"Its time for India to lift these restrictions and afford Kashmiris the same rights and privileges as any other Indian citizen," it said.
A moderate intensity earthquake rocked Kashmir valley on Saturday afternoon, triggering panic among the residents.
The minimum temperature in Kashmir Valley dropped again after a day's respite, while the mercury appreciated in Ladakh region by over a degree, even as dry weather continues to prevail over the state.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju's car grazed a truck on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district on Saturday evening, officials said.
The PDP looks a distant third in the race, observes Mohammed Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir politics.
Separatists and their wide network must be neutralized for peace in the Valley
Firmly backing the state government in dealing with the violence in the Kashmir valley, the Centre today said that anti-national forces that were fomenting trouble were clearly linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
On August 5, the Narendra Modi-led government abrogated Article 370, which gave the state of Kashmir special powers, and decided to transform the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Since then phone networks have been cut off and curfew-like restrictions have been imposed, leaving residents in a state of despair. On September 29, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked the Opposition for spreading "misinformation" about Kashmir. There were no "restrictions", he said -- they were "only in your mind". Sixty one days later, this is what normalcy looks like in the former state, particularly the Kashmir Valley.
Curfew-like situation prevailed in Kashmir Valley today, as authorities imposed stringent restrictions on the movement of people to prevent separatists from staging protest rallies during the day.
While shops and business establishments remained closed for the ninth day as traders are on an indefinite strike against the implementation of value added tax, all modes of transport went off the roads on Thursday, the sources said.
An Amnesty International team, on a week-long visit to Kashmir valley to assess the situation on the human rights front, on Tuesday met a number of separatist leaders.
Banks, ATMs and quite a few markets were kept open on Sunday while 2.5 lakh sacrificial goats have been made available in the Kashmir valley to help citizens celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with traditional fervour.
Militant outfit Lasker-e-Tayiba plans to trigger blasts using trained women terrorists who will intermingle with protesters to carry out attacks as part of a strategy to intensify violence in Kashmir Valley, according to intelligence intercepts.
Police on Wednesday gunned down two militants, one of whom was the longest surviving militant in Kashmir valley.
The ban will be in place for a month or till further orders, whichever is earlier, said an order issued by Principal Secretary Home R K Goyal.
While there was unrest in the rest of the Kashmir valley, the Dal Lake was serene and peaceful.
Barring a clash between protesters and security forces which left one person injured in Sopore, situation in strike-hit Kashmir Valley remained calm though restrictions were imposed in parts of interior city where Hurriyat Conference had planned to hold a meeting.
Vijay Kumar, the bank manager, was shot inside the premises on Thursday morning and died on the way to hospital.
Ahead of the all-party delegation's visit to Kashmir Valley next week, Congress President Sonia Gandhi held deliberations with senior party leaders on the strategy for the troubled state.
Karra, who became the J&K Congress chief last Friday replacing Vikar Rasool Wani, said a call is already there for all secular parties who are opposed to the "hegemonic attitude" of the BJP to unite.
Intercepts of communication between terrorist groups have suggested this.
People, who have been virtually been kept indoors because of heavy security deployment in the wake of removal of special status for Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state, were allowed to go to mosques in their localities without being asked any questions by security personnel.
Most of the public transport on inter-district and intra-city routes remained suspended but some private vehicles were seen plying on the roads, the sources said, adding no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the valley so far.
Curfew was on Wednesday clamped in four districts of Kashmir Valley to foil a march by the separatists to the United Nations office in Srinagar demanding withdrawal of troops from Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmir Valley received fresh snow Sunday that blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway yet again. The blockade of the highway stranded hundreds of vehicles at various points on the highway.
The intensifying cold wave sweeping the Kashmir valley froze parts of the d famous Dal Lake located in the heart of Srinagar. This has made rowing difficult for fishermen and boatmen.
Fourteen youths from Kashmir Valley have reportedly joined militant groups this year, the government told Parliament on Wednesday.
'Although the tactical move to outflank the BJP fell through with New Delhi's decisive intervention and eventual dissolution of the state assembly, the PDP, NC and the Congress appeared to be more than satisfied.' 'They see the assembly dissolution as their 'great achievement'.' 'If one were to believe what they say, this was also their main objective,' reveals Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the doyen of Kashmiri commentators.
A set of new standard operating procedures have been issued by the force headquarters in Delhi for vehicle-mounted movement of troops in Jammu and Kashmir, and it has also been ordered that the 'passenger manifest discipline' for each vehicle in the convoy be strictly adhered to.
Kashmir Valley remained under curfew for the third day on Monday even as mobile Internet services remained suspended and newspapers failed to hit the stands following hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
The resolution asserted that the House "is of the firm and considered view that there cannot be any compromise on unity, integrity and national security.
Rejecting Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's statement that Kashmiri militants are terrorists, separatist leaders in the Kashmir Valley said he was 'ignorant about the sub-continent's history'.
The women, after their 45-day induction training and combat-stress inoculation, will be deployed in the valley to tackle stone-pelters and protestors, including women.
The National Investigation Agency has charge sheeted Dilawar Iqbal -- a right-hand man of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar Alvi -- and Kupwara-resident Mohammed Ubaid Malik for allegedly conspiring to disturb the peace and communal harmony of Jammu and Kashmir by attacking security forces, officials said on Wednesday.
The Congress and the National Conference on Monday announced they will fight the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, in alliance, with both parties contesting three seats each.
More companies of the Central Reserve Police Force were rushed to Srinagar on Thursday to reinforce the security bandobast in the valley where curfew was imposed on Wednesday. The army conducted flag marches in sensitive areas of the capital on Thursday afternoon to assist the civil administration in the enforcement of the curfew imposed in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Is Azaadi the proverbial opium that has been sold to successive generations by the previous ones, or, is it something more fundamental?
Two persons were killed and eight others injured when security forces opened fire to quell stone pelting mobs in curfew bound Kashmir valley on Friday.
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