Page 6 - Jammu And Kashmir

J&K govt to allot land to landless families hit by floods: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday said five 'marlas' of land would be given to the landless people in the flood affected areas of the Union territory, and the paperwork for it was under process. Replying to a question in the assembly by BJP MLA from Jammu North, Sham Lal Sharma, on whether a fresh rehabilitation policy has been formulated for the victims of the recent floods in J-K, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government has not formulated any fresh policy. "Landless people affected by the flood will be given five marlas (one marla = 25.2929 sq metre) of land on lease wherever available. The documentary process is on," the CM announced. He, however, said the government does not indulge in regional politics "like the member does". Abdullah said the Centre sent a team for flood assessment in the UT which completed its task. "The team did an assessment and went back. (Union) Home minister (Amit Shah) also visited. We did the damage assessment and found that there were

Uproar in J&K Assembly over AAP MLA Mehraj Malik's detention under PSA

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed bedlam over the issue of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik's detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). NC MLA from Banihal, Sajjad Shaheen, demanded a one-hour discussion on the Doda MLA's detention last month under the stringent act. However, BJP MLA from Udhampur East, R S Pathania, said invoking PSA is a district magistrate's prerogative. This led to an uproar from many members from the treasury benches, and the lone Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA from Langate, Sheikh Khursheed. The members were up on their seats. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rose from his chair, directing the members to take their seats. Independent MLA from Shopian, Shabir Kullay, protested and tried to enter the well of the House. However, the Speaker said nobody will enter the well, asking the members to keep the decorum of the House. "Let him (Pathania) speak even if you don't like what he says," the Speaker added, and allowed the BJP MLA to continue. Pa

J&K RS polls: Sajad Lone alleges National Conference 'gifted' BJP 7 votes

People's Conference chief Sajad Lone on Saturday accused the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir of "gifting" seven votes to the BJP to ensure the saffron party's victory on one seat in the Rajya Sabha polls held on Friday, calling the elections a fixed match between the two parties. The National Conference (NC) won three seats, while the BJP managed one in the first Rajya Sabha elections held in Jammu and Kashmir after it became a Union territory in 2019. You (NC) have clearly gifted seven members to the BJP. It was a fixed match, Lone claimed at a press conference. The Rajya Sabha elections for four seats were divided into three notifications. In the third notification, elections were held for two seats. While NC's Chowdhry Mohammed Ramzan won the first seat, its candidate Sajjad Kitchloo won the second. For the third notification, the NC fielded two candidates -- G S Oberoi, also known as Shammi Oberoi, and Imran Nabi Dar. The BJP, on the other hand, fielded its Jam

Omar Abdullah mulls legal move for J&K statehood, rules out BJP tie-up

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he is considering becoming a party to the Supreme Court case seeking restoration of statehood, while ruling out any alliance with the BJP

Won't ally with BJP for restoration of statehood to J&K: CM Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asserted he will not ally with the BJP to hasten the restoration of statehood to the Union territory, saying his party has no intention of repeating the "mistakes" committed by others in the past. The chief minister said if the restoration of statehood is dependent on the BJP coming to power in J-K, then the national party should be honest in saying so. "If that is the deal that is to be struck with the people, then the BJP should be honest, because the BJP in its manifesto and its promises to Parliament and to the Supreme Court never said that the statehood is dependent on the BJP coming to power in J-K. "If that is the case, then I think the BJP should be honest, they should tell us that so long as there is a non-BJP government in J-K, you will not get statehood. Then we will decide what we want to do," he said. However, Abdullah added that "tying up with the BJP or an alliance with the BJP is out of the question". "No,"

Statehood of J&K to be restored at appropriate time, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday promised restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at "an appropriate time" and a "good resolution" of demands raised by people of the Union Territory of Ladakh. Speaking at a media conclave in Patna, he also claimed that after the abrogation of Article 370, terror-infested Jammu and Kashmir has "taken a U-turn" and "no local terrorist has been recruited in the last nine months". "This is a qualitative change that Jammu and Kashmir, where separatism had been festering since the 1990s, witnessed. Earlier, Pakistan felt no need to send terrorists from across the border. They used to place arms in the hands of our children. Now the situation has changed. The people of Jammu and Kashmir feel they belong to the entire country and the entire country belongs to them," Shah said at the conclave organised by ABP News and Hindustan. "Today, democracy has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Panchayat and municipal polls have taken place, and so ha

