Page 5 - Jammu And Kashmir Politics

J&K parties hail resolution for restoring special status in Assembly

Political parties in the Kashmir valley on Wednesday welcomed the resolution passed in the assembly seeking a dialogue between the Centre and elected representatives for the restoration of special status of the erstwhile state. "This resolution is historic and I congratulate the members of the House," CPI(M)'s MLA from Kulgam, M Y Tarigami said. He said it has been "our commitment that we will restore what has taken from us on August 5, 2019". "Today, the House fulfilled its promise by passing the resolution and demanded that the Government of India take forward the process of restoration of Article 370 by starting the dialogue process immediately," he added. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution asking the Centre to hold dialogue with elected representatives for restoration of special status of the erstwhile state. PDP's youth leader and MLA Pulwama, Waheed Para also welcomed the resolution. "It is a welcome move. We welcome it wholeheartedly. This has

J&K Assembly passes resolution seeking restoration of special status

Amidst uproar, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution asking the Centre to hold talks with elected representatives for restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state. As soon as the assembly proceedings began, J-K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution for restoring the special status of J-K, which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. "That this legislative assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses concern over their unilateral removal, the resolution moved by Choudhary said. This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the resolution added. BJP members, including the Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, opposed the resolution, saying it was not part of the list

Day 1 of J&K Assembly: Chaos reigns as PDP pushes to restore Article 370

Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah contended that the resolution was introduced merely for show and lacked genuine intent

J-K mourns Devender Singh Rana's death, says BJP chief Ravinder Raina

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah offered his condolences on the demise of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Devender Singh Rana and shared some of the fun moments spent with the BJP leader

Kashmiri Muslims will regret exodus of Pandits one day: Jitendra Singh

Asserting that the majority community in Kashmir will one day regret the "exodus" of Kashmiri Pandits, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said Kashmir is incomplete without their presence. Singh said that significant positive changes have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, and that deep down, common people, including Kashmir Muslims, are happy about it. "Kashmir is no longer Kashmir without the presence of Kashmiri Pandits. The composite culture that Kashmir is already known for has been possible because of the presence of the Kashmiri Pandit community there," Singh said addressing a function here. The minister, who inaugurated the Mata Saraswati Auditorium at the Gandhi Memorial College, said "I have no hesitation in saying this. Despite sounding orthodox or even rebellious, I have said that the day would come when the majority community in Kashmir would regret the exodus of Pandits. I believe this is going to happen soon." He said that th

J&K Congress prez urges LG to include elected leaders in security talks

Earlier, a search operation was carried out in Tangmarg and several parts of Jammu and Kashmir as the Indian Army and Police intensified their searches to trace the accused in terror attacks

Immediate restoration of full statehood to J-K imperative: Chidambaram

A day after Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha held a security review meeting, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday said people have elected a chief minister and government to look after their security but the CM has no authority. Chidambaram also asserted that the immediate restoration of full statehood to J-K is imperative. In a post on X, the former home minister said the photograph of the LG of Jammu and Kashmir presiding over a meeting to review the law and order situation in J-K is telling. "The elected chief minister is not present. Whether he was invited or not, I do not know. Under the law applicable to J&K, police and public order are subjects reserved for the LG," Chidambaram said. The people have elected a chief minister and government to look after their security, among other things, but the chief minister has no authority, he said. This is why J-K is described as half a state, Chidambaram added. The immediate restoration of full statehood to J-K is ...

J&K terror attack: Mehbooba says exodus of non-locals will send bad message

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday asked LG Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to prevent exodus of non-local labourers from the Gagangir construction site where seven persons were killed in a terror attack. "After the barbaric attack at Sonamarg there are reports that the local admin is pressurising non local labourers to leave the valley immediately.While I understand their obvious sense of panic but asking them to leave in this manner is not a solution," she said in a post on X. The former chief minister said the leaving of workers will create more difficulties and send a negative message to the country. "(It) Will only create more difficulties & sends a very bad message to the country. J&K recently witnessed peaceful terror free elections & this knee jerk reaction will only prove otherwise," she said. The PDP president said the move can also lead to outrage against Kashmiris working or studying in other parts of the country. "Might also cause outrage ...

J&K CM Omar Abdullah vacates Budgam assembly seat, retains Ganderbal

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has vacated the Budgam assembly seat and retained the Ganderbal constituency, Pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul announced in the House on Monday. Abdullah won both the seats in the recently held assembly polls. The Ganderbal seat is considered an Abdullah family stronghold. The 54-year-old Abdullah was an MLA from Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first tenure as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, the strength of the National Conference in the 95-member house has been reduced to 41 but the party still enjoys a comfortable majority with the support of six Congress MLA, five Independents and one MLA each of the AAP and the CPI(M).

Aim to restore smiles in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his government will not be run on the voting pattern witnessed in the assembly elections as he wants to see the "missing smiles" back on the faces of the people in both the divisions of the Union Territory (UT). Abdullah, who assumed the charge of the new government in Srinagar on Wednesday, was accorded a rousing reception on reaching the National Conference (NC) headquarters in the winter capital. The BJP swept the polls in Jammu to emerge as the second largest party. In the recently held JK assembly polls, results of which were declared on October 8, the BJP won 29 of the 90 seats on which elections were held and garnered 25.64 per cent vote share. This was the first visit of Abdullah to Jammu after becoming the chief minister with his party winning 42 seats and bagging 23.43 per cents votes. Its alliance partner Congress won six seats and CPI(M) one. "When the election results were out, some people started spreadin

Two terrorists behind several grenade attacks arrested in J&K's Poonch

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday claimed to have solved several grenade attack cases in Poonch with the arrest of two terrorists of the Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) in the district. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu Zone, Anand Jain said the arrest of Abdul Aziz and Manwar Hussain of Hari village is a "very big achievement" for the security agencies. In a joint operation on Friday, police along with troops of 37 Rashtriya Rifles and 38th Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) nabbed Aziz and recovered two hand grenades from his possession. During investigation, one more grenade was recovered from his house and his accomplice Hussain was also arrested along with a pistol, one magazine and nine rounds, the ADGP told reporters in Poonch. "They are part of a larger conspiracy and tried to create terror in Poonch district by carrying out grenade attacks at various locations, including a temple, a gurdwara, an Army camp and a hospital, to harm ..

