A People's Democratic Party member of Legislative Assembly has stoked controversy by saying that only a Muslim can become the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, a view from which his party quickly distanced itself.
Putting an end to speculations on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed on Saturday said "track two" dialogue with the Bharatiya Janata Party is in progress.
The plan to relieve NSG from VIP security tasks has been in the making since 2012 when NSG commanders foresaw an event where simultaneous terror attacks could be witnessed at one time on multiple centres in the country and the commandos will have to be rushed in different directions.
A day after the Peoples Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government assumed power in Jammu and Kashmir, a group of lawmakers from the Kashmiri party demanded that the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict be handed over to the family.
PDP pitched for revocation of AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, saying there is "tangible improvement" in the security situation.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday urged the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh to convene a round table conference to start the dialogue process.
The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 paved the way for outsiders to contest polls in the Union Territory.
Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha, till recently Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday launched a frontal attack on the state's main political parties, especially PDP and its patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, accusing him of being "hand in glove" with separatists and fundamentalists. At the centre of controversy over the land for Amarnath yatra which paralysed the valley in recent days, Sinha denounced PDP as "anti-national".
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party has expressed grief over the death of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah, who was fatally attacked by another inmate in the high-security Kotbalwal jail in Jammu last week.
There were no signs of either the Peoples Democratic Party, the largest group, or the Bharatiya Janata Party, the close runner-up, getting the requisite numbers to stake claim to forming a new government in Jammu and Kashmir as the deadline set by Governor N N Vohra for discussions fast approached.
People's Democratic Party on Sunday threatened to reconsider its participation in the all-party initiative of the Centre, accusing the Jammu and Kashmir government of sabotaging the visit of the delegation by clamping curfew in the Valley.
The People's Democratic Party of Abdul Nasser Madhani will work for the success of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in the coming Assembly elections in Kerala.
Opposition People's Democratic Party on Thursday said it will boycott the entire summer session of the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly to protest the deteriorating law and order situation in the Valley, in which over 100 people have died and thousands have been injured."We will not attend the rest of the session of the assembly as a mark of protest against the killings and solidarity with the people," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said in the assembly.
In Srinagar, wearing black bands, scores of PDP leaders and activists, led by party president Mehbooba Mufti, took out a protest march from the party's head office near the Sher-e-Kashmir Park.
The encounter took place when the troops of Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of J&K Police launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in Desa forest belt, some 55 km from Doda town, late Monday evening, the officials said.
Apparently embarrassed by a Lashkar-e-Tayaiba terror suspect's alleged links with Abdul Naseer Madani-led Peoples Democratic Party, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said on Wednesday that the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which had "cooperation" with it in Lok Sabha polls, will not have any truck with such outfits in future.
The former chief minister urged the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh not to be disheartened or lose hope over the apex court's decision.
'If, as happened in Baramulla during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the youth in the Valley get triggered enough to jump into the wider fray, the end result would be difficult to predict, especially as the state's post-August 5, 2019 political format remains substantially fragmented and foggy,' points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Even as KPs lined up across special polling stations in Jammu amid tight security, several of them had to return without casting their vote.
Abdul Gani Dar was shot at three times from a close range with an AK assault rifle, he said, adding two bullets hit him in the chest and one in the shoulder.
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Monday took out a rally in Srinagar 'to express concern at the deterioration in security environment and the need to mend it through peaceful means'.
People's Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has been issued a passport with 10-year validity, sources said in Srinagar on Sunday.
Negotiations between the BJP and the PDP to finalise the Common Minimum Programme have intensified
Allies Peoples Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday dismissed speculation about any differences or new conditions between them over formation of new government in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Peoples Democratic Party president also demanded that "fringe elements" acting in the name of Hinduism should be checked, drawing comparison with elements of Islamic State who misuse Islam.
In Hindu mythology, the 'Raghu clan', to which Lord Ram belonged, believed in the principle that you must never break your promise even if you have to lose your life keeping it.
The People's Democratic Party has withdrawn its support from the Jammu and Kashmir government. All ministers from the party submitted their resignations to Governor N N Vohra on Saturday evening, party president Mehbooba Mufti told mediapersons.The PDP decided to withdraw its support after the Congress-led state government refused to revoke its decision to allot forest land to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board.
Claiming that the People's Democratic Party has no links with extremist elements, its chairman Abdul Nasser Madani on Saturday charged the Muslim League (ML) and BJP with carrying out a 'misinformation campaign' against his party to gain political mileage.
Releasing the party manifesto, which talks of resolution of Kashmir issue on the lines of its "self-rule" formula, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti made it clear that her party was jumping into the poll bandwagon, but wished that the Centre should have initiated a "serious dialogue" with all sections in the Kashmir Valley before holding elections.
The former Congress president alleged that PM Modi had a "monopoly over corruption".
The People's Democratic Party on Sunday pledged 'absolute support to create an atmosphere conducive to initiate a serious effort for the resolution of Kashmir problem'.Addressing a public meeting in Jammu, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed spelled out four conditions 'for creation of a conducive atmosphere'. "Release of political prisoners as well as hundreds of innocent youth languishing in different jails is a must," he said.
Drawing parallels between mass protests in Egypt and the summer unrest in Kashmir, People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday stated, "Global developments have always had an impact on Kashmir". The PDP president said, "People of Egypt fought for democracy while the people in Kashmir were fighting in spite of democracy'. The NC expressed 'anguish and dismay on the opposition PDP equating the Egypt uprising with last year's summer unrest in Kashmir.'
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party Sunday said the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru was a "political decision" as the UPA government wanted to divert attention from burning issues facing the country.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Peoples Democratic Party are "trying hard" to find a common ground on issues like Article 370 and Armed Forces Special Powers Act on which the two parties have traditionally held different views, a senior leader of BJP said on Saturday.
Mahdhani briefed about his health condition and matters related to the cases against him, Poonthura Siraj, working chairman of PDP, who was with Vijayan, told reporters.
"There are differences in the (PDP-BJP) coalition, no body can deny that. If you need evidence, just look at chief minister's iftaar party in Delhi yesterday where no Central BJP leader was present," said Omar Abdullah
The map displayed by PDP during a power point presentation yesterday showed Aksai Chin and Karakoram region painted in red and part of China and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in green.
In the first targeted killing of the year, terrorists on Wednesday shot dead a worker from Punjab while another sustained injuries in Habba Kadal area of Srinagar, officials said.
A voter turnout of 10.82 per cent was recorded till 9 am on Saturday in 58 constituencies in six states and two Union territories where polling is underway in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
