VALLEY JOURNOS PROTEST POLICE ATROCITIES

Srinagar Aug 25 (Only Kashmir): Valley journalists held a protest in Srinagar on Thursday to seek action against the police personnel involved in the thrashing of two photojournalists last Friday. "Journalists have been target for the last two decades in Kashmir. The police are now using unpleasant descriptions like'parasites' and 'security forces' agents' openly against journalists, which is highly condemnable," said, a senior journalist.
Last Friday, an Al Jazeera photojournalist and another foreign photojournalist were thrashed by the police at Nowhatta. Another journalist alleged that the police made him undress before ruthlessly beating him. The police, according to a photojournalist, also decamped with Rs 50,000 from foreign journalist.
"It is the job of journalists to be at the spot. The perception of police officers that journalists fuel protests is ill-founded. I hope the police will allow us to work professionally. If this is a systematic target then the government should issue a formal statement banning media in Kashmir," said Hussain, while addressing local, national and international journalists assembled for the sit-in near Press Enclave.
"Those involved in the thrashing of the journalists should be punished and transferred. It's unfortunate that journalists are not allowed to function professionally," said a local Journalist.
Srinagar-based photojournalists' body has threatened to launch a stir in case the government fails to stop harassment of journalists and take concrete actions against the cops.
Meanwhile, director general of police Kuldeep Khuda has assured action in the incident. Khuda, who is outside the valley, is convening a meeting soon to look into the matter.

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MAJOR INFILTRATION BID FOILED, 12 LASHKAR MEN KILLED

Srinagar, Aug 20 (Only Kashmir) : Foiling a major infiltration bid from across the Line of Control (LOC) in north Kashmir's Bandipora district Saturday, the army killed 12 persons of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an official said. An army officer was also killed in the fierce gunfight.
"Twelve infiltrating terrorists of LeT oufit have been killed while one lieutenant was martyred in the gunfight with the intruding terrorists. Two of our jawans sustained injuries in foiling this major infiltration bid from across the LOC," 28th Mountain Division commander, Maj Gen S.K. Chaturvedi, told Only Kashmir in Gurez.
The guerrillas were crossing the Kishenganga River, which forms the LoC in this sector between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, Friday night when they were detected and asked to surrender.
"But they started firing at the troops resulting in a gunfight that ended today (Saturday) afternoon. Six bodies of the slain terrorists have been retrieved from the river while the bodies of the other six slain terrorists were washed away into the Pakistan side of the border," Chaturvedi said.
The killed officer was identified at Lt. Navdeep Singh.
The army displayed arms and ammunition recovered from the slain persons.
This was the eighth and the biggest infiltration bid by the millitants this month, the army said.

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IT NEEDS RBI'S PERMISSION FOR ISLAMIC BANKING REACTS JK BANK CHAIRMAN AGAINST MIRWAIZ

Srinagar Aug 17 (Only Kashmir): The Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Mushtaq Ahmad Wednesday said that there was scope for Islamic banking in the state but it needs to be understood in its right perspective first.
“Reserve Bank of India has authority to give permission for the Islamic banking. But we have not approached them yet,” Mushtaq said.
However, he said implementing Islamic banking in Jammu and Kashmir was completely different from Middle East. “We have to take permission from the RBI first,” he added.
The Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had recently called for abolition of ‘interest-based’ banking, and pitched for introduction of Islamic banking in the state.
He had asked the state-owned J&K Bank to take steps in this regard.
Addressing a Friday gathering at Jamia Masjid on Friday, Mirwaiz had said there was no place for ‘interest-based banking’ in Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim majority state, and the J&K Bank should play its role in introducing Islamic banking here.
Senior Congress leader and Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Taj Mohi-ud-Din supported idea of Islamic banking in the state. “If guidelines of RBI permit it, state government has no objection,” he said.
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said people should have a choice in deciding it. “Islamic banking should be available and it should be left to people to decide what they want. Islamic banking is gaining popularity in West also. We aren’t supporting it because J&K is a Muslim majority state, but it is a positive development,” she told KNS.
Senior PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig said that a group of citizens should approach the RBI with a plea to start Islamic banking in the state. “Then only it can be permitted,” he said.
Reacting to Mirwaiz’s statement that J&K Bank should take steps in this regard, he said, “Miwaiz isn’t correct. J&K Bank can’t do it on its own. They have to take permission from the RBI and it can only happen when citizens of the state will approach them (RBI),” he added.

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40,000 PEOPLE KILLED IN KASHMIR REVOLT

Srinagar Aug 16 (Only Kashmir): Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in violence linked to an Islamist rebellion in Kashmir that erupted more than two decades ago, the national parliament was told on Wednesday.

