Srinagar: Authorities in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir have made a COVID-19 negative report and vaccine certificate mandatory for visitors to tourist places, including the famous resort of Pahalgam, in the district to prevent the resurgence of coronavirus, officials said on Sunday.

The district administration of Anantnag in south Kashmir, which is home to several tourist spots and public parks, said the visitors to public parks and tourist spots will be permitted only upon producing vaccination certificates and COVID-negative reports to combat the spread of the virus, the officials said.

As per an order issued by Additional District Magistrate, Chief Executive Officer, DDMA Anantnag, joint enforcement teams of civil and police administration have been constituted to ensure observance of COVID-19 SOPs at tourist destinations and public parks.

The enforcement teams shall also comprise officials of floriculture department, development authorities and municipalities, the officials said.

The prescribed preventive protocols have been issued to prevent possible spread/transmission of COVID infections, they said.

The chief medical officer has been asked to deploy teams at public parks/tourist sites for on-spot testing and vaccination of visitors, they added.

The order asked the joint teams to file a daily action taken report regarding the imposition of fines, etc. In case of violation of COVID SOPs.

The constituted teams shall ensure COVID-19 protocols are followed in Wazir Bagh Park, Achabal Garden, Verinag Garden, Pahalgam, Aru, Betab Valley, Dara Shikoh Garden, Kokernag Botanical Garden and other tourist spots/parks, the officials said.

Pahalgam and other tourist spots in the district as well as in other districts of the valley have been witnessing heavy influx of visitors due to rising temperature in Srinagar and other urban areas.

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Jammu: The delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir will be transparent in nature and there should be no fears and doubts over it, Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai said on Friday, seeking to dispel apprehensions among a section of political leaders and people that it is a pre-planned exercise guided by the agenda of a political party.

Desai, who heads the Delimitation Commission, was on a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir along with its other members to gather “first hand” inputs on the conduct of the mega exercise to redraw constituencies and carve out new ones in the union territory.

The commission said the exercise would be done according to the Census of 2011 and that the 24 assembly seats falling in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will remain vacant and are out of its preview.

“I assure you from myself and my colleagues that the exercise is going to be transparent as per laid down law. I do not think anybody should have any such apprehensions,” Justice (retd) Desai told reporters here.

She was replying to a question about apprehensions expressed by a section of political parties and people in Kashmir that it is a pre-planned exercise guided by the agenda of a political party.

“The exercise will be transparent in nature and there should be no fears and doubts. We can only talk to those who want to participate in the process. Those who don’t want to, have their own choice,” she said.

She said, “We are confident that we will finish this task as per laid down law in a transparent manner. Otherwise, we would have not been coming here and spending these days hearing all.”

Replying to another question about the PDP staying away from its proceedings, she said the commission wishes they had taken part. “All other parties participated,” she added.

The Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP stayed away from its proceedings stating that there was a perception that the outcome of the process was preplanned.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, who is also part of the commission, said they had come here with an open mind.

“If we had something in mind and had decided earlier, the commission would not have come here to hear from people. We are very clear on this that nothing has been decided,” he said.

“Before starting the exercise, we want to have the views of all persons. These apprehensions in the mind of any person, if at all, should go away,” he said.

Chandra said the draft prepared by the commission will be put in the public domain for objections and queries. They said the associate members of the commission will also be consulted when preparing the final draft.

He said the exercise to re-draw boundaries of Assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir is a ‘very complex issue and not mere arithmetic.’

On the demand of defreezing of 24 PoK seats, he said that it is clearly mentioned in the law that these constituencies should remain vacant and will be out of the preview of the Delimitation Commission.

A delegation of the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit on Thursday met the Delimitation Commission and demanded the unfreezing of the 24 assembly seats falling in PoK to grant reservation to people displaced from PoK, Kashmir Pandits, SCs and STs.

The commission met different delegations in Kashmir on July 6 and July 7 and in Jammu on July 8 and July 9.

The commission met over 290 delegations comprising over 800 people.

Asked whether Jammu will get Justice this time as it has faced discrimination with regard to political empowerment, Chandra said that for the commission, Jammu and Kashmir is one union territory.

“We see it as one entity. We do not bifurcate between Kashmir and Jammu,” he added.

He said the visit of the commission was to ascertain ground realities.

“It is not arithmetical exercise, it is not mathematical exercise, it was to know genuine concerns of the public, to know genuine difficulties of the people,” he said. 

Meanwhile, according to a Hindustan Times report, Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday (July 10) has appointed 20 nodal officers, one in each district, to help the Delimitation Commission reorganise new constituencies in the next nine months.

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Srinagar: In a joint operation, the police and CRPF busted a hideout belonging to the banned terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore on Thursday (July 8).

One over ground worker (OGW) was arrested during the raid. The security said that they recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

“Today on specific information a cordon and search operation was launched at Ganai Mohalla Doabgah Sopore by Police Sopore and CRPF. A terrorist hideout belonging to banned terrorist organisation Hizbul mujahideen was busted in the basement of a single-story house,” a police handout read.

