The first batch comprising 1,160 Amarnath yatris was on Friday flagged off by the state tourism minister from Jammu base camp to the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.
Kashmiri separatist leader Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai was released early from a minimum-security penitentiary, thanks to a surprising motion moved by the prosecution.
As Azad ended his decades-old association with the party, leaders across political spectrum praised his contribution to Jammu and Kashmir, with the BJP hailing him as a "towering leader".
The People's Democratic Party and the National Conference -- the two Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners in Jammu and Kashmir -- will be taking on each other on the three Lok Sabha seats in the valley.
Briefing reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting, Abdullah said the leaders decided to formalise the alliance, that has been named 'Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration'.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Friday lashed out at the opposition parties for extending support to criminals after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahemd's son Asad, and another accused, Ghulam, were killed in an encounter by the Special Task Force (STF).
The PDP led by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has decided to stay away from the delimitation process, saying the body lacks 'constitutional and legal mandate' and is part of the overall process of political disempowerment of people of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kashmir on Diwali and spend time with flood-hit people there.
Normal life remained paralysed for the 42nd day in the Valley which has been rocked by violence after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.
Civil Secretariat, the seat of Jammu and Kashmir here, opened on Thursday after 11 days but could not become operational as the ground floor of the seven-storey building is still under three feet of water.
The eight-phase DDC polls, which began on November 28, is also the first election after Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 was revoked last year and it was reorganised into a Union Territory.
The deceased policeman was identified as assistant sub-inspector Mushtaq Ahmad.
The Lok Sabha member from Srinagar was elected chairman of the PAGD after the first meeting of the amalgam at the residence of Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti.
He alleged that an officer told him that he would be taken out of jail after two weeks and killed.
What the leaders said after the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.
'Strange when people who don't have the capacity to fight a ward poll, were "chaprasis" of Congress leaders give "gyaan" about the party it's laughable'
With no signs of improvement in the situation in Kashmir, community schools are the only hope for students in the valley.
Two terrorists including a wanted Lashkar-e-Toiba ultra Salim Parray were killed in two encounters with security forces in Harwan area on the outskirts of the city on Monday, police said.
A woman and her two minor granddaughters were killed when an angry mob set alight several houses, shops in Pakistan's Punjab province belonging to the minority Ahmadi sect in riots that followed the alleged posting of blasphemous content on Facebook.
A rotating chief ministership as a way to appease factions can work only if there is a credible guarantor, explains Aditi Phadnis.
"We have come to realise that these elections are being held to facilitate only one party -- ruling party," Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said.
Three government employees have been sacked by the Jammu and Kashmir administration for their alleged active support to the terrorism.
The policemen were patrolling the area in view of a separatist-sponsored strike.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday launched a veiled attack on Congress leaders and said he gave sweat and blood for the party unlike those who are spreading 'falsehood' through social media.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday expanded his cabinet by inducting 13 new ministers. This has taken the total strength of the National Conference-Congress coalition ministry from 11 to 22.The coalition government headed by Omar Abdullah was formed in January this year after the state elections were held in December 2008.
The re-opening of the state government offices in Srinagar after the annual Darbar Move was marked by citywide shutdown and protests.
The terrorists, however, managed to escape after the gunbattle and security forces were making efforts to track them down.
The octogenarian leader, who was candid and witty in his nearly-35-minute speech, said one is even afraid of a handshake or a hug in the current situation.
The separatist leaders were detained as a precautionary measure as authorities apprehended that their visit to the village might further deteriorate the already surcharged atmosphere, the sources said.
With the crisis continuing over the issue of chief ministership in Uttarakhand, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today held deliberations with newly sworn-in chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and senior party leaders to resolve the matter.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered an first information report against Health Minister Shabir Ahmad Khan for alleged sexual assault after a complaint by a woman doctor.
Rahul Gandhi deliberately kept himself in the background, because he knew he is yet to achieve the stature to talk to a politician as senior as Deve Gowda.
United States Republican Party member Dan Burton, who is reportedly the largest individual recipient of money from two alleged Pakistani spies, has said that he is "deeply shocked" by the arrest of Kashmiri American Council executive director Ghulam-Nabi Fai.
The complaint alleges that the defendants have conspired to: 1) act as an agent of a foreign principal without registering with the Attorney General in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA); and 2) falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts they had a duty to disclose in matters within the jurisdiction of Executive Branch agencies of the US government.
An "upset" Republican lawmaker from Pennsylvania has donated USD 4,000 in campaign contributions to charity after learning that they came from two men accused of being agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, including Kashmiri separatist leader Ghulam Nabi Fai.
There are some embarrassed faces, some awkward silences in newspapers and television channels in North India. They belong to some of those journalists and academicians who availed the hospitality offered by Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, who ran the Kashmiri American Council, also known as the Kashmir Center.
The United States will find it difficult to seek extradition of a Pakistani-American doctor, accused of playing a key role in a plot to funnel Inter-Services Intelligence's cash into the US, from Pakistan, as he is a "respected figure" and owns one of the leading hospitals in Islamabad, according to a media report.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional in Parliament on Tuesday while talking about Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad during farewell to retiring members of the Rajya Sabha.
Counting's underway and the fate of the candidates is awaited. As we wait for the results with bated breath, here's how your heavyweights are faring for now.
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