be touched and said those creating unnecessary apprehensions are actually doing to camouflage their nefarious activities or to further their political interests by inciting common masses.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Arun Gupta, President Chamber of Commerce, Jammu, Sahil Ji Maharaj, Mahant Mohan Giri, Mahant Rajesh Bittu, Mahant Rajeshwar Giri, Vinay Hindu, Suhail Qazmi ,Khalid Hussain, Rajeev Gupta, Mohammad Aslam Qureshi, Choudhary Iqbal, Haji Ashraf, S. Ravinder Singh, Haji Fareed, S. Manpreet Singh, Anwar Khan and many others.
He said the administration has more than once reassured the common people not to nurture any apprehension but some elements were igniting the situation to cover up and protect their shady deals. In this misadventure, unfortunately some political elements have also jumped in to give spin after spin to the drive by claiming that only a particular community is being targeted to engineer demographic change.
These political players with vested interest have already been rejected by their core constituency in the Valley for the sins committed over the decades and now they were misadventuring in this region to cook their breads, he said.
“Let these political misadventurists understand that Jammu has immense capacity and capability to sort out its own issues unitedly and the proud Dogras– Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians, all inclusive –need no diktat from the discredited Valley leaders,” Rana said, adding that these chameleons have inflicted lot many scars on their own innocent brethren back home and now making attempts to vitiate the atmosphere. Again they are wrong in their calculation about the wisdom of Jammu, he added.
Rana said the Jammu people are unitedly acknowledging the assurance of the administration and want a comprehensive policy on anti encroachment drive as per the commitment of the Lieutenant Governor. He said the people believe in rule of law and were unequivocally against the land mafia.
Rana cautioned the disruptive elements for taking law into their own hands, saying disturbing peace and order is not Jammu ethos. He said these elements were actually playing in the hands of vested interests and disgruntled politicians, who want disharmony and disaffection among the people. Actually these people are unnerved by the massive outreach of the visionary Prime Minister Narendra Modi to last person in the society, irrespective of caste, creed, culture, region or religion, as per his cherished agenda of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabk Vishwas, Sabka Prayàs. Spreading falsehood therefore is their only ulterior tool to create disruption in the society, he maintained.
Devender Rana complimented the delegation for rising to the occasion once àgain to fight their cause as a single entity like they are known for doing in the past. He recalled how Jammu has withstood the test of times against the evil designs of vested interests whenever attempts were made to divide them by provocative actions like desecrations or by creating communal wedge. This is actually the real strength of Jammu, he added.
Later, Devender Rana accompanied the delegation to meet the Divisional Commissioner to put their case for a Comprehensive Anti Encroachment Policy.
Kashmir folklore has always talked about Kruhun Sheen, the black snow, as a mark of disbelief and a complete topsy-turvy of natural systems. The fact is there has been black snow around for the last half of the century in Kashmir. The soot that the industrial states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi have been generating would fly and deposit over the glaciers in south Kashmir. Over the years it has been the major factor in the depletion of the glaciers and a key indicator of the climate change impact. Kashmir’s weather systems have historically remained impacted by the Western Disturbances in which the winds bring all the pollution from the Middle East and parts of Europe and pour it over Kashmir. The latest report is that last week the snow was seen as dusty and yellowish. The weatherman in Srinagar, now having access to better technology, said that it was the impact of dust that flew from Afghanistan and Pakistan and got missed with snow! Kashmir is becoming a casualty of real, virtual and climatic globalisation.
Of the sanctioned 3140 border bunkers in Rajouri, 2782 are almost ready for use.
REASI
In a game-changing development, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) revealed that it has discovered 6.9 million tons of lithium reserves in the Reasi mountains near Salal Haimana village. This reserve will fundamentally shift the global ranking of Lithium-rich countries with India now emerging from nowhere to the second position after Chile. The gold of the IT-driven system, Lithium is the powerhouse linked to almost everything from a pacemaker to a cell phone and to an electric car. This is expected to boost the IT-manufacturing investments in India that have already started with Apple setting up a huge phone-making facility in India. How the discovery will help Jammu and Kashmir shall remain a question for the future when the formal process of extracting the vital mineral starts. Right now Australia is the major Lithium supplier to the world.
Against the sanctioned strength of 4985 village defence groups (VDG), 4,153 have been constituted.
KUPWARA
In Kashmir’s harsh winters, Asphyxia has remained a major killer. Desperate to stay warm, people pluck every hole in the room and put on heating devices that deplete oxygen and the people die. That is exactly what happened to the UP family in Krakpora village. Five members of Majid Ansari’s family were declared dead last week when they were driven to the hospital. It was the annihilation of the Bijnore family including the husband, wife and their three children, including the youngest member who was born recently and was yet to be named.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the number of drug abusers includes Cannabis 1,36,000, Opioids 4,47,000, Cocaine 1,000 and 1000 Amphetamines type stimulants. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the registration of 743 drug peddling cases in 2017, 680 in 2018, 918 in 2019, 933 in 2020 and 1324 in 2021.
ANANTNAG
Eleventh grader, Hanaya Nisar was conferred with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) 2023 for winning a gold medal at the third World SQAY Martial Arts Championship held in Chingju, South Korea in October 2018. It is India’s highest civilian honour for children.
