SRINAGAR
An NIA Court in Srinagar, under the jurisdiction of Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Gandotra, has denied bail to ten leaders linked to banned separatist organisations including JKLF and Hurriyat Conference. They all are charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court’s decision was grounded in Section 43(D), proviso 5, which the judge applied to the case, asserting that releasing the accused individuals on bail could jeopardise the public interest. The court highlighted the gravity of the allegations made by protected witnesses who also attended the meeting in question. The police on July 9, arrested 43 persons from Habib Restaurant and later 33 of them were set free and the remaining 10 were retained and booked under UAPA. They are Firdous Ahmad Shah (Abiguzar), Jahangir Ahmad Bhat (Batangoo Sopore), Saheel alias Suhail Ahmad Mir (Peerbagh), Khursheed Ahmad Bhat (Rawalpora), Syed Rehman Shams (West Bengal), Sajad Hussain Gul (Panthachowk Srinagar), Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Nanaji (Natipora), Ghulam Hassan Parray (Lawaypora Srinagar), Mohammed Yaseen Bhat (Hazratbal) and Shabir Ahmad Dar (Badam Bagh Sopore). Police told the court that they have a 55,000-page report against Yaseen Bhat and it will take time to investigate all the aspects of the case.
Police said of 47 militants killed so far in 2023, 38 were foreigners.
REASI
Amid scathing criticism, the government is gearing up to auction the recently discovered lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir, a move driven by the country’s ambition to secure a critical raw material for electric vehicle battery production. The deposits, totalling an estimated 5.9 million tonnes, were identified in early 2023. Foreign mining companies have already expressed interest in participating in the auction, according to an undisclosed government source cited by Reuters. Right now, India’s state-owned joint venture, KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd), is in the final stages of acquiring lithium reserves in Argentina, and preliminary discussions are underway with the Chilean government for potential lithium reserves. These efforts align with India’s commitment to secure a consistent supply of essential minerals as it seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. After the Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered the resources in the Salal-Haimana region, plans are afoot to explore additional reserves in the Panasa-Dugga-Baldhanun-Chakar-Sangarmarg area.
“Lithium is a globally coveted resource, and Jammu and Kashmir’s reserves are of great importance not just for our region but for the entire nation. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the exploitation of these resources benefits the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not just a select few,” Mehbooba Mufti argued. “After the takeover of Jammu and Kashmir’s water resources and minerals by the Government of India (GOI), the focus has now shifted towards the vast lithium reserves beneath the region’s surface.”
Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh revealed they have identified 400 natives who are currently living on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC).
GUREZ
Dawar, the village seen as the centre of Gurez, achieved a remarkable milestone as it clinched the prestigious Best Tourism Village award from the Union Ministry of Tourism. This recognition, received by Tourism Secretary Syed Abid Rashid on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir government, places Dawar village in the golden category among villages across India. This accolade signifies a significant boost for border tourism in the region, aligning with the government’s efforts to promote 75 offbeat destinations to attract both foreign and domestic tourists to Jammu and Kashmir. Off late, Gurez has been on top of the native visitors’ list who spent most of the summer weekend in various tented accommodations in the fascinating and peaceful Gurez. A number of Bollywood crew were in the border belt for shooting various sequences.
The unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir has declined from 6.7 per cent in 2019-21 to 5.2 per cent in 2021-2022
SRINAGAR
A small video clip showing a young man getting into his birthday suit while driving a Hyundai i-10 on Srinagar flyover had shocked people. The same clip led the RTO Kashmir, Shahnawaz Bukhari to summon Kamran Showkat of Chanapora, who owned the vehicle. Admitting the guilt, Kamran revealed that his friend, Arsh Khan, was behind the wheel during the night of September 23-24, 2023. Arsh Khan and two friends, Abrar Shah and Arfat Imtiyaz, corroborated the facts and admitted their involvement. Arsh Khan, lacking a valid driver’s license, was penalised Rs 5,000, while Kamran Showkat received the same penalty for permitting the vehicle to be driven by an unlicensed driver. Additionally, the vehicle’s registration has been suspended for three months.
Jammu and Kashmir has 4000 vacant positions. Its recruitment is outsourced to a third party.
