Qayoom Khan / Umer Rashid   

Srinagar, Jan 23 : Thousands of people on Wednesday participated in the multiple funerals of six militants including the brother of an IPS officer in Shopian and Pulwama districts in south Kashmir.

Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants—Shamsul Haq Mengnoo son of Mohammad Rafiq of Dragad Shopian, Aamir Suhail Bhat son of Abdul Aziz of Chidipora Chitragam Shopian, Shoaib Ahmad Shah son of Ghulam Rasool of Shermal Shopian – were killed in a gunfight with government forces in Shirmal area of Zainapora, yesterday.

Shamsul Haq had left studies at Bachelors of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) at government college here in Zakura campus and joined militant ranks in May last year. His elder brother, Inam-ul Haq, is a 2012-batch IPS officer and presently posted in North East.

Eyewitnesses said that a large number of people participated in funeral prayers of the slain militants at their respective villages.

At Chidipora, there were minor clashes between government forces and youth. The government forces fired few rounds in air but there were no reports about any injury to anyone.

Apart from them, funeral prayers were also offered for three militants of Al-Badar militant outfit— Sabzar Ahmad son of Ali Mohammad Mir of Lassipora Pulwama, Syed Rabani son of Mohammad Hussain of Nazneenpora Shopian and Towseef Ahmad Itoo son of Abdul Aziz of Nowpora Payeen Pulwama. The trio from Al-Badr were killed in Hapatalnar area in Budgam.

At Shoaib’s and Syed Rabani’s funerals at Shermal and Nazneenpora Shopian, some militants appeared and offered the gun salute to them, reports said.

Chairman of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani also addressed over telephone mourners who had assembled to offer funeral prayers of at Shamsul Haq Dragad Shopian

Reports said that multiple funerals were offered to the slain. Later the slain were laid to rest at their respective native places. A spontaneous shutdown continued on the second consecutive day in Shopian and Pulwama to mourn the killings.   Shops and other business establishments are closed while traffic was off the road in the twin districts where internet also remained suspended by the authorities. (GNS)

Srinagar, Jan 23 : After three-day long wet spell across Kashmir, the weather on Wednesday showed improvement with local meteorological department forecasting dry weather till January 29.
The three-day-long wet spell ended across the Valley today. The MeT department had predicted improvement in the weather conditions from Tuesday evening.
The local Meteorological department told that there is no forecast of rain or snowfall across the Valley till January 29 here, saying that the weather would remain cloudy on Jan 25.
However, amid improvement in the weather conditions, the Srinagar-Jammu highway continued to remain closed for the third straight day today.
The highway continued to remain closed following the avalanche that hit Jawahar Tunnel besides landslides in Ramban district.
“No vehicular movement was today allowed ply on the either side of the highway as precautionary measure,” officials said.
They informed that an avalanche also hit the tunnel on the Qazigund side, which is being cleared. “The avalanche debris clearance operation was started after the weather improved in the Valley today,” they added.
Reports said that snow avalanches and landslides also hit the highway during last two days at Digdol, Panthal and Khoni Nallah.
The highway was closed on Monday after Kashmir received fresh snowfall in the intervening night of Sunday-Monday. The weatherman had predicted high intensity weather conditions from January 19-23 following which the divisional administration had also issued avalanche warning at several places across Kashmir.

Police in a statement said that Based on a credible input about the presence of militants in Binner area in District Baramulla, a cordon and search operation was launched today jointly by Police and security forces in the area.

As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the militans. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight.

In the ensuing encounter, three militants were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. Their identities and affiliations are being ascertained.

Incriminating material including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter. Police has registered a case and initiated investigation in the matter.

Citizens are requested not to venture inside encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials if any.

Suhail Khan

Srinagar, Jan 23 (GNS): Three militants have been killed in ongoing encounter which started between militants and government forces at Binner village of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday.

Official sources confirmed to news agency GNS said that three militant have been killed while searches are still underway.

An army official also confirmed that three mikitants have been killed and search operation is going on at the encounter site.

Earlier SSP Baramulla Imtiyaz Hussain also confirmed that the exchange of firing between militants and joint team of police and security forces in the area. (GNS)

SRINAGAR, Jan 23: Welcoming Union Minister Rajnath Singh’s assertion that Inida wants cordial relationship with Pakistan, former finance minister Jammu and Kashmir Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday said sustained engagement between the two neighboring countries is the only way out for a durable peace in the region.

In a statement issued here, Bukhari said while the Union Minister has expressed his desire to strengthen the relationship with Pakistan, need of the hour is to reach out to all the stake holders in Jammu and Kashmir to address the political aspirations of the State.

“While reaching out to Pakistan is a welcome step but the government of India must also address the internal dimension of the Kashmir issue by engaging all shades of political opinion in J&K,” the former finance minister observed.

Emphasizing on the need of extending some confidence-building measures for alleviation of trust deficit in Kashmir, Bukhari, however, cautioned that the same should not be used as a substitute for the resolution of the political grievances.

“I whole heartedly welcome Raj Nath Ji’s statement made at Attari joint check-post in which he has desired an atmosphere of peace and mutual trust wherein the two neighboring countries can live in peaceful co-existence,” Bukhari said, while adding that such an approach is also needed to address the brewing alienation in Kashmir.

He said the festering Kashmir issue has bedevilled relations between India and Pakistan and its long pending resolution has brought immense suffering and hardship to the people of the state.

“The unresolved political nature of Kashmir issue has also been a major drain on the resources of the two countries and has been a stumbling block to normalising relations between them,” he observed while urging the government of India to start dialogue with all shades of public opinion in Kashmir.

Kashmir Despatch Exclusive

SRINAGAR, JAN 22: In order to streamline the salaries of teachers who were recruited under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) the governor led administration on Tuesday formally issued an order thereby absorbing thousands of Regularised ReTs as general line teachers.

The supernumerary posts created for permanent absorption of these teachers who would till now always hit streets for want of relase of their pending salaries would be abolished upon death, promotion or retirement of these teachers.

With this order a long pending demand of thousands of RRTs have been fulfilled and the governor has been successful in resolving the issue which all the successive government in J&K would ignore for its complex nature.