REGIONAL

Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is among the former legislators and parliamentarians who will be remembered by the Jammu Kashmir Assembly on Tuesday. The speaker of the assembly is set to deliver obituary references for former legislators who have passed away since the last session in February 2018. Those to be acknowledged include former President Pranab Mukherjee, former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, former Governor Jagmohan Malhotra, and BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana, who recently passed. Geelani, who represented Sopore three times in the legislative assembly (winning in 1972, 1977, and 1987), joined the separatist movement following the eruption of militancy in 1989 and subsequently boycotted elections until his death in 2021.

Scores of people in frontier Uri town Monday lodged a peaceful protest over NHPC's alleged failure to provide employment to unemployed local people despite an express verdict from the Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh High Court. The locals, assembled in front of NHPC II Gate, as per GNS, accused the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) of not providing permanent employment to the unemployed local people. The protestors said that the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had ordered the NHPC to make these appointments some time ago in favor of their 60 unemployed youths, but NHPC is not taking any action regarding this matter. A local in the protest said that they have been fighting this legal battle since 2014. He said that after years of struggle, the court finally ruled in our f...

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K president, Sat Sharma, asserted on Monday that the BJP will firmly oppose any attempts to restore Article 370 in the Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly. His comments came in response to a resolution by PDP MLA Waheed Para, who proposed restoring the abrogated Article. Sharma noted that all 28 BJP legislators unanimously rejected Para’s resolution, underscoring the party's stance against any reversal of Article 370’s abrogation. He further stated that certain factions are opposed to peace in Jammu Kashmir, and assured that the BJP would counter any such disruptive efforts. Sharma also commended former BJP J-K president Ravinder Raina for his significant role in strengthening the party's base across the region. "The BJP has the largest vote...

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Ladakh region today. The tremor's epicenter was located at 34.51 N latitude and 78.52 E longitude, with a depth of 10 km in the Leh area. Official sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that no loss of life or property has been reported anywhere. Two weeks back, the region had witnessed an earthquake of the same 3.7 magnitude approximately 200 km southwest of Leh. [KNT]

People's Democratic Party, led by its Pulwama MLA, Waheed u Rehman Parra brought in a resolution seeking the restoration of Article 370. Article 370 was revoked on August 5, 2019 by the central government, a move which evoked widespread criticism. On Monday, the first day of the first session of Jammu Kashmir assembly was convened and during the introduction PDP MLA Waheed introduced an independent bill on article 370. Several videos have been circulated on social media with the claim that Jammu Kashmir National conference MLAs created ruckus in the house opposing the bill, however, upon a thorough check, The Kashmiriyat found that the claims are baseless. The video has been widely circulated on social media through several handles, both on Facebook and Twitter. "To people o...

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Monday,  announced that his administration would provide 200 units of free electricity to the people of Jammu Kashmir. This addresses a key aspect of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference’s manifesto. Speaking in the Assembly, Sinha stated that plans are being finalized to implement this relief measure. This promise comes as electricity bills have become a major concern for economically vulnerable sections of the population, who are struggling with high costs exacerbated by the recent installation of smart meters. The widespread protests against these meters underscore the region’s ongoing challenges with power accessibility and affordability. The provision of free electricity aims to ease the financial burden on low-income households alre...

PDP MLAs, led by Waheed ur Rehman Para, submitted a resolution in Jammu Kashmir assembly calling for the restoration of Article 370. The session, marking the first day of the Assembly's return, saw heated exchanges as BJP members demanded the immediate dismissal of the proposal. Para, addressing the House, stated, “Sir, I congratulate you for being elected as the speaker of the House. We will learn a lot from your experience. Today, I have a resolution on behalf of my party that I want to submit before you. The resolution calls for the restoration of Article 370.” The submission sparked a strong reaction from BJP legislators, who urged Speaker Rather to discard the resolution without delay. Speaker Rather responded, attempting to ease the tension: “This is my domain; let me examin...

Veteran National Conference leader and seven-time MLA, Abdul Rahim Rather was Monday unanimously elected as Speaker of the first Assembly of Jammu Kashmir. As soon as House assembled at 10: 30 am, 78-year-old Rather, who has served as minister in cabinet’s of Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, was elected as Speaker after Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Javaid Ahmad Dar moved a motion for choosing him for the coveted post. The motion was seconded by NC’s MLA Ramban, Arjun Singh Raju. With opposition parties deciding against contesting the post, the pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul declared his election as the Speaker. Soon after his election, Leader of House Omar Abdullah and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma escorted him to the Speaker’s chair—(K...

A man was injured after he was attacked with a knife by unknown persons in Bijbehara area of South Kashmir's Anantnag district. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a man was injured after he was attacked by at least three persons in Karewa colony of Bijbehara. He said that man identified as Aabid Ahmad Zargar has been hospitalized where his condition is stated to be stable. Meanwhile, police have taken cognizance of the incident and started an investigation—(KNO)

A 22-year-old has gone missing from his home in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. The family of Mohammed Saleem Mir, son of Ghulam Ahmad Mir, from Hygam, Baramulla, has been missing since 9:00 AM on Saturday. "He is involved in the fruit business and was last known to be in the area between Atun Sonpha in Beerwah and Kanul in Pattan," the family has stated. If you have seen him or have any information about his location, please contact the phone numbers 7006154653, 9906126375, 9086126375, the family appealed.