REGIONAL

January 25 Unknown persons hurled a grenade towards a vehicle of Government Forces parked outside the General bus stand in KP road area of Islamabad (Anantnag). Sources told The Kashmiriyat that unknown persons after hurling the grenade, fled from the spot, after which forces fired some aerial shots. However, the attackers fled from the spot successfully. A Police official told The Kashmiriyat that a search operation was launched in the area immediately after the attack. He said nobody was injured in the attack.

January 25 Amid a slight rise in temperature and snowfall in parts of Kashmir including Srinagar highway remains closed for the fifth straight day. The traffic on the Srinagar Jammu highway has been halted due to landslides in Ramban district. “Besides, landslides have at Gagroo, Anokhi Fall and Battery Chashma areas fresh snowfall occurred on both sides on Jawahar tunnel," an official said. He said that no vehicle shall be allowed to ply on the highway. Srinagar woke to a blanket of snow on Friday and recorded minus 1.3 Degrees Celsius of temperature. Gulmarg received 3 centimeters of fresh snow and temperature of minus 10.0 degree Celsius. Pahalgam recorded minus 6.1 degree Celsius while Qazigund and Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.2 degrees ...

January 23 Three Militants have been killed in an encounter with government forces took place in Binner area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir on Wednesday afternoon. An official said that the operation is being jointly conducted by a team of 46 RR, Jammu Kashmir Police and 53 BN of CRPF. An officer confirmed that the exchange of gunfire has erupted after holed up militants fired upon the searching party of forces in the area. Earlier CASO was launched in the area after receiving inputs of militants presence in the area. In the ensuing gunfight, three unidentified Militants have been killed. A Search operation is underway to retrieve the bodies of the slain Militants.  

January 23 An exchange of gunfire between militants and government forces took place in Binner area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir on Wednesday afternoon. An officer confirmed that the exchange of gunfire has erupted after holed up militants fired upon the searching party of forces in the area. Earlier CASO was launched in the area after receiving inputs of militants presence in the area. The operation is being jointly conducted by a team of 46 RR, Jammu Kashmir Police and 53 BN of CRPF.

January 23 Sajad Hameed The residents of several areas in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against the Power Development Department. Residents of Rai pora and its adjoining areas protesting against frequent power shutdowns in the area blocked the main road connecting to Budgam town. The residents said that unscheduled power cuts and frequent power outages have made their life miserable. They asked the higher officials to look into the matter.

January 23 The highway connecting Jammu with Srinagar has been shut for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. The highway was shut after an avalanche hit the Jawahar Tunnel, a traffic official said. No vehicular movement would be allowed on the highway keeping the safety of travellers in mind, the senior traffic department official told IANS. He said that the Jawahar Tunnel is yet to be cleared from the Qazigund side. "The avalanche debris clearance operation will be started as soon as the weather improves, hopefully by today," he said. "Till that time, no vehicular movement will be allowed."

January 23 Two persons, including a minor girl, were killed and two others went missing after a snow avalanche hit Trigam area of Ramban district on Tuesday. According to official sources, a snow avalanche hit Kawana area near Trigam village at 3 pm on Tuesday, resulting into death of 25-year-old Muhammad Rafiq, son of Ghulam Qadir, and 12-year-old Sumerna, daughter of Mukhtiar Ahmed. Fatha Begum (30) and Taja Begum (32) went missing after the incident. They said the avalanche hit the village when the victims were returning to their house at Trigam, located about 50 km from Ramban in Khardi tehsil. “We have pressed our teams to rescue the missing persons,” said Showkat Aijaz, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, who has also sanctioned ex gratia for the next of kin of the deceased. ...

January 23 Thousands of people on Wednesday morning gathered in Dragad for the funeral of slain Shams ul Haq who was killed in an encounter on Tuesday in Shopian district. Eyewitnesses told The Kashmiriyat that women and men in large numbers have gathered at his native village where multiple rounds of funeral prayers have been offered so far. They said that the streets are witnessing huge rush and chaos as people are rushing from one funeral to the other. Five other Militants from Pulwama and Shopian district were killed during two separate encounters in Shopian's Shermal and Budgam's Charar e Sharif.

January 22 Firdous Qadri Locals of Habba Kaddal staged a protest in downtown Srinagar after a local youth was hit by a stone thrown by a CRPF personnel. The family of Younis Bashir said that a CRPF man hurled a brick at Younis while he was on way to buy vegetables. He was critically injured and shifted rushed to SMHS hospital for treatment. A CRPF official said that a group of five to six youth pelted stones at the bunker near Habba Kadal. "While they were being chased away, a youth slipped and fell down," he added.

January 22 Former Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir, Omar Abdullah has urged the Bihar Government to protect the the burial ground of Yusuf Shah Chak, the last independent king of Kashmir. Omar tweeted, “I request @NitishKumar ji to protect this part of Kashmir’s history that lies far from the valley in Bihar.” National Conference vice president was reacting to a report titled “Forgotten in a field far away: Grave of an exiled Kashmiri king lies in ruins in Bihar” published by The Hindu. According to the report the burial ground of one of the last native rulers of independent Kashmir Yusuf Shah Chak was under threat from land grabbers. Yousuf, who ruled Kashmir from 1579 to 1586, is buried at a cemetery in Biswak village in Bihar’s Nalanda district. Yusuf Shah e Chuk was impri...