Month: December 2024

Farooq Ahmed Nali, the longest surviving Hizb ul Mujahideen commander has been killed in the encounter at Kader area of Kulgam district of south Kashmir. Officials told The Kashmiriyat that on Thursday morning Government forces that 34 RR and 9 RR of Indian army, 18 BN of CRPF and Jammu Kashmir Police launched a cordon and search operation in the area. During the operation, launched following a specific input about militant movement in the area, the militants fired upon government forces. "Two government force personnel were injured in the firing who were rushed to the hospital, where they are being treated," they said. Though the DIG of south Kashmir range said the identities of slain militants are being confirmed, sources told The Kashmiriyat that the five slain militants were ...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a high-level security meeting related to Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday evening, officials sources said. This will be the first such meeting after the formation of popular government in Jammu Kashmir in October this year. Top official sources told news agency Kashmir News Observer, that the meeting will focus on key security issues related to Jammu and Kashmir They said that Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha will also attend the meeting as he head the Unified Command. The meeting would also be attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Director General of CAPFs, Chief Secretary, DGP Jammu and Kashmir, and other top officials. This is the firs...

Danishwar Hameed Five militants have been killed during the ongoing encounter between militants and government forces in the Kader area of Kulgam district. Official sources told The Kashmiriyat that the encounter raged on Thursday morning when militants opened fire on a team of government forces that had launched a cordon and search operation in the area. The encounter was suspended for night for precautionary measures, however, security forces had sealed all the exits points near the targeted house, leaving no chances for militants to escape, they said. Today, with first light of morning operation was resumed and during the exchange of gunfire five militants have been killed.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the environmental consequences of several developmental projects in Kashmir, urging that progress should not come at the expense of natural resources and agricultural land. Addressing a press conference, Mufti highlighted three specific projects — the Rajouri-Baramulla highway, the ring road from Galander to Ganderbal, and the expansion of the railway line — as major threats to Kashmir's fragile ecosystem. “Our land, forests, and resources are in danger. Lakhs of kanals of agricultural land and countless trees in our forests are being affected by these projects,” Mufti said, adding that agricultural land in most districts of the Kashmir valley is under threat. She raised apprehensions...

The Government of India has confirmed the discovery of significant lithium and titanium deposits in the Salal-Haimana area of Jammu Kashmir’s Reasi district. These findings emerged during preliminary bauxite explorations conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The mineral samples have been submitted to the Indian Bureau of Mines and the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology for further studies to evaluate their potential. In a response during Parliament's question hour, the government revealed plans to intensify exploration in Reasi district. Two new preliminary lithium exploration projects are scheduled for the Salal East and Panasa areas in the 2024-25 field season. Recognizing the growing global demand for lithium, essential for electric vehicle batteries...

Jammu Kashmir Police in Pulwama district achieved significant results in 2024, arresting over 200 individuals involved in drug peddling. The crackdown also led to the seizure of contraband, vehicles, and properties linked to drug trafficking, Police said. In Pulwama district alone, the Police registered 64 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, leading to the arrest of 105 people. Six habitual offenders were detained under the preventive provisions of the PIT NDPS Act, as per Police. Additionally, three residential properties worth over ₹59 lakh and 15 vehicles used in trafficking were seized during operations. The quantum of narcotics recovered highlights the scale of the problem. Confiscated items included 186.30 kg of poppy straw, 78.57 kg ...

The Government of India has cancelled over 1,27,872 fake and duplicate Public Distribution System (PDS) ration cards in Jammu Kashmir as part of a nationwide drive to eliminate ineligible beneficiaries. In Ladakh, 702 such ration cards have been removed since 2013. This effort is aimed at improving the efficiency of food subsidy programs through digitisation, Aadhaar linking, and e-KYC verification. In response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, disclosed that 5.87 crore ration cards have been cancelled across India between 2013 and 2024. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cancellations with over 1.93 crore, while Mizoram had the lowest at 12,578. Among Union Territories...