Two civilians and 25 security personnel were killed in militant attacks across Jammu since August 5, 2019.
JAMMU
LG, Manoj Sinha presented a piece of Basholi Panting to visiting Prime Minister on April 24, 2022, at Samba.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Jammu has authorised a programme for the Geographical Indication (GI) certification of nine items from erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state for submission to the Human Welfare Association in Varanasi. These items being submitted for GI include Basohli Paintings, Basholi Pashmina Woolen Products (Kathua), Chikri Wood Craft (Rajouri), Bhaderwah Rajma (Doda), Mushkbudji Rice (Anantnag), Kaladi (Udhampur), Sulai Honey, Anardana (Ramban), and Ladakh Wood Carving(Ladakh).
2022 saw 111 anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir in which 187 militants were killed.
JAMMU
CBI
Federal investigator CBI detained a lecturer at the Government Polytechnic College in Jammu and the Chief Accounts Officer (KAS) of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation in connection with Rs. 2.3 lakh bribery. CBI said the lecturer was being used by the accounts officer for extracting money from a person whose payment bill was with the officer. The arrest was an outcome of the trap.
Two girls were rescued alive in an avalanche that hit Manzgund village of Gurez
PATTAN
Rivalries within professionals can sometimes be interestingly intriguing. In a Pattan hospital when a junior doctor was busy carrying out the surgery, the senior got into the theatre and allegedly abused him. This stunned the staff and almost put the patient at risk. The reason: the senior did not want any procedure to take place without his knowledge. What is right and wrong will be decided by an investigation ordered by CMO, Baramula. Meanwhile, authorities have banned two doctors from doing any private practice across Jammu and Kashmir. The two doctors, Dr Zafarullah, Assistant Professor (ENT) and Dr Shafaqat Ahmad Lone, Associate Professor (ENT) of Government Medical College Baramulla were accused of referring patients from Government hospitals to Private Hospitals for availing treatment under AB PM-JAY and AB PM-JAY SEHAT Scheme.
The cost of the Haj package in 2023 is expected to be about Rs 50,000 less in comparison to 2022.
JAMMU
Non-irrigated land at Vilgam. KL Image
Jammu and Kashmir’s administration has banned the sale of agricultural land belonging to individuals who are missing for the last seven years. This was done on basis of the police enquiry that suggested the use of these incomes into subversion. Now revenue officials will have to declare a landowner not present and not in occupation on formal records. People holding their immovable properties will have also to be mentioned and will continue to harvest these lands. No revenue papers in these lands can be issued by the revenue officials to prevent their sale. Though the orders will not be applicable to the immovable property of people who have migrated, the order is silent about tens of thousands of people – mostly professionals, who are working overseas and are technically not present.
Of 33,426 Gazetted and Non-Gazetted positions in Jammu and Kashmir government, Lok Sabha was informed that 25450 vacancies stand filled by December 2022.
LONDON
A review into the British government’s scheme set up to prevent terrorism has flagged the radicalisation of UK Muslims over Kashmir and “potentially toxic” pro-Khalistan extremism as some of the areas of growing concern and made recommendations for improvements to tackle Islamist extremism as the “primary threat” to the country, reports in media said. The report said Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to “inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir”. Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross presided over the review.
DELHI
In a veiled jibe at Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his Ekta Yatra in 1991 that concluded with the tricolour unfurling in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk at the peak of militant threat. “Those who came back from Jammu and Kashmir recently must have seen how easily you can go there. I too had gone on a yatra to J&K with the resolve to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk,” Modi said. “Terrorists had put up posters and said, dekhte hain, kisne maa ka doodh piya hai jo Lal Chowk aake Tiranga phehra paaye. That day on January 24, at a public rally, I had said, ‘terrorists pay heed. On January 26, sharp at 11 am, I will reach Lal Chowk without security and a bulletproof jacket. Faisla Lal Chowk pe hoga kisne apni maa ka doodh piya hai’. Then I unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk.” Modi said Kashmir has changed after the reading down of Article 370 and tourism is on a historic rise. He said theatres are also running houseful in Kashmir and separatists are nowhere to be seen now.
SRINAGAR
It was an interesting happening. A traffic cop intercepted a car near Tagore Hall and fined him Rs 2000 for some violation of the rules. Infuriated, the “victim” promised a response. Within an hour, he returned to the spot with his bulldozer – he was an SMC driver handling a bulldozer for removing encroachments and dismantling a booth from which the traffic cops were operating. These booths are technically encroachments but practically these are important spots for the cops. This triggered a mess and after a lot of controversies, the police registered a case and arrested three SMC officials who were later bailed out by the court.
SRINAGAR
SKUAST-K’s 15 students have secured Innovation Grant Funding Support as seed money from Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council. They are mentored by the university’s Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (SKIIE) Centre and Team IDP. They will use the grants for validating the proof of concept and turning their ideas into viable marketable products.
