'I went to jail and met my father to convince him to join politics and believe in the Constitution.'
Umar Ganie captures glimpses of snow covered Gulmarg as it hosts a mega voter awareness programme ahead of the Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
There is a limit to ignoring genuine aspirations of the people and suppressing their legitimate voice in running the affairs of the state, notes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
'The Congress backstabbed us and the BJP frontstabbed us.' 'This is the only difference between the two parties.'
A gunbattle broke out between militants and security forces in Baramulla district of North Kashmir on Wednesday morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the decision to transform Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory is 'temporary' and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government will restore the statehood to the region.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the EC was very enthused by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections, which showed the eagerness of the people to participate in the democratic process.
The measure has been adopted to facilitate unhindered movement of security forces' convoys.
The situation in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla town remained tense for the second consecutive day on Saturday, as people defied prohibitory orders and clashed with the police, after a 12-year-old boy allegedly died in police action on Friday evening. The youths, demanding stern action against the erring policemen, took to the streets and pelted stones on police and paramilitary forces.
A youth was killed in army firing in Baramulla town and several others including a police officer injured in the day-long protests and violence as authorities ordered suspension of the internet services across Kashmir on Tuesday evening.
The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections has so far registered a voter turnout of approximately 62.19 percent, 1.97 percentage points less than 2019.
On August 1, the mothers of Baramulla will heave a sigh of relief as their children can now stop going to Srinagar and other places for higher secondary studies. Behind the local Kendriya Vidyalaya starting classes for Std XI and XII students is a tale of quick, decisive action by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Unidentifiable terrorists barged into a house at Dangerpora village late on Friday and fired indiscriminately at the inmates.
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday night decided to replace the paramilitary, central reserve police force (CRPF) with Jammu and Kashmir armed police (JKAP) in Baramulla town, after one more youth died in the CRPF firing in the town.
Three persons were also hurt when militants exploded an Improvised Explosive Device at Tehsil chowk of the district.
A total of 78 Muslims were in the fray in the Lok Sabha elections this year, a significant drop from the last polls when 115 Muslim candidates were fielded by various parties.
It is not known whether the BSF personnel was killed by the terrorists or had fallen victim to 'friendly fire'.
They said women electors and first-time voters have registered a significant increase.
A magisterial inquiry was on Saturday ordered by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah into the "accidental" killing of a youth in Baramulla district by the army even as head of Srinagar-based 15 Corps apologised to the family of the deceased.
The police officials stated that Mir, who retired as a senior superintendent of police in 2012, was shot inside the mosque located in the Gantmulla locality of Sheeri area.
Mehbooba Mufti said she will not contest the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, pointing out that she would not be able to fulfil her party's agenda in the union territory set up even if she were to become the chief minister.
So far 14 Kashmiri Pandits have filed nominations to contest from the valley for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, aiming to ensure the return and rehabilitation of their fellow community members, whose number run up to 3 lakh.
Two girls aged seven and 16 were wounded in a militant strike in north Kashmir's Baramulla district late on Tuesday evening.
Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Monday in 49 constituencies in six states and two Union territories in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, with Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir recording its highest-ever voting percentage.
With two phases of voting already completed, political parties are busy with filing nominations, addressing roadshows and undertaking hectic campaigns for the constituencies that will vote this month.
This was the first encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in more than three months.
One of the most wanted terrorist, Mudasir Pandit, and a Pakistani ultra were among the three terrorist killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
Three villagers were buried alive in an avalanche in the mountainous Dara Kujal village in the Uri area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Monday afternoon. Bodies of the three villagers have been recovered from under tons of snow by a rescue party, a police spokesman said.
The army on Tuesday night said it has ordered an internal inquiry into the firing incident in Baramulla district of Kashmir in which a youth was killed, but claimed it was not due to army firing.
"Give up arms and come for talks or our forces will hunt you down," the home minister said in election rallies in Jammu and Kashmir.
'We want to ensure that no government in J&K will be formed without our support.'
A girl was also injured in firing by Pakistani troops.
Singh, 31, and Rashid, 56, won the recent Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, respectively, as Independents while being incarcerated.
Three militants and two civilians were killed in an encounter between a group of heavily armed terrorists and security forces in northern Kashmir's Baramulla district early on Tuesday morning.
Engineer Rashid has been lodged in the Tihar jail since August 9, 2019 on charges of alleged terror financing, while Singh has been booked under the National Security Act and sent to the Dibrugarh jail of Assam.
'The whole Kashmiri population is seemed to be a suspect community. This status is not good.'
Director general of police Swain commended the security forces for their efforts in monitoring potential threats from external elements particularly "proxies of Pakistan" who intended to disrupt the democratic process.
