With local militancy gaining ground in the Valley, S P Vaid, a highly-decorated police officer who helped tackle the recent unrest in the region, was on Wednesday appointed the new Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir.
In an Independence Day Special series, Rediff.com celebrates India through the lives of her people. Today: Dr Ruveda Salam, the first IPS officer from the Kashmir Valley.
The Corps Commander, who heads the army in Kashmir, was replying to a question about the possibility of the Islamic State forging an alliance with the militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad for expanding its activities to the valley.
The cold conditions returned in Kashmir division as the night temperature in most places, including Leh, plunged further below the freezing point followed with clear skies and unusual sunny days.
Doval was seen eating food on a footpath outside closed shops and talking to locals.
In the stone-pelting, SSP Doda, one SHO, one sub-inspector and two other police personnel were injured.
'If you put colour-coded internal security maps of India in May 2014 and now, the picture won't be flattering to Modi.' 'Failures on internal security are now piling up and can break Modi's momentum,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Snowfall brought cheer to many Kashmiris.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to arrive in Srinagar on a two-day visit later in the day, official sources said.
The Meteorological Department has forecast rains or snow over five days from Monday.
As many as 47 people, including 20 security personnel, have been killed and over 130 injured in the R S Pura sector in Pakistan shelling and firing this year.
Indian Army chief General Bikram Singh on Tuesday assured Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that incidents of June 24 and June 30 would not happen in future.
The number is an all time high for the state with south Kashmir emerging as one of the main hubs, providing cadres to terrorist groups.
'If the strength of foreign terrorists can be brought to negligible levels there will be few takers for militancy.' 'That is why it is important to neutralise the terrorists at their launch pads,' advises Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
A teenager was shot dead by security forces in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday during a strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference against the recent killing of two youths in an army operation in Tral, prompting the authorities to register a murder case and order a magisterial probe.
The Army, in its statement, has vowed to give a befitting reply to Pakistan "in the same language".
The army on Wednesday ordered court martial proceedings against six of its men, including two officers, for their alleged involvement in the 2010 Machil fake encounter case that had triggered a two month-long agitation in the Kashmir Valley.
Handing the verdict, the General Court Martial also suspended the service benefits of Col DK Pathania of the 4 Rajput regiment (the unit which was involved in the encounter), Captain Upendra Singh, Subedar Satbir Singh, Havildar Bir Singh, Sepoy Chadraban, Sepoy Nagendra Singh and Sepoy Narinder Singh.
Violence continues to scorch south Kashmir following the killing of 'poster-boy' militant Burhan Wani with the death toll going up to 34.
Abdul Rehman, a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had infiltrated in January and was engaged in recruiting local youth for "suicide" attacks, the army said.
On display was India's military might and cultural diversity.
'The youth have given New Delhi a chance. Now it is up to the policy-makers in Delhi to respect their political choices.'
'The Kashmiri identity and its unique blend of Sufi Islam, its culture and language can best survive in a plural and secular India.' 'Neither independence nor merger with Pakistan can achieve that objective.' 'Peace will return to Kashmir only when Kashmiris realise this, else they will be part of the 1,000- year war,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Suspected Hizbul terrorist Liyaqat Shah, arrested by the Delhi police for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror attacks in the national capital, was on Friday granted bail by a special national Investigation Team court.
'It is a very hard won situation that the army has brought about in J&K in 25 years, we don't want to fritter it away...' 'By 2010-2012 the terrorist strength had come down to 300, 400. From a high of 3,000 to 4,000 to 300 to 400 was no mean achievement for the army,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).