MUMBAI
Bollywood flick, Pathaan poster showing the lead actors including Shahrukh Khan, John Ibrahim and Deepika Padukone
Effectively and surely, the tinsel town is reviving its Kashmir love story. At a time when Shah Rukh Khan’s flick Pathaan is ruling the box office, Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan are in Kashmir. They are shooting Fighter. Directed by Siddharth Anand Fighter also involves other actors including Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, and Akshay Oberoi for decisive roles. The movie is planned to hit the theatres on January 25, 2024. In Kashmir, the actors will be seen in and around Dal Lake and Pahalgam to capture some action arrays and scenes of a song. The movie Fighter is anticipated to be India’s foremost aerial action franchise which will enact and display the bravery, slaughter, and patriotic sentiments of the Indian Army. Now Karan Johar is flying Alia Bhat to Srinagar – cancelling Switzerland, for shooting Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.
SRINAGAR
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi Reviews Security Situation In Kashmir
Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, the Northern Command chief said they are ready to give a befitting response to any Chinese aggression in Ladakh. Addressing the Northern Command Investiture Ceremony, the General said that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has brought forth many lessons such as the employment of disruptive and dual-use technologies. “On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergised action by the Indian Armed Forces. Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of Forces and a strong intent with complete synergy among the three services,” he said. “I assure you that the LAC in Eastern Ladakh is being dominated by physical patrolling and through technical means and our territorial integrity is being ensured.”
SRINAGAR: Asserting that there is no restriction in Kashmir to hoist the national flag after the abrogation of Article 370, Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that he was once jailed for raising the national flag in the Union Territory.
“I was longest serving BJP Youth Wing President, from 2010 to 2017. I took a yatra from Kolkata to Kashmir to hoist the national flag. I was put in jail to hoist the national flag in Jammu and Kashmir. Today, I see Jammu and Kashmir is a different state with no such restrictions,” Thakur said while speaking at the first Y20 meeting under G20 India at IIT Guwahati.
The minister further said that after August 2019, when the article was ruled out by the Central government there are no such restrictions in the territory.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, it was difficult to even hoist the national flag. But after the abrogation of Article 370, you could see last year during the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ program, there was a Tiranga hoisted on each and every house in Kashmir,” Thakur said.
The first Y20 meeting in 2023, under G20 India, began in Guwahati on February 6.
The deliberations at the Youth20 were aimed at reaching out to the youth and holding consultations with them for ideas “for a better tomorrow”.
More than 150 Youth delegates from G20 countries are participating in the three-day meeting.
Over 12,000 college and university students are also expected to participate in these events.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will also present research papers from students and academicians of Assam.
The state government, along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, has taken up several initiatives to make the youth aware of Y20 and involve them in the process of nation-building. (ANI)
Shah Rukh Khan’s flick, Pathaan tells the same old ‘Kashmir story’ that Bollywood has always showcased, with or without the bikini, reports Fahd Khan
Bollywood flick, Pathaan poster showing the lead actors including Shahrukh Khan, John Ibrahim and Deepika Padukone
Bollywood film Pathaan which is literally minting money revolves around an ex-army man turned RAW agent. He is the Pathaan, the main protagonist of the flick played by Shah Rukh Khan. The Star cast includes John Abraham, who plays Khan’s arch-rival, Jim, the main villain. Deepika plays the role of an ISI agent Rubayi. The film tells the audience about how an amendment in the Indian constitution is infuriating its neighbour, Pakistan.
The film begins with the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and its effects on a Pakistani general who, in an effort to exact revenge on India, hires the former RAW agent turned dreaded devil, Jim to carry out the mission of destroying India. Jim feels betrayed and dejected since his family was killed as a result of the terror organization holding him captive and torturing him during one of the missions he was leading as the government of India failed to give the ransom amount. Jim is joined by Rubayi, an ISI agent who works with him to complete the mission.
Pathaan, Jim, and Rubayi travel quickly across several nations to carry out their respective missions of destroying and saving the worlds they believe in.
Superstar Returns
The movie marks the return of the superstar Shah Rukh Khan to the big screen after a hiatus and his comeback is quite enough to pull the audience to the theatres. Shah Rukh Khan, who has been the heartthrob of Bollywood fans for his portrayal of Rahul and Raj in the romantic Yash Raj and Karan Johar directorials, finds his new place in the action genre. His evocative eyes and chiselled body manage to salvage the poor script and screenplay.
Pathaan is an ambitious and most hyped film of the year, thanks to the boycott gang for the free publicity. When the teaser and trailer of the film were released, it promised to be an out-and-out action film and provides what it had promised. For a long time in the pre-interval, the audience wonders about what is going on. Be it the high-octane action scenes on the streets of Dubai, or the flashbacks, people are unable to connect to the story as the movie is fast-paced.
Bad Story
The story is a hackneyed, idea that has bored people already. However, there are a couple of emotional scenes post-interval like the touching Afghanistan flashback sequence where Pathaan gets his name and the one where he saves India from the disaster. Betrayal and apologies like the typical Bollywood movies, the screenplay is loose and predictable at many points. Interestingly the hero and the villain, both are equally powerful which we hardly find in Indian movies. Both perform some never seen high-octane action scenes on a train and are a delight to watch. If Pathaan punches his villain, the villain punches him back. Salman Khan’s cameo as Tiger is the USP of the film, the whole theatre turns into a stadium when you see two of the biggest superstars in one single frame. Both perform some never seen high-octane action scenes on a train and are a delight to watch. The action scenes seem to be inspired by the Bond series or Tom Cruise’s Top Gun Maverick.
Shah Rukh Khan has played his part extremely well. Every time the screen lights up with his brilliant acting when he appears on the screen and he is looking more handsome than ever at 58. His dialogue delivery and emotions can be felt by the viewers.
