He said 162 terrorists and Maoists were killed across the country in 2021-22.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday chaired a high-level national security meeting to discuss the situation arising out of intelligence alerts over possible terror threats via sea to Maharashtra and Goa. Attended by the country's top security officials, the two-and-a-half hour meeting is also believed to have discussed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, in the wake of the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to start next week, sources said.
More than 11000 pilgrims left from the two base camps for the yatra. Officials said that over 6000 pilgrims left for the cave shrine from north Kashmir Baltel base camp while 5000 left from the south Kashmir Nunwan base camp early Thursday morning.
In a major breakthrough in the Amarnath land issue, the Jammu and Kashmir Government and the group spearheading the agitation on Sunday signed an accord to allow the shrine board to make temporary use of 40 hectares of land in Kashmir during the yatra period after which the 64-day-old stir was suspended.
The streets of Jammu wore a deserted look on Monday as the 'chakka jaam' agitation in Jammu region called by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti got underway.The Samiti asked people not to use their private vehicles today. However, vehicles of mediapersons and ambulances carrying patients were exempted from the chakka jaam agitation.
Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (AYSS) on Wednesday announced the launch of civil disobedience movement in Jammu region.
Amidst all the brouhaha over the Amarnath land row, the chhari mubarak or the holy mace of Shiva reached Pahalgam on Monday afternoon, marking the final phase of the ongoing two-month Amarnath yatra, official sources said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday flayed Dr Farooq Abdullah, who claimed that the media had distorted his son Omar Abdullah's comments on the Amarnath yatra issue.
Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha, till recently Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday launched a frontal attack on the state's main political parties, especially PDP and its patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, accusing him of being "hand in glove" with separatists and fundamentalists. At the centre of controversy over the land for Amarnath yatra which paralysed the valley in recent days, Sinha denounced PDP as "anti-national".
Police have filed a case against the army personnel, an official said, adding that records kept at a police station were also damaged.
Normal life remained badly affected on Friday as shops and market places were closed and vehicles off the roads in response to a bandh over the Amarnath land transfer issue. The bandh, called by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti to demand transfer forest land to the shrine board, entered the 62nd day on Friday amid no signs of immediate rapprochement between the Samiti and the government.
"The scheduled round of talks between the Samiti and the Governor's panel at Jammu on Thursday afternoon has been deferred in view of indisposition of the committee's chief S S Bloeria at Srinagar," an official spokesman said.
Curfew remained clamped for the fourth straight day in the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday even as no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the region.
The Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (AYSS) on Thursday asked the local Congress leaders to have the demand for restoration of land to Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) conceded by the UPA government or else resign from the party and join the agitation.
'A war is being fought in South Kashmir.' 'Do not underestimate your enemy, be sensible and cautious and be prepared for the worst if you choose to move in the region unprotected,' advises Sanjeev Nayyar.
The DGCA advised airlines to remain ready to operate additional flights from the Srinagar airport if the need arises.
Officials said that 100 more companies are expected to be sent to the valley.
Talks will resume between Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra's mediator and the group spearheading the agitation over the Amarnath land row on Saturday, amidst reports that a peace formula was in the making.S S Bloeria will hold talks with the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti in Jammu on the issue. The talks were deferred over the last two days because Bloeria was unwell.Amidst reports of peace formula in the offing, the group spokesman said there was no such proposal.
Day curfew was lifted on Thursday in Jammu and Udhampur districts, while it was relaxed for varying periods in other areas of Jammu province, which was reeling under massive protests over the Amarnath land row. Curfew, which was reimposed in Jammu on Wednesday on the third and final day of 'Jail Bharo Andolan' of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti, was lifted for the day from 5 am to 8 pm on Thursday, official sources said.
The struggle of Kashmiris for autonomy is one thing. The idea of trifurcating the state -- a Muslim Valley, a Hindu Jammu and a Buddhist Ladakh -- will undercut the very idea of India. India said `no' to nationhood on the basis of religion at the time of independence, and this would also apply to statehood. If it accepts this, or is forced to accept it, it could be a downhill journey for a multi-faith, multi-cultural society, and have a bearing on the future of India.
'What led to the present crisis was an action taken by my government in good faith. Nobody realised then that things would come to such a stage. I feel that had it not been for the coming elections in the state, the cabinet decision (to allot land to the Amarnath shrine board) would not have been even noticed. It was the timing of the decision that resulted in a bad situation,' says Azad.
Politicians might say that the Amarnath issue is not about religion, but it is all about religion.
General Singh said the army was ready for any exigency anywhere in the country.
The holy lingam (phallic symbol of Shiva) at the shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas melted 10 days back, Chief Executive Officer (Ecology), Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, Arun Kumar told PTI.
The board will also provide modern shelters made of pre-fabricated material, J&K Governor Sinha added.
In February this year, the same minister was accused by a lady doctor of mental harassment after he rebuked her for not wearing the apron.
Kashmir remained cut off from rest of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday as the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway and the Mughal road remained closed, while air traffic was suspended due to heavy snowfall across the valley.
The snowfall started during the night at most places and early in the morning at few places, the officials said. They said while some areas in north Kashmir received light snowfall, most areas in central and south Kashmir experienced moderate snowfall.
Two pilgrims to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir died on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 10 in the ongoing annual pilgrimage, official sources said.
The annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir commences on July 15.
The 1,600-page chargesheet was filed under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act before a sessions court in Anantnag, an official spokesperson said.
The BJP can only form a government if the PDP splits.
Three to four hundred youths have converged at Sonamarg base camp to clean the hills of poly-bags and other items left by the pilgrims during the one-and-a-half month yatra.
In his monthly 'Mann ki baat' broadcast, he said the "Back to village" programme held in June in Jammu and Kashmir saw enthusiastic participation of villagers everywhere.
Slamming Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's demand for restricting Amarnath yatra to 30 days, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Saturday.
The men, who had allegedly helped the four terrorists by providing them with vehicles and shelter, were arrested recently and taken into remand for further questioning, the police said.
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