“Inside the hideout, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered, which was to be used to cause a major attack (fidayeen) on the security forces. The hideout was destroyed on spot in presence of Executive Magistrate,” it added. 

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New Delhi: Golf made accessible to the common man. It is no longer the game of the elite. Dream of Inclusive society being realised. 

First time in the history of Kashmir which is considered the golf capital of the country and is having international golf courses a Golf academy is opened by the government for the Government school children and golf lovers.

Kashmir, which has hosted hundreds of international golfer’s across the globe in prestigious golf tournaments in the Union Territory in past, has never witnessed a middle-class individual joining the game. Even entering the golf course remained a distant dream for a common man Kashmiri in past. 

But now things are have changed Jammu and Kashmir government has made this royal game accessible to a common middle-class person of Kashmir. 

The first batch to young Kashmiri golfer’s is undergoing 15 days of training in a century-old heritage Kashmir golf course. In the first 15 days, a training course total of 50 students of various government schools of Srinagar will take the training among them 25 are girls and 25 are boys. 

The participants are excited and happy that they are playing the game which they know is only meant for rich people’s and are thankful to the government of Jammu and Kashmir for providing them such a platform. 

Player Resha said, “This is the first batch of golf from Kashmir we were not aware of golf in schools we have played first-time golf and this is the first batch of Kashmir golf was known as the royal game which belonged to rich families but now people below the poverty line will also play the game we are very thankful to our governor who has given us this opportunity.”

Another player Rehana said, “We have heard this is played by people who belong to rich families we have never thought we will play this game there were all games in school but golf was not there as we don’t belong to rich families we feel very good that we are playing this game. We thank the government that they provide us this opportunity.” 

Kashmir golf club is one of the oldest golf clubs with rich history, is the second only in the country after the Royal Golf Club, Kolkata is providing those students this training free of cost. From equipment to refreshment everything is given free to them. There is a full-time coach training them and eminent coaches of the country will come to help in training to this first batch. 

The restoration work of the historic Golf Course which was in shambles after the 2014 floods have been done in the best way while maintaining its heritage. The aim behind the opening of the first golf academy is to make golf accessible to common people and to give the best golf players to the country from Kashmir. The authorities are of the view that talent of the sports can’t be limited, it always comes out in one form or the other just needs an opportunity. And With proper resources and the right training, Kashmir can produce Golf champions in the future. 

Javeed Bakhsi ( MD Golf development authority) said, “We have physically fit youth to play golf so we thought of academy so that we can train people from this age so that they can play for the country at national or international level. The academy will provide them training in a professional manner. Golf is a game of discipline it’s a bit different game that’s why was called an elite game but we have broken that barrier too this initiative is taken by LG.”

“We have 25 girls session in the morning and 25 boys session in the evening all are from various government schools of Srinagar we had coached for them here and all those international players will come to play here will give them lectures too. We have good potential but a little bit we need to handle it and we are hopeful that out of this batch you will see a national level player soon,” he added.

The government is having a huge plan to boost the sports activities in Jammu and Kashmir. A multi-pronged strategy of developing sports infrastructure, organising sports events across the UT, arranging the best coaches, continuously monitoring and fully utilising the assets has been prepared. Jammu and Kashmir is a powerhouse of sporting talent and the administration is working diligently in creating a flourishing sports culture and providing the right platforms to budding sportspersons.

At least 17 national-level sports events will be held in Jammu and Kashmir alone this year so that youth get an opportunity to show their talent. More than 17 lakh children will take part in different sports avenues this year across Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister is also showing interest in the sports activities of Jammu and Kashmir have given Rs. 200 crore to enhance and upgrade the sports infrastructure of J&K under PMDP (Prime Minister development package). 

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Hizb-ul-Mujahideen

Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Ubaid, one of the oldest commanders of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen for North, was killed at Pazipora area of Kralgund in Handwara, north Kashmir. 

New Delhi: As the Delimitation Commission interacted with members of seven registered political parties of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday (July 6), the Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stayed away from the meeting. The commission, comprising Justice (Retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra, and Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan, is on a four-day visit to the Union Territory tasked with the aim to carve out new constituencies. 

On Tuesday, in a letter to the Delimitation Commission chairperson Justice Desai, PDP General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura shunned the meeting and said that his party will stay away from this exercise as they believe it may further “hurt the interests of our people.” 

“Our party has decided to stay away from this process and not be part of some exercise, the outcome which is widely believed to be pre-planned and which may further hurt the interests of our people,” ANI cited PDP’s letter as saying.

Attacking the Centre, Hanjura wrote that the government has “continued with its daily dictates to the people of J-K including the recent amendments and orders including those making every person a suspect (Government employees antecedents verification order) and deepening the divide between two regions of J-K (the order related to Darbar move).” 

Mufti was among the J&K leaders to attend the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on June 24. PDP said that despite suggesting “confidence-building measures”, the party is disappointed to see that “nothing has moved and no effort has been made to bring ease into the lives of people”. 

