Posts Tagged ‘Srinagar’
Written by admin on 10 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 10 (IANS) Normal life in Srinagar was affected Monday owing to a shutdown called by the separatist Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) to protest against a court order sentencing two locals to life imprisonment.
“Kashmiris are being imprisoned in 22-year-old cases. The state is following a policy of revenge. We appeal to the Indian civil society to ensure that such vindictive tactics are stopped,” Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of JKLF, told IANS.
Activists will participate in a day-long hunger strike at the JKLF’s Maisuma headquarters in the city. A torchlight protest will be held in the evening, Malik said.
The strike has been supported by the local bar association, separatist groups Mahaz-e-Azadi, Dukhtaran-e-Milat and guerrilla outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Shops and businesses establishments remained closed, while attendance in educational institutions, government offices, banks and post offices in the city was thin.
Although public transport remained off the road, private vehicles plied on the roads.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) contingents were deployed in strength in various areas. However, the authorities did not impose restrictions anywhere in the city.
Tags: Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar
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Written by admin on 08 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 8 (IANS) The clean sweep by the ruling National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance, which won the polls for all the four legislative council seats Wednesday, has dispelled the notion that the alliance’s popularity had not percolated to the grassroots in Jammu and Kashmir.
The ruling allies, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, jointly fought the elections, at which more than 90 percent of the 33,540 sarpanches and panches came out to vote despite a boycott call by separatists. A total of 96 percent village heads and council members voted Dec 3 to send representatives to the upper house of the state’s bicameral legislature. These electons drew wide attention as they were being held after 38 years with militant organisations and separatist leaders calling for a poll boycott year after year.
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The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) fielded candidates for all four seats – two from the Jammu region and two from the Valley. The NC and the Congress fielded one candidate each from Jammu and the Valley. The electorate for the council polls comprised 33,540 elected panches and sarpanches, with 15,628 in Jammu region and 17,912 in the Kashmir Valley.
The common belief in political circles before the election results were announced was that the NC-Congress coalition in reality is an alliance between the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Abdullahs. Thus not many in Jammu and Kashmir believed that the alliance had percolated to the grassroots level. The internal bickering between some NC and Congress leaders lent credence to the belief.
In such a scenario, not many thought that the sarpanches and panches of the NC would vote for the Congress and vice versa.
About 170 sarpanches and panches of Kargil district voted for the Congress but not for the NC as they did not cast their second vote.
Notwithstanding this aberration, the complete synergy between the NC and the Congress resulted in the victory of all the four candidates fielded by the alliance.
When Omar Abdullah spoke of a grand alliance between the NC and the Congress for the 2014 state assembly elections last month, some Congress leaders had labelled this premature.
The thrill of victory will last for long for the two parties. The decision to fight the council elections jointly has created a huge constituency within the NC and the Congress which now supports the prospect of the alliance jointly fighting the 2014 elections.
Despite having won the majority of its assembly seats from the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian in the 2008 elections, the PDP has not performed as expected in its perceived strong bastions. The PDP finished second after the NC-Congress in the elections, while the BJP was pushed to the third position by the PDP.
The good news for the PDP is that in the Jammu region, the party has made significant inroads. However, it has failed to register any noticeable presence in Leh and Kargil.
PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar conceded defeat, but said it did not contain any message for 2014. He also tried to offer reasons for the coalition’s victory.
Abdullah has cautioned the NC cadre against complacency. “Your real test would be the 2014 elections,” he told a celebration rally of party workers in Jammu.
The chief irritant who could still upset the coalition applecart by his volatile statements against the Congress is none other than Abdullah’s uncle and senior NC leader Mustafa Kamal. When the coalition partners were celebrating the victory Wednesday, the vernacular press again carried a statement by Kamal criticising the Congress.
Of the 36 seats in the state legislative council, six (four from panchayat quota and two from local bodies) were lying vacant since the last panchayat polls in 2011.
(Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in)
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 07 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 7 (IANS) Police arrested Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) following post-prayer protests in uptown Maisuma locality of summer capital Srinagar Friday.
