According to reports, the militant commanders, including Sim Khan, Mahmood Khan and Maulvi Umer, who were arrested during operation Rah-e-Rast, have confessed that they were provided financial aid, weapons and special training by secret agencies from India and Afghanistan to fight against the Pakistan Army.
A Bengaluru blast suspect, hiding in Ajmer for the past two months, was arrested by the Karnataka Intelligence Bureau with the help of Government Railway Police, a senior GRP official said on Saturday.
Kashmir remained the biggest hurdle in relations between India and Pakistan and it should top the agenda of any talks between the two countries, moderate Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said on Friday.
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat faction, was put under house arrest and prohibitory orders clamped in Srinagar on Saturday as separatists called a strike against the visit of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to Jammu.They said the step was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent the Hurriyat leader from visiting Shopian, 55 kms from Srinagar, to take part in a protest to mark the first anniversary of the alleged rape and murder of two young women.
A group of miscreants pelted stones on the bus, resulting in head injury to a class 2 student.
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.
Pakistan on Friday claimed that any talks between the Indian government and separatist Kashmiri leaders will not be successful without its involvement.
Hurriyat's moderate faction led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said on Saturday that it was ready for talks with the Centre for resolution of Kashmir issue, but that the back channels had "fallen silent" for the past two months.
A top commander of Al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent and three of his associates were killed on Friday in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi.
'Dr Singh reached out to Pakistan when he said he hopes to have a cordial relations with the neighbouring country but he did not reach out to the people of Kashmir. It is rather unfortunate,' says Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooz
Pakistan has assured that it would not put the core issue of Kashmir on the backburner, chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said on Friday.
Ahead of his talks with his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir will be meeting leaders of various separatist outfits from Kashmir over the next two days.
Authorities on Thursday booked hard-line Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani under the stringent Public Safety Act and placed moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest to foil their planned all-party meet to chalk out the future course of action. "We have booked him (Geelani) under PSA. There are a good number of grounds (for detention) against Geelani. I have signed the PSA warrant against Geelani and as per the orders," said the DM.
However, the attendance of devotees was thin as the people from adjoining localities only were not able to reach the grand mosque due to non-availability of public transport in view of the strike.
Rejecting the Central Bureau of Investigation's report, the moderate Hurriyat Conference on Friday demanded an international probe into the alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian. "We demand an international probe into the Shopian double rape and murder case to unveil the truth and the government of India should have no objection if the CBI report was based on facts," Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told a Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar today.
Three Hurriyat Conference leaders were taken into custody, as police foiled the separatists plan to march in connection with Martyrs day on Monday.
Former Pakistan opening batsman Mudassar Nazar has showered praise on young guns like fast bowler Mohammed Aamer and middle order batsman Umer Akmal describing them as the future of Pakistan cricket.
'DISGUST' -- that's how former army chief and now Minister of State for external affairs V K Singh reacted after attending the Pakistan Day celebrations in the country's high commission in New Delhi on Monday evening.
Chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, deliberately chose the national day of Kashmir on Monday to protest against the Centre -- for not including the people of the state in finding out an amicable solution to the Jammu and Kashmir problem by holding talks with Pakistan.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of APHC leaders in Srinagar, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said: "The decision to visit Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was taken at a meeting of the conglomerate here."
Two eye witnesses in the 26/11 terror attacks case testified before the court on Monday, saying they saw a powerful car bomb exploding at Mazgaon in central Mumbai, killing three persons. The taxi driver and two occupants, Zarina and Rima, died in the blast while 19 others including one of the witnesses Abdul Salim Shaikh were injured, they told the court.
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of All-Party Hurriyat Conference, has claimed that on July 13, the country will witness one of the biggest peaceful protests in their struggle for resolution of problem of Jammu and Kashmir.
On sustained questioning, the SSP said, the trio admitted they are working for Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist outfit and were luring young boys into militancy.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman of the hardline faction of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, on Tuesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of security forces from the Kashmir Valley. Addressing a mammoth gathering of over 1,00,000 people at Srinagar's Tourists Reception Centre Grounds along with fellow leaders Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Shabbir Shah and Yasin Malik, Geelani laid down its immediate demand: The withdrawal of security forces.
Speaking to rediff.com from his residence in Srinagar, Farooq said that the issue would be debated on next Friday during the Hurriyat meeting in the Valley headquarters to take a view on the developments that have taken place since Sunday afternoon.
The Centre is acting tough with Kashmir's separatist leaders by taking on their foreigner wives, refusing them to stay with their husbands in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah's appeal to separatists to come forward for talks to solve the Kashmir issue, the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference on Monday termed the suggestion as one born out of "frustration".
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday evening released chairman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik and chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.They were arrested ahead of their march to Lal Chowk last month. Geelani was taken to a hospital in Srinagar on Monday evening, after he complained of sickness in police custody.
Terming the ongoing polls in the state as a "drama", moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq on Monday appealed to the international community to send delegations to Jammu and Kashmir on a fact-finding mission.
Accusing the UN of working under the influence of America the Hurriyat faction alleged that in the name of fighting terrorism, terror acts were taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Kashmir. Today when the world is observing the anniversary of the United Nations, Hurriyat wants to clarify to its General Secretary that resolution of the Kashmir issue held the key to peace in the South Asian region.
In its third summons, issued last week, the NIA promised him security.
Mirwaiz also alleged that 'human rights violations by security forces' are continuing in Jammu and Kashmir and there is an urgent need to put an end to them.
Minister of State for External Affairs Minister V K Singh on Monday represented the government at the Pakistan National Day reception.
"There is a need for stage-wise progress in the process and the first step would be to withdraw all army and paramilitary troops from the state," he said.
Hard-line separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had asked the non-Kashmiri work force to leave the valley after the rape-and-murder of 14-year-old Tabinda Jan in Langate area of Kupwara district in which 2 labourers were allegedly involved.
Musharraf briefed the Hurriyat delegation on his proposals to resolve the Kashmir issue and his recent talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Violent clashes broke out between a group of youths and security forces in parts of the city on Saturday, leaving a youth and a policeman injured in stone pelting as separatist groups called a strike in Srinagar condemning the police action on Jamia Masjid on Friday.
Musharraf's proposals of demilitarisation, self governance and joint management could provide a foundation for the resolution of the Kashmir issue after appropriate amendments, Farooq said.
A three-member moderate Hurriyat Conference delegation, led by chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, would leave New Delhi on a five-day visit to Pakistan on Thursday.
He said India was "scared" of taking any bold initiative while Pakistan had shown "great flexibility" vis-a-vis the resolution of the vexed Kashmir issue.
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