REGIONAL

The sacred journey of Hajj 2025 is set to begin from Jammu Kashmir, with the first flight scheduled to depart from Srinagar International Airport on May 4. This inaugural flight, operated by SpiceJet, will carry 178 pilgrims and marks the commencement of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage from Jammu Kashmir. The flight is expected to depart from Srinagar at 10:25 AM and arrive at Fujairah International Airport in Saudi Arabia at 2:55 PM. After a brief layover, the flight will continue its journey, departing Fujairah at 3:55 PM and landing at Madina International Airport by 6:55 PM on the same day. Following the first flight, there will be no departures on May 5, 6, and 13. However, regular flights will resume on May 7, with 321 pilgrims scheduled to depart each day for Madina. On May 9 a...

Police on Friday said that it has arrested a suspected person after a video went viral. In a handout to GNS, the police said that a video which went viral on social media platforms wherein a tourist lady, whose name has been withheld, displayed a photograph of one person alleging that this person had asked her about her religion etc. The police spokesman further stated that Ganderbal Police, after taking swift action, have apprehended the said person who was identified as Aiyaz Ahmad Jungal S/O Gh Nabi Jungal R/O Gohipora Raizan Ganderbal and is a pony service provider at Thajwas Glacier, Sonamarg. The suspect has been subjected to sustained interrogation, and the Police have taken a complicit legal course of action, reads the statement. - (GNS)

mid the devastating terror attack that struck Pahalgam earlier this week, killing 26 people including 25 tourists and one local resident, a powerful story of courage has surfaced from the heart of the violence. BJP youth wing member Arvind S. Agrawal credits a local guide, 28-year-old Nazakat Ahmed Shah, for saving his family’s lives during the chaos. Agrawal, a resident of Chhattisgarh’s Chirimiri, was visiting Pahalgam with his wife and four-year-old daughter when gunmen opened fire near the popular zipline area. Caught off guard while taking photos, Agrawal was separated from his wife and child — who were with Shah and another tourist family. "Everything was peaceful," Agrawal told The Indian Express. "Suddenly, gunshots rang out. Nazakat immediately reacted—he told everyone to li...

Houses of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists allegedly involved in the Pahalgam attack were destroyed in Jammu Kashmir, officials said on Friday. The houses were destroyed in a blast on Thursday night. The officials said security forces were conducting searches inside the houses of two LeT terrorists Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh when the explosives already kept inside the houses went off. The explosives caused destruction of the houses, they added. Thokar, a resident of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, is one of the key accused in Tuesday’s Pahalgam massacre, while Sheikh, resident of Tral in Pulwama district, is suspected to be involved in the conspiracy of the attack.(PTI)

A suspicious box with wires protruding from it was found during a search operation at the house of Asif Sheikh, a suspected militant allegedly involved in the recent Pahalgam attack, officials said on Thursday. The operation was carried out in the Moghama area where security forces, during their search, noticed the box that raised suspicion. Upon examination by the Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifles engineering unit, it was deemed a potential explosive device. The device was destroyed in SITU by the Army's engineering team, leading to a controlled explosion that partially damaged the house. Officials confirmed that no casualties occurred, as the area had been cordoned off and residents of adjacent homes were evacuated beforehand. Authorities continue to investigate the site and ...

A gunfight erupted between security forces and terrorists in the forest area of Kulnar Bazipora in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Friday, officials said. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the encounter began after security personnel launched a cordon and search operation based on intelligence about militant presence in the area. As forces approached suspected spot, the hiding militants opened fire, triggering the exchange, he said, adding that the exchange of gunfire in going on—(KNO)

"It has come to the notice of Sopore Police that certain social media handles are spreading misinformation regarding the alleged death of a student from Bomai, Sopore in Chandigarh. It is clarified that the individual mentioned in these posts had, in fact, passed away in 2021 due to an acute malaria infection, reads the statement issued here to the news agency JKNS. "The current posts are factually incorrect and misleading. General public is advised not to circulate or share such fake news, as it can cause unnecessary panic and distress. Sopore Police has taken cognizance of the matter and legal action is being initiated against those responsible for spreading this false information," it reads. Sopore Police is also in contact with the family members of students from the area who are...

Students of the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) on Thursday held a condolence meeting to mourn the killing of at least 26 people, mostly tourists, in the recent terror attack at Baisaran, Pahalgam. The gathering included a two-minute silence, prayers, and calls for peace amid what students described as an unbearable tragedy. Calling the attack “utterly devastating,” the students said they stood in solidarity with the victims and their families. “This is not just an attack on tourists—it is an attack on shared humanity. No one deserves to die this way,” said one of the students during the gathering. Participants expressed deep sorrow over the recurring cycle of violence in Kashmir, demanding an end to attacks that continue to claim innocent lives. “We are heartbroken. Kashmi...

United in grief, politicians from Jammu Kashmir demand end to harassment of Kashmiris elsewhereIn a rare show of unity, political parties across the spectrum in Jammu Kashmir came together in Srinagar on Thursday to unanimously condemn the “heinous, inhumane attack” on civilians in Pahalgam on April 22. The meeting, convened in the spirit of collective grief and solidarity, also issued a strong appeal to all Indian states and union territories to ensure the safety and dignity of Kashmiris living outside the region.   “We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms the barbaric attack in Pahalgam that killed innocent civilians,” the resolution stated, calling it a “direct assault on the values of Kashmiriyat and the idea of India.”   The meeting paid tribute ...

A youth was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Sedhow area of Shopian in South Kashmir on Thursday Afternoon. An official said that the body was discovered by the locals, after which the police were informed. Officers reached the spot and took the body for medico-legal formalities. The deceased has been identified as Yasir Haji, son of Mohd Iqbal Haji, a resident of Sedhow, Shopian. Meanwhile, the police have taken cognizance of the matter and initiated an investigation.