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The Editor, Al Safah, Srinagar(kmr) 22.9.1990. Respected Sir, we, the undersigned, on our behalf and on the behalf of other members of our community wish to convey our profound gratitude to you for having published the letter of Shri K.L.Roul in the columns of your esteemed daily. We fully share and endorse the views and sentiments expressed by Shri Koul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRD4BjpGKHo&feature=youtu.be There can be no dispute about the fact the Kashmiri Pandit community was made a scapegoat by Jagmohan, some self-styled leaders of our community and other vested interests. This drama was staged by Hindu communal organizations like the B.J.P, R.S.S., and the Shiv Sena in connivance with the state administration. In this drama, the main characters were playe...

The Bhartiya Janta party, as per stats, has failed to contain homegrown Militancy in Jammu Kashmir since it rose to power in 2014. Data available to The Kashmiriyat reveals that the Congress-led UPA Government saw as many as 154 local youths taking up arms to join Militant groups, however, the number has drastically risen to 857 during the Modi Led NDA Government till December 2020. In 2014, the number of Locals joining Militancy was 53, in 2015, it reached 66 before touching the highest mark of 88 in 2016, in 2017, the number rose further to 126 and in 2018, 218 Local youth joined Militancy, the highest number in a decade, while in 2019 the number dropped to 139 and in 2020 the number rose again to 167 local youth joining various Militant outfits in Kashmir. Following the killing...

The year 2020 has seen ninety-two gunfights between Militants and Government Forces in which 182 Militants including top Hizb commanders, Riyaz Naikoo and Saifullah Dar were killed. Riyaz Naikoo and Dr. Saifullah’s deaths at the hand of the Government forces, that too in less than eight months, is believed to have dealt a massive blow to Hizbul Mujahideen. As many as twelve Militants have surrendered during live encounters with security forces this year, said Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir. The encounters in Kashmir left 210 persons dead including 182 Militants, 10 Armymen, 5 Para-military troopers, 5 policemen and 8 civilians (including those killed in Shopian Fake Encounter). As per the data, Jammu Kashmir has witnessed 92 gunfights between Militants and ...

Muzammil Bashir An RTI filed by two students of Kashmir University has revealed that the jails in Jammu Kashmir are overcrowded during the times of global pandemic despite the supreme court orders of decongesting the Jails. Earlier in April, as the global pandemic spread in India, a three-member committee headed by J-K State Legal Services Authority Executive Chairman Justice Rajesh Bindal ordered the release of jail inmates, except those involved in militancy-related cases to decongest the prisons in the Union Territory. The figures reveal that a total of 4031 prisoners are lodged in fourteen jails across Jammu Kashmir against a capacity of 3660 persons. The data accessed by The Kashmiriyat also reveals that a total of 747 prisoners are lodged across the 14 jails in Militancy...

Mohsina Malik A joint team of the officers of Pahalgam Development Authority, Wildlife, Forest, Revenue, Police, and Pahalgam Development Authority on 7th November launched an anti-encroachment drive at several areas of Pahalgam of Anantnag and retrieved 110 Kanals of land. The CEO PDA Mushtaq Ahmad Semnani, DFO Wildlife Rouf Ahmad Zargar, Forest Range officer Pahalgam, Tehsildar Pahalgam and other senior officers of the concerned departments were present during the demolition drive. https://youtu.be/TesykOER2nY On 8th November, The Pahalgam Development Authority demolished 13 more structures in various places of the tourist resort. PDA officials said the demolition drive was undertaken in accordance with orders of the High Court in a Public Interest Litig...

Republic TV's editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami was granted bail eight days after he was arrested by the Mumbai Police, however many are questioning the dual standards of the Government who maintained silence on arrests of various Journalists. There are various journalists who have been in jail for months, Asif Sultan, a Kashmiri journalist has been in jail for 808 days. The Committee to protect journalists has been campaigning for his release, along with his family and friends. The apex court criticized the Maharashtra state government and granted Arnab bail, However, Arnab was supported by the BJP government at the Center and others. Justice YV Chandrachud of the Supreme Court said that it is the duty of the court to protect freedom of expression. On the other hand, many jou...

Sheetal Banchariya After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, which took away the special status of the state of Jammu Kashmir, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on October 26, 2020, announced several amendments to the land laws for Jammu Kashmir (J&K). ALSO READ: ADMINISTRATION IN JAMMU KASHMIR CONVERTS FOREST CORPORATION INTO PUBLIC SECTOR Following the amendments in the land laws, anyone from any part of the country can now buy land in Jammu Kashmir, including agricultural land.  While the ruling government may be celebrating the introduction of new land laws, the young population across the country are directly or indirectly opposing the amendments. Ayushman Koul, a Kashmiri pandit who is studying in a Delhi college, says that people of Jammu, ...

The Bhartiya Janta party, as per stats, has failed to contain home grown Militancy in Jammu Kashmir since it rose to power in 2014. Data reveals that the Congress led UPA Government saw as many as 154 local youth taking up arms to join Militant groups, however, the number has drastically rose to 659 during the Modi Led NDA Government till December 2019. In 2014, the number of Locals joining Militancy was 53, in 2015, it reached 66 before touching the highest mark of 88 in 2016, in 2017, the number rose further to 126 and in 2018, 191 Local youth joined Militancy. Following the killing of popular commander, Burhan Wani, Militancy rose heights, however stats reveal that since the rise of BJP into power, Locals have been joining Militancy at a fast pace. Following Burhan Wani’s k...

Mir Musavir From border district of Rajouri, three cousins Abrar (25), Imtiyaz (22) and Abrar (16), crossing the beautiful mountains of Peer Panjal reached Shopian. They came to earn their livelihood, without knowing that they will never be returning to their families. Shopian Encounter came into public attention on 10th August, 2020, almost a month after the encounter. Two social activists who championed the Campaign for returning the last remains of the three Rajouri youth spoke to The Kashmiriyat. They have been tirelessly campaigning for justice to prevail.  Guftar Ahmad, a socio- political activist based in Rajouri, was the first person the family approached after realizing that the three cousins have gone missing.  He filed the missing report for the family. Guftar went ...