“In the meeting, we emphasised the need to reach out to the people of J-K and suggested specific confidence-building measures that could lead to breaking the ice in the process of addressing the massive trust deficit between New Delhi and J-K,” and added that PDP was disappointed to see that “nothing has moved and no effort has been made to bring ease into the lives of people, giving credence to those, who had in the first instance, called the meeting a mere photo opportunity.”

Further, PDP questioned the autonomy of the Commission and said, “Delimitation Commission lacks constitutional and legal mandate in the first place and its very existence and objectives have left every ordinary resident of J-K with many questions. There are apprehensions that the delimitation exercise is part of the overall process of political disempowerment of the people of J-K that the Government of India has embarked on.”

“There are apprehensions that the process is aimed at realising the political vision of a particular political party in J-K wherein, like other things, the views and wishes of the people of J-K would be considered the least. It is a widespread belief that contours and outcome of the exercise are pre-planned. The very intent is under question,” the letter added. 

Meanwhile, as per ANI sources, the members of each political party handed over a separate memorandum to the commission on Tuesday. The Commission is in Jammu and Kashmir till July 9 to interact with union territory administrative officials, political parties and public representatives.

(With agency inputs)

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Srinagar: A five-member delegation of the National Conference (NC) will meet the Delimitation Commission, arriving on a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

According to reports, the Omar Abdullah-led party has nominated Abdul Raheem Rather, Mohammad Shafi Uri, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Nasir Aslam Wani and Sakina Ittoo to meet the commission at a hotel here.

They will represent the party and put forward their viewpoints and suggestions before the commission, a National Conference leader said. The commission has allotted 20 minutes to each party to put forth their views about the delimitation process in Jammu and Kashmir, the NC leader said.

The NC has been given a time slot of 5.10 pm to 5.30 pm, he added. 

However, Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP will skip the meeting with the delimitation commission in Jammu & Kashmir. Mehbooba’s stand comes a day after the Gupkar Alliance expressed “disappointment” with the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, saying the Centre had failed to act on Confidence Building Measures such as the release of political prisoners and “taking concrete steps to end the siege & atmosphere of suppression that has choked J&K since 2019”.

 

Leaders of BJP, Congress, CPI, CPI (Marxist), BSP, National Conference, Panthers Party, J&K People’s Conference & J&K Apni Party to meet Delimitation Commission in Srinagar today; no meeting with PDP leaders scheduled

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2021

 

The delimitation commission, which comprises Justice (Retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra, and Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan, will meet political leaders of national and regional registered political parties. 

The purpose of this interaction will be to gather “first-hand” information about the conduct of the mega exercise to carve out new constituencies in J&K.

The commission’s visit comes within a fortnight of the high-level meeting of eight political parties from Jammu and Kashmir with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on June 24.

The commission has invited the leaders of all national, regional and registered political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for separate meetings during its visit to the union territory.

However, People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of six parties including the NC and the PDP, had on Monday said no joint decision has been taken on taking part in the proceedings of the commission and it was left to the individual parties to decide whether they want to participate. 

“As far as the PAGD is concerned, our stand is that these are autonomous bodies and the respective political parties will decide about it (participating in commission’s meeting). Whatever the parties think is suitable for them, they will take steps accordingly,” PAGD spokesperson and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said.

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Jammu: Director General of Police Dilbag Singh has said that Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are behind the dropping of arms, IEDs and narcotics by drones in Jammu and Kashmir recently.

The J&K DGP said that the time has come to defeat and reject terrorism to usher in peace and development in the Union Territory.

Singh warned that the ongoing counter-insurgency operations would be further speeded up to wipe out terrorism, while efforts are on to further strengthen security arrangements to counter the threat posed by the drones, especially in the aftermath of the recent attack on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu.

The DGP, while talking to reporters after the attestation-cum-passing-out parade of the 27th Basic Recruitment Training Course (BRTC) in Kathua district, said LeT’s hand is suspected behind the twin drone strikes inside the IAF station, Jammu in the early hours of Sunday.

“The investigation (in the IAF bombing) is in progress. We have not reached any conclusive stage so as to say who is actually involved but now that we have past history of Lashkar using drones to drop weapons, narcotics on this site besides the ready-made Improvised Explosive Devices to be planted at various locations… So at this stage, I would only say that LeT hand is suspected and rest when we move further in the investigation we will be able to say further,” Singh said.

 

During investigation it’ll be seen if drones were operated from across the border or somewhere near border. There are indications that LeT is behind this as it has executed dozens of such activities earlier,including weapon & IED dropping: J&K DGP on drone attack at Jammu Airbase pic.twitter.com/dfMgmJlwbd

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021

 

Referring to the arrest of a terrorist with 5.5 kgs of IED in Jammu, Singh said a module was busted which was planning to carry out an IED explosion at a crowded place to cause large number of casualties on the same day when the twin bombs were dropped on the air force station.