Malik was leading dozens of supporters after the Friday prayers during a JKLF march to city centre Lal Chowk from the adjacent Maisuma locality.
Police intercepted the march and arrested Malik and five other JKLF leaders. This resulted in protests as people in the area resorted to heavy stone pelting at police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
Security forces used batons and tear gas shells to disperse the protesters who kept regrouping to throw stones at the forces.
Malik and the five leaders were taken to Kothibagh police station.
Friday’s protest was against the sentencing of three Kashmiris by courts in the state for their involvement in separatist violence during the last 23 years.
Malik told IANS: “After 20 years, Kashmiris are being sentenced to life imprisonment. Why were we released from jails in the first place? If there is no embargo on peaceful protests I must ask the Indian civil society why are old cases being opened up against Kashmiris now?”
“Ours is a peaceful struggle and pushing people to the wall would be dangerous. I appeal to the intelligentsia and the civil society in India to ponder over the serious situation that is emerging because of the sentencing of our people to life imprisonment,” Malik added.
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 06 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 6 (IANS) Rights groups here Thursday released the names of 500 people, including 235 army personnel and 31 pro-government militants, for their alleged involvement in incidents of rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir during the last 20 years.
“The intention of naming army, paramilitary, police and government-backed militants is to remove the veil of anonymity and secrecy that has sustained impunity,” International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian Administered Kashmir (IPTK) and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) told reporters here.
“Out of 214 cases, a list emerges of 500 individual perpetrators — 235 army personnel, 123 paramilitary personnel, 111 Jammu and Kashmir police personnel and 31 government-backed militants,” the report said.
Among the alleged perpetrators are two major generals, three brigadiers, nine colonels, three lieutenant colonels, 78 majors and 25 captains of the army; 37 officers of paramilitary forces; a retired director general of state police and a serving inspector general of police.
“The cases presented in this report reveal that there is a policy not to genuinely investigate or prosecute the armed forces (personnel) for human rights violations. There is an occasional willingness to order compensatory relief but not to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the report said.
Khurram Parvez, coordinator of the tribunal said: “The tribunal and APDP cannot conclusively pronounce on the guilt of any of the alleged perpetrators, but it is clear that enough evidence exists to warrant further investigations and prosecutions.”
The term “disappeared persons” is used to describe people lifted either by the security forces or the militants during the last 23 years of violence in the state, whose whereabouts were never heard of after that.
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 06 December 2012
Srinagar/Jammu, Dec 6 (IANS) The ruling National Conference-Congress coalition in Jammu and Kashmir has won all four seats in the state legislative council from the panchayat reserved quota polling for which was held Dec 3, it was announced Thursday.
In Jammu region, both the coalition candidates, Shahnaz Ganai of the regional NC (by a margin of 6,917 votes) and Sham Lal Bhagat of the Congress (by 7,285 votes) defeated their nearest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rivals.
In the Kashmir Valley, NC candidate Ali Muhammad Dar defeated his nearest PDP rival Peer Muhammad Hussain by 2,900 votes while Ghulam Nabi Moonga of the Congress won over his PDP rival Yasir Reshi by over 1,900 votes.
The contest was multi-cornered with all the parties fielding their candidates, while the coalition partners – NC and Congress shared two seats each in Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley.
These elections from the panchayat quota were held after 38 years in Jammu and Kashmir under the backdrop of threat by militants’ organisations and separatist leaders calling for a poll boycott.
Of the 36 seats in the state legislative council, six (four from panchayat quota and two from local bodies) were lying vacant since the last panchayat polls in 2011.
The electorate for the council polls comprised 33,540 elected panches and sarpanches (village council members and heads), with 15,628 in Jammu region and 17,912 in the Kashmir Valley.
A total of 96 percent village heads and council members voted Dec 3 to send representatives to the upper house of the state’s bicameral legislature.
The last panchayat quota legislative council elections were held in 1974.
