Kashmir News Latest Updates: Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged “unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian. Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn “the unprovoked ceasefire violations” by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said. Reports quoted officials as saying that Shah Faesal is now under house arrest in Kashmir under Section 107 (security for keeping peace). The IAS officer-turned-politician is likely to stay under house arrest till normalcy returns. There is no clarity on who detained Shah Faesal from the Delhi airport. Reuters journalist Devjyot Ghoshal and a few other mediapersons quoted the airport DCP as saying that the police at the Indira Gandhi Internationa Airport did not detain the IAS-turned-politician.Officials earlier only told PTI that Faesal from sent back to Kashmir. With this development, Faesal joined a list of politicians from Jammu and Kashmir whose whereabouts are unknown. One of the reasons for this is that the Centre is continuing to remain tight-lipped about the actions against leaders from the Valley. Also, because of the communication blackout, limited journalists are able to operate on ground and get hold of credible information. This is leading to more speculations about what’s going on in the state. “Muslims are living in fear today in India. When I used to play cricket in India; Muslims from affluent households used to say the two nation theory wasn’t right. Today those same people say Quaid-e-Azam (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) was absolutely right,” said Imran Khan, while addressing the ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’ Assembly. He began the address saying, “We have to make the world realise that RSS ideology is exactly like the Nazi ideology. After World War II, the world made a collective decision that such genocide would never be repeated again. The RSS ideology is heading that way again.” Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal was on Wednesday detained at Delhi airport and sent back to Kashmir. He was reportedly trying to leave the country and has been reportedly placed under house arrest. Superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Mahabharata’ analogy in his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the government’s Kashmir decisions continues irked AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who snapped back at the actor-turned-politician during a speech in Hyderabad. “A Tamil Nadu actor called PM Modi and Amit Shah Krishna and Arjun for abrogating Article 370 from J&K. Then who are Pandavas and Kauravas in this situation. Do you want another ‘Mahabharat’ in the country,” Owaisi asked. akistan’s prime minister Imran Khan expressed solidarity and said that he supports Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination, as he began celebrations marking Pakistan’s Independence Day. He will make a speech in the Legislative Assembly to speak on the Kashmir issue. Hitting back at the governor for “taking a U-turn” on his offer to visit the state, Rahul Gandhi addressed Jammu and Kashmir governor as Master — a spin off to his own last name Malik stretched on as Maalik meaning master — to mock at what Congress calls the ‘undemocratic way’ in which Kashmir’s special status was abrogated. Rubbishing claims of any major incidents of violence reported in the Valley, Khan says, " Whenever a situation takes shape in the Valley, our neighbours try to vitiate the atmosphere, you have seen certain videos that have been circulated from 2016. There have been localized incidents which have been contained…few pellet injuries have been reported but no major injuries…we have taken all precaution to avoid collateral damage." Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday asked all the deputy commissioners to direct sarpanches to hoist the national flag in their respective panchayats on Independence Day. In a meeting held at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening, Malik reviewed the to-date status of the prevailing security, law and order and provision of basic and essential services to people in the state, PTI reported. The governor was apprised of the full dress rehearsal for Independence Day that has been done in every district of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh and that necessary arrangements have been put in place for smooth conduct of the celebrations, the report said. The security lockdown imposed by the Centre was tightened in the restive Kashmir Valley on Wednesday in view of Independence Day on Thursday. The government had deployed several thousand troops in addition to the forces already present in the Valley ahead of its announcement to scrap Article 370 and 35A earlier this month. News18 reported that the movement of people has become more restricted, in lieu of Independence Day. “The central government had already deployed tens of thousands of additional soldiers to the region as a preemptive measure,” the report said. Imran Khan will celebrate the Independence Day of Pakistan in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir where he is scheduled to address the legislative assembly. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday said it is hopeful of further relaxations in the security clampdown after the dress rehearsal for the August 15 Independence Day celebrations conclude in various districts. Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal told a press conference here that while prohibitory conditions were relaxed in various parts of Kashmir, the Jammu region was “almost entirely” free of restrictions. [caption id=“attachment_7141561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “Restrictions, however, do continue in parts of Kashmir,” he said. “We are hopeful that once the full dress rehearsals for Independence Day being carried out in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh conclude, there will be further relaxations,” he said. He added that the curbs would be relaxed in parts of the Valley in a phased manner based on the assessment of local authorities. The security clampdown was imposed after the Union government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 and said the state would be bifurcated into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Restrictions were first eased in Kashmir on August 9 to allow people to offer Friday prayers at local mosques. Curbs were also relaxed ahead of Eid al-Adha, which was celebrated on Monday. Kansal said the administration was following the overall policy of “relaxation and easing out” in all parts of the state and the Eid al-Adha celebrations and prayers were peaceful. He added that there is a “constant endeavour to ensure that people are not obstructed and are facilitated in every possible way”. The principal secretary said the administration is hopeful that the Independence Day celebrations will be carried out in a “grand and benefitting manner” in all parts of the state. He said all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure smooth Independence Day celebrations. As far as the issue of communication is concerned, 300 public points have been set up for the locals, from where they can speak to their dear ones. Over 5,000 calls were made in one day, Kansal said. He added that medical services of all kinds are continuing “normally and unhindered” and the apprehensions in this context are not true. Routine outpatient department (OPD) operations, admissions, surgical procedures are going on, Kansal said, adding that all kinds of normal and emergency medicines are in adequate supply. Last week, 13,500 patients were treated in OPDs in Srinagar district, while there were 1,400 admissions and 600 procedures of all kinds, he said. Kansal said the national highway is functioning normally and over 100 heavy vehicles, trucks carrying LPG cylinders, oil trucks and about 1,500 light motor vehicles and buses have moved over the last 24 hours. “The flight operations are normal too,” he added. Asked about the government’s response over some propaganda material being circulated on social media platforms like Twitter, Kansal said, “Due cognisance has been taken of all the fake handles and of any items that create disaffection and it is being tackled at the appropriate levels legally, procedurally and through appropriate measures.” “Whenever our attention is drawn to any fake accounts or any attempts to spread disaffection or peddle misinformation or create mischief, they are being dealt with procedurally, legally and through all available measures with the government,” he said. Asked by reporters about the proposed plans for unfurling the tricolour on August 15 at various places in the state, including at Lal Chowk here, Kansal said the occasion would be celebrated with respect and grandeur. “Independence Day celebrations have a certain system. It is a national festival and it will be celebrated with respect and grandeur. I have nothing to say about specific individuals,” he said. The principal secretary said some arrests had been made following a local assessment of the situation.
Kashmir News Updates: Pakistan summons India's Deputy High Commissioner over Tuesday's 'unprovoked ceasefire violations' across LoC
Kashmir News LIVE Updates: Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged “unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian. Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn “the unprovoked ceasefire violations” by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said.
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No harm in J&K becoming Union Territory if people benefit from it: Ex-PDP leader Farooq Ahmed Dar
Dismissing concerns about Jammu and Kashmir becoming two union territories, former PDP leader Farooq Ahmed Dar said there is no harm if people benefit from it.
He cited the example of New Delhi, asserting that the national capital has continued to develop even though, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is frequently locked in confrontations with the Union government.
“If people can benefit from a UT status, what’s the harm?" he asked, pointing out that the state has never developed beyond being a “consumer state” since 1947.
“We were a consumer state in 1947 and are a consumer state in 2019. We were dependent on outside supply and we are dependent even now,” said Dar.
PTI
Detentions, arrests based on local assessment of law and order requirement, says top official
On the Shah Faesal’s detention, Jammy and Kashmir principal secretary for planning commission Rohit Kansal said, “Any detention or arrest is based on local assessment of law and order requirement and taken accordingly. We will not comment on individuals.”
ADGP SJM Gillani confirmed that there have been detentions under Public Safety Act, and there have been preventive arrests as well. “Some people have also been shifted out of the state,” he said.
Situation continues to be calm, says official
Jammy and Kashmir principal secretary for planning commission Rohit Kansal said at a press conference that the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir “continues to be calm”. “There have been no major reports of any untoward incident,” he said.
