Kashmir
Onslaught on Article 35A, Article 370: Civil Society calls for shutdown on August 6
SRINAGAR, JULY 28: Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society Coordination Committee (JKCSCC) on Saturday called for a shutdown in Kashmir on August 6 to protest against the “judicial and legislative onslaught” on Article 35A and Article 370.
Addressing media persons at a local hotel in Srinagar, deputy grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam and Awami National Conference president Muzafar Shah said that it is collective responsibility of people of Jammu and Kashmir as a nation to protect Article 370 and 35A.
They said that the Kashmiri people have to protect the Article 35-A from judicial and legislative onslaught. The members said that it is a litmus test of “our national unity and resilience and we must join hands to protect the state subject laws and resist the judicial onslaught.”
They added that people will not allow Kashmir to become another Palestine and render the local population homeless. “We call upon the public to observe a general strike on 6 of August as a mark of protest against the judicial and legislative onslaught on Article 35A and Article 370,” the committee members said.
The Supreme Court will hear petitions challenging the Article 35 A, which defines the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, on August 6.
Srinagar, Mar 23: Thousands of people on Saturday attended the funerals of two slain militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in south Kashmir’s Shopian district amid a gun salute and shutdown.
On Friday, Showkat Ahmad Sheikh resident of Harmain Shopian and Yasir Ahmad Shah resident of Arhama Shopian were killed in a gunfight with government forces at Gadapora, Ratnipora area of Shopian district.
Police said the slain militants were affiliated with JeM outfit and were wanted by law for their “complicity in several terror crimes including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities.”
Showkat was involved in “abduction and brutal killing of three police officials Nisar Ahmad Dhobi, Firdous Ahmad Kucchay and Kulwant Singh, all residents of Shopian last year in 2018,” a police spokesman said.
“As per police records, Showkat was also involved in attacks on Police Station Shopian in 2018 in which one police official Saqib Mohi-ud-Din got killed,” the spokesman said.
Showkat was wanted by law for his involvement in several rifle snatching incidents reported across South Kashmir. He was also involved in conspiring and executing many attacks in the area. Several crime cases were registered against him, the spokesman said.
The militant group was also responsible for the killing of woman police official Khusboo Jan recently in Shopian, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, after conducting all legal formalities, the bodies of the slain were handed over to their respective families for last rites.
Thousands of people assembled in the respective villages of the slain duo to offer their funeral prayers. Eye-witnesses said that a large number of mourners including women staged massive pro-freedom, pro-Islam and anti-India protests.
Two separate militant groups comprising four to five members also appeared in the native villages of the slain militants and offered a gun-salute.
Srinagar, Mar 23: Member of Environmental Policy Group (EPG) on Saturday paid a visit to SP College to ascertain the cause behind the chopping of decades old majestic Chinar trees and asked the college authorities for planting of new Chinar trees in the college premises.
They visited the college a day after The Kashmir Monitor reported that administration has allowed uprooting of 17 ‘dry’ Chinar trees at SP College Srinagar.
Environmental Policy Group, Convener, Faiz Bakshi said they carried out an in-depth inspection of the college where Chinars were chopped down and even went through all the official documents which suggested that the college legally started the process of uprooting.
“I told the college authorities that they must initiate plantation drive of Chinars simultaneously as they have enough space in the premises of college,” Bakshi said, adding that they must ensure that the Chinars have dry environmental conditions for the sustenance.
Bakhshi further said that the Chinar trees dry up if their roots are moist, so they need dry conditions to flourish.
Environmental Policy Group is a Kashmir based non-profit organization which works for the environmental issues.
As many as 17 Chinar trees have been partially or entirely chopped off at SP College here during the last 4 days.
The college authorities say all the chinars had “decayed” after 2014 floods and needed to be cut-off.
Professor Khurshid Khan, Principal, SP College said, “The branches of the trees started falling and it posed safety threat to the students and the people around,” he said, adding that to avoid any “unfortunate accident we approached the government for acquiring permission to uproot the Chinars”.
Srinagar, Mar 23: Two persons were killed after a vehicle they were travelling in came under a landslide at Piykul Kara in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports said late on Friday night a truck (JK02CA-5185) was hit by a landslide at Piykul Kara.
The incident occurred when the vehicle was on its way from Thathri to Gandoh, they said.
In the incident two persons namely Shahzad Hussain and Arif Hussain of Kishtwar died on the spot, they said.
The bodies were recovered and shifted to Primary Health Center (PHC) Thathri for other legal medico formalities, they said.