It seems as though John Abraham was destined to play Jim because of his tough demeanour, muscular build, and eyes filled with vengeance. In some scenes, particularly the final one, one feels sorry for Jim and thinks that he should have been rescued. Nobody in Bollywood other than John could have provided the Pathaan with fierce competition. John as Jim gave the finest performance of his career.
Alluring Performance
Deepika as Rubayi has a certain allure of her own, and her action moments with Pathaan and Jim create a strong impression. She also shines in the emotional scenes and is at the hottest best. Her character may be seen to be inspired by Black Widow and many other female Hollywood characters.
Siddharth Annand’s direction is average. He has focused more on the action, and grandeur rather than quality and story. The film has been made on a huge scale; more than Siddharth’s previous film War. The director has not been able to do justice providing the star cast he had. There are a number of shortcomings in the story rather than good moments. Scenes like Pathaan beating Russian forces single-handedly is hardly digestible. The Afghanistan episode in the climax of the film is also predictable.
Shah Rukh Khan whose Red Chillies VFX company is known to have revolutionized Bollywood in terms of VFX and CGI fails terribly in Pathaan. Its VFX is done by Yash Raj itself and is too shabby. In many of the scenes, one could easily trace the shot having been filmed on the green screen but the fast pace prevents the general masses from locating the technical issues.
Film’s two songs – Besharam Rang and Jhoome Jo Pathaan make one groove to the music as its plays, credit goes to Vishal-Shekhar. Satchith Paulose’s cinematography is spectacular as they have captured the essence of exotic locations of France, Spain, and Russia.
Casey O’Neill, Craig Macrae and Sunil Rodrigues’s action is the highlights of the film and matches the global standards. The editor Arif Sheikh has tried to keep the film fast-paced and crisp.
The background music by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara is the film’s soul that keeps one hooked to the seat. The BGM on villains’ entry encourages people to download the music.
On the whole, Pathaan is a brainless entertainer. Shah Rukh Khan fans who see his return after four years will watch it regardless of whether it has a plot or not. Given the situation in which the Depika’s bikini created such a huge fuss seems far-fetched as Pathaan supplements and compliments what the government did in Kashmir and how it wants to be conveyed.
SRINAGAR: Describing abrogation of Article 370 as a landmark and path breaking political initiative in the history of independent India, Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana today said the constitutional amendment by Parliament of the world’s largest and greatest democracy on August 5, 2019 was a step towards realization of the concept of ‘one nation, one people’.
“With this temporary provision gone, the citizens of India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and North East to Kuchh are emotionally and psychologically connected as one people,” Devender Rana said while interacting with student activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) from North Eastern States, currently on National Integration Tour under Students’ Experience in Inter-state Living (SEIL) at the picturesque Surinsar.
Rana added: “Removing the discriminatory special status of Jammu and Kashmir gives a better shape to the ideology of one nation”.
He said the changing scenario across the country is manifestation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s urge to make India a global leader with his mission of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Pryas. This is only possible when Indians, irrespective of region, religion, caste or race mould themselves as ‘one people of one nation’. Much headway has been made in this regard during the past nearly nine years with everyone, especially the youth, working towards the progression of the country, he added.
Rana recalled the scenario in the North East prior to 2014 and said the despair of yesteryears has been overtaken by hope and promise of a better tomorrow. The region has really come out of the era of instability and is fast steering towards stability and peace.
He said the challenges faced to the North East and Jammu and Kashmir were not conducive years ago but the strong leadership at the Centre has made all the difference. While the NE is scripting a new saga of progress and development, J&K is at the threshold of becoming part of the country’s growth story. The nightmarish era of stone pelting and hartal culture in Kashmir is now history and the Valley is humming with economic activity and development like Jammu and any other part of the country, he maintained.
Rana, however, cautioned against the elements inimical to India’s spirit of unity, who are engaged in the sinister machinations of dividing the people on the basis of religion and caste. He exuded confidence that the youth of India will play a decisive role in foiling their game plan by maintaining unity and tranquillity.
Senior BJP leader Rana hoped that the youth exchange under SEIL will provide an opportunity to the youngsters to know their nation better and understand its diverse character and the challenges ahead. The activists of the ABVP will have to play their designated role in bringing youth together under the banner of One India. The youth represent the aspirations of vibrant India, he said, adding that the decisive leadership of the Prime Minister is fully capable of satiating these as per their expectations.
He lauded the initiative of SEIL –founded in 1965 as an initiative of the then members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad under the presidency of Acharya Giriraj Kishore and hoped that such visits will promote the feeling of brotherhood between youths from northeast India and the rest of the nation.
The SEIL comprised the ABVP activists from North East, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included, Akshi Balioria State Secretary ABVP Jammu and Kashmir; Tilak Thakur, State Organising Secretary; Novjot Jasrotia, State SEAL Coordinator J&K, Nirdesh Khajuria, Jammu Mahanagar Organising Secretary; Chahat Anand, State Joint Secretary besides Sarpanch Surinsar Bodh Raj, Sarpanch Chilla, Krishan Singh, Sarpanch Nadore Rajinder Singh, Sarpanch Khanpur Mohd Iqbal, Sarpanch Pounthal Anil, Ex Sarpanch Subash Singh, Pritam Singh, Mohd Amin, Abdul Mehmood, Balbir Singh, Mohd Sadiq, Bhushan Singh and others.
