REGIONAL

Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, Member of Parliament (MP) from Srinagar and senior leader of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), announced that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has assured a student delegation that the reservation issue will be resolved within six months. Calling the timeline a "positive development," Ruhullah expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for addressing the students' concerns. "I thank CM Omar Abdullah for giving his assurance on this grave and sensitive issue. The time frame does not mean it will take the entire six months—it could be resolved in two to three months," he noted. Ruhullah explained that one month has already passed since deliberations began, and he is hopeful the issue will be resolved within the remaining five months. He also acknowledged the ...

The death toll from a mysterious illness in Jammu Kashmir's Rajouri district has risen to nine, with a woman from Badhaal village succumbing to the illness earlier today. Officials confirmed that the woman had recently lost her two sons and a daughter to the same unexplained ailment. Her death has prompted authorities to intensify their investigation into the cause of the illness, which continues to baffle medical experts. District authorities have dispatched a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) mobile laboratory to the region to accelerate diagnostic testing and identify the nature of the disease. Initial reports indicate that the woman experienced sudden medical complications, but her symptoms reportedly differed from those observed in earlier fatalities. The district administration has...

The weather department on Monday advised tourists to follow the advisory issued by the traffic police in view of the sub-freezing temperatures and icy conditions over roads of important higher reaches in Kashmir. Intense cold wave conditions persisted in the valley on Monday as minimum temperatures across the region remained several degrees below the freezing point. The sub-zero temperatures led to the freezing of water supply lines while a thin layer of ice covered the surface of several water bodies. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday night rising by nearly four degrees from the previous night, the meteorological department said. Pahalgam, the base camp for annual Amarnath Yatra in South Kashmir, registered a minimum temperature of minus 5 degrees Ce...

Amid protest outside chief minister's official residence, Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah said that a delegation of students will meet the chief minister to put forth their demands. Speaking with reporters at the protest site, Ruhullah, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that he got an intimation from inside CM's house that a students delegation be sent that will meet the chief minister. He said that they choose five students one each from central, south and north Kashmir, and one from Jammu and a female student to meet the chief minister. Ruhullah said that the delegation will put forth their demands and discuss the issue with the chief minister. "We will not move from here till students come out after meeting the chief minister," he said. Meanwhile, PDP leg...

A day after National Conference Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah's call to join protest outside chief minister's residence in Srinagar over Reservation Policy row, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also said he will join the protest if allowed by the authorities. In a post on X, Mirwaiz, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that the issue of reservations should be addressed with justice and fairness by those in charge, safeguarding the interests of all segments of society, not at the expense of any one group. He said that the current status of reservations does that, by undermining the interests of the general/open merit category. He also said that he will raise the issue in Jama Masjid whenever permitted to go. "Fervent appeal to address their concerns immediately! Support #ope...

Kashmir continued to shiver under intense cold on Monday, with Shopian recording the lowest temperature at -7.3°C. Anantnag was not far behind, with a freezing -6.1°C, marking another frigid night for South Kashmir. Srinagar, the region's summer capital, recorded a low of -3.6°C, while Qazigund and Pahalgam registered -4.8°C and -5.0°C, respectively. Sonamarg and Gulmarg, popular tourist destinations, witnessed sub-zero temperatures of -5.1°C and -4.8°C. Larnoo and Pulwama recorded biting lows of -6.4°C and -6.0°C, respectively. In North Kashmir, Kupwara recorded -4.3°C, while Bandipora and Baramulla experienced -4.4°C and -3.4°C, respectively. Budgam and Ganderbal recorded -4.8°C and -4.2°C. The Jammu region saw Jammu city record 6.7°C. Banihal dipped to -1.7°C, with Bhaderwah an...

Senior political leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has reaffirmed his commitment to stand with citizens demanding a fair reservation policy. In a social media post, Mehdi reminded people of his earlier promise to address the issue if the government failed to resolve it by December 22. "December 22 ends tonight," he wrote, expressing disappointment over the government's approach. "To those who believe this issue remains unresolved, I stand by my word." He announced plans to join a peaceful protest on December 23 outside the Chief Minister's residence at Gupkar Road. Calling for civility, Mehdi said, "I request all those voluntarily coming to maintain civility and focus on raising genuine demands for a rational reservation policy." Mehdi also took a dig at those politicizing the issue...

Danishwar Hameed  In a shocking incident, more than apple trees have been stolen from an orchard in the Chanser area of Kulgam district. According to locals, the orchard belongs which belongs to Abdul Khali Itoo, a resident of Chanser was attacked by unknown individuals who uprooted valuable trees, causing significant financial loss to the owner. Itoo speaking to The Kashmiriyat said that the theft occurred under the cover of darkness, and the criminals left no trace of their involvement. Local authorities have initiated an investigation into the matter, though no arrests have been made as of yet. Itoo has expressed his deep concern over the growing instances of orchard thefts in the region, which threaten the agricultural community's livelihood.

The government on Saturday announced change in working and duty timings in Government Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir An order signed by Secretary to the Government Health and Medical Education Department, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah reads, in partial modification to Government order no. 272-JK (HME) of 2024 dated 03.4.24, it is hereby ordered that working days and duty timings from 1st December to 28th/29th February in Government medical Colleges and government Dental colleges of J&K shall be Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 4:30 pm. (GNS)

The Peoples’ Democratic Party on Friday said the cancellation of more than 1.27 lakh ration cards in Jammu and Kashmir was “unwarranted and cruel” and asked the government to revisit the move. In a post on X, party leader Iltija Mufti said the ration card holders were people living below the poverty line and the cancellation would cause “great distress” to several families. “The newly elected J&K government’s decision to cancel 1.27 lakh ration cards of below poverty line families is unwarranted & cruel. Hope they revisit this ill timed order which has put people in great distress,” Mufti said. The Centre cancelled 1,27,872 fake and duplicate ration cards in the Union Territory since 2013, while 702 ration cards have been cancelled in Ladakh, the Rajya Sabha was informed. ...