Six years after Article 370 was scrapped, debates continue over its impact on J&K's security, development, and political future, with statehood restoration still a key demand on the ground
The Amarnath Yatra 2025 was suspended as the Jammu admin withdrew officials, coinciding with heightened political activity and key meetings in New Delhi
The Congress will observe August 5 as a "black day" against the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a Union territory six years ago and will sit on a dharna to press for the restoration of statehood. On August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped J&K's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union territories. The Congress is backed by the other members of the All Parties United Morcha, which was created with the aim of restoring statehood, for the protest on Wednesday. "The Congress party shall observe August 5 as a black day against the downgrading of the historical J&K state into a Union territory. All constituent members are fully supporting it together," chief spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, Ravinder Sharma, told reporters here. He said that a peaceful sit-in will be organised by the Congress supported by All Parties United Morcha near the statue of Maharaja Hari Singh at Tawi bridge in Jammu to press for the early ...
On Saturday, security forces neutralised one terrorist during a gunfight that continued overnight in the Akhal area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district, Chinar Corps said
On Saturday, security forces neutralised one terrorist during a gunfight that continued overnight in the Akhal area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district
Authorities have suspended this year's annual Amarnath Yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, due to the need for maintenance on the tracks that were damaged by recent heavy rainfall, officials said on Saturday. The yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing "critical repair and maintenance works" to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall. "Due to recent heavy rainfall and the need for track maintenance along both the Baltal and Pahalgam axes of the Shri Amarnathji Yatra route, the yatra movement has been closed on both the tracks," Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, said here. "It has been observed that due to the continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we would not be able to resume the yatra. The yatra will therefore remain suspended from 3rd August onwards from both the routes," he explain
The joint anti-terror operation, carried out by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, and Special Operations Group (SOG), remains underway
The Amarnath Yatra from Jammu remained suspended from Jammu for the second consecutive day on Friday due to inclement weather conditions, officials said. No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to proceed to the Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas, they said. The pilgrims who had come from outside for the yatra are housed in the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp for their further journey to the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal after reviewing the weather situation. Over 4 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the ice lingam of Lord Shiva at the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine since the 38-day pilgrimage commenced on July 3 from the Valley. "The yatra to the cave shrine from Jammu remained suspended today. It has been done in view of the inclement weather besides precautionary measures. No fresh batch was allowed from Jammu towards Amarnath," Yatra information official said. This is the second time the yatra has been suspended from Jammu. On July 17, the yatra
The Amarnath Yatra resumed from the Baltal axis on Thursday, a day after it was suspended due to heavy rains, officials said. However, the yatra remains suspended from the Pahalgam axis as urgent maintenance and repair works have to be carried out on the route, they said. Torrential rains in Kashmir had rendered the roads unsafe, following which the pilgrimage was suspended on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes on Wednesday. "The yatra resumed this morning from the Baltal route," said an official, adding, "In view of maintenance works required to be carried out on the Pahalgam axis of Amarnath Yatra route following the recent rains, the yatra shall continue only through Baltal axis." The official said that no convoy movement would be allowed towards the Baltal and Nunwan base camps from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Thursday. So far, more than 3.93 lakh yatris have paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine this year. The annual yatra that began on July 3 will culminate of Au
UNSC report links TRF to Lashkar-e-Taiba, endorses India's counter-terror efforts despite Pakistan's opposition
Two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed when army troops scuttled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday. The latest encounter comes two days after security forces eliminated three hardcore terrorists, involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, in a forest in Srinagar. Codenamed operation 'Shivshakti", the army said the two terrorists neutralised in Poonch during the intervening night were attempting to infiltrate into this side from across the border. "In a successful anti-infiltration operation, alert troops of the Indian Army eliminated two terrorists attempting to infiltrate across the Line of Control. Swift action and accurate firepower thwarted the nefarious designs. Three weapons have been recovered," Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X. The army said synergistic and synchronised intelligence inputs from own intelligence units and J-K Police led to a successful ...