JKSSB has been asked by the High Court to appoint 1446 paramedics after dismissing the petitions filed by those who have been working against these positions for many years.
KATHUA
Dilbagh Singh (IPS)
In an interesting revelation, the Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief, Dilbagh Singh said they have recovered a ‘perfume bomb’ from a school teacher turned militant. The recovery took place while investing in the twin Narwal blasts of January 21, 2023, and the outcome included solving four terror attacks—three on the outskirts of Jammu City and another at Katra. The teacher was identified as Mohammad Auraf Sheikh alias Arif, 32, son of Ghulamudin, a resident of village Pagihalla in the Baransal area of Gulabgarh(Reasi), who was posted at Government Middle School, Pagihalla(Mahore) but living at Peerbagh Colony at Sunjuwan in the rented accommodation of a Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) Inspector. He had been living in the cop’s accommodation between December 2021 and March 2022 and from December 1, 2022, to January 2023 and the cop had not informed the concerned. Hired as ReT in 2010, and his services were regularised in 2016.
DGP said Arif was in touch with Pakistan-basedLashkarcommander Mohammad Qasim, a resident of the village Angralla (Reasi) district, and was introduced by his maternal uncle Qamar Din of Baransal, Doda, who is settled in Karachi. His job was to collect drone-dropped IEDs and sticky bombs from the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua. The teacher had burnt almost every single thing that could have proved as evidence against him but he was still caught. Police said he admitted that he planted two sticky bombs, each weighing 450 grams, beneath seat number 3 of the bus, above the petrol tank, on May 13, 2022, in which a few Vaishno Devi pilgrims were killed and mostly survived injured.
The government has allotted Rs 62 crore, to be spent over five years for the cultivation of Medicinal Aromatic Plants on 5000 kanals of land spread across 28 clusters, creating over 3000 jobs and 28 enterprises.
GULMARG
Two Polish skiers were washed away by a debilitating avalanche at Gulmarg’s Afarwat skiing slope when 21 skiers were taken by surprise. While the rescue patrol rescued 19 skiers and their two guides – Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, the bodies of Krzysctof, 43, and Adam Grzech45, were retrieved from under a mound of snow. With powdered snow, Gulmarg is the best destination for world-class skiing outside the Alps. The spot is crowded with skiers these days. This season, Kashmir witnessed its seven major avalanches. While four avalanches hit Gurez, two hit Sonamarg earlier. In one of the avalanches at Sonamarg, two labourers working on the Zojilla tunnel were killed. Incidentally, most of these avalanches were captured live. One mobile owner actually captured the last moments of one of the two ill-fated skiers. The last major avalanche in Gulmarg was on February 8, 2010, which killed 17 soldiers.
As per a study, around 6.5 per cent of women in Srinagar started experiencing domestic violence during Covid-19-induced lockdowns.
DODA
After mass migration from Uttrakhand’s Joshimath due to its feared sinking, a similar tragedy almost struck a village located on the banks of Chenab River, where 21 residential structures developed cracks in Thathri tehsil of Doda since December last year. More than 111 people from 21 homes declared unsafe were shifted away from the Nai Basti village. The administration is yet to know the cause of land erosion and a team from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been rushed to the spot.
Jammu and Kashmir’s government inaugurated 94 sports infrastructure projects worth Rs 46 crore under CAPEX and JKIDFC
SRINAGAR
Against the backdrop of tracing a fake posting and appointment order, the School Education Department has ordered verification of the genuineness of the 2009 batch and other appointees of which orders have been issued by the government. The order came after a fraudster was found serving the department for more than 13 years by producing fake postings and appointment orders.
Jammu and Kashmir’s government is spending Rs 146 crore to promote niche crops as unique heritage.
SRINAGAR
Following a Delhi Court order, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached the Hurriyat office in Srinagar. In an order, Shaliender Malik, additional sessions judge, New Delhi district, had ordered the attachment under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act-1967. The court, however, had added that the attachment in itself does not mean that there is any pre-trial conclusion regarding that property. The Court further said that among the different allegations and evidence, it was also the case that the office of APHC was the place where meetings were held to strategize different protests, funding activities of stone pelting on security forces, recruiting of unemployed youths to carry out unlawful activities as well as terrorist activities to create unrest in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir to wage war against the Government of India.
57 schools and roads were recently renamed in memory of eminent persons and lain soldiers.
SRINAGAR
Nearly 656309 hectares of State and Khacharai land were retrieved during the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir. On January 9, the administration had asked the DCs to ensure that all encroachments on state land, including grazing land and that granted under the Roshni Act, are removed by January 31. The major chunk of 2,75,867 hectares of land was retrieved from encroachers in Rajouri, followed by 1,44,613 hectares in Reasi, 1,22,277 in Poonch, 47,552 hectares in Kishtwar, 33,000 Kanals in Bandipora, 15,000 in Kathua, 14,000 in Ganderbal and 4,000 in Kupwara districts so far. In line with the government’s assurances that big fishes are on target, 40 kanals of land were retrieved from a hotel in Srinagar that belongs to close relatives of former CM Farooq Abdullah. In Anantnag, the boundary wall of the residence of former minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayyed (Congress) at Dahmal Khoshipora was demolished. However, while many high profiles people were targeted, the Lal Chowk Srinagar’s Aftab market witnessed the sealing and then subsequent reopening of two dozen odd shops.
