Senior National Conference (NC) leader and former minister Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has responded sharply to comments made by NC’s Budgam candidate, Aga Syed Mehmood, who claimed that Ruhullah would campaign for the party in the upcoming Budgam Assembly by-election. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ruhullah clarified that his loyalty is guided by his conscience and principles, not by imposed narratives. “My loyalty is to my conscience and principles,” he wrote. While maintaining respect for his elders within the family, Ruhullah urged them not to undermine his political struggle or misrepresent his stance. “While I hold respect for my elders in my family, I request them not to belittle my fight (our fight). If they can’t comprehend it and be part of it, at least don’t drag me and my...

After the Congress declined the offer to contest the Nagrota seat, the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (NC) on Monday announced that District Development Council (DDC) member Shamim Begum will be its candidate from the constituency. NC’s Provincial President for Jammu, Rattan Lal Gupta, confirmed the decision, saying, “The party high command has cleared her name and she will be filing her nomination papers soon.” Shamim Begum, a Muslim Gujjar woman, had earlier won the 2020 DDC elections from Nagrota. The Congress, meanwhile, has opted out of the contest in a bid to strengthen the alliance’s chances against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a late-night statement, the party said it decided to leave the seat to its ally, the National Conference, “keeping in view the larger int...

Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) candidate from Budgam constituency, Agha Syed Mahmood, on Monday said that senior leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi remains loyal to the party and will lead the campaign for the upcoming Budgam bypolls. Mahmood, who was declared NC’s candidate for Budgam on Sunday, earlier won from Pattan in 1987 and Beerwah in 1996. Speaking to reporters, Mahmood said the National Conference played a defining role in Ruhullah’s political journey. “It’s the NC that made him what he is today. His role in the campaign is important, and I believe he will definitely come forward,” he said. He added that he shares a close bond with Ruhullah. “Politics aside, he’s like my own son. We’ve been regularly talking to each other,” Mahmood said. Dismissing speculation o...

Murtaza Bilal A Kashmiri doctor pursuing postgraduate studies at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu was allegedly harassed and targeted with communal slurs by fellow doctors on the night of October 18. According to reports, Dr. Hilal, a first-year PG student from Kulgam, returned from night duty to find his hostel room vandalized. “Some drunk doctors broke the door of his hostel room and started abusing Kashmiris,” said Dr. Moomin Khan, Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), while speaking to The Kashmiriyat. Dr. Moomin said this was not an isolated incident. “It keeps happening, but today’s incident needs official attention. Today they broke the door; tomorrow, they might come inside the room, and God knows what ...

After nearly eight months of detention, the Public Safety Act of prominent social activist Waqar H. Bhatti was quashed by the court. His wife, Roohi Bhatti, confirmed to The Kashmiriyat that her husband, who is an activist from Rajouri district of Jammu Kashmir, has been released. “Waqar was detained in February and it has been a long and painful wait for our family. We are relieved that the court finally restored his liberty,” she said, adding that he had been booked under multiple cases for what she described as “his outspoken views The Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, in a judgement, quashed the detention of Mohd Waqar alias Waqar H Bhatti of Rajouri, who had been held under the Public Safety Act (PSA), calling the order “arbitrary” and passed “without application of mind.”...

Suhail Dar Fatima Begum, an elderly woman from Monglad area of Tangmarg in north Kashmir, spent over 24 hours sitting helplessly at Jammu railway station, waiting for her son who had promised to take her along to Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, but never returned. The 65-year-old woman said her son, who sells walnuts, almonds and apples in Saharanpur during the winter months, had taken her to the railway station on Friday evening along with his wife and child. “He told me we would all travel together. He asked me to wait at the platform while he arranged the tickets. Then… they just disappeared,” she said, her voice trembling. Passengers at the station said they saw the elderly woman wandering around platforms late into the night, clutching a small bag and repeatedly asking people if t...

A 30-year-old man was injured after being attacked with an axe outside his residence in the Danmar Sangam area of Srinagar on Saturday, official sources said. The injured, a local resident, was rushed to SKIMS Soura with head and multiple injuries. His condition is stated to be stable. Officials said the attack was carried out by a person known to him. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and started investigation. This comes just days after Srinagar Police arrested three persons involved in another axe attack on an 18-year-old youth near Haroon Bakery, Qamarwari, on October 14. The assailants in that case were arrested during overnight raids, and the weapon was recovered. Police said the earlier assault stemmed from a personal grudge, but further investigation is underway to d...