“The IED came and was sent from the LeT handler from that side (Pakistan). The fellow who was to receive that IED has been arrested by police and is being interrogated. The IED was to be planted at a crowded place to cause a large number of casualties,” the police chief said.

 

We have arrested the person who was to receive the IED and plant it further. LeT is involved in a big way. The fact that LeT is being operated from Pakistan cannot be denied. RDX found in the IED: Jammu & Kashmir DGP pic.twitter.com/gtDRJWTs92

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021

 

He also complimented the security agencies and Jammu police for the successful operation of thwarting the attempt before the IED could be planted.

Describing drones as a major security threat, Singh said, “the use of drones by anti-national elements, terrorists, to drop weapons and IEDs is a threat and we are taking counter steps (to defeat their designs).”

In an appeal to youths, the DGP said Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed lot of death and destruction due to terrorism. “My message to the youth is that there is enough bloodshed of innocents by terrorists and the time has come to reject and defeat terrorism on every front. Youth should be equal partners in peace, prosperity and development and should save themselves from such activities which are not beneficial to them, their families and the society as a whole,” he said.

The police chief said all the security agencies have got together after the drone strike and held a series of meetings to review the security arrangements of vital installations and places to ward off such types of attacks in the future.

(With Agency Inputs)

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BSF

Altered BSF jawans opened fire after they noticed a Pakistani drone near the International Border in Arnia sector in Jammu and Kashmir, news agency ANI reported.

BSF

The Border Security Force (BSF) jawans noticed suspicious drone activity in Arnia sector near international border in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday following which they fired several rounds.

Srinagar: An Indian Army jawan was killed in an encounter with terrorists which broke out in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir in the wee hours of Friday.

The security forces had earlier launched a massive cordon and search operation at Hanjin village in Rajpora area of the district, following information about the presence of some terrorists there, according to news agency PTI.

 

Jammu and Kashmir: An encounter is underway between terrorists and security forces in Hanjin Rajpora area of Pulwama

(Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/W9VeTbFN2C

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021

 

A J&K police official informed that the search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists opened fire on the security forces, which strongly retaliated.

One soldier was injured in the initial exchange of firing with terrorists, the official said, adding that the jawan later succumbed to injuries at a hospital there.

He said three to four terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area where the encounter is still underway.

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New Delhi: An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists at Hanjan village of Rajpora area of district Pulwama in south Kashmir on Friday (July 2, 2021) morning. 

Kashmir zone police tweeted: “#Encounter has started at Hanjin Rajpora area of #Pulwama. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice”

#Encounter has started at Hanjin Rajpora area of #Pulwama. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) July 1, 2021

A police officer said, “Joint team of Police, army and CRPF launched a cordon and search after a specific input about the presence of terrorist in the area.”

He added that the “searching team came under fire as they cordoned the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated and an encounter started.”

Additionally, sources in the police said that they have input about 3-4 four terrorists are hiding in the area. It’s to mention that in the last six months this year 61 terrorists are killed by security forces. 

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NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India’s delimitation commission is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir this week during which it will interact with administrative officials, political parties and public representatives as part of the exercise to complete the delimitation process ahead of polls in the UT.

The visit of the delimitation commission holds significance since it comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s all-party meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir during which they discussed the issue of re-starting political activity in the Union Territory.

What is delimitation?

 

Delimitation is a process of demarcation of the boundaries of parliamentary or assembly constituencies (based on the latest Census data) in a way that the population of all seats is equally covered and get a proper representation.

The Delimitation exercise is carried out after every census. Since it’s a politically sensitive process, it is not carried out by the Centre or state government. Instead, a high-powered body known as the Delimitation Commission is constituted by the Parliament by enacting the Delimitation Act under Article 82 of the Constitution.

The Delimitation Commission is vested with great powers and its orders are legally binding which means they cannot be questioned before any court.

Who all are the members of the Delimitation Commission?

 

The delimitation commission primarily consists of a chairman, who can either be a retired or a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, the chief election commissioner or any of the two election commissioners, and the election commissioner of the state in which the exercise is being carried out.

Besides, a select number of MPs and legislators (maximum 5) of the state chosen for the delimitation exercise can also be included as additional members of the commission.

Delimitation Commission is a temporary body and it entirely depends on the Election Commission for carrying out the delimitation exercise. On behalf of the commission, the poll panel officials collect Census data for each district, tehsil and gram panchayat and on the basis of the information, the new boundaries are demarcated. 

Delimitation is a complex political exercise and can take up to five years.

Who heads the delimitation commission set for J&K?

 

For J&K, a three-member delimitation commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai was set up in March 2020 for a year. Later, the panel got a one-year extension from the Central government on March 3, 2021, after it failed to complete its task last year. The commission had resumed its work in full swing in the run-up to PM Narendra Modi’s recent all-party meeting with top political leaders of J&K.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 notified by the government on August 9, 2019, paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it.

The Act provides that the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.

What will the Delimitation Commission do in J&K?