Former J&K minister Gulchain Singh Charak passes away at the age of 83

Veteran politician and former minister from Jammu region, Gulchain Singh Charak, passed away here on Friday after a prolonged illness. He was 83. His demise has been widely mourned across political and social circles, with leaders recalling his contributions towards the development of the region and the preservation of Dogra heritage. According to family sources, Charak had been unwell for some time and breathed his last in Jammu. A senior political leader known for his long association with the Congress, Charak served as a cabinet minister in the PDPCongress government headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. He was also the president of Dogra Sadar Sabha and the founder of a chain of Dogra educational institutions. Charak had earlier served as AICC(I) in-charge for Punjab and Bihar. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh expressed grief on X, saying, Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of former Minister in J&K State Government, ...

Omar Abdullah calls for J-K statehood restoration to empower elected govt

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday hoped for an early restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, saying it would give more powers to the elected government and enable it to fulfil the promises made to the people during last year's assembly elections. Talking to reporters in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, Abdullah said he had expected the Centre to fulfil the promise of statehood restoration made to the people of the Union territory from the floor of Parliament and the Supreme Court, but since that has not happened, he would continue pressing for it. "We are hoping for more powers and that is why we are stressing on the (restoration of) statehood, because that is a promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and that promise should be fulfilled," Abdullah told reporters in Kulgam district in south Kashmir. "Only the Centre and the BJP can state the reasons for keeping Jammu and Kashmir without statehood. But, we will not stop trying (to make efforts)," he added. Asked

Raids at premises of terror associates in Srinagar to dismantle network

Police on Wednesday carried out raids at multiple locations in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir as part of its campaign to dismantle the terror ecosystem. "In its sustained efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem and curb unlawful activities, Srinagar Police conducted extensive raids at multiple locations across the city," a police spokesman said. He said the searches were carried out at the residences of terrorist associates and overground workers (OGWs) affiliated with proscribed terrorist organisations, in connection with ongoing investigations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The coordinated search operations were conducted across various areas of Srinagar, targeting individuals involved in facilitating, aiding, or abetting terror-related activities. The searches were conducted in accordance with due legal procedure, in the presence of executive magistrates and independent witnesses, and under the supervision of senior officers of J-K Police, the .

Army eliminates 2 terrorists near LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara

This comes after Indian Army troops fired after noticing suspicious movement along the LoC in the Kupwara sector on Monday evening

BJP names 3 candidates for elections to 4 Rajya Sabha seats in J-K

The BJP on Sunday named three candidates, including its Jammu and Kashmir unit president Sat Pal Sharma, for the elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory scheduled for October 24. Two other candidates are Ghulam Mohammed Mir and Rakesh Mahajan. The Election Commission has issued three separate notifications for the elections to four seats. The National Conference-Congress combine has an edge in three seats while the BJP has in one, going by their strength in the assembly. The BJP's decision to force a contest will spice up the polling, as it is expected to spearhead an intensive exercise to woo MLAs from other parties to shore up support for its candidates. The ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir had on Friday announced the names of its three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls to be held on October 24, and said discussions were on with the Congress for the fourth seat.

J&K LG pays tribute to two soldiers martyred during counter-terror ops

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday paid tributes to two soldiers who lost their lives battling extreme weather conditions during counter-terror operations at Kokernag in Anantnag district. The L-G visited the Srinagar-based headquarters of the Army's Chinar Corps at the Badami Bagh Cantonment, and laid floral wreaths on the coffins as a mark of tribute to the fallen soldiers. An official spokesman said Sinha paid homage to Army bravehearts Lance Havildar Palash Ghosh and Lance Naik Sujay Ghosh, who laid down their lives for the nation. The two soldiers made the supreme sacrifice while conducting counter-terror operations in the Kishtwar Range of Kokernag, battling extreme weather conditions. I salute the supreme sacrifice of our Army bravehearts Lance Havildar Palash Ghosh and Lance Naik Sujay Ghosh. The nation shall remain forever grateful for the exemplary valour and selfless service of our soldiers. We stand in solidarity with the families of our marty

