Officials said the polling went off peacefully in all segments including special polling stations along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) with no untoward incident reported from anywhere.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has stated that the conversation regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir has not been stalled. He claims the issue was raised at the recent NITI Aayog governing council meeting, and the formal speech distributed at the meeting includes a mention of the return of statehood. Abdullah also addressed concerns about the impact of the Pahalgam terror attack on tourism, emphasizing the importance of local Kashmiris visiting tourist spots first to revive the industry and ensure a sense of security.
Security forces on Saturday morning killed a top commander of Pakistan based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Normal life was thrown out of gear in Kashmir on Saturday as most areas of the valley received snowfall, disrupting flight and railway operations and also leading to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, officials said.
He also said if security forces, the Union Territory administration and people come together, then terrorism could be eliminated from the region in a year.
One person was killed and 15 others were wounded on Monday evening in police firing and clashes that erupted in north Kashmir's Baramulla town as the body of a 13-year old student was fished out from the Jhelum river.
Pakistan's troops have engaged in unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in five districts of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting retaliation from the Indian Army. This marks the eighth consecutive night of such incidents, following heightened tensions stemming from a recent terror attack in Pahalgam. Civilians residing along the LoC and IB are preparing their bunkers in anticipation of potential escalation.
The exchange of fire occurred even though the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan spoke over the hotline on Tuesday amid rising tensions between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
In its 'Inquiry Report of Unmarked Graves in North Kashmir', the SHRC states that the unidentified bodies had been buried in 38 sites in north Kashmir's Baramulla, Bandipora, Handwara and Kupwara districts.
Cold wave conditions intensified across Kashmir as the mercury slipped further below the freezing point, resulting in frozen water bodies. The weatherman said Srinagar city recorded a low of minus 3.2 degree Celsius on Monday night. He added that Gulmarg, in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, was the coldest recorded place in the valley.
Days after the Pahalgam terror attack, Jammu and Kashmir authorities have deported 59 Pakistani nationals, including the mother of Shaurya Chakra awardee Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh. The Pakistani nationals were living in the valley for decades and were transported to Punjab for repatriation. However, the mother of the deceased soldier was later allowed to stay back. The deportation comes after the Indian government announced a slew of measures against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the downgrading of diplomatic relations.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said attacks like the one in Gulmarg would continue to occur until India and Pakistan found a way to be friends and that would end Jammu and Kashmir's troubles.
Head constable Bashir Ahmad laid down his life and two officers -- a DSP and an assistant sub-inspector -- were injured in the encounter, he said, adding both the officers are stable.
For the ninth consecutive night, Indian and Pakistani troops engaged in small arms fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, continuing a pattern of heightened border tensions. The skirmishes, initiated by Pakistani troops in violation of the ceasefire agreement, have led to a tense situation along the LoC and International Border (IB). The incidents come in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. Civilians residing near the border have begun preparing their bunkers, anticipating potential escalation. Despite a recent hotline conversation between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan, where India cautioned Pakistan, the ceasefire violations persist.
Normal life was affected in Kashmir for the third consecutive day on Wednesday because of the curfew in several parts of the valley to prevent deterioration of law and order in the wake of killing of a youth allegedly in army firing in Baramulla.
'Chillai-Kalan' will end on January 31. The cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day-long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).
Rubber bullet injuries to three youth in north Kashmir Baramulla town and sporadic incidents of violence in other parts of the valley marked the second day of separatist called protest shutdown which paralyzed life in Kashmir Tuesday.
The killing of a youth, by the army in northern Kashmir's Baramulla district, triggered protests on Saturday, even as the army claimed that the youth had forcibly entered their camp and injured a soldier.The youth, identified as 25-year old Sajad Ahmad Ganai, was asked to stop by a guard manning the main gate of an army camp in north Kashmir's Wattergam village in Baramulla.When the youth did not heed the warning, the sentry opened fire, killing him instantly, sources said.
Two youths were critically injured allegedly in security forces action against persons staging a demonstration in north Kashmir's Baramulla district against hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
Unidentifiable terrorists barged into a house at Dangerpora village late on Friday and fired indiscriminately at the inmates.
The upper reaches of Kashmir valley witnessed the first snowfall of the season. The weather department has predicted bad weather for a few days. Snowfall at hill stations like Gulmarg and Pahalgam also brings the hope of revival of tourism in the area which has been severely hit for most of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite assurances by the Jammu and Kashmir government, over 100 more terror-stricken panches and sarpanches announced their resignations through paid advertisements in the valley.
A series of blasts took place in Srinagar city as the security agencies brought down a drone that was seen hovering over Batwara area of the city, close to an army installation, officials said.
Two days after a village head was gunned down in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, scare and panic has struck the elected village heads and representatives in the region, forcing many of them to resign.
"More than 85,000 domiciles have been issued to non-locals, creating a pathway for demographic change in Jammu & Kashmir. These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then begin to act as if they own the land. Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally," TRF said in a statement which could not be independently verified by Rediff.
Five paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force troopers were injured, two of them critically, in a powerful blast at Sopore in north Kashmir Baramulla district on Sunday morning.
'Why have we failed to address the issue of ensuring a requisite buffer zone in J&K, given that cross-border links of some J&K politicians are known?', asks Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
In April this year, Umar's mother also issued an appeal to him to surrender before the forces.
The police on Friday afternoon detained pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik along with five of his associates in Srinagar where life was paralysed by a protest shutdown.
At least 22 persons including 18 security men were injured in widespread clashes in Kashmir despite imposition of curfew in capital Srinagar's old city and three major towns on Wednesday.
Suspected militants late Sunday evening shot at and killed a village sarpanch in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, triggering a new wave of panic among sarpanches.
A village sarpanch was gunned down by unidentified militants in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Monday evening. Militants shot from a close range at Ghulam Ahmad Yatoo, sarpanch of Palhallan village located on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, said a senior police official.
Police said a patrol party of the 32 Rashtriya Rifles was attacked by militants with automatic weapons at village Gund Karim Khan, 63 km from Srinagar in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Thursday morning. A JCO and a soldier were killed on the spot.
Meanwhile, a precautionary blackout has been enforfced in the multiple areas amid the esclating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Militants shot at and critically wounded a woman sarpanch in Hardshiva village near Sopore town in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Saturday evening. This is the second attack in the past two days on elected village representatives in the Sopore area.
They said the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle at Botapathri near Nagin post.
The worst-hit in the Pakistani shelling was Poonch district which accounted for all the civilian deaths, the officials said, adding 28 persons were also injured and the condition of some of them was stated to be critical.
In another gunfight between the militants and the security forces in south Kashmir Kulgam district, a top militant commander identified as Bilal Ahmad of Hizbul Mujaheedin was killed.
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