J&K Principal Secretary (Planning Commission) Rohit Kansal: There will be some restrictions for tomorrow. The overall security situation continues to be calm. There have been no major reports of any untoward incident. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/Y4ukxA54u8
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2019
Activist Kavita Krishnan says children being arrested in Kashmir
In an interview to Huffington Post, activist Kavita Krishnan claimed that children were being arrested in Kashmir by the police as well as the army “as an act of intimidation”. “They are making it a point to raid houses in the night and take away young boys in the night. It creates immense fear, especially among the women,” she was quoted as saying. Krishnan held fact-finding mission in Kashmir, along with economist Jean Dreze, Maimoona Mollah from the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the women’s wing of CPM, and social activist Vimal Bhai.
Pakistan summons India’s deputy high commissioner over ‘ceasefire violations’
Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged “unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian.
Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn “the unprovoked ceasefire violations” by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said.
“The Indian forces along the LoC and working boundary have continuously been targeting civilian-populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons, which still continues,” Faisal said.
Shah Faesal placed under house arrest
Reports quoted officials as saying that Shah Faesal is now under house arrest in Kashmir under Section 107 (security for keeping peace). The IAS officer-turned-politician is likely to stay under house arrest till normalcy returns.
Pakistan won’t tolerate any violation, says Imran Khan
Imran Khan said at the Assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, “We are observing where the events go from here. Pakistan is fully ready; our army, and our people are on one page. We have decided we will not tolerate any violation and are fully ready to counter it.”
‘Phone lines of heads of medical facilities have been functional’
Srinagar district magistrate Shahid Choudhary clarified on Twitter that the phone lines of heads of medical facilities have remained functional “all these days”. His tweet came in response to a Reuters journalist’s claim that the Government Medical College’s principal had to personally visit district officials because he couldn’t communicate to their from his telephone.
Telephone numbers of Medical College Principal, heads of other medical facilities have remained functional all these days. Pls respect the facts, you still have a lot more for speculative tweets. https://t.co/EaqU9Kb6qH
— Shahid Choudhary (@listenshahid) August 14, 2019
Confusion prevails over unconfirmed details about Shah Faesal’s arrest
There is no clarity on who detained Shah Faesal from the Delhi airport. Reuters journalist Devjyot Ghoshal and a few other mediapersons quoted the airport DCP as saying that the police at the Indira Gandhi Internationa Airport did not detain the IAS-turned-politician. The Hindu journalist Vijaita Singh tweeted that the immigration department also didn’t stopped Faesal.
Officials earlier only told PTI that Faesal from sent back to Kashmir. With this development, Faesal joined a list of politicians from Jammu and Kashmir whose whereabouts are unknown. One of the reasons for this is that the Centre is continuing to remain tight-lipped about the actions against leaders from the Valley. Also, because of the communication blackout, limited journalists are able to operate on ground and get hold of credible information. This is leading to more speculations about what’s going on in the state.
Imran Khan says he will be ‘global ambassador’ for Kashmir issue
“We will go to UN and every other global forum. We will go to the International Court of Justice. We are mobilising the global community of Kashmiris and you will see a historic number of people come out… All our ambassadors globally are active. I am going to be the global ambassador for the cause of Kashmir and raise it at every international forum,” Imran Khan said during his address.
Imran Khan warns India against attempting skirmish in PoK
Imran Khan warned India that Pakistan will “respond ten folds” if the Indian troops try a skirmish in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “To divert the world’s attention of what they are doing under curfew in Kashmir, they want to do an operation in AJK (PoK). I am telling Narendra Modi that if you try a skirmish, we will respond ten folds,” he said,
Comparing Modi to Adolf Hitler, he said, “Hitler had arrogance and Modi’s arrogance is no different. But history has shown that Hitler was destroyed, Napoleon was destroyed. War is never the solution; it leads to multiple other conflicts.”
‘Muslims in India who didn’t believe in two-nation theory now say Jinnah was right’
“Muslims are living in fear today in India. When I used to play cricket in India; Muslims from affluent households used to say the two nation theory wasn’t right. Today, those same people say Quaid-e-Azam (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) was absolutely right,” said Imran Khan, while addressing the ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’ Assembly.
