Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will on Wednesday convene the Cabinet Committee on Security meet to discuss the current crisis prevailing in the Kashmir Valley.
National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah Friday challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest Lok Sabha polls in the Kashmir Valley, saying he will quit politics if the national party's candidates do not lose their security deposits.
However, it is immediately not clear whether the relaxation will be given fully or partially.
The strike affected attendance in government offices and banks, the officials said.
Kashmir remained cut-off from the rest of the country for the second day on Thursday with road and air links to the Valley snapped due to snowfall, the heaviest in a decade in the month of January.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that an undertrial's prolonged incarceration cannot be a reason to grant bail in terrorism cases, emphasizing the gravity of such offenses and their potential to destabilize the nation. The court denied bail to separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan in a terror-funding case involving Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The court considered the accused's argument regarding a prolonged trial and his right to liberty but emphasized that the serious nature of the crime, with its potential to disrupt national unity and create fear among the public, outweighs the length of incarceration. Khan, who was arrested in 2017, has been accused of conspiring for secession of Jammu and Kashmir through terrorist activities, receiving funding from Pakistan, and organizing anti-India rallies and demonstrations. The court highlighted the evidence, including witness statements and documents, supporting the accusations against Khan.
However, there is no restriction on the movement of people anywhere in the valley, the officials said.
"The tourists desirous of undertaking visit to the state shall be provided with all necessary assistance and logistical support," read the order by the state administration.
Despite the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, locals demonstrated incredible bravery and compassion, risking their own lives to save tourists. Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony 'wallah', was killed while protecting tourists from the gunmen, while Nazakat Ahmed Shah rescued a family of 11, including three children. Tourist guide Sajad Ahmad Bhat also carried injured people to the hospital. The attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, highlighted the resilience and kindness of the Kashmiri people.
"We are not able to find any work due to the prevailing situation," say migrant labourers who are being forced to move out owing to the unrest.
'Everyone knows Pakistan is doing it.' 'But what are we doing? We should not incite more violence.'
A moderate earthquake struck Kashmir valley on Thursday afternoon triggering panic among the residents.
A moderate intensity earthquake jolted Kashmir valley early on Tuesday.
The chief said that the reason for the fall is because of the combined efforts of NIA, state police and security forces.
An avalanche alert was sounded on Tuesday evening in Kashmir Valley following heavy snowfall across the state since Monday.
With the launch, RCom became the first private service provider to launch the service in Kashmir Valley.
Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday accused the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party of taking support from ex-militants for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, and said the two parties want to take the Union territory back to its 'trouble-filled days'.
The daughter of a businessman from Pune, who was killed in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, has alleged that the terrorists specifically targeted male tourists after asking them to identify their religion. Asavari Jagdale, whose father Santosh Jagdale was killed in the attack, said the terrorists fired at her father and uncle after they failed to recite an Islamic verse. She also alleged that the terrorists blamed her family for supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A strike called by a group of separatists demanding return of bodies of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat evoked little response in Kashmir Valley on Thursday.
It was a sweet homecoming of sorts for Sanjay Dutt when he visited Kashmir to shoot his Tamil film, Leo.
Eid al-Adha shoppers thronged the markets in Srinagar to make purchases for the festival which is expected to be celebrated with a lot of fervour across Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, now that the atmosphere in the state has settled to calm after months of turmoil, reports Mukhtar Ahmad.
A curfew was imposed on Monday morning across Kashmir valley in the wake of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in Tihar Jail.
The Centre had earlier ordered deployment of about 10,000 central forces personnel to Kashmir in order to strengthen counter-insurgency operations and law and order duties.
'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).
The first phase of the polls in the Kashmir Valley saw 8.3 per cent turnout on October 8 while only 3.4 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the second phase held two days later.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday blamed India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "two major blunders" -- declaring a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir and taking the issue to the United Nations -- for the sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Voting for this crucial phase, covering 40 assembly segments across seven districts -- Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua in the Jammu region and Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir -- is scheduled for October 1.
Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Kashmir Valley owing to the dry weather even as the weatherman predicted some respite next week with the possibility of isolated rains or snowfall.
There has been a virtual communications blackout in the Valley with no phones and no internet connections since the early hours of August 5.
High velocity winds sweeping the Kashmir Valley since Monday evening caused widespread property damages triggering panic among the residents.
The concern of the Congress leadership over the situation could be gauged from the fact that Chidambaram was specially called to the meeting despite not being a CWC member.
It is time we buried the mantra of 'peaceful and stable Pakistan is in our interest'. It is not, simply because Pakistan's existence -- that is synonymous with its army -- means peace has no chance, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (Retd). It is time we buried the mantra of 'peaceful and stable Pakistan is in our interest' asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (Retd).
High velocity winds sweeping the Kashmir Valley since Monday evening caused widespread property damages triggering panic among the residents.
A curfew was imposed on Monday morning across Kashmir valley in the wake of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in Tihar Jail. Police and paramilitary troops have been deployed across Kashmir to maintain law and order.
The services were stopped last evening as a precautionary measure.
The bone-chilling cold returned as the night temperature plunged below the freezing point across Kashmir division after a brief respite owing to the rains in plains and snowfall in high altitude areas early this week.
After a joint meeting of the media bodies, a resolution was passed which said that they condemn the arrest and intimidation of media persons in the Kashmir Valley.
Kashmir has emerged as a haven for cherry cultivation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have expressed his 'unhappiness' over the media coverage on violent protests in Kashmir Valley following killing of Burhan Wani saying the Hizbul Mujahideen militant has been portrayed as a "hero".