 

The delimitation commission has been tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies (based on the latest Census data) ahead of the electoral process in J&K and restoration of its statehood in the days to come.  

In order to complete the task of delimitation on time, the District Election Officers and Deputy Commissioners of 20 districts of the Union Territory will gather first-hand information and input concerning the ongoing process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

Why is delimitation exercise in J&K different from other states?

 

The delimitation exercise held in J&K in the past is different than the other states because of the special status accorded to the erstwhile state of J&K under Article 370. In J&K, the delimitation commission was first constituted in 1952 and then in 1963, 1973 and 2002.

While the demarcation of Lok Sabha seats in J&K was governed by the Constitution of India, for Assembly seats of the erstwhile state, it was governed by the Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act, 1957.

The last such exercise in J&K was held in 1995, under the President’s Rule. Retired Justice KK Gupta was the head of the delimitation commission back then. The next delimitation exercise was supposed to be held in 2005, but it was stoped in 2002 after the then Farooq Abdullah government froze the exercise until 2026 by amending the Jammu & Kashmir Representation of the People Act, 1957, and Section 47(3) of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir.

Why J&K leaders are concerned about the delimitation exercise?

 
The delimitation in J&K is a politically sensitive exercise as it concerns the representation of Kashmir where Muslims are in majority and the Hindu-dominated Jammu in the Legislative Assembly. 

Political parties, including BJP, have been demanding greater representation for Jammu in the legislative assembly. To buttress their point, they claim that the freeze enforced by the Farooq Abdullah government in 2002 has led to a poorer representation of Hindus from Jammu. The J&K Assembly, at that time, had 87 seats – 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu and 4 in Ladakh – 24 were reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 notified by the government on August 9, 2019, has paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it. The Act provides that the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.

The mainstream political parties in J&K remain concerned that their political fortunes will see a reversal after the delimitation exercise.

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Srinagar: In a surprise move, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday (June 30) cancelled the residential accommodation of “darbar move” employees in Jammu and Srinagar.

The order stated that all the employees will have to vacate their accommodation within three weeks.

“Cancellation of allotment of residential accommodation of officers/officials at Srinagar as indicated at Annexure-A to this order who are stationed at Jammu, and cancellation of allotment of residential accommodation of officers/officials at Jammu as per Annexure-B to this order who are stationed at Srinagar,” read the government order.

Earlier this month, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had said that the Jammu and Kashmir administration has completely transitioned to e-office, thereby ending the practice of the biannual ”darbar move”.

The government had also said that with this move, both Jammu and Srinagar secretariat will work for all 12 months. It also mentioned that the government will save on millions of rupees due to this decision.

The practice of ‘darbar move’ was started by the Maharaja of Kashmir, Gulab Singh, in 1872. The administration would work from Jammu during the six months of winter while the same would be shifted to Srinagar during the summers.

In practice, all the offices including the Raj Bhawan, the Civil Secretariat, and many other departments used to shift every six months.

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New Delhi: The delimitation commission tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will visit the Union Territory from July 6 to July 9 and interact with administrative officials, political parties and public representatives there.

The decision to visit union territory was taken after the panel held a meeting at the Election Commission office in the national capital today.

“Here the delimitation commission expects all stakeholders to co-operate in providing valuable suggestions so that the task of delimitation completes on time,” informed an official from the ECI.

The official said that District Election Officers and Deputy Commissioners of 20 districts of the Union Territory are tasked to gather first-hand information and input concerning the ongoing process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

On June 23, the Election Commission had conducted virtual discussions with its representatives in Jammu and Kashmir and deputy commissioners regarding the delimitation of the 90 Assembly constituencies in the Union Territory.

In the meeting, that was attended by 20 Deputy Commissioners from Jammu and Kashmir, administrative difficulties faced with respect to the assembly constituencies were discussed. 

This meeting was held a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s all-party meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir where leaders discussed the re-starting of political activity in the Union Territory.

The three-member delimitation commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai was set up in March 2020 for a year. Later, the panel got a one-year extension from the Central government on March 3, 2021, after it failed to complete its task last year.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 notified by the government on August 9, 2019, paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it.

The Act provides that the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.

 Live TV

New Delhi: The delimitation commission tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will visit the Union Territory from July 6 to July 9 and interact with administrative officials, political parties and public representatives there.

The decision to visit union territory was taken after the panel held a meeting at the Election Commission office in the national capital today.

“Here the delimitation commission expects all stakeholders to co-operate in providing valuable suggestions so that the task of delimitation completes on time,” informed an official from the ECI.

The official said that District Election Officers and Deputy Commissioners of 20 districts of the Union Territory are tasked to gather first-hand information and input concerning the ongoing process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

On June 23, the Election Commission had conducted virtual discussions with its representatives in Jammu and Kashmir and deputy commissioners regarding the delimitation of the 90 Assembly constituencies in the Union Territory.

In the meeting, that was attended by 20 Deputy Commissioners from Jammu and Kashmir, administrative difficulties faced with respect to the assembly constituencies were discussed. 