The victory for the ruling alliance in all the four seats for the legislative council is seen as a significant development and the polls are an acid test in the run up to the 2014 assembly elections.
Tags: Jammu, Srinagar
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Written by admin on 05 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 5 (IANS) Life returned to normal in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital Wednesday as curfew was lifted from parts of the old city and tension eased following last week’s sectarian clashes.
After four days, curfew has been lifted in the Zadibal, Nowhatta and Urdu Bazar areas, a police officer said.
Shia-Sunni clashes last week had led to curfew being imposed for three days. While the restrictions were lifted from most areas Saturday, it was reimposed in parts of the city after fresh clashes.
On Wednesday, private and public transport moved as usual. Shops and other business establishments also opened up.
Government offices, banks, post offices and educational institutions were, however, closed due to a public holiday in the state to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference.
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 04 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 4 (IANS) The mercury plunged to a new low in Jammu and Kashmir, with Srinagar witnessing its coldest day of the season Tuesday at minus 2.9 degrees Celsius and Leh shivering at minus 12.2 degrees.
Kargil town near the Pakistan border recorded minus seven degrees, Sonam Lotus, director of the Met office, told IANS.
In Gulmarg, the minimum temperature was minus five degrees and in Pahalgam minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.
Although taps did not freeze anywhere in Srinagar due to sub-zero temperatures, a thin layer of frozen water was seen at many places over stagnant water pools.
“It was a bitter cold in the morning today (Tuesday). After sunrise, things improved,” said Feroze Ahmad, 32, of Natipora locality.
Lotus said snowfall was expected in the higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley Dec 8.
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 04 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 4 (IANS) Curfew continued for the fourth day Tuesday in parts of this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital following sectarian clashes last week.
Curfew would continue uninterrupted in the Nowhatta and Zadibal areas as well as in Urdu Bazar, a police officer said.
Sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni Muslims had erupted in the old city areas of Srinagar last week Wednesday. Curfew was clamped in nine police station areas when police failed to end the violence. This had been lifted Saturday.
While life remained normal in all other places, clashes had again erupted in some parts after curfew was lifted. Authorities then reimposed curfew in these areas Saturday.
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 03 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 3 (IANS) A curfew imposed in parts of this Jammu and Kashmir capital was extended for the second consecutive day Monday in order to prevent sectarian clashes, police said.
The curfew would continue in areas under the Nowhatta and Zadibal police stations in the old part of the city, a senior police officer told IANS Monday.
He added that curfew restrictions would also remain in force in areas under the Urdu Bazar police post.
Following Shia-Sunni clashes last week, a curfew was imposed in the city for three days. While the curfew was lifted from most of the areas Saturday, it was reimposed in parts of the city following eruption of fresh violence between members of the two Muslim communities.
Life in most parts of the city remained normal Monday as people went about their routine work. Government offices, banks, post offices, educational institutions, shops, transport and other businesses functioned normally in these areas.
Tags: Srinagar
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Written by admin on 03 December 2012
Jammu/Srinagar, Dec 3 (IANS) Polling is on in Jammu and Kashmir for four seats in the legislative council reserved for panchayats. The last time these elections were held was in 1980.
Severe morning cold Monday led to a slow start to polling for the two seats in the Kashmir Valley, while voting was brisker in the Jammu region.
Of 36 seats in the state’s legislative council, six (including four from panchayat quota and two from local governing bodies) are lying vacant.
The electoral college – comprising elected panches and sarpanches (villasge council members and chiefs) – has 33,540 votes, of which the Jammu region has 15,628 votes, and the Kashmir Valley 17,912.
Counting of votes, being cast through electronic voting machines (EVMs), will be held Dec 6.
“Polling started at 9 a.m. at various polling stations across the valley for the elections today. The turnout of panches and sarpanches was low in the beginning because of the cold, but is likely to pick up as the day warms. The voting process will end at 5 p.m.,” Asgar Hassan Samoon, Kashmir divisional commissioner, who is also the returning officer for these polls, told IANS in the morning.
