Kashmir

The International Center for Peace Studies invited Mir Junaid and Touseef Raina from the valley for a panel discussion titled 'Kashmir - From Turmoil to Transformation

Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Asia's largest Tulip garden, ensconced between Dal Lake and Zabarwan Hills is in full bloom and ready to welcome tourists form next week. "Preparations like gardening, engineering, fungicide treatment, nutrient spraying and minor repair which we do before the tulip show are going," Inam-ul-Rehman, Incharge of the Tulip garden, told PTI. The garden, which has become a well-known landmark across the country, will be open to the public from March 19. Besides 1.5 million Tulips of various colours and hues, the garden, also known as Siraj Bagh, will have other spring flowers like hyacinths, daffodils, muscari and cyclamens on display. "Every year we expand this garden and new varieties are here. This year we have extended the fountain channel..It should set an example of gardening professionalism across the globe," Rehman said. He said there will be a rainbow of tulip colours this year ranging from yellow, red, crimson, purple and white among others. "Under

The Chenab Valley, ignored by the previous dispensations, has been put on fast-track development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday. He visited Jammu and Kashmir's Doda, which is a part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency, and chaired a meeting to assess the pace of development works on mega projects being executed by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), NHPC and General Reserve Engineering Force. Interacting with reporters after addressing a BJP workers' meeting, Singh said a revolutionary change has taken place in the entire Chenab Valley which comprises Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts after Modi took over as the prime minister of the country. "Unfortunately, the region, despite being bestowed with natural resources, was ignored by the successive regimes for nearly seven decades. Many of the political leaders reached Delhi, became union ministers and also served Jammu and Kashmir but t

Sleuths of ED started raids at the places, including three in Srinagar district in connection with the allotment of MBBS seats to residents of J&K in different colleges in Pakistan

Rahul claimed that he had been warned by the intelligence officers to be "careful" while speaking on the phone as his calls were being recorded

Stringent measures are being taken to provide security to the members of the minority community in the valley, a senior CRPF officer in Jammu and Kashmir said here on Friday. Minority pickets of CRPF are on alert, we review the security regularly. Our endeavour is to keep all the minorities in south Kashmir safe and we are in touch with them on a regular basis, IG CPRF (Kashmir Operations) M S Bhatia told reporters in Anantnag district of south Kashmir. His remarks come in the backdrop of terrorists on Sunday killing a 40-year-old Kashmiri Pandit in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district while he was on his way to a local market, in yet another targeted killing of a minority community member in the valley. Sanjay Sharma, who worked as an ATM guard, was shot in the chest at point-blank range barely 100 metres from his residence in Achan area of south Kashmir. The killing evoked widespread condemnation and demand for security for the community members. Bhatia said every measure will b

After a "record surge" in tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, some politicians are also having a leisure time in Kashmir and other parts of the Union Territory, Union minister G Kishan Reddy said on Thursday. He made the remarks while addressing a gathering at an event here, without naming anyone. Recently, videos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi skiing in Gulmarg in north Kashmir, and he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra enjoying a ride on a snow scooter there went viral on social media. "After Independence, the tourism footfall in Jammu and Kashmir has seen a record surge. If we look at figures for one year, in 2022, it was about 1.8 crore tourists in J&K," the Union tourism minister said. Reddy said earlier there were "hardly any tourists", but today some politicians are "also playing there" and having a leisure time in Srinagar and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir. "It is a good thing, people must go, it is part of our India. That is the situation today, people are eager to visit

The general atmosphere in Kashmir has undergone a positive change as the gap between civilians and security forces has reduced over the past few years, a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) official said on Monday. There is a change in the atmosphere of the valley. Earlier, kids used to be scared of the security forces but now they have started to come closer. We will take them along and this bonding will be strengthened, SSB 10 Battalion Commandant R S Rawat told reporters here. Rawat was talking to reporters after flagging off 23 students from Government Boys Higher Secondary School Batamaloo on 'Bharat Darshan' tour, sponsored by the Ministry of Home Affairs, to Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. This tour to Lucknow, Agra and Delhi will widen the vision of these students. Besides visiting places of historical importance, they are also scheduled to meet the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. This will be a new experience for these students as it will help them in personality development, which will, in tur

Catch all the live updates from across the globe here

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that Kashmir has become a tourist destination rather than a place for protests, stone pelting, and revolution.While speaking at the 76th Raising Day celebrations of Delhi police at Kingsway camp, Shah said, "India's law and order, and safety have seen positive development since 2014. Every day in Kashmir used to be a place for protests, stone pelting & revolution. Today, Kashmir is filled with tourists."Shah was referring to the development that had taken place in Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India."It is a moment of pride that I am part of a legacy of more than 75 years. Delhi Police has been known for their work since independence to the present day and has been appreciated by the whole nation," he added."We feel empowered as we think of Kashmir as we travel across the country. The instances of leftist politics & extremism have decreased now considerably," he stated.On Thursday, Shah said ...