This meeting was held a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s all-party meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir where leaders discussed the re-starting of political activity in the Union Territory.

The three-member delimitation commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai was set up in March 2020 for a year. Later, the panel got a one-year extension from the Central government on March 3, 2021, after it failed to complete its task last year.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 notified by the government on August 9, 2019, paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it.

The Act provides that the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.

 Live TV

Drone

As per sources, one unidentified flying object/drone was sighted over Near Goswami enclave Kaluchak and another flying object/drone was seen near at Air Force Signal Kunjwani area at the height of 800 meters. 

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday (June 29) handed over the probe of the Jammu Air Force station attack case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and has reregistered an FIR under various sections.

According to a press release, the FIR has been registered under sections 3 and 4 of Explosive Substances Act, 1908, sections 13, 16, 18 and 23 of the UA (P) Act, 1967 and sections 307, 120B of IPC, 1860.

The case relates to an explosion that occurred inside the premises of the Air Force Station, Satwari campus, Jammu on June 27 and a subsequent blast, after about 6 minutes carried out by drones in a well-planned conspiracy that led to the injury to two Air Force personnel and damaged the office buildings.

While NIA has been working with other agencies since immediately after the incident, pursuant to reregistration of the case, requisite actions as per law, for expeditious investigation of the case have been initiated.

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Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday (June 29) has directed the state Director General of Police to file a case against Twitter over the microblogging site posting a distorted map of India on its website.

“This is a serious issue and we have seen it has been going on for a long time, sometimes there are comments against Bharat Mata and sometimes it comes up in this way on Twitter. These issues cannot be taken lightly. The Central government has taken it seriously and Madhya Pradesh Government is also taking it seriously. I have directed the DGP to investigate all aspects and register FIR and file a case,” Mishra told ANI.

A map of India, which showed the Union Territories of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir as not a part of India had appeared on Twitter`s website under its Career page and had invited severe backlash from netizens. 

The social media platform had late on Monday removed the distorted map from its site.

Earlier, based on a complaint by a Bajrang Dal leader in Bulandshahr, the Uttar Pradesh Police had booked Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari under Section 505 (2) of Indian Penal Code and Section 74 of IT (Amendment) Act 2008 for showing the wrong map of India on its website.

Previously, in October 2020, Twitter had labelled the Indian territory of Leh in Ladakh as part of the People`s Republic of China (PRC).

The government of India had then issued a warning to CEO Jack Dorsey over the misrepresentation of the Indian map. 

Giving notice to Twitter, Secretary IT had said that such attempts not only bring disrepute to Twitter but also raise questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary.

Now for the past several months, Twitter has been involved in a stand-off with the Indian government over the new amendments in the country`s new Information Technology laws with the microblogging platform losing its intermediary status and becoming liable for user-generated content.

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Jammu/New Delhi: The banned Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit is suspected to have been behind the sensational drone attack on the Indian Air Force station in Jammu on Sunday (June 27) morning with indication that the unmanned aerial vehicles had come from across the border, a top police official said.

Director-General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh told PTI that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terror outfit based out of Pakistan, is suspected to be responsible for the attack. Two drones dropped explosive material on the IAF station located at Jammu airport on Sunday injuring two personnel. A cocktail of explosive material, including RDX, is believed to have been used. The case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday.

The decision to hand over the probe into the first-of-its-kind terror  attack at the Indian Air Force station was taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A 1987-batch IPS officer, Singh, who has been monitoring the situation as well as the probe, said that in all likelihood, the unmanned aerial vehicles have flown in from across the border and returned after the operation. “We are still probing the case and will extend all our findings with other security agencies,” Singh said.

Police also carried out a series of raids in Jammu and neighbouring locations but could not establish any concrete leads. “The drones are suspected to have come from across (the border) but we are still probing as of now,” he said.

He said police have sensitised vital installations about the new threat from terror outfits. “All preventive measures have been taken for the same,” Singh said. He said a general warning has also been issued to the public for no unauthorised use of drones in Jammu and Kashmir. “Strict actions would be taken for the same,” he added.

In what was the first instance of Pakistan-based terrorists deploying drones to strike vital installations, two bombs were dropped at the IAF station in Jammu in the early hours of Sunday, causing minor injuries to two airmen. 

The explosions took place around 1.40 am within six minutes of each other. The first blast ripped off the roof of a single-storey building at the technical area of the airport manned by the IAF in Satwari on the outskirts of Jammu. The second one was on the ground.
The aerial distance from the Jammu airport to the international border is 14 km.

New Delhi: After facing severe backlash for showing a distorted map of India, Twitter on Monday (June 28) got rid of the controversial map that showed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as two separate country. On late Monday night, the global map which earlier appeared under the ‘Career’ section of Twitter website under the header ‘Tweep Life’ was removed completely from the webpage. The glaring distortion had triggered a heavy backlash from netizens who are demanding strict action against the microblogging platform.

Twitter is yet to comment on revoking the global map from its website.