Authorities on Wednesday suspended the Amarnath Yatra on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes due to heavy rains in Kashmir, a senior official said. The yatra will remain suspended from Jammu too on Thursday due to the inclement weather conditions. "Shri Amarnathji Yatra has been suspended for 30.07.2025 from both Pahalgam and Baltal base camps," Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Jammu and Kashmir, posted on its X handle. It said Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that due to heavy rains since early morning on Wednesday, the yatra has not been allowed on the tracks from Baltal and Nunwan/Chandanwari base camps. "Due to the heavy rains in the yatra area, the movement of pilgrims from base camps has been affected. Therefore, it has been decided that no convoy movement shall be allowed towards the base camps Baltal and Nunwan from Bhagwati Nagar Jammu on July 31, 2025," the DIPR said. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar said, "In view
An Over Ground Worker (OGW) of terrorists was arrested along with three pistols here, while a fresh search operation was launched following movement of two suspected persons in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday. Police intercepted a Srinagar-bound private car at TCP Nagrota near here late Tuesday night, leading to the recovery of three pistols of different makes, including Chinese and Turkey and some ammunition, the officials said. They said the driver of the vehicle, Azan Hamid of Srinagar, was arrested and is being questioned for his terror links. The arms and ammunition were believed to have been smuggled from across the border and was being transported to Kashmir, the officials said. More arrests and recovery are expected in the case, they said. The officials said security forces launched a search operation in Chabba chak, Rampur and adjoining areas in Rajbagh sector of Kathua district following information about movement of two suspected person
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi blamed the Centre for the Pahalgam terror attack, citing lack of security. She questioned the Prime Minister, home minister, and intelligence agencies in Lok Sabha
A team of NIA sleuths on Tuesday launched a probe into the killing of the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack and his two associates in an encounter with security forces near Srinagar, officials said here. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team arrived at the Police Control Room (PCR) here early Tuesday for the identification of the bodies of the three terrorists, they said. In a major breakthrough, the Army's elite para commandos on Monday gunned down Sulieman alias Asif, the alleged mastermind of the April 22 attack, along with two of his associates, in an encounter at Mulnar in Harwan area near Dachigam National Park here. The security forces launched a surprise action, codenamed 'Operation Mahadev', following a technical signal indicating the use of a satellite phone that was used by the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. The other terrorists killed in the action have been identified as Jibran, who was allegedly involved in the Sonamarg Tunnel attack last .
During his visit to Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch in May, Rahul Gandhi had reportedly asked Congress workers to identify children affected by cross-border shelling in the region
One of the deceased, Sulieman, is believed to have played an important role in planning the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people - mostly tourists - were shot dead in April 2025, PTI reported
The figures for domestic tourist visits (DTVs) to Jammu to Kashmir during January-June this year stood at more than 95 lakh, according to data shared by the government. Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the data in a written response to a query on whether the Centre is aware of the decline in tourist footfall and business losses in Jammu and Kashmir during the peak tourist season following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi also asked if any assessment was made by the government on its economic impact on local tourism-dependent stakeholders. "No such assessment has been made by the Ministry of Tourism on economic impact on local tourism-dependent stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir," Shekhawat said. In his response, he shared year-wise tabulated data for domestic tourist visits (DTVs) and foreign tourist visits (FTVs) from 2020 to 2025. This data is provided by the state tourism department. Based on the latest information received
This comes after an encounter broke out between the Army and terrorists earlier on Monday
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on Saturday launched the Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana 2025 here to strengthen legal aid for defence personnel. The yojana was launched in collaboration with the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority during the North Zone Regional Conference on "Reaffirming the Constitutional Vision of Justice for Defence Personnel and Tribals" at SKICC here. Presiding over the event, Supreme Court Judge and Executive Chairman of NALSA, Justice Surya Kant, said the gathering in Kashmir was not just about technical discussions, but also about national integration and honouring the selfless service of the armed forces. Justice Kant said Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana 2025 marks a historic step in NALSA's 30-year journey of delivering justice to the marginalised. "Members of our armed forces and their families face legal hurdles like any other citizen whether land disputes, service entitlements, or ...