REGIONAL

Suhail Dar In a major crackdown to curb the misuse of SIM cards by militant networks, their associates, and criminal groups, Anantnag Police on Friday carried out extensive inspections of SIM card vendors across the district. The operation was aimed at ensuring strict compliance with Department of Telecommunications (DoT) guidelines and preventing fraudulent issuance of SIM cards. Multiple police teams simultaneously inspected vendor outlets in different areas, checking customer records, Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation, and license compliance. Vendors were cautioned against any lapses and informed that violations of telecom regulations would attract strict legal action. Police officials said the drive is part of ongoing preventive measures to block the use of illegall...

Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has upheld the preventive detention of Shaista Maqbool, accused of being an Overground Worker and admirer of the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. The court dismissed her appeal against the Public Safety Act (PSA) order, observing that her alleged activities were prejudicial to the security of the Union Territory. A division bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal found no merit in Maqbool’s challenge, ruling that the District Magistrate, Bandipora, had issued the detention order after due consideration and that all procedural safeguards were followed. The bench said that the sufficiency of the grounds cannot be agitated before the court, upholding the District Magistrate’s satisfaction that preventive detention was necessary. ...

Danishwar Hameed A policeman suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while on duty at Minority Post Amnoo in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials said. An official identified the deceased as Balbir Singh, a resident of Samba. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and initiated further investigation.

Danishwar Hameed A 60-year-old man was critically injured after being hit by a motorcycle at Main Town Kulgam on Friday afternoon. According to locals who spoke to The Kashmiriyat, the man identified as Nazir ahmad Shah son of Ghulam Mohammad Shah, a resident of Khandi pora in Anantnag was shifted to the Kulgam district hospital for treatment. At District Hospital Kulgam, the doctors referred him to SKIMS Srinagar for advanced treatment due to his critical condition. Meanwhile, police have taken cognizance of the incident and initiated further investigation.

The Department of Information, Government of Jammu Kashmir, has issued a circular directing all media persons operating in the Kulgam district to submit their credentials for verification within seven days. The directive, issued by the District Information Officer, Kulgam, follows the instructions of the Joint Director Information, Kashmir (vide No. INF/K-Estt.2091-98/2025 dated October 31, 2025) and is aimed at preventing the misuse of media identity and impersonation in the district. According to the circular, journalists are required to furnish details and documents listed in Annexure “A”, including Aadhaar or PAN card, office ID card, appointment letter from the media organization, contact details, salary or bank statements for the past six months, and links to their digital or s...

Kashmir continues to reel under a biting cold wave, with most parts witnessing the coldest night of the season, the Meteorological Department said on Friday. Srinagar, the summer capital, recorded its lowest temperature so far at 0.2°C. In south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the mercury dipped to -3.0°C, while the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir registered -2.6°C. Kupwara also recorded sub-zero temperatures at -1.3°C, signalling the early onset of harsh winter conditions across the region. According to weather officials, temperatures are likely to hover around or below freezing point in the coming days. They have urged residents—especially the elderly, children, and those in higher altitudes—to take precautions against the intense cold. Authorities have cautioned motorists abou...

Suhail Dar Authorities in Anantnag have registered 25 FIRs against food vendors for selling unhygienic food items in the town. The action was taken during a series of joint raids conducted by the Anantnag Police on the directions of SSP Anantnag, as part of a wider drive to ensure public health and food safety in the district. According to an official who spoke to The Kashmiriyat, the FIRs were registered over the months of September and October against mutton sellers and roadside snack vendors in the south Kashmir town. The majority of the cases revolve around keeping food items in the open, exposing them to dust, pollution, and other unhygienic conditions that could pose serious health risks to consumers. Police in Anantnag has reiterated his commitment to the safety and w...

Shah Basit Police in Ganderbal have successfully rescued a girl who had been abducted and taken to Himachal Pradesh, arresting the man accused of kidnapping her. Acting on a specific input and following directions from SSP Ganderbal, Khalil Ahmad Poswal, a special police team from Police Post Shadipora tracked down and apprehended the accused in Himachal Pradesh. The accused has been identified as Firdous Rustum Khan, son of Rustum Ali Khan, a resident of Shatigam, Handwara. According to police, Khan—who is already married and has two children—had allegedly been using social media and other online platforms to lure women. The girl was recovered safely from his custody and handed over to her family after the completion of medico-legal formalities. A case under FIR No. 185/...

A Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officer, Zakir Hussain Wani, has instituted a ₹7 crore recovery suit against journalist Tousif Kraipak, accusing him of circulating defamatory material on social media and other public platforms. In his plea, Wani has alleged that Kraipak’s statements were baseless, malicious, and aimed at damaging his professional reputation as a public servant. The officer claims that the content in question caused him deep mental distress, ridicule, and loss of public confidence. The suit seeks ₹7 crore in compensation, permanent removal of the alleged defamatory material, and a court injunction restraining further such remarks. Journalist Tousif Kraipak, through his counsel Advocate M. A. Dar, appeared before the court and obtained a copy of the...

Scores of farmers in the Kakapora belt of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are yet to harvest their paddy crop this season, not because they don’t want to, but because the entire yield was destroyed in the September floods and is now lying rotten in water-logged fields. Farmers said that almost two months have passed since the floods, yet large portions of agricultural land in Kakapora are still submerged. "We haven’t even been able to step into our fields. The paddy has turned black and rotten. There is no point in cutting it now as it is totally useless,” Abdul Rashid, a farmer from Kakapora. The farmers were hoping that the government would announce a realistic compensation package to help them recover from the heavy losses. However, many alleged that the relief being given is ...