Former finance minister Altaf Bukharo today said it was time to rise above the party system and vote for a strong candidate who can talk about Kashmir issue in the parliament of India.

Hinting that he has voted for National Conference candidate Farooq Abdullah, Bukhari said Farooq Abdullah is a strong candidate among all the people who were in election fray for the Srinagar parliamentary seat.

Bukhari while talking to reporters said the attacks on the special identity of Jammu and Kashmir need to be defended and only a person like Farooq Abdullah can do that in the parliament.

“I feel we need to send a strong leader to the parliament. We need to send those leaders to the parliament who can make a strong stand for Kashmir cause,” Bukhari said.

Admitting that the previous government in which he was a strong minister holding the portfolio of education and later on finance, failed to respect the aspirations of the people, Bukhari said youth who are on the streets pelting stones, it is always a responsibility of the government to make atmosphere conducive and restore normalcy which the previous government completely failed. 

Srinagar: Nearly 38 per cent  polling was recorded  till 3 pm in Udhampur and Srinagar Lok Sabha constituencies.

As per reports Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency recorded 58.13 percent polling, with Kathua district registering the highest of 64.6 percent polling till 3 pm.Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency recorded 12.4 per cent polling, with highest 17.1 per cent polling recorded in Budgam district till 3 pm followed by Ganderbal and Srinagar where 14.4 percent and 5.7 percent polling was recorded respectively.

Over 29.81 lakh voters are eligible to decide the fate of 24 candidates in the two constituencies.

Srinagar: As the Srinagar constituency goes to polls Kashmir valley is observing a complete shutdown on Thursday while authorities have suspended mobile internet services across the region.

Joint Resistance Leadership comprising of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik  has called for shutdown today.

All shops and other business establishments are shut in Srinagar while traffic is off the roads.

Meanwhile, authorities have suspended train services in the valley too for ‘security reasons’ “We have suspended train service in Kashmir valley after an advisory was received from authorities, including police,” a railway official said

Reports of shutdown were also received from other district headquarters of the valley.

Heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces has been made at all sensitive places across the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency.

Twelve candidates are in fray for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency seat.

Srinagar, April 17 : Unknown persons on Wednesday evening hurled a petrol bomb towards the residence of NC leader and former MLA Ali Mohd Dar in Doniwari area of Chadoora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.Official sources told that the unknown persons on motorcyclist hurled the petrol bomb on the NC leader’s residence and fled from the spot.

The bomb exploded inside the premises, however, in the incident there was no damage or injury reported so far, they said.

A police official said that they are verifying about the incident. (GNS)

Srinagar, April 17 : Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani has condemned the summoning of trade leader Mohammad Yasin Khan and Dr. Naeem Zaffaer Geelani, his elder son, by NIA and seizure of the property worth millions of renowned businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali.

“These inhuman, undemocratic and unjustified acts of coercion can in no way change the ground situation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said in a statement issued.

“Such brutal and psychological warfare has tarnished its (India’s) own image of so-called democracy and they are labelled as harbouring hatred against a particular faith,” Geelani said.

“This is a people’s movement and is supported and nourished in every respect by them, and these suppressive measures generate more enthusiasm in the freedom loving nation,” Hurriyat (G) chairman said.

Although we are weak, suppressed, caged and crushed, but we can never compromise on a vital issue of our sovereignty, identity and freedom, he said.

Geelani appealed people in general and youth in particular to remain steadfast and committed to their “noble cause”.