India’s 2023-24 budget has allocated Rs 35,581.44 crore to Jammu and Kashmir, mostly as central assistance. It is slightly lower in comparison to allocations of Rs 44,538.13 crore in the last budget.
JAMMU
Trilochan Singh Wazir
Delhi Police has arrested Sudershan Singh Wazir, Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Sikh United Front and his two associates Harjinder Singh Raina and Jagpal Singh for their alleged involvement in the murder of NC lawmaker and trader Tarlochan Singh Wazir on September 3, 2021. Sudarshan was summoned by police to Delhi and booked under Section 120-B IPC. The recent arrests in the case were based on the disclosures of Harpreet Singh, a prime accused in the murder.
NABARD estimates Jammu and Kashmir has credit potential worth Rs 34082 crore in the priority sector in 2023-24.
LADAKH
Engineer Sonam Wangchuk, Ladakh’s change-maker and the man on whose life the Bollywood blockbuster, 3 Idiots is based, was on a “symbolic carbon neutral climatic fast” (read hunger strike) for five days. His protest was for an extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, full statehood and other demands already propounded by the region’s political leadership. His protest became global news as the Leh administration restricted him to his Himalayan Institutes of Alternative Ladakh (HIAL). Now the region’s leadership wants him to be part of the negotiations with Delhi. The Magsaysay Award winner’s statement shocked the government: “I didn’t think I would ever say this, but I am saying that we were better off with Jammu and Kashmir than today’s UT [Union Territory]. I would also tell that tomorrow’s UT would be better and golden.”
In the last three years, Budgam district witnessed the seizure of 1120 vehicles for “illegal missing” and they were fined to the tune of Rs 17,357,156.
BIHAR
Last week, social media was dominated by a young Kashmir lady who had converted to Hinduism for marrying Lalu Singh, a resident of Begusarai, Bihar. She emerged on the social media scene after her in-laws refused to adopt her and wanted her to go back home. She had fled home twice and was sent back by her in-laws but this time she refused and went public. Later, a possible police intervention helped her reunite with her husband.
Against a loan of Rs 400 crore to various power projects owned by Adani group, almost Rs 255 crore is still unpaid.
DELHI
In his Mann Ji Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said to many Kashmier winter pictures look like a fairy tale. “During winters, people also enjoyed snowfall in the mountains. Some pictures came in from Jammu and Kashmir which captivate hearts in the entire country,” Modi said. “People are saying that picture of a beautiful snowfall, white sheet like snow all around looks like a fairy tale. They comment that these pictures are not of any foreign nation but that of Kashmir in our own country.” Then he became a Kashmir brand ambassador: “Seeing these pictures, you too must be thinking of going on a trip to Kashmir. I would like you to go there yourself and also take your friends along. Besides snow-capped mountains along with natural beauty, there are many more things to see and know in Kashmir.” Then, he moved to snow cricket and termed it an “exciting game”. He added; “Winter Games were organized in Syedabad, Kashmir. Kashmiri youth make cricket even more amazing in the snow. Through this, there is also a search for young players in Kashmir, who will later play as Team India. In a way, this is also an extension of the Khelo India Movement.”
In the last 20 years, Kashmir recorded 2357 Asiatic black bear attacks on humans till 2020.
SRINAGAR
Kashmir’s handicraft basket will now have a Quick Response (QR) code alongside the GI labelling. The initiative aimed at fair trade practice is taking place at a time when the handicraft sector is exhibiting a strong revival with exports in the last nine months crossing Rs 729 crore, for the first time after 2019. Now, 13 Kashmir crafts including six handicrafts already having GI will have distinct QR codes. These include Kashmir Pashmina, Kashmir Sozni, Kani Shawl, Kashmir Walnut Wood Carving, Kashmir Papier Machie and Khatamband. In the case of Kashmir Pashmina’s GI labelling has been redeveloped and has been integrated with the QR-Code certification module.
From 23 procurement spots, the agriculture department has purchased 33600 tons of paddy from 6,549 farmers in Jammu and Kashmir for Rs 68.88 crore.
SRINAGAR: Authorities have reportedly demolished a shopping complex that Qazi Yasir owned in Anantnag town. Qazi Yasir is slain politician Qazi Nisar’s son.
The demolition was reported on Thursday morning. While the complex has been raised to the ground, reports said the shops are being handed over to municipal council Anantnag.
“It was a double-storey structure and was demolished,” one eyewitness said. “The shutters of the shops are intact.”
Authorities said the complex near the stadium was illegal as it had been raised on state land.
(Photograph that features this report is not directly linked to the details described in the news story)
Mike Pompeo, former US Secretary of State has claimed that India and Pakistan were on the brink of a nuclear war in wake of the surgical strikes in 2018, an issue that the US settled in a night that he will never forget
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania on Monday tried their hands at spinning the ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) at the Sabarmati Ashram Ahmedabad Gujarat. Pic: ANI
The Balakot surgical strike on February 27, 2018, had triggered a serious diplomatic crisis and was heading towards a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan. This is precisely what Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has claimed in his memoir Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.
