Senior Ladakh leader and Buddhist figure Chering Dorje Lakruk has acknowledged that while people in Ladakh once opposed Article 370, in retrospect, they now see it as a safeguard that protected their land, culture, and livelihoods for decades. In an interview with The Indian Express, Lakruk, Co-chairman of the Apex Body, Leh (ABL) and president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, said the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 left Ladakh vulnerable to outside interests. “We used to curse Article 370 because it was an obstacle in our way to becoming a Union Territory. But it protected us for 70 years. Our land was totally safe. Now Ladakh has been opened up for the entire India. We have no safeguard,” he said. Lakruk warned that outsiders are purchasing land, hotel chains are expanding in...

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said India’s vision of Viksit Bharat must be guided by ecological and economic integrity, calling biodiversity protection a national mission that requires collective action. Speaking at the Pride of Jammu and Kashmir award ceremony organised by Network 18 in Srinagar, Sinha felicitated Army personnel, NDRF and SDRF teams, J&K Police, NGOs, and civil administration officials for their exemplary service during recent natural disasters in the region. He praised their courage and dedication in rescue and relief operations, saying their efforts provided hope amid devastation. Reiterating the Centre’s commitment to development in the region under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Sinha said Jammu Kashmir’s growth momentum was bein...

Jammu Kashmir Crime Branch has arrested a serving Army trooper in connection with the August 21 incident at a physiotherapy center in Jammu’s Sainik Colony. The firing left a Mumbai woman, Mahjabeen Aqeel Sheikh, dead and two other women seriously injured. According to official sources, the arrested soldier has been identified as Naik Sher Singh, posted at the Army’s Movement Control Office (MCO). A resident of Hisar, Haryana, he was on duty at Jammu Tawi Railway Station. Reports available with The Kashmiriyat suggest that he he fired eight rounds, though it is yet to be confirmed whether the pistol used was official or privately owned. Police officials said initial investigation revealed that Sher Singh allegedly wanted to marry a colleague working at the physiotherapy cent...

Leh Apex Body (LAB) has strongly criticized claims suggesting foreign involvement in the recent Leh violence, terming such assertions as baseless and misleading. Ashraf Ali, a senior member of LAB, said that the protests which turned violent on September 24 were driven by local frustration and had no external influence. “To project the agitation as being controlled by foreign hands is not only untrue but also an insult to the people of Ladakh,” he stated. He added that some non-local labourers from Nepal, Doda, and other areas were caught in the clashes, with several sustaining injuries. According to Ali, nearly 90 civilians were injured during police action on the day of the violence. LAB has reiterated its demand for a judicial inquiry into the incident to ascertain accountabili...