Junior home minister Jitendra Prasad said 39,918 had died including 21,323 "terrorists" -- the word used by India to describe Muslim insurgents battling New Delhi's rule in the disputed region.
"As per reports, 13,226 civilians and 5,369 security force personnel have been killed in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir during the period from year 1990 to April 2011," the minister told parliament.
The figure is lower than the official police count in Indian Kashmir of more than 47,000 dead. Some rights groups in Kashmir say the toll could be close to 100,000 from the revolt which began in late 1989.
Violence has sharply declined in the Himalayan region since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.
The statement in parliament came after three policemen and an army officer were arrested in Kashmir following a probe into the death of a man in custody and an allegedly faked gunbattle last month.
Kashmir, a picturesque region in the Himalayan foothills, has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since partition of the subcontinent in 1947 at independence from Britain.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars over control of Kashmir.

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J&K: GIRLS TO RECEIVE ARMS TRAINING TO COUNTER MILITANTS

Jammu (Only Kashmir) Aug 13: The Indian Army officials in Rajouri district imparted arms training to girls with an aim to combat militancy in Jammu & Kashmir.
Girls in Rajouri district were trained to use the weapons by the army personnel of the paramilitary 63 Rashtriya Rifles. The aim of the training is to curb the rising militancy in the state.
Young girls, who generally live in a protected environment, came forward to learn the usage of weapons, which they could use in self-defence.
At the 'Know Your Army' stall, visitors got an opportunity to see various weapons, which the army had taken into its custody after it had conducted raids at the militant camps in the valley.
Priyanka Sharma, a local told Agence India Press that the Indian army has organised a fair here. They have a stall here by the name of 'Know your Army'. The officials told us about various arms and ammunitions. Many schoolchildren received arms training for their own security. We learnt how to use these rifles and if need be, we would be able to use them.
The main purpose of the fair was to create awareness about the functioning of the defence forces among the general population and the various career opportunities that were provided by the armed forces.
"There was a small camp set up in this area by the army. Numerous weapons were displayed in the fair. We had never seen these weapons earlier, so we got to learn a lot from these army officials," said Parveen Akhtar, a local.
The visitors got a chance to see tanks and infantry combat vehicles and they were also allowed to take a ride on few of these vehicles.
The villagers also got an opportunity to learn the usage of the highly advanced AK-47 rifles.
Army officials organised this fair, with an aim to promote the spirit of women empowerment among the locals.
"This is a backward area, so girls generally stay inside their houses and don't move out often. This is an initiative to bring these girls to the forefront.
Many girls participated in this event. The army officials imparted knowledge about various ammunitions as well, so that girls gain confidence, so that they can become independent and work in the future," said Colonel D.D. Swen, member, 63 Rashtriya rifles.

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HURRIYAT (M) VOWS TO CONTINUE MARTYRS’ MISSION

Srinagar, Aug 11 (Only Kashmir): The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (M) led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while paying rich tributes to prominent APHC leader, Shaikh Abdul Aziz on his third martyrdom anniversary, today, has vowed to continue Kashmiri martyrs’ mission till it reaches its logical conclusion.
The APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Professor Abdul Ghani Butt, Bilal Ghani Lone and Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi, while addressing a seminar in Srinagar at party headquarters said that India had failed to suppress Kashmris’ liberation Movement through its state terrorism and would never be able to frighten the Kashmiri people into submission. Others who spoke on the occasion included Bashir Ahmad Butt, Hakim Abdul Rashid and Muhammad Yousuf Naqash.
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement held a seminar in Jammu on the occasion. The Chairman of Peoples League, Shaikh Muhammad Yaqoob in his telephonic address from Muzaffarabad to his party workers in Srinagar maintained that the services of Shaikh Abdul Aziz for the Kashmir cause would always remain unforgettable.
The authorities arrested senior APHC leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza and placed veteran Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Zafar Akbar Butt under house arrest in Srinagar to prevent them from addressing the functions, which were organised to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Shaikh Abdul Aziz. The Indian police had imposed restrictions around the martyrs’ graveyard at Eidgah in Srinagar to stop people from gathering at the grave of the martyred leader.
The APHC, AJK Chapter, in a prayers meeting at its office in Islamabad, today, offered Fateha for Shaikh Abdul Aziz and other Kashmiri martyrs.
It was on this day in 2008 that Shaikh Abdul Aziz was shot dead by Indian troops while he was leading a procession from Srinagar to the Line of Control against the economic blockade of the Kashmir valley by Hindu extremists of Jammu.

