Month: February 2023

A government school teacher turned Lashkar-e-Taiba-terrorist was arrested for allegedly carrying out multiple blasts, including one in a bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh said on Thursday. The arrest of Arif, a resident of Reasi district, follows investigations in the recent twin blast case at Narwal in Jammu. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted inside a perfume bottle was recovered from his possession, Singh told reporters here. The Jammu Kashmir police chief said this was the first time that such type of a bomb was recovered in the Union Territory. Arif was allegedly working at the behest of his Pakistani handlers and admitted to his involvement in bombing the bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims that killed four...

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday alleged that the encroachment drive launched by the government is another UAPA for the people in Jammu Kashmir, terming the step a part of corruption practice as under the influence of this drive, the government wants money from rich and vote from the poor. Addressing a news conference here, the former chief minister said that the drive to retrieve the land is being used as a weapon against the people of J&K to uproot them, suppress and harass them and also make them homeless. “It is another UAPA for the people, otherwise China has encroached on our 20000 sq km land, if the government is serious then let the encroached land be retrieved from China first,” she said. As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (K...

The Chief Secretary of Jammu Kashmir admin will hold a meeting with all Deputy Commissioners in Jammu Kashmir on the ongoing demolition drives launched across Jammu Kashmir. The drives have been launched as per the orders of JK admin that called for freeing of state land "encroached" upon by people in the region, by January 31. As per sources, the web meeting is scheduled at 5:30 PM. Details rushing in.

Police registered a case after an abandoned newborn baby was found dead in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Local sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that locals found a dead body of an abandoned newborn baby near Habbar Nallah in Khag area after which police were informed that registered a case under relevant sections of law. Local sources added that prima facie it seems the baby had been abandoned after the birth. Police sources said that a postmortem of the baby will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death. [KNT]

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway opened for traffic movement on Thursday after remaining mostly closed since January 30 due to mudslides and shooting stones triggered by rain between the stretch of Ramban and Banihal. The J-K traffic police said that the Traffic is plying smoothly on Jammu Srinagar NHW while the Mughal road and SSG roads are closed. The highway is the lifeline of the Kashmir valley and the main road link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country. Kashmir-bound trucks laden with essential supplies and other vehicles pass through the highway and fruit-carrying trucks from Kashmir’s head for the rest of the country through this road(KNS).

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the bail plea moved by separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan in a UAPA case of alleged terror funding, Live Law reported. A division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Talwant Singh issued notice on Khan’s appeal against the trial court order denying him bail in December 2022. The matter will now be heard on March 23. The bail appeal has been moved through Advocates Tara Narula, Tamanna Pankaj, and S. Debabrata Reddy Khan, who has been in judicial custody since August 14, 2017, has been accused of "creating unrest" in the Kashmir valley by the National Investigation Agency. He was arrested on July 24, 2017. The special judge last month ordered the attachment of the All Pa...

The minimum temperature recorded a slight rise at few places and drop at others but stayed below sub-zero level in Kashmir Valley barring Srinagar on Thursday. A meteorological department official told GNS that Srinagar recorded a low of 0.4°C, the same as on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 1.1°C for the summer capital. Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of minus 2.0°C against 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.1°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir. Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 2.9°C against minus 8.9°C on the previous night and it was 3.2°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.9°C against minus 0.5°C on the previous night an...

Bodies of two persons, from Karnah and Tangdhar, are lying in mortuary at District Hospital Handwara amid continuous blockade of roads in the aftermath of recent snowfall. The two bodies of two elderly persons; Haji Qalandar Mir (65), son of Abdul Gaffar Mir, resident of Dildar Karnah and Alamdin Khattana (60), son of Abdulla Khattana, resident of Dragad Tangdhar lie at the hospital mortuary. While the body of Haji Qalandar, who passed away at Hamdania Colony, Bemina Srinagar, reached the hospital on January 30, 2023, the body of Alamdin Khattana reached on February 1, 2023. Meanwhile the bereaved family members on Wednesday sought the assistance of district administration to ferry back the bodies to respective native places. “We urge the district administration to lend us chopper...

Jammu Kashmir Police Wednesday said that it has arrested three militant associates of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit in connection with the investigations into the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) cases reported in Rajouri district last month. “As the police was investigating Dangri killing case, in the meantime the IED planting cases in the region were also reported which become as major challenge for the security forces,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rajouri-Poonch range, Dr Haseeb Mughal told reporters in a press conference as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). “The intelligence grid was activated across district. Besides the local people also cooperated with forces in nabbing the culprits thus led the arresting of three Lashkar-e-Tobia Militant associates, the DIG said while a...