Kashmir news updates: Satya Pal Malik says month-long house arrest of Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti will help them win more votes

High schools open on Wednesday, but students remain absent

High schools in the Kashmir Valley reopened on Wednesday in areas where restrictions have been lifted, but students stayed away, reports said. Higher secondary schools in the Valley have been shut for over three weeks due to restrictions imposed in the state after its special status was revoked.

Jammu and Kashmir director of information and public relations Sehrish Asgar had said on Tuesday that, “The education department has decided to open all high schools in Kashmir Valley from tomorrow in areas where relaxations have been provided.”

Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Ghaznavi’

Pakistan has successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Ghaznavi’ with a range of up to 290 kilometres, the Pakistan Army said on Thursday, amid fresh India-Pakistan tensions after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status earlier in August.

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday closed three aviation routes of Karachi airspace till August 31, leading to reports that the Pakistan Army may conduct a  missile test from a flight test range in Balochistan.

Sitaram Yechury in touch with SSP Imtiyaz Hussain

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, who on Wednesday was granted permission by the Supreme Court to visit his ailing colleague Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami in Jammu and Kashmir, is currently on his way to Srinagar.

News18 reported that Yechury, who was turned back from the Srinagar airport twice, is also in touch with SSP Imtiyaz Hussain, who was also reportedly mentioned in Supreme Court’s interim order.

Alert for airports in Jammu and Kashmir, border areas to continue

Jyoti Narayan, Joint DG with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, on Thursday said that the aviation alert for airports in Jammu and Kashmir and border areas will continue.

“On the approval of central agencies, we issued four alerts during August, most of the alerts have been withdrawn from the airports. But the alert remains, in connection with airports in Jammu and Kashmir and border areas,” he said.

Muslim organisations in Kashmir Valley raise questions over manner of abrogation of Article 370

Several prominent Muslim organisations on Wednesday raised questions over the manner in which the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated, saying “neither peace can be established nor loyalty can be bought by “disregarding basic principles of the Constitution.”.

In a meeting organised at Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the Muslim organisations called for restoring the fundamental rights in Kashmir and said the Central government should ensure there is peace in the Valley.

Jammu and Kashmir Police says anyone who disturbs peace will be ‘dealt with strictly’

Senior Superintendent of Police, in Jammu’s Rajouri, said that a case had been registered against five people for “sensitive posts on social media”.

He was quoted by ANI as saying, “A case has been registered against five people under sections 153-A of the Indian Penal Code, & 66-B of the IT Act for sensitive posts on social media. Anyone who attempts to disturb peace will be dealt with strictly.”

Satya Pal Malik says jailed ex-CMs will acquire political benefits due to house arrest

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday justified the action of “preventive detention” against former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti, and Farooq and Omar Abdullah, saying that the more politicians spend time in jail, the more political dividends they are likely to accrue.

“Don’t you want that people should become leaders. I have gone to jail 30 times. Those who will go to jail, will become leaders. Let them be there. The more they spend time in the jail, the more they will claim during elections…that I have spent six months behind bars…

“So if you sympathise with them, do not be sad over detention. And they all are in their homes. I was jailed in Fatehgarh (Uttar Pradesh) during the Emergency where it used to take two days to reach. If someone is detained in any issue, if he is wise, he will take political benefit. I am wishing them well,” the governor said.

Imran Khan’s ‘Naya Pakistan’ vision has floundered due to financial crisis, says report

The report prepared for US lawmakers by the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) also said that Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s “Naya Pakistan” vision — which appeared to animate many younger, urban, middle-class voters — emphasizes anti-corruption and creation of a “welfare state” that provides better education and health care.

However, this effort has floundered due to the country’s acute financial crisis, and a need for new foreign borrowing and government austerity.

In Imran-era, Pakistan military retains dominant influence over foreign, security policies: US report

During Imran Khan’s tenure as prime minister, the Pakistani military has retained the dominant influence over foreign and security policies of the country, according to a US Congressional report.

The report prepared for US lawmakers by the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) said Imran had no experience of governance prior to winning his current office, and analysts contend that Pakistan’s security forces manipulated domestic politics during elections with a motive of removing Nawaz Sharif.