“I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019. The truth is, I don’t know precisely the answer either; I just know it was too close,” Pompeo wrote.
Then in Hanoi, Vietnam, for negotiations between North Korean leader and Trump, the Indo-Pak tensions flared after a militant blew up an explosive-laded vehicle hitting a CRPF convey killing more than forty paramilitary personnel on February 14. In retaliation, Indian Air Force flew bombers during the night of February 27 and 28, hitting Balakot, a key Jaish formation. A day later, there was a dogfight between the rival fighters as a result of which India lost a fighter jet and its pilot was caught (later returned). Pakistan Air Force also bombed various spots inside Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking about the call that he received from his counterpart, then Sushma Swaraj, Pompeo wrote that he was informed that “Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons” and India was also “contemplating its own escalation”.
“I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out. I began to work with Ambassador Bolton, who was with me in the tiny secure communications facility in our hotel,” Pompeo wrote. “I reached the actual leader of Pakistan, General Bajwa, with whom I had engaged many times. I told him what the Indians had told me. He said it wasn’t true. As one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their nuclear weapons for deployment. It took us a few hours—and remarkably good work by our teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad—to convince each side that the other was not preparing for nuclear war. No other nation could have done what we did that night to avoid a horrible outcome.”
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Love for J
The Ministry of External Affairs Ministry in Delhi has avoided reacting to the revelation. At the same time, Pompeo has asserted that he actually worked with NSA Ajit Doval and the then foreign secretary, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who later in May 2019, became the Foreign Minister of India.
In his book, Pompeo has showered praises on Jaishankar’s capacity and knowledge – a man speaking seven languages, English “somewhat better than mine”, professional, rational, and a “fierce defender of his boss and his country”. However, Pompeo has termed Swaraj, a “goofball and a heartland political hack”. Jaishanker has strongly reacted to this and termed it “disrespectful” to his predecessor.
India versus Pakistan
While Pompeo’s book is an idea about Trump’s world order, it offers many details about the Indian subcontinent, especially India and Pakistan.
Indian leaders, Pompeo writes are “intently focused every minute on their bête noire of Pakistan” because the nuclear power controlled by its military and Islamist-sympathizing intelligence services presents a significant strategic and a terroristic threat to India. “Every action I took with respect to Pakistan—a trip or a phone call or a comment—was sure to result in a message saying that Prime Minister Modi or Foreign Minister Jaishankar wanted to speak. They were relentless and appropriately so,” the book reads.
Great Allies
At the same time, however, Pompeo has staked credit for ensuring a shift in India’s foreign policy that has always “charted its own course without a true alliance system, and that is still mostly the case” and has never remained tilted either towards USSR or the USA.
Pompeo sees the China angle as the key to a change. A strong ally of Pakistan, the Chinese army clubbed 20 soldiers in a skirmish in Ladakh. “That bloody incident caused the Indian public to demand a change in their country’s relationship with China. India also banned TikTok and dozens of Chinese apps as part of its response,” Pompeo wrote.
India’s foreign minister speaking to the UN general assembly on September 29, 2018
Offer details of a shift in US foreign policy, Pompeo – who was CIA chief before becoming Secretary of State, wrote that American diplomacy put Tokyo at the centre of its Asia policy and viewed Seoul as its primary location for geostrategic reach, which neglected India.
“Its population rivals that of China. We are natural allies, as we share a history of democracy, a common language, and ties of people and technology. India is also a market with enormous demand for American intellectual property and products. These factors, plus its strategic location in South Asia, made India the fulcrum of my diplomacy to counteract Chinese aggression,” explained Pompeo. “In my mind, a counter-China bloc made up of the United States, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the European Union would have an economic weight at least three times that of China. I chose to devote serious quantities of time and effort to help make India the next great American ally.”
This was the key reason why India joined Quad, according to the book. However, certain inherent limitations remain. These include India’s inherent dislike for alliances, a deeply protectionist and state-directed economy, Russian weaponry and its trading relationship and a long international border with China. These issues limit “India’s appetite for risk”.
SAMBA: Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana today blamed Rahul Gandhi for failing in apologizing to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the Himalayan blunders committed by the Congress in this part of the country since 1947.
“Least to speaking about tendering apology, Rahul Gandhi took pride in being in the company of PAGD allies who have exploited Kashmiris, one way or the other, all these years,” Devender Rana told media at the side-lines of Yagya organized by Sant Sri Balak Yogeshwar Das Ji Maharaj.
Rana said that Rahul Gandhi also preferred to align with those who push for talks with Pakistan whenever the rogue neighbour perpetrated mayhem through her lackeys—be it in Dangri Rajouri or target killings of Kashmiri Pandits and the outsiders. He said the former Congress President also conveniently forgot the threats and warnings of the PAGD leaders that there will be nobody to hold Tiranga in Kashmir.
He must now thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for creating a situation where, not only the people of Kashmir are carrying on economic activities and daily chores freely and fearlessly, but political leaders like him freely enjoying snow in the Valley.
The Senior BJP leader said the people do not know whether Rahul Gandhi has joined the nation together or not during his just concluded so-called yatra but they have certainly watched his brazen bonding with ‘Bharat Todo’ PAGD, which stands for Pakistan, anti-national, separatist, radicalised and secessionist elements.
