REGIONAL

Suhail Dar/ Sheikh Nadeem/ Danishwar Hameed Large queues of voters, both women and men have turned to the polling booths in south Kashmir's Anantnag, Kulgam, and parts of Shopian districts to exercise their voting rights. Voting began at 7 am for this crucial phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Over 18.5 Lakh voters, 80,000 of them first-time voters, will be casting their voters to elect a parliamentarian from 20 candidates. Damhal in Kulgam, Kokernag belt in Anantnag, Pahalgam in Anantnag, Thanamandi in Rajouri, Haveli in Poonch are witnessing a brisk polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat. Among those in fray for the seat are Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir, Mian Altaf Larvi of Jammu Kashmir National Conference among others. Among the huge crowd...

The former chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir and president of People's Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti has sat on a protest on the old National Highway in Bijbehara in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Alleging that her party workers were detained by the Police, Mehbooba Mufti reached the Bijbehara Police station, however, after being denied the permission to enter the premises of the said police station, she sat on the road to protest the alleged detentions. Officials have reached the spot to pacify the women and men who have joined Mehbooba Mufti on her protest. Speaking to the media she said, "PDP is being selectively targeted. Our workers have been called to the Police stations for no reason but to stop them from voting. If LG Manoj Sinha had so many problems with me contestin...

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday apprehended and arrested Inspector Azim Iqbal, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Pantha Chowk, Srinagar for demanding bribe. Quoting an unnamed official, Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com that ACB acted on a complaint and set a trap to catch Inspector Azim Iqbal in the act of accepting the bribe. He said that on receipt of the complaint, an FIR was registered, under section 7 Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in Police Station ACB central Kashmir and investigation was taken up. Accordingly a trap team was constituted, the trap team laid a successful trap and caught Azim Iqbal while accepting a bribe amount of around 1.5 lack on the spot. The bribe money was recovered in presence of independent witnesses. Further investiga...

A total of 538 polling parties, along with polling materials, were dispatched to various polling stations across the Rajouri, Thanamandi, Nowshera, and Budhal Assembly Constituencies of the 3-Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary Constituency. These preparations are for the polling scheduled to take place tomorrow. Under tight security, the polling staff and logistical supplies departed from their respective dispatch centers, marking a critical step in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 process for these constituencies. District Election Officer Om Prakash Bhagat personally oversaw the dispatch, highlighting the coordinated effort by the district administration, security personnel, and election officials. The District Election Officer expressed satisfaction with the arrangements for the ele...

On the eve of polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti made an earnest appeal to voters. "Hope you don’t disappoint me and allow me to be your advocate in Parliament,” she said on Friday, addressing the electorate in a video message on X. https://twitter.com/MehboobaMufti/status/1793897752289784164 “Tomorrow you all will go to vote. I request you to think before casting your vote about who has supported you in difficult times,” Mufti emphasized, while urging voters to consider who has supported them in difficult times before casting their ballots. Mehbooba Mufti main opponent is National Conference’s Mian Altaf. Highlighting her commitment to justice and advocacy for the people, Mufti stated, “My family, my party, and I have paid a huge price...

Sonmarg Development Authority (SDA) which earns crores, having multiple sources of income is a major defaulter and has not paid a whooping amount of more than Rs 50 lacs power tariff to the Power Development Department. The negligent attitude of the SDA has frustrated those who have secured contracts for SDA properties in the Sonmarg tourist resort, Kashmir News Trust reported. Reliable sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that SDA earns millions by outsourcing resorts, parks, and cafeterias owned by it. Recently, it outsourced Shutkadi toll post for Rs 1 crore 54 lacs. An official from the Power Development Department said that the department disconnected the power supply to Hung Camping Park in 2019 after the SDA failed to pay a power tariff to the tune of nearly Rs 2...

At least two CRPF personnel suffered injuries after a vehicle ferrying them met with an accident in Poonch on Friday afternoon, said an official. The official told GNS that a civil bus bearing registration number JK02A 4899 carrying CRPF personnel, on way from Saujiyan Mandi to Poonch to collect an Electronic-Voting-Machine (EVM), slipped off the road after hitting a culvert at Chaktro area. In the incident, the official said, two personnel suffered injuries and were immediately removed to District Hospital Poonch for treatment. "Both the injured personnel are believed to be out of danger," added the official. (GNS)

The High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh has quashed the detention of a 26-year-old youth under the contentious Public Safety Act observing that the Authority has not sifted the material dossier while stating grounds of detention. The court further said that in this case ‘non-application of mind is evident.’ The District Magistrate, Shopian by Order No. 132/DMS/PSA of 2022 dated 5, June 2022 placed Irfan Ahmad Kuttay son of Gulshan Ahmad Kuttay of Chattipora, Shopian under preventive detention to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the Jammu and Kashmir and lodged him in District Jail, Baramulla. The petitioner (detenue’s father) through his Counsel pleaded that detenue had been arrested in an old case for which the court had already granted him bai...

Mercury soared to 32.2°C in Srinagar on Wednesday, marking the season’s hottest day and the third-highest temperature recorded in the summer capital during the month of May. Acoording to Independent Weather monitoring website, Kashmir weather the maximum temperature of 32.2°C was 7.4°C above normal for the season in Srinagar. As per records today’s temperature was the hottest this season, it was the fourth warmest day recorded in May in a decade. On Wednesday, the temperatures in Srinagar rose to 31.6 degrees. Other places also recorded sweltering weather conditions, with Qazigund recording a maximum of 32.6°C, Pahalgam 27.3°C, Kokernag 30.1°C, Kupwara 30.6°C, Baramulla 32.1°C, Bandipora 31.6°C, Budgam 32.2°C, Pulwama 32.2°C, Anantnag 30.7°C, and Shopian 31.4°C. Jammu, the wint...

Sheikh Nadeem A youth was found dead under mysterious conditions inside a shop in Kokernag belt of south Kashmir. Official sources told The Kashmiriyat that on Thursday morning, 18-year-old Imtiyaz Ahmed Kilar was found hanging in a shop, he was working at, in the Narupora area of Watnad of Kokernag belt in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. The 18-year-old upon being spotted was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead. "His body will be handed over to his legal heirs for completion of last rites,," they said. Meanwhile, Police have registered a case in this regard and launched further investigation in this matter.