He further claimed, “Pro-Indian Kashmiri politicians today are endorsing two-nation theory. This Pandora’s box of the RSS ideology will not stop at Muslims; it will spillover into the Sikh community, and the Christian community. It is an epidemic. We have information; the Pakistani Army is aware they have have a plan to carry out operations in AJK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)”
Facade of tolerant India removed: Imran Khan
Stepping up his attack on RSS, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan said in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Assembly, “This is the ideology (of Nazis) that has done ethnic cleansing in the world, that has created wars. People have no idea how much India has radicalised. It is no longer a plural society. The facade of a tolerant India has been removed… RSS goons are going and lynching people, threatening judges, and intellectuals. This is exactly what the Nazis did; anyone who spoke against their supremacy was a traitor.”
Pakistan has to ensure Kashmir is in global narrative, says Imran Khan
Imran Khan called Kashmir becoming a global narrative “an important development”. “We have spoken to Donald Trump about it; we brought it up at the OIC. Kashmir was not on the radar of the international community, but we as Pakistan have to ensure that this new momentum continues where Kashmir is in the global narrative,” he said.
‘Modi making a strategic blunder’: Imran Khan on situation in Kashmir
On the situation in Kashmir following the scrapping of Article 370, Imran Khan asked what the Narendra Modi was trying to achieve. “What can be achieved via all this? Sending troops in, pushing tourists out, and having people under curfew. I am of view that Modi is making a strategic blunder. He is playing his final card but it is going to be very expensive for India,” he said.
Imran Khan likens RSS ideology to Nazism
Addressing the ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’ Assembly (in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan claimed that the RSS’ ideology has “emboldened”, from the Babari mosque incident, to the increase in lynchings of Muslims and the atrocities in Kashmir, because “they have not faced any resistance from the intentional community”.
“We are all concerned at moment about truth of the humanitarian crisis and the atrocities created by this lockdown that has been imposed,” he said. “We have to make the world realise that RSS ideology is exactly like the Nazi ideology. After World War II, the world made a collective decision that such genocide would never be repeated again. The RSS ideology is heading that way again.”
Press club denies permission to political activist Kavita Krishnan and her team to screen videos of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir
After much of the mainstream media becomes the propaganda arm of the govt, even the Press Club falls in line. It denies permission for showing videos of the situation in Kashmir. After cutting communications of Kashmir, imposing curfew, govt want us not to see Kashmir! https://t.co/80zDoZSXO0
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) August 14, 2019
Preparations in place to ensure peaceful Independence Day celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir, says top cop
Jammu and Kashmir Additional General of Police (Law and Order) Munir Khan on Wednesday appealed people to celebrate first Independence Day after the bifurcation of the state with vigour and fervour. “Everything is in place here. All arrangements have been made. Celebrate 15 August ‘dabake’,” he told ANI when he asked if he wanted to convey any message to the people of the state.
Khan said that situations are normal across the state and the restrictions are not imposed or lifted in a generalised manner, but the decision on the same was being taken after accessing the prevailing situation by the district authorities. “All preparations are in place to ensure peaceful celebration throughout the state,” Khan said.
The government has relaxed prohibitory orders in “large areas” of the state including Srinagar till afternoon.
You can either be a stooge or a separatist, Shah Faesal had said in a tweet on Tuesday
In a tweet on Tuesday, Shah Faesal had expressed disappointment at the end of the ‘mainstream’ in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. He said that one can now either be a “stooge or a separatist”.
Shah Faesal stopped from leaving to Turkey, to be kept in house arrest under Public Safety Act
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal was detained by authorities at the Delhi airport on Wednesday and sent back to Kashmir, officials said. Faesal was again detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) on his arrival in Srinagar, they said. He was bound for Istanbul, the officials added.
Paksitan’s internal ministry official condemns Shah Faesal’s detention
A Pakistani bureaucrat, whose bio suggests he is the PSO to the Interior Minister, condemned Faesal’s arrest.
Shah Faesal stopped from boarding a flight to Boston
Shah Faesal, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer turned politician, was stopped from boarding a flight to Boston at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and sent to Srinagar earlier today, Huffington Post reported.
Who is Shah Faesal?
Shah Faesal, a former IAS officer, became the first Kashmiri to have topped the civil service examination in 2009. He quit IAS few months back to join politics. He founded the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement party in association with former MLA Engineer Rashid, who is currently under arrest in a terror funding case.
Since resigning from the service, Faesal had been interacting with young achievers to solicit their support for his initiative of corruption-free, clean and transparent politics in the state. He had also launched a crowdfunding campaign in last week of January to support his initiative.
