Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday welcomed the likely Centre-Separatist dialogue to be held away from media glare.
Released on Friday after his detention under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) was revoked, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah drove from his residence to nearby Hari Nivas where his son, also a former chief minister, has been held first under preventive custody since February 5 under the PSA. The two warmly embraced.
Targetting those spearheading protests over killings due to security forces in the valley, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today strongly condemned the gunning down of 17-year old boy from Sopore, saying terrorists chased and killed him inside the Mosque.
Security forces have cordoned off the area after the brutal attack by the terrorists.
The first phase of the three phase Jammu and Kashmir elections will be held on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
Thousands of tourists have begun leaving Kashmir after a terror attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, prompting authorities to arrange for their safe return. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the exodus, while the Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered airlines to ensure there are no fare hikes and to offer extra flights from Srinagar. While many tourists are leaving, some are choosing to stay, citing the presence of security forces and their feeling of safety.
'This is the "naya/new J&K" after Aug 2019. We get locked up in our homes with no explanation. It's bad enough they've locked my father (a sitting MP) & me in our home, they've locked my sister & her kids in their home as well'
With the state on the boil following a series of killings during clashes between protesters and security forces, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today met Governor N N Vohra and discussed the prevailing security situation.
The last Friday prayers of Ramzan (Jumatul Vida) were not allowed to be held at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.
"Our handshake with Indian Union was subject to certain conditions," he said.
Heavy rain triggered flash floods in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing three people and prompting the rescue of over 100 others. The floods also caused landslides and mudslides, disrupting traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the situation is being monitored by authorities.
Peoples Democratic Party legislator Mohammad Ashraf Mir, who scored a victory over Omar Abdullah from the Sonawar assembly seat, has stoked a controversy after a video surfaced purportedly showing him firing several rounds from an automatic rifle on the day of the assembly poll results.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday asked border villages residents, who were evacuated to safer places in view of cross border shelling by Pakistan, not to rush back to homes as they are yet to sanitise and clear these areas of any unexplored shells.
'We have been cheated. We are trying to bring Article 370 back'
Addressing a function to observe the 105th birth anniversary of his grandfather and National Conference founder Sheikh Abdullah in Srinagar, the chief minister said that from day one his government had 'underlined the necessity of addressing political issues of the state in a political way.
Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe water crisis this year due to a massive rainfall deficit. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed concern about the situation and called for a proactive approach towards water management and conservation. The state has witnessed an 80% deficit in rainfall this year, raising the possibility of drought in the valley this summer. Several water bodies are flowing below the zero level mark, and some springs in south Kashmir have dried up completely. The water level in Jhelum and other major streams is alarmingly low.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday met Home Minister P Chidambaram, ahead of a crucial meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security which will deliberate on the issue of partial withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the state. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had a threadbare discussion with Cabinet colleagues and senior party leaders in the Congress Core Group on Friday on the issue.
'Dr Abdullah is the oldest and tallest leader in our current political landscape and it was very kind of him to come and see us.'
'We are only saying that we will peacefully fight for its restoration. We will fight for it under the ambit of the Constitution, and legally as well'
Results for assembly polls in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were declared on Tuesday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party scoring a hat-trick in Haryana while the National Conference-Congress alliance emerged victorious in J-K. Here's how some big names fared.
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.
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the All Party Hurriyat Conference denied the charges levelled against him by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. Speaking to rediff.com from his residence in downtown Srinagar, the Mirwaiz said "the charges levelled by the chief minister were baseless and unfounded".
Political parties, cutting across affiliations and ideologies, Friday welcomed the Kashmir rail link inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hoping for a boost in trade and tourism in the valley.
National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, who is all set to become the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, today favoured continuation of the peace process in the state.
Omar had lost the seat to People's Democratic Party candidate Qazi Mohammad Afzal during 2002 assembly polls, which proved crucial in the formation of the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP Congress coalition government that ruled the state for nearly six years.
Sticking to his promise of frequent interactions with the common masses, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has held an 'Awami Mulaqat' (meet the people), during which he interacted with scores of deputations in Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in Jammu and briefed him about the peace and development scenario prevailing in the state at present.
Asking separatists to refrain from violence during the holy month of Ramzan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked them to take advantage of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that he was ready to consider autonomy if there was a consensus. At the same time, Omar said the "trust deficit" between the Centre and people of the state can be bridged by "restoring autonomy".
There is a need to rebuild the relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country which has fallen prey to the two decades-old militancy, said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said he was against media censorship but the content on some social networking sites were "dangerous and inflammatory".
The Jammu and Kashmir government is making constant efforts to bring back Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley as without them, Kashmir is incomplete, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday.
Rather than contesting the state elections from Ganderbal, the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister will be contesting the state elections from Sonwar and Beerwah, reports Mukhtar Ahmad.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday declared that the government has taken every possible precaution in all districts of the state to deal with the fallout of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Abdullah confirmed that he had been informed by the Centre on Friday evening about Guru's execution.
An angry Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Sunday slammed the execution of Afzal Guru and said this would reinforce a sense of alienation and injustice among generations of youth in the Valley.
Welcoming United States President Barack Obama's comments on Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that time had come for Pakistan and separatists in the state to "look inwards" for a solution rather than expect the US to "do their job for them."
"We hope that the Centre will take all the steps needed to address the internal as well as external dimensions of Kashmir issue," Omar told media persons after the reopening of Civil Secretariat in this summer capital of the state.
'The BJP has killed public anger. They have killed people's self-respect.'
Supporting Omar Abdullah's demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the chief minister is "the boss" in the state and the Centre should take his views on the controversial Act.
Referring to Abdullah's comments, Saamana claimed that Congress actively contributed to AAP's defeat in at least 14 seats in Delhi, which could have been avoided.
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