The contest is multi-cornered, with all parties fielding their candidates.
While the coalition partners National Conference (NC) and Congress are sharing two seats each in the Jammu region and Kashmir, opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Panthers Party (PP), have fielded candidates for all four seats.
The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has fielded candidates for three seats – two in the Jammu region and one in Kashmir.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too has fielded three candidates.
Although these are only polls for four seats in the legislative council, there are those who hold that the results could be read as a foretaste of the 2014 general elections. The contest has thus become a matter of prestige for the parties.
In Kashmir, balloting is taking place at 77 polling stations, of which 42 have been declared as sensitive, 11 hypersensitive and 24 normal, based on perceptions of threat from separatist guerrillas.
While Ali Muhammad Dar of the NC is contesting these elections from the valley, the Congress has fielded Ghulam Nabi Moonga.
The PDP has fielded Yasir Reshi and Peer Muhammad Hussain against the ruling alliance candidates in the valley.
In all, across the state, 37 candidates are in the fray for Monday’s polls.
Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has asked people to boycott these polls.
The turnout of panches and sarpanches during these polls is being keenly watched in the valley, because of the threats the elected local body leaders have received from separatist guerrillas, asking them to resign their positions as representatives.
Tags: Jammu, Srinagar
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Written by admin on 03 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 3 (IANS) Severe morning cold Monday led to a dull start to polling for the two legislative council (LC) seats reserved for panchayats in the Valley.
The last time these elections were held was over 30 years ago, in 1980.
Jammu and Kashmir has a bicameral legislature. Four seats in the upper house, the legislative council, are reserved for panchayats.
Of these, two seats fall in Kashmir, while the other two are in Jammu.
Around 17,912 panches and sarpanches (village council members and chiefs) form the electoral college for the two legislative council seats in the valley.
“Polling started at 9 a.m. this morning at various polling stations across the valley for the elections today. The turnout of panches and sarpanches was low in the beginning because of the cold, but is likely to pick up as the day warms. The voting process will end at 5 p.m.,” Asgar Hassan Samoon, Kashmir divisional commissioner, who is also the returning officer for these polls, told IANS.
Various block development offices across the valley have been designated polling stations for Monday’s elections.
In all, 33,540 panches and sarpanches across the state are expected to vote at 149 polling stations to elect four legislative council members Monday.
In Kashmir, polling is taking place at 77 polling stations, of which 42 have been declared as sensitive, 11 hypersensitive and 24 normal, based on perceptions of threat from separatist guerrillas.
The ruling Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance is fighting these elections jointly, fielding four candidates, two from the Jammu region and two from the valley.
The main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also has fielded four candidates, two from each region of the state.
While Ali Muhammad Dar of the NC is contesting these elections from the valley, the Congress has fielded Ghulam Nabi Moonga.
The PDP has fielded Yasir Reshi and Peer Muhammad Hussain against the ruling alliance candidates in the Valley.
In all, across the state, 37 candidates are in the fray for Monday’s polls.
Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has asked people to boycott these polls.
The turnout of panches and sarpanches during these polls is being keenly watched because of the threats they have been receiving from separatist guerrillas to resign their positions as village representatives.
Tags: Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar
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Written by admin on 01 December 2012
Srinagar, Dec 1 (IANS) A curfew imposed after Shia-Sunni clashes earlier this week and lifted from most parts of the city Saturday morning would remain force in some areas of the summer capital Sunday to maintain law and order, the authorities said.
The district magistrate announced that curfew would remain in force in Zadibal and Nowhatta police station areas Sunday.
“Curfew would also remain in force in areas falling under police post Urdu Bazar in the city,” a senior police officer told IANS.
Sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni Muslims had erupted in the city Wednesday following which authorities had placed nine police station areas of the city under curfew.
Life started normally in the city after the curfew was lifted Saturday, but two groups again clashed with each other in Hawal and Zadibal areas of old city forcing the authorities to re-impose restrictions there.
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