The furore comes amid a bitter stand-off between the Indian government and Twitter over compliance with new IT rules. After the distorted map came under public scrutiny and triggered a heavy censuring from netizens, demands of strict action against the microblogging platform were raised. This is not the first time that Twitter has misrepresented India’s map. Earlier, it had shown Leh as part of China.

The US digital giant has been engaged in a tussle with the Indian government over the new social media rules. The government has confronted Twitter for deliberate defiance and failure to comply with the country’s new IT rules, despite repeated reminders.

Notably, the microblogging platform has lost its legal shield as an intermediary in India, becoming liable for users posting any unlawful content. On Monday, social media users slammed Twitter’s gross misrepresentation of India’s map, that appears on its career section. The global map, showing Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh outside India, triggered angry responses from netizens who are demanding stringent action be initiated against the microblogging platform that has flouted rules on multiple occasions in the past.

In October last year, Twitter came under heavy criticism and faced backlash after its geotagging feature displayed ‘Jammu & Kashmir, People’s Republic of China’ in a live broadcast from Leh’s Hall of Fame, a war memorial for fallen soldiers in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

India has issued a stern warning to Twitter that time, making it clear that any disrespect of the country’s sovereignty and integrity is totally unacceptable. In November, government issued a notice to Twitter for showing Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir instead of the Union Territory of Ladakh, as Centre lambasted the platform for disrespecting the territorial integrity of India by showing an incorrect map.

Twitter’s apparent heavyhandedness has come under government scrutiny when the microblogging platform did not fully complied with the new rules, called intermediary Guidelines, that mandate setting up a robust grievance redressal mechanism and appointing officers to coordinate with law enforcement. 

The rules became effective from May 26; and Twitter, even after the expiry of the additional time, had not appointed the requisite officers, leading to it losing the ‘safe harbour’ immunity. Even in the backdrop of heightened strained relations with the Indian government, Twitter on Friday briefly blocked IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from accessing his account over alleged violation of US copyright law – a move that was immediately slammed by the minister as being arbitrary and in gross violation of IT rules.

Srinagar: A case of alleged conversion and inter-religious marriage is snowballing into a big controversy in the Kashmir valley. Three girls from the Sikh community had gone missing after they eloped with Muslim men. One of the girls has been traced by the police and handed over to the family.

The Sikh community took out many protests in Srinagar demanding the other two girls to be traced and handed over to the families. They also demanded for a change in conversion laws. The issue is also in the notice of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu Kashmir and the home ministry. 

The family of a Sikh girl in Srinagar’s Rainawari area of downtown filed a report with the police saying their daughter was abducted. The police later arrested both the daughter and her husband.

When produced in the court, the judge said that the girl is an adult and has the right to go wherever she wishes to. However, the man was taken into custody and the girl was taken by her parents.

Soon after the judge’s direction, the Sikh community took out protests in Srinagar alleging that the decision was biased. They also alleged that the parents of the girl were not allowed inside the courtroom while the man’s family was. The police have said that the matter is being investigated.

The father of the girl said that they are under a lot of stress and there is no one to listen to their problems. He said the government should provide them security.

”This girl is a minor, she just turned 18 two months ago. Last year, she had brain surgery after she developed a clot. We had repair work going on, and he was working as a laborer here renovating my house. He knocked on my door, pushed and kicked me and took my girl away. He said if you shout I will kill you with my pistol. There was a car waiting outside and he took my girl away. We went to the police in the early morning. And later police said we have traced the girl from the jungle and took her to the women police station. They didn’t allow us to meet until they took us to court. They didn’t even allow us to enter the courtroom. They gave us the girl at 11:30 pm. We don’t feel safe and no one listens to us,” said Rajinder Singh Bali, father of the girl.

However Akali Dal leader and Delhi Gurdwara committee president, M S Sirsa flew down to Srinagar to take stock of the situation. While speaking to the media, he said, “Four girls have been forcefully converted, an 18-year-old girl was married to a middle-aged man and we were told that she married of her own choice. The district judiciary also did not give any justice, he didn’t even allow the parents of the girls to come inside the courtroom. The middle-aged man’s whole relatives were inside the courtroom so that the girl under pressure could give her statement against the parents. Leaders of our community worldwide have condemned this act. We have written to the Governor also, not only asking the government to hand over these girls back to their families but also bring in changes in the law. We are sad that the majority community is not standing with us right now.”

While the Sikh community leaders and members said that if the government doesn’t take action in these cases, the youth of the community will tackle the situation themselves.

”Two girls were taken to court after their statement, they were converted. One is an 18-year-old girl who was taken by a 45-year-old man, who had twice married before. We want this to stop. We have a very small population of around 60 thousand. The brotherhood between the majority committee has always been there and we want them to intervene and return our daughters. We want conversion laws to be made here too. We appeal to the leaders here also to come forward to stop these things. If the government doesn’t do anything our youth are ready to tackle the situation,” said Baldev Singh, President Sikh Committee, Srinagar.