“No wonder, the person, who embarked on the yatra to Kashmir to understand, as he says, the feelings of the people, must be returning back as ignorant as he has been, due to lack of his understanding”, he added.
Rana said that the peace and normalcy dawning in Kashmir is result of path breaking initiatives taken by the Prime Minister for holistic development of the Valley post abrogation of Article 370, which removed all obstacles in bonding of Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country emotionally. Unfortunately, he said, Rahul Gandhi did not clear his stand on Article 370 even at the close of his yatra.
On a question about Rahul Gandhi hoisting tricolor in Lal Chowk, Rana said this is the changed Kashmir and changed scenario in the Congress as well. In this context, he recalled the statement of the Congress General Secretary in Jammu, observing that unfurling the national flag in Kashmir is RSS legacy and said that this tradition has now inspired their young leader to follow the Sangh footsteps. Better late than never, he observed and wished Rahul Gandhi to understand the Indian ethos in its totality. That will be true repentance of the Congress for the sins committed in independent India, he added.
On the Mahayagya, Devender Rana complimented Sant Sri Balak Yogeshwar Das Ji Maharaj as a tribute to martyrs, due to valour and sacrifices of whom the nation is breathing in democratic, sovereign nation. He said the Indian Armed Forces were the most disciplined and brave forces across the world, which are capable of defending the territorial integrity with valour.
Those accompanying Rana for participating in the Mahayagya included Surinder Choudhary, Mangu Shah, Surinder Singh Gill and others.
JAMMU: Lashing out at the Congress for ducking response over abrogation of Article 370 as usual due to its inherent contradictions and taking escape route from the chronic political issues it created in Kashmir over the decades, Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana today said the statement of Jairam Ramesh is on expected lines keeping in view the flip-flop policies of his party on issues concerning upholding of Nation’s sovereignty and integrity.
Speaking to reporters on the side-lines of releasing of book ‘Trikaalsandhya and Vaishnav Vratodyaapan Pradeep on Karm-kand’ by Dr Varchaskam Sharma here this afternoon, Rana said the Congress is caught between the deep sea and devil over the historic repeal of Article 370 binding Jammu and Kashmir emotionally and psychologically with rest of the country besides ending the era of deprivation of women and marginalized segments like Valmikis, PoK refugees, Gorkhas, Gujjar Bakerwals west Pak refugees and the other weaker sections.
“Talking about the political issues would certainly expose the Congress, which is solely responsible for all the ills afflicting the body psyche of the nation in general and the Valley in particular because of greed, lust and lack of vision of its so-called towering leaders,” Rana said, adding that such an eventuality is bound to entail the wrath of the party’s new found allies in the communal, divisive, anti-national and pro-Pakistan PAGD who Congress is trying to please and appease.
Rana recalled his earlier statement of the Congress creating alibis to avoid hoisting of the tricolor at the historic Lal Chowk in view of the PAGD’s strong hate for the national flag.
He said Rahul Gandhi has conveniently obliged the hate mongers and anti-national political actors, who had warned of not getting flag bearers for the tricolor in the Valley if Article 370 was tinkered with. Bypassing Lal Chowk thus amounts to compromising national honour and dignity. It is different that the Tiranga is being unfurled for youth of Kashmir day in and day out with pride, he said and referred to the response they got as recently as on the Republic Day when shops in the famous market-place remained open, ending over three-decade culture of hartals and bandhs.
He said this has unnerved the Congress and its masters in the PAGD, who are in the unholy wedlock for their lust for power.
Rana reminded the Congress of its blunders in Kashmir, saying that but for the course correction being made by the BJP, the paradise on the earth was at the brink of disaster.
He said none of the dynasts ever appreciated the genuine aspirations of the Paharis, Gujjars, Refugees, Valmikis and the other categories of marginalized sections, who are witnessing their empowerment for the first time ever since independence of India.
He said the BJP has infused a sense of belonging among the people and heralded a new era of peace and stability. Even the worst adversaries are confessing privately how the malady of stone-pelting and hartal culture has ended in Kashmir with people enthusiastically participating in the odyssey of progress and development.
He added that fillip in Kashmir economy due to record influx of tourism showcases the sincere efforts of the BJP in bringing normalcy and exposes the trio pseudo secularists for their machinations of keeping the Valley in boil, he said, adding that J&K is at the threshold of progress, prosperity and above all the political empowerment in real sense of term.
The books of Dr Varchaskam Sharma, an Assistant Professor in Sanskrit in GMC, Kathua will be distributed free of cost. Dr Sharma has earlier also authored three books on Karm-kand.
Prominent among others those present on the occasion included Pt. Tilak Raj Shastri, Principal, Ranjeet Singh.
Following a Delhi Court order, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached the Hurriyat office in Srinagar. In an order, Shaliender Malik, additional sessions judge, New Delhi district, had ordered the attachment under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act-1967. The court, however, had added that the attachment in itself does not mean that there is any pre-trial conclusion regarding that property. The Court further said that among the different allegations and evidence, it was also the case that the office of APHC was the place where meetings were held to strategize different protests, funding activities of stone pelting on security forces, recruiting of unemployed youths to carry out unlawful activities as well as terrorist activities to create unrest in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir to wage war against the Government of India.
