Sunday, May 12News and updates from Kashmir

UPDATES

Video- Pegasus Project: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, his Driver, Geelani’s Family Among Others on the Leaked Database for Surveillance

Video- Pegasus Project: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, his Driver, Geelani’s Family Among Others on the Leaked Database for Surveillance

UPDATES, Video
The latest report by The Wire under the Pegasus Project claims that atleast 4 members from the Senior Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani's family were selected as potential targets for surveillance. They were targets of an India-based client of the Israeli NSO company who created the Pegasus Spyware. A French media organization, Forbidden Stories collaborated with Amnesty International on finding a leaked database of 50,000 telephone numbers to have been potential targets of surveillance by the governments of various countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfpnQ5vz5SE They further collaborated with seventeen media organizations from around the world in this venture of investigative journalism. The Wire revealed that around 300 Indian telephone numbers present in the leaked ...
Gurugram Court rejects Ram bhakt Gopal’s Bail plea, says Such People harm the Country more than the Pandemic

Gurugram Court rejects Ram bhakt Gopal’s Bail plea, says Such People harm the Country more than the Pandemic

INDIA, UPDATES
"Such kind of people who are trying to create disharmony and imparting hatred amongst the common people are actually harming this country more than the pandemic." A Gurugram court said while rejecting the bail plea of Ram Bhakt Gopal on Friday. Gopal was arrested by Gurugram Police on 12th of July for referring provocative and islamophobic remarks at a mahapanchayat held in Pataudi on July 4. Last year he came to limelight when he supposedly started shooting at a gathering of students against CAA in Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.
Fake – News Channel Smartly Edits Interview, Claims They spoke to Taliban

Fake – News Channel Smartly Edits Interview, Claims They spoke to Taliban

UPDATES
A case of fake and manipulative news came to light when an interview aired by ANN News Kashmir was fact-checked by the team of The Kashmiriyat. ANN News Kashmir has shown in one of its on-air shows that one of its news anchors is in phone line with Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, in which Suhail Shaheen is speaking about the current social and political situation in Afghanistan and Taliban. The Kashmiriyat rechecked the show and found that what Suhail Shaheen said is only a part of an exclusive interview by Pakistan's Geo News journalist Saleem Safi. Saleem Safi did an interview with Taliban spokesperson in the show titled, "TTA ke Tarjumaan Suhail Shaheen ka Jirga mein Tafseeli Interview...!!" aired on July 12, 2021. The video is also available on Youtube. ANN has extract...
On Ground No Acceptance of Article 370 Abrogation, Special Status Must be Restored- Sikh Groups

On Ground No Acceptance of Article 370 Abrogation, Special Status Must be Restored- Sikh Groups

UPDATES
Various Sikh Bodies including Sikh Intellectuals Circle J&K, SHIROMANI AKALI DAL (Amritsar), J&K Sikh Council, International Sikh Federation, Sikhs Future in J&K and Sikh Students Federation while welcoming the start of dialogue process by the Government of India in Jammu Kashmir, have demanded the restoration of the special status of J&K as per pre 5th August 2019 position. In a press release issued to The Kashmiriyat, the Sikh bodies said that the people of J&K need confidence-building measures for the restoration of Democratic and Fundamental Rights. S. Narinder Singh Khalsa, Chairman Sikh Intellectuals Circle J&K, while addressing the joint press conference with Senior Sikh Leaders including S. Ram Singh, Prof. Surinder Singh, S. Ranjeet Singh, S. Harmanan...
‘Letters Sent to All DCs’- Jammu Kashmir Delimitation Commission Kicks off Delimitation Exercise

‘Letters Sent to All DCs’- Jammu Kashmir Delimitation Commission Kicks off Delimitation Exercise

UPDATES
The commission for delimitation of Jammu Kashmir has kicked off the exercise by writing to District Commissioners (DC) of all the twenty districts, Hindu reported. The commission has sought the demographic, topographic information as well as the local administration’s impressions of political aspirations of their concerned district. Sources quoted by Hindu revealed that the letter was sent across to all the DCs in the first week of June, and while the commission asked for a response within two days, it was sent off, by all DCs, at the end of the week. The commission was set up by the Modi-led Government in March 2020 to delineate Assembly and parliamentary constituencies and was later given a year’s extension in March last. The erstwhile state of Jammu Kashmir was kept out of t...
Politics Returns to Tables- ‘Will meet to Discuss Strategy, if New Delhi Invites’- Says Farooq Abdullah

