REGIONAL

Authorities have booked a resident of  Handwara in Kupwara district of north Kashmir under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Officials told The Kashmiriyat that the accused, identified as Shafat Maqbool Wani, son of Mohammad Maqbool Wani, a resident of Kukroosa presently living at Khunbal Handwara was shifted to Udhampur after being booked under PSA "Shafat was earlier arrested in connection with FIR No. 69/2025 registered at Police Station Handwara under sections 13, 17, and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)," the official said. He was also under custody of the NIA Jammu in a separate case (FIR No. RC-03/2025) registered under the same sections of UAPA. District Magistrate Kupwara passed the detention order (No. DMK/27 of 2025, dated 13-09-2025), after which the...

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Jammu Kashmir chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, has expressed concern over the health condition of prisoners lodged within and outside the Union Territory, urging the Government of India to release Shabrooza Bano, the ailing wife of religious cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, popularly known as Sarjan Barkati. In a post on X, Mehbooba said Bano, who is currently in custody, is reportedly unwell and in need of urgent medical attention. Calling the situation “heartbreaking,” she noted that with both parents in jail, the couple’s children are left without care. “The Government of India must take a compassionate view by releasing Shabrooza immediately so she can get proper treatment and be with her children,” she wrote. Bano was arrested by the Stat...

Rayees Shah The body of an 18-year-old boy, who had gone missing from Urpash in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, was recovered from a hydroelectric canal on Wednesday. Officials speaking to The Kashmiriyat identified the deceased as Owais Ahmad Baniya, son of Zubair Ahmad Baniya a resident of Urpash, Ganderbal. According to authorities, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Ganderbal, along with police and local residents, launched a search operation after the boy was reported missing. His body was later retrieved from the canal and taken to District Hospital Ganderbal for medico-legal formalities. The police have registered a case and initiated an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Further details are awaited.

Suhail Dar After an 18-day halt, fruit-laden trucks have finally been released and are moving along the Srinagar–Jammu highway. The trucks were cleared from Qazigund Toll Plaza on Wednesday morning, but the long blockade has already inflicted massive financial losses on farmers and truckers alike. Locals from Ramban told The Kashmiriyat that there was heavy traffic as the trucks moved, with drivers visibly exhausted and frustrated. Many truckers reported that they had no option but to dump perishable fruit along the roadside to avoid total spoilage. Early estimates suggest that millions of rupees worth of apples and other fruits have been lost, with thousands of boxes rotting due to the delay. Inspector General of Police (Traffic), M. Suleman Choudhary, had earlier announced that ...

Danishwar Hameed In a swift response to the prolonged road blockade on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the Health Department of Kulgam district set up an emergency medical camp to provide immediate relief to stranded truck drivers and passengers. The blockade, caused by heavy rainfall and inclement weather, left hundreds of travelers stuck for several days near the Qazigund tunnel. Acting on the directions of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kulgam, Dr. Shaukat Hussain Parray, the department deployed a team of doctors and paramedics who worked late into the night to provide on-the-spot consultations, distribute medicines and attend to medical emergencies. Truck drivers and passengers, many of whom had been stranded in freezing conditions, expressed their gratitude for the initiative. ...

Pulwama Police on Tuesday said they arrested a woman while foiling a drug smuggling attempt in Newa area of the district. Officials said 120 grams of a heroin-like substance were recovered from the possession of the accused, identified as Sheikh Maroofa, wife of Sheikh Tasaduq, a resident of Kathidarwaza Mumkhan, Rainawari, Srinagar. Police said an FIR (No. 217/2025) has been registered under sections 8 and 22 of the NDPS Act, and investigation is underway. They added that Maroofa’s husband, Sheikh Tasaduq, is already detained under PIT NDPS by Srinagar Police for alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Reiterating their “zero tolerance” policy against narcotics, police appealed for public cooperation to help eradicate the menace and build a drug-free society.

Rotten meat sellers in Kashmir are facing harsh legal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Food Safety and Standards Act, with authorities treating the offence as a direct crime against public health rather than a routine market violation. Police have begun invoking multiple provisions of the new penal code that bring both custodial sentences and financial penalties into play. A police official told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that under the BNS, the sale of meat known to be noxious or unfit for consumption is punishable with imprisonment that may extend to six months along with fine. Where traders are found negligent in allowing such stock to reach consumers, they may be booked under sections dealing with negligent acts likely to spread infection. In cases w...

Danishwar Hameed Tragedy struck Janglat Mandi area of Anantnag, on Monday, when Mushtaq Ahmad Hafiz, son of Abdul Majeed Hafiz and resident of Bilal colony, passed away following a sudden cardiac arrest. Father of two young daughters, Mushtaq Ahmad’s untimely demise has plunged the entire neighborhood into grief. Locals told The Kashmiriyat that he wa a humble and respected figure of the community. Soon after the news spread, relatives, neighbors, and friends gathered at his residence to console the bereaved family and share in their sorrow. His funeral prayers were offered in his native locality, attended by a large number of people.

Amid growing outrage over stalled apple shipments on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Union Government should hand over control of the highway to the Jammu & Kashmir government if it cannot maintain it. Speaking to reporters, Omar said, “This highway falls under the jurisdiction of the Government of India. If they cannot maintain it, they should hand it over to us. I will deploy a team of engineers who are currently available here.” He criticized the Centre for failing to make the road fully functional. “Enough is enough. We have been patient because they kept assuring us daily that restoration work would be done, but it didn’t happen,” he said. Omar also said he would raise the matter with Union Minister for Road Transport and Hig...

The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has voiced strong concern over what it described as continued discrimination against local enterprises in the rollout of the New Central Sector Scheme (NCSS). During an interaction with the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, chaired by Dola Sen, the chamber said that nearly 300 industrial units which began production in the past two to three years are being denied incentives, citing “fund exhaustion.” “It is unfair to block funds for projects still on paper, while operational units are left without support. This discourages local entrepreneurs,” FCIK told the committee. The chamber urged the government to release incentives strictly on a first-come, first-serve basis to restore confidence among existin...