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JKPF ORGANIZING BHARAT-BANGLADESH-PAKISTAN CONFERENCE

Srinagar, Aug 6 (Only Kashmir): Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation (JKPF) is organising Bharat-Bangladesh-Pakistan peace conference here later this year.
This information was given by chairman of the JKPF Fayaz Ahmad Bhat to Governor N N Vohra who met him at Raj Bhawan here, an official spokesman said here today.
He said Bhat up-dated Governor about the varied activities of the Foundation which are aimed at promoting peace and strengthening communal harmony in the state.
Mr Bhat gave details of the Bharat-Bangla Desh-Pakistan Peace Conference proposed to be organized by the JKPF in Srinagar later this year, as also a Peace Conference to be organized at Anantnag and, besides, other programmes of the Foundation.
The Governor complimented Mr Bhat and his colleagues for the useful initiatives being taken by the Foundation and for organizing programmes which shall contribute towards deepening understandings and usher the state into an era of lasting peace, harmony and normalcy.

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MIRWAIZ’S ARREST LEADS VIOLENT PROTESTS IN SRINAGAR

Srinagar Aug 05 (Only Kashmir): Clashes between police and protesters broke out in the Kashmir Valley after Friday prayers after the state government put top separatist leader and Chief Cleric of Jamia Masjid Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest.
Several youths took to streets at Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar shortly after Friday prayers to protest against the government decision to put Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest on the first Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.
As the protesters started marching towards Nowhatta Chowk, police and paramilitary forces used batons and fired teargas shells to disperse them, official sources told Only Kashmir. They said the protesters resorted to stone-pelting and the clashes were continuing in the area and adjoining localities till Iftaar (Breaking of Fast).
Mirwaiz and other separatist leaders, including chairman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were put under house arrest this morning as authorities apprehended their presence at Friday prayers could lead to violent protests. In Sopore town of Baramulla district, protesters staged a demonstration against the custodial death of 28-year-old Nazim Rashid on July 31.
Similar protests were also witnessed in south Kashmir Pulwama town where a local militant commander was killed in an encounter with security forces on Thursday.

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RAMADHAN FASTS AS USUAL FOR BOTH ABDULLAHS’

Srinagar, Aug 5 (Only Kashmir): Like other devout Muslims, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father, union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, have been keeping the mandatory dawn to dusk fast during the holy month of Ramzan.
"Day 3 of waking up for Sahri. This is getting easier now. The first 2 days were tough & no coffee was the toughest part of the day," Omar tweeted Thursday.
Sahri is the pre-dawn meal the Muslims take before starting the daylong fasting.
For the coffee-loving Omar Abdullah, the most difficult part is skipping his cup of hot coffee, which he is known to partake as frequently as possible throughout the day.
The sahri period ends around 4 a.m. in the valley which means after that there is no eating and no drinking, not even a sip of water, till the iftaar (breaking of fast) at 7.32 p.m.
Farooq Abdullah has also been keeping fast regularly ever since the month of Ramadan started.
"Dr. Abdullah always keeps fast during the month of Ramzan. He also attends the 'Taravi Prayers' (special prayers of Ramzan) in the evenings at the local Syed Yaqoub Sahib(RA) mosque near his residence in Gupkar road," said sources close to the elder Abdullah.
The fasting and regular prayers are a lesser-known side of the otherwise flamboyant elder Abdullah. But people close to him say he was regular in his religious observances.
"He would always fast ever since I have known him, being part of his personal security for many years," said a retired police officer here.

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MIRWAIZ THREATENS VIOLENT STIR AGAINST GOVT CURBS ON SEPARATISTS

Srinagar August 02 (Only Kashmir): Moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday threatened violent protests if the state government did not remove restrictions imposed on the movement of separatist leadership in Kashmir Valley.
“We warn government to remove these restrictions and let Hurriyat have the right to say its point of view to the people. If government continues to place restrictions, then we will be forced to chart out such a programme which can turn violent,” Mirwaiz said.
He said if the leadership is placed under house arrest, then the issue will be taken by the people.
“So far, we have told people to protest peacefully but if restrictions are placed on us to impede our religious rights, then as Mirwaiz of Kashmir I will have to call the people to come out to defend their religion,” he said.
Several separatist leaders have been placed under house arrest by the government since a 28-year-old man was killed in police custody in Sopore.

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RAMADHAN MUBARAQ

Let this Ramadhan erase all your sins; bring Peace & Solution to this Bleeding Paradise called Kashmir. Try to forgive all your enemies, Read Quran with meaning, Do Charity, and make humble to all your nears and dears, This is the message of Only Kashmir on the eve of Ramadhan. And please do remember whole Only Kashmir team in your prayers. Thanks---------Editor-in-Chief: Only Kashmir

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