SC grants Centre six weeks to respond to plea on J&K statehood timeline

Petitioners urged the Supreme Court to enforce the Centre's earlier promise to restore statehood and pleaded that the same should be fulfilled within a reasonable timeframe

Home Minister Amit Shah chairs high-level meet on security situation in J&K

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said. The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka and J&K Police chief Nalin Prabhat, CRPF DG GP Singh and BSF DG Daljit Singh Chawdhary, among other senior officers from the centre and the Union territory. During the meeting, a review of the security situation in the Pir Panjal region and ongoing developmental projects in the UT was undertaken, the officials said. The last such review meeting on J&K was chaired by Shah on September 1. The home minister emphasised the zero tolerance policy against terrorism and instructed all security agencies to remain alert and operate in a coordinated manner to eliminate terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the officials said. Post Pahalgam terror attack in April, there are continuous operations to dismantle the terror network ..

EOW conducts raid at multiple locations in J-K in ₹53 lakh land fraud case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir on Thursday conducted raids at multiple locations here in connection with a Rs 53 lakh land fraud case, officials said. The searches were conducted at several locations in Srinagar district in connection with a case of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property against four individuals involved in the fraud. The case was registered on September 2 following a written complaint alleging that land brokers Tariq Ahmad Hajam, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Sonaullah Mir, and Razzak Mir -- all residents of Barthana Srinagar -- deceitfully grabbed Rs 53 lakh from the complainant on the pretext of facilitating a land deal, a spokesman of the Crime Branch said. He said the investigation has revealed that the accused, in connivance with certain revenue officers and officials, had "manipulated documents and misused official processes to illegally" obtain money and property from the complainant. Searches were conducted to trace evidence

Vaishno Devi pilgrimage resumes after three-day suspension in J&K

The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district resumed Wednesday morning after remaining suspended for three days owing to inclement weather, officials said. The traffic on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway was also partially allowed after a day-long suspension, while all government and private schools reopened in Jammu and elsewhere after two days' closure, the officials said. A spokesman of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said the pilgrimage to the shrine restarted with the opening of all registration counters around 6 am on Wednesday. The pilgrimage is progressing smoothly with hundreds of devotees leaving base camp Katra for the shrine. The yatra to the shrine was suspended along with Machail Mata yatra in Kishtwar district on October 5 to 7 following prediction of widespread rainfall in the plain and snowfall in the high altitude areas. Machail Mata yatra also resumed this morning with the improvement in the

Security tightened in J&K's Rajouri after encounter with terrorists

Following the encounter, joint teams from the Police, Army, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area

AAP to contest upcoming bypolls in J&K's Budgam, Nagrota Assembly seats

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday announced that it will contest the upcoming assembly byelections in Budgam and Nagrota constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir. Bypolls to both Budgam and Nagrota assembly constituencies will be held on November 11 while counting of votes will be undertaken on November 14. Budgam fell vacant immediately after the 2024 assembly elections when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chose to retain the Ganderbal constituency. The seat has been vacant since October 21, 2024. Nagrota, on the other hand, fell vacant on October 31, 2024, after the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana. After meeting AAP J-K unit president and sitting MLA Mehraj Malik in Kathua jail, party spokesperson Appu Singh Slathia conveyed several messages, including the decision to fight the upcoming bypolls in the two assembly segments. Quoting Malik, she said the election will be contested on both seats with "truth and commitment". Malik was detained on September 8 under the stringent Publi

ECI announces bypolls in 8 Assembly seats across 7 states, UTs: Check dates

The by-elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, Mizoram, and Odisha will be held on November 11. The results will be announced on November 14

Tourism in J&K, Ladakh struggling to recover after Pahalgam terror attack

Passenger traffic at Srinagar, Jammu, and Leh airports remains below last year's levels as terror attacks, floods, and bans hit the tourist season