Srinagar : Nighat Patel, the 23-year-old daughter of a slain political worker in Kashmir, is disappointed after the abrogation of Article 370. The final-year MBA student of Kashmir University feels that the move could shrink her job prospects drastically. Her father, Ghulam Nabi Patel, was killed by militants in May 2018 in Pulwama.

The veteran mainstream politician from south Kashmir led a political career of 30 years and was associated with the National Conference and the Congress as well. He was also the district president of the Peoples Democratic Party. At their home in Pulwama, inside a guarded colony of political workers, the family shows the photographs of Ghulam Nabi Patel with top leadership of the state. Nighat is worried that outsiders will take away the employment opportunities of Kashmiris.

“It is such a big loss, we have gone many steps backward due to this, our education and degrees are meaningless now. Outsiders will come to take away our jobs, the abrogation of Article 370 only makes sense if this could create employment in Kashmir otherwise it is meaningless.”

Twenty-five kms away from Patel”s house in Shopian lives the family of Gowhar Bhat, a 29-year-old who was killed by militants in 2017. The family breaks down every time they Gowhar”s name is taken. Gowhar was a BJP worker. His father, Mohamamd Ayub Bhat said that the abrogation of Article 370 just does not make any sense at a juncture when Kashmir was witnessing a phase of relative peace and calm. Unlike Nuzhat Patel, Mohammad Ayub Bhat fears that the move could trigger violence and lead demographic changes in Kashmir.

“I think militancy will increase after this, this can once again escalate the situation. The motivation behind the abrogation of Article 370 is plain politics, the people of Kashmir are poor and the Article acted was a defence for them. If rich outsiders come to Kashmir and start buying land, a time will come when nothing will be left for Kashmiris”, said Mohammed Ayub Bhat.

As the people across Kashmir and the rest of India are trying to make a sense of the removal of Article 370, the families of the political workers who raised the Indian flag and fell to militant bullets are trying to understand what the new scenario means for them, and whether this would help in making the situation easier for them or further complicate them.

–IANS

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Iltija Mufti to meet her mother and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is under detention following the abrogation of Article 370 from the state.

Iltija had submitted that she is concerned about her mother’s health as she has not met her in a month. Her petition was listed for hearing on Thursday before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer.

Her advocate Aakarsh Kamra said the relief sought in the petition is similar to what CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury was granted by the apex court on August 28 to meet his ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami.

IANS

Srinagar, Sep 04 : A top police officer on Tuesday said that only five deaths of civilians took place since August 5 and not a single death was registered due to the security forces action. He said two Gujjars, shopkeeper was killed by militants while as truck driver and the Soura boy died after being hit by stones during clashes.

While addressing press conference at Badamibagh Cantonment here, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order/Security, Munir Khan said that five deaths were reported since August 5 and not a single causality was reported in security forces action.

He said that Kashmir was normal and that there was not any major law and order situation since August 5. “This is because of the fact that due to the communication gag including barring of internet services, we managed to maintain peace as rumour mongering that largely contributes to law and order issues, was contained well,” the ADGP Khan said.

Asked whether the Soura boy died of pellets or stone, he said that preliminary investigations reveal that the boy identified as Asrar Ahmed Khan of 90-feet Soura near Elahi Bagh, died after he was hit by a stone. “We will still investigate and get his medical report and other details,” Khan added.

He said the credit for maintaining peace goes to the security agencies as there were clear directions that there should be no civilian causality. “We succeeded on that front,” he said. “Normalcy will return soon gradually.”(KNO)

Kashmir’s most-visited tourist destination of Gulmarg in the Baramulla district has been put on a high alert after infiltration bids by militants in the past one week, and multiple attempts to attack the forward posts by the Pakistan Army, according to officers of the counter-insurgency grid in Srinagar.

Sources in the security agencies said the Army’s Ustad and Gulab posts in the upper reaches of Gulmarg were posed with threats by armed men who sneaked two kilometres into this side of Kashmir. Sources said the attacks were repulsed but the infiltrators remain un traced.

Security agencies apprehended two persons, Khalid and Nazim,both residents of Pakistan Muzaffarabad, in the Gulmarg range, two days ago. “They are being questioned on Pakistan’s rare attempts toengage troops in Gulmarg,” an official said.

Initial reports suggest both were “militant guides” and could be part of new infiltration bids facilitated in the area. Meanwhile, the movement to the tourist destination, just 55 km away from capital Srinagar, is being monitored and restricted, an official said.

A hotelier confirmed to The Hindu that the Army for the first time searched the premises of many hotels in Gulmarg in the past one week. Sources said the Army had “relieved scores of local porters” working for them for unknown reasons, and cautioned the local population to remain vigilant.

The latest development comes weeks after the Indian Army fortified its positions in the high-altitude tourist destination in the wake of revocation of Jammu & Kashmir’s special status on August 5. The Army has placed Bofors gunships to secure the strategic Haji Pir pass, connecting Kashmir valley’s Uri with Poonch in the Pir Panjal valley.

The Indian Army has advantageous positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Gulmarg, where both the armies are positioned eyeball-to-eyeball. Sources said Karnah and Tangdhar in the frontier Kupwaradistrict was opened as new front of shelling by Pakistan.

The Hindu

Leh, Aug 29 (PTI) Pakistan has no locus standi on Kashmir and no country is backing it on the “current issue”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday amid Islamabad’s efforts to internationalise the Centre’s move to abrogate provisions of Article 370.

Addressing a DRDO event here, Singh asked how can India talk to Pakistan when it keeps trying to destabilise India using terror.

India wants to have good neighbourly relationship with Pakistan, but it should first stop exporting terror to India, Singh said.

He asserted that Pakistan has no locus standi on Kashmir.

“I want to ask Pakistan, when had Kashmir belonged to it. Kashmir was always part of India,” he said.

Pakistan should focus on addressing human rights violations and atrocities in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the Union minister said.

He said US Defense Secretary Mark Esper during a telephonic conversation told him that abrogation of provisions of Article 370 was an internal matter of India.

“No country is with Pakistan on the current issue,” Singh added.