July 13 marks Martyrs' Day in Jammu and Kashmir, commemorating the 1931 killings of protesters during the Dogra rule. Political detentions and restrictions have reignited debate over its status
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The clarification came in response to an account on X ('Daily Iran News') -- with 400,000 followers and falsely linked to Iran -- claiming Kashmir belongs to Pakistan and Taiwan to China
The 11th batch of 6,639 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The pilgrims, including 1,462 women, 41 children and 181 sadhus and sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in two separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said. While 4,302 pilgrims are heading for Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 159 vehicles, 2,337 pilgrims onboard 116 vehicles have preferred the Baltal route, the officials said. The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine started from the two routes on July 3 and is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. Over 1.65 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the shrine, which houses a naturally formed Shivlingam.
More than 6,400 pilgrims, accompanied by a multi-tier security escort, left for the twin base camps of the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Thursday, officials said. Over 1.30 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine since the start of the 38-day annual yatra through the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 3. Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, the 10th batch of 6,482 pilgrims, including 4,838 men, 1,387 women, 16 children, and 241 monks, left the Bhagwati Nagar camp here in 268 vehicles between 3:20 am and 4:04 am. Officials said the first convoy, carrying 2,353 pilgrims in 107 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The second convoy of 161 vehicles is carrying 4,129 pilgrims who are undertaking the journey via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district. With this, a total of 69,270 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that there is an air of optimism about the revival of tourism in the Union Territory after the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly visitors, dead. Speaking at a travel and tourism event here, Abdullah said there is hope for a new beginning in J&K with tourism "bouncing back" after the terror attack. "2025 is not an easy year for us. The year can be divided into two parts - before and after the Pahalgam attack. We all see that tourism is bouncing back in J&K. There is a message of hope," Abdullah said. People of West Bengal are with J&K, he said, adding that the relationship between the two regions transcends over time in the context of "trust and affection". "West Bengal stood with J&K both politically and economically. We offer adventure and destination tourism. On the ground, there is an air of hope of a new beginning," the chief minister said. Abdullah assured that all necessary steps ...
The 38-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in South Kashmir began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9
The prosecution has opposed the release of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others charged under UAPA in the 2020 Delhi riots case, arguing the violence was pre-planned
Visuals from the site showed pilgrims embarking on their spiritual journey towards the holy cave shrine of Lord Amarnath
A fresh batch of over 7,500 pilgrims left here early Tuesday for the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 38-day pilgrimage commenced on July 3 from the valley via the twin tracks the traditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The yatra will conclude on August 9. Over 94,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine since the start of the yatra, they said. The seventh batch of 7,541 pilgrims, including 5,516 men and 1,765 women, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 309 vehicles for the twin base camps in Kashmir amid tight security arrangements between 2.55 am and 4.05 am, the officials said. The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 3,321 pilgrims in 148 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 4,220 pilgrims in 161 vehicles who are undertaking the yatra via the
Acting on intelligence inputs regarding suspicious movement, the joint team launched an operation in the region on Saturday
Over 21,000 pilgrims had darshan of the naturally formed ice Shivling inside the Amarnath shrine on the third day of the annual pilgrimage, officials said. A total of 21,109 pilgrims paid obeisance at the 3,800-metre high holy cave shrine on the Himalayas in south Kashmir on Saturday, they said. The pilgrims included 16,159 males, 3,921 females, 226 children, 250 sadhus, 29 sadhvis, three transgenders and 521 security forces, the officials said. The total number of pilgrims who visited the cave shrine in the first three days of the 38-day yatra has risen to 47,972, they added.
