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Meer Irfan Amid the heated online debate between factions of Sunni-Shia youth, prominent clerics from the Kashmir valley have asked the public to desist from targeting the practices and beliefs of fellow Muslims. The debate initially flared up online among a few anonymous individuals from both communities. Over time, the hostility spread rapidly, both online and offline. Such heated arguments have been recurring issues due to longstanding historical differences and are very common during Muharram. Significant progress has been made in recent years with efforts by youth from both Shia and Sunni communities, guided by religious clerics, to foster dialogue and understanding. However, this year, comments from a social media influencer have intensified emotions on both sides. A vide...

In the first seven months of this year, fourteen soldiers and a Village Defense Guard have been killed in militant attacks in Jammu Kashmir. Additionally, up to July, at least twenty soldiers and two policemen have been injured in militancy-related incidents. Here are some notable incidents since January where soldiers faced casualties or injuries: January 12: In the Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch, militants attacked a forces convoy, but all soldiers escaped unhurt. An army soldier was killed while performing an operational task in a forward area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. January 18: An army soldier, Agniveer Ajay Singh, was killed and two others were injured in an IED blast in the Nowshera Sector of Rajouri district. April 24: In an encounter in Ranji Forest...

A fire incident in old Srinagar city on Monday resulted in the devastating destruction of a mosque, 20 shops, and 7 houses. The blaze, which originated at a mosque in Bohri Kadal area, quickly spread from the mosque's top wood floor to nearby residential structures. This marks the second recent fire to affect the mosque; previously, only its top story was damaged, but this time all three stories suffered complete destruction. Locals said that significant financial losses, estimated in crores of rupees, with at least 7 houses and approximately 20 shops completely gutted. One fire department officer sustained injuries and is currently in stable condition after receiving hospital treatment. "Deeply saddened by the fire incident that took place in Bohri Kadal Sri...

A video has gone viral across social media platforms, claiming that Kashmiri Pandits are being prevented from constructing a house in the Verinag area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir. The video, widely shared by users on Instagram and X, asserts that a Kashmiri Pandit had "mustered" the courage to rebuild his house in the area after leaving Kashmir during the 1990 exodus. However, it is alleged that local Muslims resorted to violence and did not allow the construction to proceed. Some users even claimed that this incident is a reaction to the recent election results, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure a majority on its own. https://twitter.com/shallakaul/status/1798734814545424528 "This happened with a Kashmiri Hindu family who dared to go back to ...

The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has announced a significant increase in the pass percentage for the Class 12 board exams, reaching 74% this year, up from 65% in 2023. Tis marks a notable increase from the 65% pass rate in 2023, reflecting the dedication of students and educators in the region. This year, a total of 93,340 students appeared for the exams across various streams, including Science, Commerce, Arts, and Vocational courses. Examinations were conducted from March 6 to March 28, 2024, for soft zones, and from April 8 to May 11, 2024, for hard zones. Students can now access their results on the official JKBOSE website. Female students have outperformed their male counterparts once again, with a pass percentage of 77%, compared to 72% for boys. This...

Exit polls, many of which are still in the process of being announced , appear to predict a win for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the general election across India. Most polls predict that the NDA will win more than 350 seats. The Lok Sabha elections, which began on April 19, ended earlier on Saturday (June 01). Exit polls are conducted after the ban lifts on such surveys and depend on voters’ accounts. According to numbers put out by NDTV after a ‘poll of polls’ counting, the NDA is likely to win 365 seats, while the INDIA alliance 142, and others 36. Looking at the recent history of the exit polls conducted in India, there have been several notable instances where exit polls have been wildly off the mark, resulting in major surprises when t...

Danishwar Hameed In Bugam, Kulgam, where polling stations were once locked in 2019, residents are now turning out in small groups to participate in the 2024 parliamentary elections. Amid clashes and a low voter turnout in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district in 2019, seven areas, with a total electorate of 10,151 voters, witnessed zero percent polling. These areas included Wanpora, Shamsipora, Turk Tachloo, Khudwani, and Bugam. Kulgam, home to several militant commanders, is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, where former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Mian Altaf are among the 20 candidates in the fray. Voters in Kashmir valley see this as a first opportunity to express their feelings after the special status of Jammu Kashmir was revoked. "Fear has d...

Rayees Shah Nearly 60 per cent of voters cast their votes in Baramulla Lok Sabha segment spread to four districts; Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara and Budgam. Amid the huge crowds that turned up to cast their votes in Bandipora district of north Kashmir was Ghulam Mohammed Gojar, helping his son Ghulam Hassan to cast his vote. Ghulam Mohammed, 79, cast his vote at the Mantrigam polling station of Bandipora in anticipation of their social welfare aid, which has been withheld for the past five months. Several social welfare beneficiaries in Kashmir have been running from door to door hoping that their funds would be released. The issue came forth after the government transited the whole data online and the old aged, disabled and other beneficiaries of social welfare aid were asked to ...

A significant number of individuals who received Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine have reported adverse side effects, a study by SpringerLink has revealed. This comes weeks after Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca acknowledged similar issues with its Covid-19 vaccine. As per Economic Times, the study published on SpringerLink, revealed that nearly one-third of participants in an observational study on Covaxin experienced adverse events of special interest (AESI). The study highlighted that female adolescents and individuals with a history of allergies are at a higher risk of AESIs after receiving COVID-19. Among the 1,024 participants, which included 635 adolescents and 291 adults, 304 adolescents (47.9%) and 124 adults (42.6%) reported viral upper respiratory tract infections...

A study on the damage caused by climate change has revealed shocking information. According to the report, 122 glaciers are shrinking in the Pir Panjal, raising concerns about potential glacial lake outburst floods. Researchers have identified 122 glaciers in the Pir Panjal range, whose size has drastically decreased since 1980. Glaciers covering an area of approximately 25.7 square kilometers have diminished to just 15.9 square kilometers. This revelation comes from a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, led by Mohammad Ashraf Ganai and Syed Qaiser Bukhari. The findings have been published in the International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology. The researchers analyzed data spanning four decades, from 1980 to 2020, focusing...