In a bid to boost production and reduce import costs, the Jammu and Kashmir government has approved a Rs 329 crore project for the next five years to achieve self reliance in mutton sector. He said that the project is aimed at creating 6,000 jobs besides setting up of 122 enterprises in the mutton sector in the Union Territory. "In view of huge mutton usage in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Kashmiri cuisine and in order to reduce meat import, the government has approved an ambitious Rs 329 crore project for next five years to achieve self reliance in mutton sector", Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department (APD), Atal Dulloo said. The initiative also envisages achieving self-reliance in the mutton sector through a combination of innovative interventions including vertical upgrades, horizontal expansion besides focused attention on health cover and nutrition, he said. Despite the region's competitive advantage and potential to become self-reliant in the ..

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan has said that the only way forward in relations with India is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi restores the special status of Kashmir. In 2019, Indian Parliament revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. "India had revoked the special status for Kashmir. Now the only way forward in holding talks with India is first the Modi administration restores it," Khan told PTI on Tuesday evening while interacting with foreign media at his Lahore's Zaman Park residence. To another question about rule of law, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader said, "There will be no future for Pakistan if there is no rule of law. Take India for example. It progressed because of rule of law." Khan is looking up to the judiciary to "protect the Constitution" and "foil" the ruling PML(N)-led coalition's design to delay elections in Pakista

India has slammed Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue in the UN, saying Islamabad harbours a deep sense of insecurity and orchestrated hatred for India and its secular credentials. Responding to Pakistan's raising of the Kashmir issue during a UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Rajesh Parihar, said on Monday that Islamabad repeatedly utters falsehoods about India. "I'm constrained to take the floor to respond to the frivolous remarks made by the representative of Pakistan against my country. While such a statement deserves our sympathy for a mindset, which repeatedly utters falsehood, it is important for me to set the record straight, he said in the UNGA. Parihar said irrespective of what the representative of Pakistan believes or covets, the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an "integral and inalienable" part of India. We expect nothing new from this delegation that harbours a dee

Authorities in Kashmir launched a massive anti-encroachment drive here on Tuesday, bulldozing illegal structures to recover over 500 'kanals' of land from influential people including former ministers and kin of an ex-chief minister. One acre is equal to eight 'kanals'. The recovered land includes 40 kanals allegedly occupied by the owners of Hotel Nedou's at MA Road here, officials said after the drive conducted by revenue department in Srinagar and Anantnag districts. Nedou's owners are related to the Abdullahs of the National Conference, they said. The officials said the hotel is built on 153 kanals of land of which 40 kanals belong to the government and the rest is leased. They said a boundary wall and a shed were demolished as part of the drive. In Anantnag, ex-minister and former state Congress chief Peerzada Mohammad Syeed, the family of former minister Syed Farooq Andrabi, and heirs of former chief minister Syed Mir Qasim faced the administrative action, the officials ...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who set off a national debate when he walked the Bharat Jodo Yatra in a T-shirt in north India's cold winter, donned a 'pheran' to ward off Kashmir's bone-freezing chill on Monday. As the snow fell steadily, carpeting much of the Valley in white, the former Congress president was seen in a sleeveless jacket over his trademark white T-shirt earlier in the morning and then in the traditional long cloak worn by Kashmiris. Soon after attending an event at the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters on Maulana Azad Road here, Gandhi, who walked over 4,000 kilometres in 136 days, emerged in a grey pheran as he headed to the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket stadium for the closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Gandhi's white T-shirt hit the limelight when the yatra entered Delhi, his supporters praising his resilience while his opponents criticised him. Gandhi, on his part, said he decided to wear only T-shirts during the march after meeting three poor girls ...

Tourists can be seen enjoying their meals and taking photographs in this glass-wall restaurant

India's military is unique in facing a multiple-front threat without a long-term security strategy

"NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and CPM leader MY Tarigami will join the yatra"

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said she will be joining the Kashmir leg of the "Bharat Jodo Yatra" spearheaded by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "I've been formally invited to join @RahulGandhi ji for his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir today. Salute his indomitable courage and I believe it is my duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces. Will be joining him in his march towards a better India," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in a tweet. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah is also expected to take part in the yatra when it enters Jammu and Kashmir.

A parliamentary committee has recommended formulation of a rehabilitation policy for Kashmir's houseboat owners who want to leave their traditional business and go for alternative livelihood opportunities. A houseboat is designed or modified to be used primarily as a guest house and found on the famous Dal Lake and other water bodies in Kashmir. Most of the houseboats are not motorised as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point. These are built on deodar wood, which does not decompose in water. "The committee recommends that a rehabilitation policy may also be formulated for those houseboat owners who want to cease their houseboat business," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs said in a report. The panel takes note of the proposal which is under consideration of the government for providing timber to the houseboat owners at concessional rates for repair or re-construction of their houseboats. The demand of the houseboat owners or 'shikarawalas'