Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has decided to challenge the controversial Waqf Amendment Act in the Supreme Court of India. The decision comes in the wake of uproar within the Legislative Assembly, where opposition to the Act triggered a wave of protest by members who claimed the amendment infringes upon religious autonomy. While talking to reporters, Omar Abdullah said, “We have taken a conscious decision to move the Supreme Court against the Waqf Amendment Act. The Speaker did try to calm the legislators and make them understand the implications, but the members stood their ground and were firm in their opposition.” The Chief Minister as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said it is not just the people of Jammu and ...

An encounter has erupted between security forces and terrorists in the Chatroo kisthwar area of Jammu division. A top police official told news agency JKNS that, after receiving specific input about suspicious movement, tight cordon was underway. During the searches, security forces came under intense fire, triggering a gunfight, and heavy exchange of fire is ongoing, the officer said. Security forces have cordoned off the location, and reinforcements have been rushed. More details are awaited. (JKNS)

An encounter has erupted between security forces and terrorists in the Udhampur area of Jammu division. A top police official told news agency JKNS that, after receiving specific input about suspicious movement, tight cordon was underway. During the searches, security forces came under intense fire, triggering a gunfight, and heavy exchange of fire is ongoing, the officer said. Security forces have cordoned off the location, and reinforcements have been rushed. More details are awaited. (JKNS)

Amid chaotic scenes and repeated adjournments in the Jammu Kashmir Assembly over the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the government made a significant disclosure during a disrupted Question Hour on Tuesday: over 83,000 domicile certificates have been issued to non-state subjects in the region over the past two years. The data was shared in a written response to PDP legislator Waheed Parra, who had raised the question. According to the government, a total of 35,12,184 domicile certificates have been issued during this period, with 83,742 granted to individuals who are not original residents of the erstwhile state. Although the disclosure was largely overshadowed by protests from National Conference legislators over the Waqf bill, the figures have sparked fresh concerns among r...

With the melting of snow and opening of mountain passes, the army has increased surveillance in the densely forested area of Doda district to maintain peace and thwart any attempt by terrorists to cross over into the Chenab valley, security officials said. The stepped-up surveillance in the high-altitude areas of Bhaderwah valley comes close on the heels of a massive ongoing operation against terrorists, who managed to infiltrate from across the international border into Kathua district last month. Kathua has emerged as a major infiltrating route for the Pakistan-based terrorists to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda, and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir over the past one year. Anticipating movement of terrorists, the officials said the army has revamped the surve...

Waheeda Rehmat, the maternal aunt of journalist and editor Fahad Shah, passed away late Monday night at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, following a brief illness. A resident of Illahi Bagh, Buchpora, Srinagar, Waheeda Rehmat was the wife of the late Ghulam Jeelani Reshi. She had been admitted to SKIMS and was under treatment for the past week. The news of her demise has drawn condolences from friends, relatives, and colleagues of Fahad Shah, who have expressed solidarity with the family and prayed for peace to the departed soul. The entire team of The Kashmiriyat extends its heartfelt condolences to Fahad Shah and the bereaved family in this time of grief.