Sarpanches and panches elected in elections last year in Kashmir valley have become soft targets for militants who have asked them to resign from their posts or face the consequences.
The valley is under the iron grip of the armed forces and Pakistan does not have the military power or political support to change the status quo, observes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd), after a recent visit to Kashmir.
In what was perhaps the most critical meeting before full-scale war broke out, Shastri defined India's immediate war objectives to his defence minister, army, and air force chiefs: 'To defend against Pakistan's attempts to grab Kashmir by force and to make it abundantly clear that Pakistan would never be allowed to wrest Kashmir from India; To destroy the offensive power of Pakistan's armed forces...' A fascinating excerpt from Shiv Kunal Verma's must-read 1965: A Western Sunrise India's War With Pakistan.
It's a different Srinagar from what Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf encountered 24 years ago. Tourists throng the Kashmir Valley post-Article 370, azaadi appears dead, and everyone says one man is responsible for this change, so what if his poster is nowhere to be seen.
Rijiju complimented Rahul for promoting the excellent roads built in the Himalayan region under Modi's leadership.
'Pakistan's only concern has been while they were on the FATF watch list was to distance their State institutions and organs from any direct connection with the actual execution of militancy inside Kashmir.'
The political script for pre-2019 politics has gone with the wind and the writers of the new script seem in no great hurry to oblige the tormented, observes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday flagged off the first train connecting Banihal in Jammu region with Qazigund in the Kashmir Valley.
Jammu and Kashmir cricketers, who could not train for the upcoming domestic season due to the communication clampdown in the region, have finally managed to get together and will begin their training in Baroda from Thursday.
2016 saw the worst unrest in the Kashmir valley in 26 years.
Curfew remained clamped in parts of Srinagar, Kupwara and Kralpora towns and restrictions were imposed on the movement of people in Hyderpora and Budgam towns on Monday in view of a shutdown call by separatists across Kashmir Valley.In Srinagar, curfew was imposed in seven police station areas of Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, M R Gunj, Bemina and Qammerwari, said the police.They said curfew will remain in force in Kupwara and Kralpora towns of north Kashmir.
Clashes also broke out at several places in Kashmir on Tuesday, leaving several persons injured.
Restrictions on assembly of four or more people were in force in rest of the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to arrive in Srinagar on a two-day visit later in the day, official sources said.
Everything about Sharmila was a gift from the Divine: The graceful way she twirled her paintbrush, the naughtiness with which she teased his desperate attempts at cooking her favorite dishes, the gentleness when her lips touched his, the softness of her hair as it fell on his face, the flowery smell of her perfume when he nuzzled her neck, the mole near her quivering lips that he kissed every opportunity he got.
Most of these new recruits came from Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts in South Kashmir, which had become the hub of tech-savvy, young militants.
'The terrorists will allow only those who practice their tenets to live in Kashmir,' argues Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
Intense cold wave gripped Kashmir, with Kargil becoming the coldest place this winter.
Normal life was disrupted in the Kashmir valley on Tuesday due to a strike called by several organisations to protest against an anti-Islam film.
Kashmir is reeling from a heat wave after the valley earlier this week witnessed the second-hottest September day in recorded history, causing hardships to locals and tourists alike.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday and discussed the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir besides other issues.
Kashmir witnessed the season's heaviest snowfall.
'We need to raise the costs and consequences for Pakistan. It is long overdue. Our initial surgical strike was effective for about six months. Then, the Balakot strike provided a deterrent for perhaps two to three years. But we cannot operate under the assumption that such limited responses will suffice for decades to come.'
Since its release, the film has sparked a debate among the various political parties of India as well as the audiences.
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah on Saturday met Home Minister P Chidambaram and discussed the prevailing situation in Kashmir. Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and patron of the ruling National Conference in the state, discussed with Chidambaram the steps being taken by the Centre and the state government to bring back normalcy in the state. Barring Sopore and Pulwama, curfew was lifted temporarily in the Kashmir valley.
United States Charge d'Affaires Natalie Baker on Wednesday met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions with India following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 in which 26 people were killed.
There has been a decline in incidents of stone pelting, but it must stop altogether, he said.
The minimum temperature in Kashmir Valley dropped again after a day's respite, while the mercury appreciated in Ladakh region by over a degree, even as dry weather continues to prevail over the state.
A moderate intensity earthquake rocked Kashmir valley on Saturday afternoon, triggering panic among the residents.
Separatists and their wide network must be neutralized for peace in the Valley
Firmly backing the state government in dealing with the violence in the Kashmir valley, the Centre today said that anti-national forces that were fomenting trouble were clearly linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
While shops and business establishments remained closed for the ninth day as traders are on an indefinite strike against the implementation of value added tax, all modes of transport went off the roads on Thursday, the sources said.
The weekly flea market opened in Srinagar on Sunday as several vendors put up their stalls on the TRC Chowk-Polo View axis, the officials said.
Curfew-like situation prevailed in Kashmir Valley today, as authorities imposed stringent restrictions on the movement of people to prevent separatists from staging protest rallies during the day.
An Amnesty International team, on a week-long visit to Kashmir valley to assess the situation on the human rights front, on Tuesday met a number of separatist leaders.
'If the National Conference and PDP make handsome electoral gains in the valley and call for the restoration of the former state's lost status, how will the rulers in Delhi respond?' asks Amulya Ganguli.
"Its time for India to lift these restrictions and afford Kashmiris the same rights and privileges as any other Indian citizen," it said.
Militant outfit Lasker-e-Tayiba plans to trigger blasts using trained women terrorists who will intermingle with protesters to carry out attacks as part of a strategy to intensify violence in Kashmir Valley, according to intelligence intercepts.
Police on Wednesday gunned down two militants, one of whom was the longest surviving militant in Kashmir valley.
Two soldiers who were critically wounded in Thursday's terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll in the ambush to four.