The members of the majority community also came forward and were seen protesting and asking the government to hand over the girls to their parents as soon as possible.

”We are protesting here even if I am alone with my daughter here. We will protest even if there are not many people. We want that Sikh girl back at any cost. Sikh Brothers have stayed with us through thick and thin and we will too. I am a common citizen and I couldn’t see my Sikh brothers and sisters protesting alone. We all should protest against this. These Sikhs are the same who came to our rescue during floods,” said a local citizen.

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Srinagar: In a big jolt to the Pakistan-sponsored terror network in the Kashmir Valley, the security forces on Monday nabbed top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Nadeem Abrar, who is believed to be involved in several attacks on the armed forces and civilians in Kashmir.

“Top LeT commander Nadeem Abrar arrested. He was involved in several killings. Big success for us,” IGP Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar said in a tweet.

 

LeT Commander Nadeem Abrar who was involved in several killings was arrested earlier today in Jammu and Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/MQZ9umLPca

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2021

 

While Kumar did not give any details about the arrest, sources said security forces arrested Abrar and another suspect at a checkpoint at Parimpora on the outskirts of the city.

 

LeT Commander Nadeem Abrar arrested. He was involved in several killings. Big success for us: IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/QxILVC79wX

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2021

Sources said that Nadeem Abrar, a resident of Budgam, was arrested from an Alto car near Ansari Toyato Crossing near Parimpora, Srinagar. 

Abrar, according to the sources, was travelling in an Alto car bearing number JK 05E 5646 along with another terrorist when he was intercepted by the security forces.

The operation was carried out by the joint teams of Srinagar Police and Jammu and Kashmir’s elite Special Operations Group at the National Highway Crossing, Parimpora.

The security forces recovered a pistol and a grenade from the possession of the duo. 

According to police, Abrar was involved in the killing of three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Lawaypora earlier this year. He is a close aide of top LeT commander Yousuf Kantru and reportedly involved in many killings.

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Srinagar: The incidents of violence across the valley have increased since the all-party meet of Jammu and Kashmir politicians with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi last week.

The meeting mostly stressed on restoring the democratic setup in the union territory.

Three major attacks and killings have taken place in the last few days after the meet. Yesterday, a cop along with his wife and daughter were killed in cold blood by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists after entering their house in the Tral area of Pulwama district in south Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir police SPO was identified as Fayaz Ahmad.

Police said that two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists involved in the incident have been identified. One is a local while the other one is said to be a foreigner.

”Two terrorists came late evening and knocked on the door of Fayaz Ahmad and started indiscriminate firing on them. Two terrorists are behind the attack, one is a foreigner. We are in search of attackers,” said IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar.

Earlier, a grenade was lobbed by terrorists in Srinagar’s Barbarshah area on Saturday afternoon. A civilian was killed in the attack while three others were injured in the same incident.

Meanwhile, In south Kashmir’s Shopian district, one terrorist was killed while another one surrendered during an encounter on Friday. Both the terrorists belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba. One AK-56 rifle was recovered from the surrendered militant.

”One terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter. Meanwhile, the family members of the other trapped terrorist were called to the encounter site to persuade the other one to surrender. It was due to the great efforts and utmost patience of Police, security forces and repeated surrender appeals with the help of his family members, the trapped terrorist identified as Sahil Ramzan Dar son of Mohammad Ramzan Dar resident of Beminipora linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT ultimately surrendered and laid down his arms before the joint security forces. As per Police records, Sahil Ahmad was active since March 2021, said JK Police in a release.

A top LeT commander Nadeem Abrar was arrested in Srinagar’s Parimpora area on Monday. He was travelling in a car. Nadeem was involved in many incidents related to the killings of security forces. 

Jammu and Kashmir has been put on high alert after these incidents. The security has been beefed up across the valley. The IG Kashmir took a high-level emergency security meeting in Srinagar to discuss the security of airports and security installations.

An encounter is underway in Srinagar’s Maloora area at the time this report is being filed.  Two militants were trapped and firing on from both sides.

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Srinagar: Some unidentified terrorists shot dead a special police officer, his wife and daughter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said on Monday. The terrorists barged into the house of SPO Fayaz Ahmad at Hariparigam in Awantipora area at around 11 PM on Sunday and opened fire on the family, the officials said on Monday.

The injured were rushed to a hospital where the SPO succumbed. His wife Raja Begum and daughter Rafia also died later on. SPO Fayaz Ahmad and his wife who were killed at their home in Hariparigam village in Pulwama district were laid to rest in their village.

Jammu and Kashmir | Former special police officer (SPO) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and his wife who were killed at their home in Hariparigam village, Pulwama district being laid to rest pic.twitter.com/g9Q5o2rC2R

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2021

 

Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the assailants but no arrests have been made so far, the officials said.

Terrorists have intensified attacks on cops and security forces. While an inspector and a constable were killed in Nowgam and Eidgah areas of Srinagar last week, a civilian died in a grenade attack on security forces at Barbarshah in the heart of the city. 

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