Politics Returns to Tables- ‘Will meet to Discuss Strategy, if New Delhi Invites’- Says Farooq Abdullah

UPDATES
Amid media reports that Centre is going to invite political parties of Jammu Kashmir for talks on June 24 in New Delhi, National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah Saturday said that they will first sit and discuss the strategy to be followed if they get the formal invitation from New Delhi. AGDThe PDP chief, however, confirmed that she has got an invitation from New Delhi while Jammu Kashmir Apni Party states that “solution to Jammu Kashmir’s problem lies at New Delhi.” Dr Farooq while speaking to news agency said, “So far we haven’t received any formal invitation from New Delhi for talks. If we get any invitation, we will first sit and discuss the strategy to be adopted for the meeting. So far we haven’t received any invitation from Centre.” The PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, ho...
Youth from Kulgam Kashmir Scales Mount Everest

Youth from Kulgam Kashmir Scales Mount Everest

UPDATES
Danishwar Hameed A 26-year-old youth Mahfooz Illahie from Kulgam, South Kashmir became the first Kashmiri from Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & winter sports to summit Mount Everest. Mahfooz who is a postgraduate in economics and has also done B.ed told The Kashmiriyat that, It was the first-ever international expedition of JIM&WS (Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & winter sports) and NIM Uttar Kashi (Nehru Institute of Mountaineering)." Mahfooz is an instructor at the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS) in Aru (Pahalgam). He said that it was the toughest tower expedition because all the time cyclones hit back to back. "We had to suffer hinderances due to bad weather, stormy winds and avalanches." "At 6.20 am on June 1, Mahf...
Ehsaas Trust International Thanks Iran for Donating Oxygen Concentrators to Kashmir

Ehsaas Trust International Thanks Iran for Donating Oxygen Concentrators to Kashmir

UPDATES
Irshad Hussain As the deadly second wave of coronavirus hit the world which badly affected the health structure of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran has donated 300 oxygen concentrators to India among which Kashmir-based voluntary organization Ehsaas Trust International (ETI) has also been given a share. A statement from ETI Thursday said that the oxygen concentrators have been actually donated by the Astan-e-Quds, a powerful religious institution of Iran on the directions of the spiritual head and the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Syed Ali Hussaini Khamenei. The concentrators were delivered through the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic in New Delhi Dr. Agha Ali Chegeni. While talking to The Kashmiriyat General Secretary of Ehsaas InternationaI Hakim Mohammed Ilyas said t...
Elections in Jammu Kashmir? Government Likely to Initiate Dialogue with Political Parties- Report

Elections in Jammu Kashmir? Government Likely to Initiate Dialogue with Political Parties- Report

UPDATES
The BJP led Central Government is likely to start talks with the political parties of Jammu Kashmir, NDTV reported. The talks are being held to restore statehood and to hold elections in the region. The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration- an amalgam of various political groups operating in the region for the restoration of special status of Jammu Kashmir has not received any formal invitation from the Modi-led Government as of now, but they have expressed willingness to join talks with the centre. The National Conference has said that it may participate in the delimitation process, but the People's Democratic Party has outrightly denied to participate in the process saying, "we do not have any MLAs or MPs to participate in the delimitation process." In June 2018, Jammu Ka...
‘Asked to Vacate Land, Received Property Tax Bills from Forces’- Allege Srinagar Residents

‘Asked to Vacate Land, Received Property Tax Bills from Forces’- Allege Srinagar Residents

UPDATES
The Badami Bagh Cantonment Board (BBCB) has allegedly started imposing property tax in areas under its jurisdiction in Srinagar city. Locals from the Sonwar, Indra Nagar, Batwara areas in Srinagar city have reported that they have received tax bills for the present year on their residential properties. According to the latest report by Kashmir Life, the BBCB has issued these bills under the 'Section 66(a) Cantonment Act 2006'. The locals have said that higher taxes have been imposed on the commercial properties in the area. A local says, "I received a bill of Rs 25000 for the period beginning from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022." Although, he said that the quality of the civic facilities provided by the board was pathetic. The locals have said that they will not pay tax on...