Shah Faesal arrested trying to leave country
Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal was on Wednesday detained at Delhi airport and sent back to Kashmir, NDTV reported. He was reportedly trying to leave the country and has been reportedly placed under house arrest.
Breaking News: Shah Faesal, bureaucrat-turned politician, arrested in Delhi, being sent back to Srinagar, claim reports
Restrictions in Jammu lifted, but Kashmir will have to wait longer for relief, say police
“Restrictions imposed in Jammu have been completely removed. They will continue in some places of Kashmir for sometime,” said Munir Khan, one of the senior-most officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police, at a press conference in Srinagar.
Emergency-like situation in Jammu and Kashmir, says Asaduddin Owaisi
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Kashmir, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday asked the government to lift curfew saying that there was an emergency-like situation in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s envoy to US says Kashmir crisis could affect Afghan peace talks
Pakistan, which has been trying to rally support from countries within and outside the Indian subcontinent to strengthen its side against India’s move to scrap Article 370, has dropped a new bombshell on US hoping to manipulate the country’s stand that had earlier denied intervening in India-Pakistan’s bilateral matter.
Aware that chances of Islamabad getting a UN resolution on Kashmir in its favour is slim, Pakistan’s envoy to US has subtly threatened to withdraw troops from the Afghan border at a time when Washington is desperately trying to close a peace deal with Taliban and pull out from the strife-torn region.
Speaking to NYT, Khan said, India’s crackdown on the disputed region of Kashmir, on Pakistan’s eastern border with India, “could not have come at a worse time for us,” because the Pakistanis have sought to strengthen military control along the western border with Afghanistan, an area long infiltrated by Taliban militants, as part of the effort to help end the Afghanistan conflict by denying the group a safe haven. “We have our hands full” on the western border, Khan said, adding, “If the situation escalates on the eastern border, we will have to undertake redeployments.”
Communication blackout encompasses old-fashioned mail as well; India Post says services not available in Kashmir
The communication blackout, that has put any news going in and out of Kashmir, strictly under the State’s vigil is one of the harshest aspects of the clampdown imposed on the Valley ahead of abrogation of Article 370. From cable tv to phone lines, from mobile networks to wifi and internet any and all sort of communication remains suspended in Kashmir. However, the blackout also entails the services of India Post, the mammoth network that scurries through the length and breadth of the country to deliver mail, parcels, speed post and communications. The department of post said that the services are shut in Kashmir till ‘further orders.
No. Until further orders.
— India Post (@IndiaPostOffice) August 13, 2019
Rajinikanth dubs Modi-Shah as Krishna-Arjun; ‘Do we want a second Mahabharat in India’, asks Asaduddin Owaisi
Superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Mahabharata’ analogy in his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the government’s Kashmir decisions continues irked AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who snapped back at the actor-turned-politician during a speech in Hyderabad. “A Tamil Nadu actor called PM Modi and Amit Shah Krishna and Arjun for abrogating Article 370 from J&K. Then who are Pandavas and Kauravas in this situation. Do you want another ‘Mahabharat’ in the country,” Owaisi asked.
Authorities admit to protests in Soura, say ‘few’ pellet injuries reported
The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a strong rebuttal recently, denying reports by foreign media, including Reuters, BBC and Al Jazeera, that hundreds and thousands of people thronged the streets of Kashmir and raised anti-India slogans in parts of Kashmir, including Sriniggar’s Soura. However, on Tuesday, the MHA, in an U-turn , said that “miscreants mingled with people returning home after prayers at a local mosque” in Srinagar’s Soura, leading to violence but not resulting in the firing of bullets."
Likewise, after there were reports claiming that there is an increase in the number of people seeking treatment from pellet gun injuries, the Additional Director General of Police of J&K Munir Khan today admitted that there have been ‘few’ such cases but insisted that nobody was seriously injured.
The information filtering in from Kashmir has been slow to reach the mainstream media and with enough alternate versions floating around, it has been hard to relay verified chain of events. But what is obvious from video evidence shared by foreign media, anecdotes from local journalists and the few reports that are making through the severe clampdown, is that between the layers of imposed normalcy, there certainly are sensitive pockets where Kashmiris have expressed resentment over stripping of state’s special rights, and that the authorities did use force to reign them in.
