Rahul Gandhi arrives in Kashmir Valley on Thursday on a two-day visit, bringing along a strong business delegation that will include Ratan Tata and Kumar Manglam Birla, to a state seeking more investments.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday blamed India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "two major blunders" -- declaring a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir and taking the issue to the United Nations -- for the sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
'If Pakistan has fired one bullet at us then we have to respond by firing 10 bullets at them. It is our right to do so.'
The highlight of Tuesday's debate on Operation Sindoor was the speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the rebuttal by Congress's Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi coming a close second.
A Pune businessman was shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday, his daughter recounted the horrific incident. The family was cowering in fear inside a tent when terrorists came. They asked Santosh Jagdale, 54, to come out and recite an Islamic verse. When he couldn't, they shot him thrice: once in the head, then behind the ear and then his back. The 26-year-old daughter of the Pune businessman recounted to PTI the terror the family went through in the horrific attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. After her father fell to the ground, the gunmen turned on her uncle who was lying next to her and shot him several times in the back.
Kashmir has emerged as a haven for cherry cultivation.
Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday accused the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party of taking support from ex-militants for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, and said the two parties want to take the Union territory back to its 'trouble-filled days'.
Tourist hot spots like Gulmarg and Pahalgam woke up on Friday morning under a thick blanket of snow.
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, expressing solidarity with India. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group. The attack came during US Vice President J D Vance's maiden visit to India. Prime Minister Modi, who had arrived in Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit earlier in the day, cut short his visit and departed for New Delhi on Tuesday night following the attack.
The senior Congress spokesperson posted on Twitter that on many occasions in the past, he had "cautioned that the Kashmir issue or problem (or by whatever name it is called) was a festering wound".
In all the instances of sniper attacks, the terrorists used a nearby hillock to carry out strikes on a security force campus when unsuspecting jawans were using their mobile phones to talk to their family or friends.
For the Kashmiri people, the gun remains India's main face, and coercion or deception by New Delhi dominates their consciousness, says Praful Bidwai after a recent visit to the valley.
The third-highest category of security in the country has been granted to Agnihotri because of the film-maker's increased threat perception after the The Kashmir Files release.
From using lavender in traditional Dogri embroidery to making essential oils, beauty products and food syrups infused with this flowering plant, Bhaderwah, once known for its maize fields, is embracing lavender to bring about an economic transformation to their small town.
Cold wave tightened its grip further in Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region as minimum temperatures in most places dipped several degrees below the freezing point.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association reported receiving over 1,000 distress calls from students across the country, many expressing fears for their safety and making urgent plans to return home.
"For those who accuse the opposition of 'politicising' this issue: There is nothing more 'political' and 'anti national' than the shutting down of all democratic rights that is taking place in Kashmir," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Voting for this crucial phase, covering 40 assembly segments across seven districts -- Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua in the Jammu region and Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir -- is scheduled for October 1.
'I will do it again. I am ready to put my life in danger a second time. This is my land, this is my responsibility'
Life across Kashmir valley was badly affected on Friday by a protest shutdown called by hard-line separatist leader and All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani.The strike had been called to protest against the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.Although authorities didn't impose any restrictions in the old city, security across Srinagar has been beefed up to maintain law and order.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that an undertrial's prolonged incarceration cannot be a reason to grant bail in terrorism cases, emphasizing the gravity of such offenses and their potential to destabilize the nation. The court denied bail to separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan in a terror-funding case involving Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The court considered the accused's argument regarding a prolonged trial and his right to liberty but emphasized that the serious nature of the crime, with its potential to disrupt national unity and create fear among the public, outweighs the length of incarceration. Khan, who was arrested in 2017, has been accused of conspiring for secession of Jammu and Kashmir through terrorist activities, receiving funding from Pakistan, and organizing anti-India rallies and demonstrations. The court highlighted the evidence, including witness statements and documents, supporting the accusations against Khan.
'From the time we landed to the time we left, we got so much love that I didn't feel like coming home.'
Sarpanches and panches elected in elections last year in Kashmir valley have become soft targets for militants who have asked them to resign from their posts or face the consequences.
Citing media reports, KPSS chief Sanjay K Tickoo claimed that the Hindus living in Kashmir wanted to leave the Valley but the government was not allowing them to do so.
Former Chief of Army Staff General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, affectionately known as 'Paddy' in army circles, passed away in Chennai due to old age, a source close to him said on Monday.
The valley is under the iron grip of the armed forces and Pakistan does not have the military power or political support to change the status quo, observes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd), after a recent visit to Kashmir.
Curfew remained clamped in parts of Srinagar, Kupwara and Kralpora towns and restrictions were imposed on the movement of people in Hyderpora and Budgam towns on Monday in view of a shutdown call by separatists across Kashmir Valley.In Srinagar, curfew was imposed in seven police station areas of Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, M R Gunj, Bemina and Qammerwari, said the police.They said curfew will remain in force in Kupwara and Kralpora towns of north Kashmir.
A glass igloo restaurant in snow covered Gulmarg has become one of the prime tourist attractions in the Kashmir Valley.
Despite the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, locals demonstrated incredible bravery and compassion, risking their own lives to save tourists. Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony 'wallah', was killed while protecting tourists from the gunmen, while Nazakat Ahmed Shah rescued a family of 11, including three children. Tourist guide Sajad Ahmad Bhat also carried injured people to the hospital. The attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, highlighted the resilience and kindness of the Kashmiri people.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday flagged off the first train connecting Banihal in Jammu region with Qazigund in the Kashmir Valley.
2016 saw the worst unrest in the Kashmir valley in 26 years.
As a spate of targeted killings of minorities rock Kashmir, a Kashmiri Pandits' organisation on Friday said some employees from the community, who were provided government jobs under a rehabilitation package in 2010-11, have started moving to Jammu quietly fearing for their life, alleging the administration was unable to provide then a secure environment.
In 2022 Nanaji Dembi pulled down the Hurriyat office board in Srinagar, an act of defiance that grabbed headlines. Despite such nationalistic bravado, the BJP has denied him a ticket for the assembly election.
Jammu and Kashmir cricketers, who could not train for the upcoming domestic season due to the communication clampdown in the region, have finally managed to get together and will begin their training in Baroda from Thursday.
Restrictions on assembly of four or more people were in force in rest of the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
Clashes also broke out at several places in Kashmir on Tuesday, leaving several persons injured.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to arrive in Srinagar on a two-day visit later in the day, official sources said.
Most of these new recruits came from Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts in South Kashmir, which had become the hub of tech-savvy, young militants.
Intense cold wave gripped Kashmir, with Kargil becoming the coldest place this winter.