Mobile services restored in five Jammu districts today

Following days of restrictions, mobile phone services have resumed in five districts of the Jammu region in Jammu and Kashmir. Starting Wednesday night, the services were restored in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri, and Poonch districts. The services were suspended across the state on 5 August, in view of security concerns in the region following Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370.

Defending restrictions on the use of mobile phones and internet, Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik had said that the restriction had been imposed as these facilities were abused as “a weapon” against the country and mostly exploited by terrorists to mobilise the people.

Rajnath Singh says Pakistan should stop ’exporting’ terror to India, work towards good relations

Reiterating India’s stand that peace talks with Pakistan will only be possible after the neighbour tackles the issue of cross-border terrorism, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, “How can we talk to Pakistan when it keeps trying to destabilise India by using terror. We want to have a good neighbourly relationship with Pakistan. It should first stop exporting terror to India.”

We respected public sentiment for separate UT in Ladakh: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh, who visited the newly created Union Territory of Ladakh on Thursday and addressed an event organised for farmers and scientists, said that the Narendra Modi-led central government had “respected public sentiment” for the creation of a Union Territory in Ladakh.

“When we made Ladakh a separate UT by enacting a law in Parliament, we respected the public sentiment here as well as gave solutions to the problems. Our Prime Minister has made it clear that we will bring Localized Solution for Strategic Areas of India,” he said in the tweet.

PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan is also part of India, says Rajnath Singh
 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressing an event for farmers and soldiers in Ladakh on Thursday, was quoted by News18 as saying that the contested aeras of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan were “also part of India”.

Rajnath Singh says Pakistan should fix human rights violations in PoK first

Union minister Rajnath Singh, addressing the 26th Kisan-Jawan Vigyan Mela on Thursday, which reportedly has been attended by farmers, soldiers, and scientists, critcised Pakistan over its reaction to the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, which, India has maintained is an internal matter only.

“I do not know why Pakistan is reacting in such a way. It is like ‘begani shadi mein abdullah deewana’.  They should first look at terrorism blooming in their country. They should not cry about Kashmir and should look at the human rights violations in PoK,” he said, referring to ‘Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’, the area of the state that is in Pakistan’s control.

Abrogating Article 370 wasn’t ‘arbitrary’ decision, says Rajnath Singh in Ladakh

Addressing an event organised for farmers and scientists in the newly-appointed Union Territory of Ladakh on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh referred to the Narendra Modi-led government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The move, which was introduced as a bill in Parliament on 4 August and was passed subsequently, has been met by vehement objections from most Opposition leaders.

Defending the decision, Singh said, “Abrogating Article 370 was our commitment. It is not an arbitrary decision. We have not fooled the people of the country. This has been our commitment from our Jan Sangh days. And the people of Jammu and Kashmir, along with Ladakh are happy with this.”

Visuals of Rajnath Singh at DRDO event in Leh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Ladakh’s capital, Leh, on Thursday to attend an event organised by the DRDO’s Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR). Singh is addressing the 26th ‘Kisan-Jawan Vigyan Mela’ in Leh, and also inaugurated the event this year.

Rajnath Singh addresses event in Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday visited Leh in Ladakh for the 26th Kisan-Jawan Vigyan Mela. Singh targetted Pakistan over its objection to the recent abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which was decided by the Centre along with the bifurcation of the state into two Union Terrirtories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The defence minister, who is on his first visit to the newly appointed Union Territory, said, “I want to ask Pakistan, when was Kashmir a part of Pakistan that they are crying over it so much? We respect Pakistan’s identity as a nation, but it has no locus standi in this matter.

SC warns Sitaram Yechury against ‘politicising’ visit

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday allowed CPM leader Sitaram Yechury to visit his ailing colleage Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, even as restrictions on communications and movement were imposed in several parts of the Valley ever since the Centre abrogated Article 370 in the restive region.

However, the court directed Yechury to only meet Tarigami and not use the visit for any “political purpose”. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader had attempted twice to visit the state this month — once with Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja and another time with a delegation of Opposition party leaders. Both the times, Yechury was turned away from Srinagar airport.

Sitaram Yechury to visit Jammu and Kashmir today

After getting a green signal from the Supreme Court, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to meet his party colleague and former MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami. Yechury said he will do “whatever needs to be done” on the basis of his visit.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Yechury to visit the state to meet Tarigami, who has been detained by the authorities there in the wake of the Centre abrogating provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded a special status to the state.