Tensions run high as border forces skip customary exchange of sweets on Wagah border
With tensions running high between the two nuclear-powered neighbours, border security personnel skipped the suctomary exchange of sweets with their Pakistani counterparts at the Attari-Wagah border on the occasion of Pakistan Independence Day. It is unlikely that the Indian troopers will offer sweets to Pakistani Rangers tomorrow as well.
PM Imran Khan uses Pakistan I-Day speech to warm up Kashmir issue among domestic audience
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used an address celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday to criticise India for its actions in the disputed Kashmir region that has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“Independence Day is an opportunity for great happiness, but today we are saddened by the plight of our Kashmiri brothers in occupied Jammu and Kashmir who are victims of Indian oppression,” Khan said in a statement. “I assure my Kashmiri brothers that we stand with them,” he said.
Kashmir’s fire stations, hospitals were left without running telephone line, say reports
Reuters reporter Devjyot Ghoshal revealed, that about 200 police and local administration officials had satellite phones, with several hundred more using a restricted military network but by and large all communication channels were shut down.
“The government Medical College’s principal, who runs a hospital network with 3,500 beds, had to personally visit district officials to coordinate stuff. ‘Police stations have been given satellite phones but not him. That shows their (government’s) priority,’ an official said. Even hospital and fire department staff were without any communication devices,” Ghoshal said.
When can I come to Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi asks Satya Pal Malik
After being slammed by the Jammu and Kashmir governor over putting forward conditions for Kashmir visit, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the governor when can he visit the Valley.
Contrary to govt claims, Indian scribes who toured J&K say nothing ’normal’ in state
Reuters reporter Devjyot Ghoshal recounted his experiene of navigating through curfew in Jammu and Kashmir, which many call the harshest the hill state had seen in a long time. The reporter recounts that people were seething in anger, waiting, biding their time till the forces withdrew to pelt stones.
“A reporter told me there had been stone-pelting 2 km away from this newsroom on Monday. He didn’t find out till 4 hours later. And only 5 newspapers out of 174 dailies in the Valley were publishing. ‘This is the biggest story of our generation and we haven’t been able to report it,’ an editor told me,” the reporter tweeted.
Separatist leader Yasin Malik’s wife addresses flag hoisting ceremony in Islamabad
Mashaal Malik, wife of arrested separatist leader Mohammad Yasin Malik, addressed a flag hoisting ceremony in Islamabad, on Pakistan’s Independence Day today, ANI quoted Pakistan media as saying.
‘Celebrate Independence Day dabaake,’ ADGP Munir Khan on law and order situation
Ahead of Independence Day celebrations, Jammu and Kashmir ADGP Munir Khan said the situation is totally under control in the Valley.
#WATCH: Munir Khan, ADGP, #JammuAndKasmir Police on preparation for Independence Day: Everything is in place. Celebrate 15th August, 'dabake.' pic.twitter.com/kRNPLNCPsi
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2019
J&K ADGP Munir Khan rubbishes protests as ‘stray incidents’, says trying best to minimise ‘collateral damage’
Rubbishing claims of any major incidents of violence reported in the Valley, Khan says, " Whenever a situation takes shape in the Valley, our neighbours try to vitiate the atmosphere, you have seen certain videos that have been circulated from 2016. There have been localized incidents which have been contained…few pellet injuries have been reported but no major injuries…we have taken all precaution to avoid collateral damage."
Rahul Gandhi tweets after J&K governor revokes invite to state
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for putting “pre-conditions” for a visit to the state and alleged he was trying to “create unrest” by seeking to bring a delegation of opposition leaders. Following remarks by Gandhi on that there have been reports of violence in Kashmir, Malik on Monday had said he will send him an aircraft to visit the Valley and observe the ground situation.
Gandhi has put forth many conditions for the visit, including meeting mainstream leaders under detention, the governor said in a statement.
However, hitting back at the governor for “taking a U-turn” on his offer to visit the state, this is what Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Dear Maalik ji,
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 14, 2019
I saw your feeble reply to my tweet.
I accept your invitation to visit Jammu & Kashmir and meet the people, with no conditions attached.
When can I come?