No resolution on Article 370, J&K's statehood demand 'huge' setback: PDP

People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday said Jammu and Kashmir government's first reported resolution demanding restoration of statehood and not Article 370, was a "huge setback" and nothing less than the ratification of the Centre's 2019 decisions. Another political party, the People's Conference, has also questioned the secrecy over the resolution. The reactions came after a Jammu-based newspaper 'Daily Excelsior' carried a report that the cabinet had passed a resolution urging the Centre to restore J-K's statehood. The report also said that the chief minister will travel to Delhi to handover the draft of the resolution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, there was no official confirmation or denial of the report so far. "Omar Abdullah's first resolution on statehood is nothing less than ratification of the August 5, 2019 decision. No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of

Omar Abdullah-led J&K Cabinet passes resolution to restore statehood

The National Conference, having won 42 seats in the recent J&K Assembly elections, drafted the resolution, which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will present to Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi

HC to hear plea against LG's power to nominate 5 MLAs in J&K Assembly

A special division bench of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court will hear next week a plea challenging the power vested in the J&K lieutenant governor to nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory. Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan agreed to constitute a special division bench on Monday to hear the public interest litigation (PIL) with regard to nomination of the five MLAs, petitioner Ravinder Sharma said. On October 14, the Supreme Court refused to entertain the plea and asked the petitioner to approach the high court. As Sharma's counsel D K Khajuria moved the high court and sought early listing of the petition, Chief Justice Rabstan agreed to constitute a special bench for Monday to hear the matter. Sharma, a former member of legislative council and senior vice president of Pradesh Congress Committee, was also present in the court. The petition challenged the provisions of J&K Reorganisation Act, empowering the LG to make nominations of five .

Security forces launch search operations in Poonch, Rajouri for terrorists

Security forces have launched a massive search operation to track down terrorists at different places in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. The officials said police and army launched a joint search operation at Mohri Shahstar in Gursai top area of Poonch district late Wednesday night following information about the presence of some terrorists. Security forces challenged the terrorists moving towards the forest, leading to a brief firing, they said. Reinforcements were rushed and a massive search operation is underway to track down the terrorists, the officials said, adding security forces have deployed drones and sniffer dogs, while a helicopter was also seen hovering over the forest area this morning. In nearby Rajouri district, the officials said security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Kundan and adjoining villages in Shadra Sharief area following information about movement of three suspected ...

Cong rebel Satish Sharma who won Jammu as Independent now part of NC govt

Congress rebel Satish Sharma, who defeated the BJP's Rajeev Sharma by nearly 7,000 votes and relegated his former party's heavyweight Tara Chand to the third position in the Chhamb seat, has found a place in the Omar Abdullah government, representing the Jammu region in the dispensation. The Independent MLA becomes a key face of the current government in the BJP-dominated Jammu belt. Celebrations erupted in the Chhamb constituency after Sharma's inclusion in the National Conference government as he was the lone non-BJP member to have won in Jammu district, where the BJP took 10 seats. Sharma, who was administered the oath of office by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for ensuring Jammu's representation in the government. "I have been blessed by Mata Rani. I thank the people and Omar Abdullah ji for bridging the gap between the two regions and granting the Jammu region more than expected," Sharma said. He emphasised that this

Mehbooba Mufti hopes Omar-led govt will heal 'wounds' of J&K people

It is a "very auspicious day" as people of Jammu and Kashmir have got their government after several years, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday on the swearing-in of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. "Today is a very auspicious day. People of Jammu and Kashmir have got their government after several years. People have elected a stable government. People of Jammu and Kashmir suffered a lot especially after 2019, and we hope that this new government will heal the wounds we got," she told reporters after attending Abdullah's oath ceremony. She, however, expressed hope that the government would pass a resolution condemning the Centre's August 5, 2019 decisions of abrogating Article 370, and bifurcating J-K into two union territories. "We hope that the government will pass a resolution condemning the decision of August 5, 2019, that the people of J-K do not accept those decisions," she added. The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J-K also expressed hope that the ...

Omar Abdullah takes oath as Jammu-Kashmir CM; Congress opts out of govt

Top INDIA bloc leaders including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were present at Omar Abdullah's swearing-in ceremony in Srinagar

New J-K govt should first demand restoration of statehood, says Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the first task before the new Jammu and Kashmir government should be to demand restoration of statehood and the INDIA bloc parties should support it. He said that in case the government does not agree, then they should approach the court as the central government had promised restoration of statehood before the Supreme Court. "After the election results in J-K and days before the new government will take office, the LG of J-K has taken powers to himself that mocks the verdict of the people," he said in a post on X. "The first task of the new government should be to demand the restoration of statehood to J-K, and all the I.N.D.I.A. parties should support the demand. "Failing a positive response, the new J-K government should not hesitate to approach the Supreme Court," Chidambaram said in his post. "Recall that the Supreme Court was persuaded to not rule on the constitutionality of the reduction in the status of J&K because the central .

'Restoration of statehood in J-K our priority', says Farooq Abdullah

Abdullah also highlighted unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir, which he deemed a pressing issue