SHOPIAN
Finally some relief for the residents of Shopian town as CRPF camp involved in the killing of four civilians at Gagran camp were replaced by personnel of state police. The decision was taken after residents of Shopian enforced civil curfew to press their demand for the removal of camp. Locals allege that the said camp has a long history of confrontation with locals, resulting in civilian causalities.
LONDON
A rare Mughal carpet said to have its origins in Srinagar and dating approximately around 300 years has been sold for over 4.7 million pounds, double its pre-sale estimate at a Christie’s auction in London. The pashmina-wool carpet, one of the only Millefleur (thousand flower) carpets from Mughal India and once owned by American industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt II, features an intense scarlet field filled by a golden latticework design made up of interlocking 12-point stars. Previously, in 1989 the 12.9 feet by 13.6 feet carpet created a world record when it was sold at a German auction house for USD 718,700. It was auctioned again by Christie’s in 1995 for a record prize of USD 992500.
NOWHATTA
Another alleged stone-pelter is booked under controversial PSA. It is second time that this eighteen year old Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh is booked under the act and is sent to a sub-jail in Kupwara. A resident of Saidpora, Nowhatta, Sheikh is a lone brother of seven sisters. He is the sole breadwinner and was doing menial jobs ranging from a bus conductor to street vendor to feed his family. The first time Mushtaq was detained under PSA, Amnesty International (AI) termed him as a minor and sought his immediate release. Then he was kept in Kot Balwal jail Jammu.
GUANTANAMO
Beware! Wearing a casino watch or grazing animals at wrong place, can land you in Guantanamo jail. Syed Nazakat, Special Correspondent with The Week, an Indian magazine, is perhaps first South Asian journalist who got access to Guantanamo Bay detention camps. After spending a week there, he has returned with packs of stories about detainees and this infamous jail, enticing the world attention and to the worst ever human rights abuses. Besides top Al-Qaeda activists, there are many unfortunate souls, detained on mere suspicion. Charges against some include wearing casino watches and grazing animals near a bomb blast site in Afghanistan! Nazakat is one among many Kashmiri Journalists who have been able to report on the conflicts around the world, perhaps, because of their belonging to a conflict?
NEW DELHI
New Delhi has agreed that Yasin Malik, a separatist leader, can meet his wife and daughter. Union home ministry has given its approval for the visas of Malik’s wife Mushal and daughter Razia. This time around Malik’s mother-in-law, Rehana, too has got the approval. The family members of Malik, who were recently stopped from flying to Nepal to see his daughter and wife, will land in New Delhi soon.
MUZZAFFARBAD
At a time when Yasin Malik, a separatist leader, was struggling to meet his Pakistani wife who was denied visa, another cross LOC marriage took place in Chatter, Muzaffarabad. This time it is people from mainstream parties. It is Yasir Shafi, NC Rajya Sabha member Mohammad Shafi Uri’s engineer son. He reached Pakistan via Wagah, Amritsar on October 7 along 20 baratis to marry one of his relative on October 8. Yasir and his father preferred to take de-tour to ensure a hassle free marriage ceremony.
KUPWARA
After Mughli, it was Hussina Begum’s long wait for her disappeared son that came to an end with her death. Hussina’s son Syed Anwar Shah went missing some 14 years ago. Hussina was looking for him since then. Anwar was picked up and was subjected to enforced disappearance by the Security forces on 21st July, 2000 from Srinagar. After her husband, Zaman Shah’s death in 1992, Hussina kept looking for her son alone. Originally, residents of Dolipora, Kupwara, Hussina’s family was living in Srinagar in a rented apartment for past many decades now.
For past 50 years, the Indian Army has been using 3,000 kanals of the Tosimaidan meadow for artillery training free of cost.
JK consumed 560 lakh kg mutton in 2012-13