At least six Amarnath pilgrims suffered minor injuries in an accident involving three buses in Ramban district on Saturday, officials said. The buses were part of a convoy headed for Pahalgam base camp in south Kashmir from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar. The accident took place near Chanderkoot, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, officials said. They said the accident occurred due to failure of the brakes of one of the buses which then hit two other vehicles. The injured were immediately given medical aid. The convoy left for its destination after the damaged buses were replaced, officials said. The fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims -- 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis and one transgender -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys between 3.30 am and 4.05 am. While 4,226 pilgrims left in 161 vehicles for Nunwan base camp for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, 2,753 pilgrims were headed for the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre B
Braving heavy rain, a fresh batch of over 6,900 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Saturday to pay a visit to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. About 30,000 pilgrims have prayed at the 3,880 metre-high cave shrine since July 3 when the 38-day annual yatra commenced from the twin tracks in Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims -- 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis and one transgender -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys between 3.30 am and 4.05 am amid tight security, officials said. While 4,226 pilgrims left in 161 vehicles for Nunwan base camp for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, 2,753 pilgrims were headed for the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in 151 vehicles, they said. With the fresh departure, a total of 24,528 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since Wednesday, when Lieutenant
The advisory came amid increased focus on security arrangements and preparedness for the annual pilgrimage, which sees thousands of devotees trekking to the Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday flagged off the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims numbering over 5,880 amid multi-tier security cover, marking the beginning of this year's pilgrimage from here. The 38-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high shrine will commence on July 3 from the Valley via the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district. A batch of 5,892 pilgrims, including 1,115 women, 31 children and 16 transgenders left the base camp in the first batch at 4.30 am to join the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said. The yatra will conclude on August 9. More than 3.31 lakh devotees have registered so far for this year's Amarnath Yatra, officials said. The L-G performed pooja soon after his arrival at the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp and later flagged off the yatra for the twin base camps in Kashmir, officials said. Sinha was flanked
Terror attack, cancellations, and tourist hotspots closures cripple Kashmir tourism; industry reels under economic strain and pins hopes on a winter revival amid persistent security concerns
A Pakistani national arrested along the Line of Control (LoC) near Jammu and Kashmir's border districts of Poonch and Rajouri while attempting to infiltrate into India is a terrorist guide, officials said on Monday. Mohammed Arif was leading a group of four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists into the Indian side when he was overpowered and arrested by alert Army troops on Sunday afternoon. The terrorists with him jumped from a steep cliff and returned to the Pakistani side with injuries, the officials said. Arif, a resident of Datote village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was arrested from the forward Hajura post in Gambhir area under the Army's Ace of Spades division, they added. Recapping the events of the day, they said vigilant troops, maintaining an aggressive surveillance posture in the rugged terrain, detected suspicious movement of a group of suspected terrorists attempting to exploit the difficult terrain and dense foliage in order to infiltrate. While Arif, in his late
The Amarnath Yatra is set to commence on July 3, and the registration is underway for devotees who have not yet registered for the Yatra through online mode. A large number of devotees have visited the special centre as registration begins today at the centres set up by the administration.The Yatra will begin on July 3 through the Baltal and Pahalgam routes.A devotee who came to the centre for registration said, "The people are enthusiastic this time. There is no fear (due to the Pahalgam attack). Arrangements are good. The administration is with us."Another devotee added, "You can see the enthusiasm in the people. I have faith in Amarnath. They (terrorists) can do whatever they want; we will not be affected. I want to request all the people to visit J & K so that our army and government can say that we are not affected by their (terrorists) actions."Ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) has rolled out a robust multi-layered security plan along the ..
Jammu police has set up several checkpoints across the city to bolster security arrangements and carry out daily anti-sabotage checks ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to start from July 3, officials said. The 38-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to start from the twin routes -- the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district -- leading to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine. The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from the Jammu-based Bhagwati Nagar base camp a day before the start of the yatra. "In view of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, the Jammu Police has significantly bolstered the security arrangements by establishing joint nakas (checkpoints) at multiple strategic locations across the district," a police spokesperson said. He said the checkpoints have been set up in coordination with paramilitary forces to ensure a seamless and secure pilgrimage experience. The ...