MUMBAI
The shooting for Israeli counter-terror drama Fauda being redone in the Indian context under Tanaav has started in Kashmir. Sukhmani Sadana is playing the role of Nusrat Farooqui, a character of profound complexity, shrouded in sombre and ‘grey’ shades, adding layers of intrigue to the show’s landscape. The show also stars Sahiba Bali, Arsalan Goni, Amit Gaur and Satyadeep Misra. Meanwhile, actress Breshna Khan has landed in Srinagar to shoot for Santosh Sivan’s untitled project. She has already shot for her first schedule and will soon be starting the shoot for the next. The film is a period drama – showcasing Kashmir almost 500 years ago – and consists of three acts, Breshna will play the lead in the first act and will continue to have an overarching presence throughout the film.
SMHS Hospital’s Anti-Rabies Clinic got 4396 cases in the last six months. In the last fiscal (April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023) the clinic got 6,875 dog bite cases. Even the domestic cat bite cases have seen a 30 per cent surge.
LADAKH
Northern Army chief, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited forward areas in the Siachen Glacier and other Ladakh sectors. He reviewed operational preparedness and witnessed integrated training. Prior to his Ladakh visit, General undertook a series of tours to the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara. Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has granted permission to foreign tourists to stay overnight at Hanle where India’s first night sky reserve is located. The move is seen by local residents as an attempt to boost tourism in the region.
QAZIGUND
Three residents of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh were arrested with weapons at the Navyug Tunnel on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. They had stolen the weapons from Leh where they broke into the house of the escort PSO of a police officer. Identified as Muhammad Abid, Jairul Sheikh, and Muhammad Nizam, the recoveries included a pistol, a magazine, and 30 rounds were recovered from their possession. It was not immediately known if they had been handed over to the police in Ladakh.
DELHI
US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visited Gilgit Baltistan areas on the other side of the LoC. This triggered some diplomatic criticism forcing Blome’s India counterpart, Eric Garcetti to get into fire fighting. “It is not my place to react to the US Ambassador in Pakistan but he has been there before and we obviously had part of our delegation in Jammu and Kashmir during the G20 as well,” Garcetti told reporters during the 20th Indo-US Economic Summit. “We will stay engaged but this is an issue, we very religiously note, that has to be something that is resolved between India and Pakistan, not by any third party, including the US.” Garcetti talked about the relations between the two major democracies of the world. “The goal that we should be setting for each other is how can we be more ambitious. Not just settle for another deal, not just settle for as we have done in the last few months bringing down the retaliatory tariffs and trade disputes between our countries. That’s not good enough. I think we need to close our eyes and dream of what this relationship can be like even more than we would imagine today. How can we create a frictionless relationship?” the envoy said. “We want India to be one of our top three markets in the world. Here, the productivity in dairy and other areas has levelled off. In addition, there is a need to share technology and co-develop in sectors like defence, in which India and the US already have strong ties.”
PULWAMA
Waheed Parra, 34, who is Kashmir’s lone elected DDC member still awaiting oath of office, has his passport impounded by the Regional Passport Office. He was scheduled to travel to the United States in September for a peace fellowship at Yale University. Hindustan Times reported that Parra received a communication recently stating: “It has been decided to impound the passport of Waheed ur Rehman Parra under Section 10(3)(c) in the “interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any foreign country” of passport act 1967. You are, therefore, requested to submit the passport to this passport office with immediate effect, if not already done.” Parra was arrested within days after winning the DDC election and is on bail. Recently, a court barred him from accompanying his father to a hospital outside Jammu and Kashmir.
MANIPUR
Srinagar SSPO, Rakesh Balwal, who is credited for cracking the Pulwama car bomb case, has been prematurely repatriated to Manipur amid fresh violence. The 2012 IPS officer from the Manipur cadre has been heading the Police in Srinagar since December 2021. Reports said the premature repatriation of Balwal to his home cadre comes as the MHA seeks to boost the presence of top investigating officers in Manipur. Balwal joins a list of nearly 40 IPS officers sent to the strife-torn state since the violence erupted in May.
SRINAGAR
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) delisted the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and a Walnut association in Jammu and Kashmir from issuing place of origin certificates to the exported goods. This triggered a fierce criticism of Kashmir’s oldest trade body which responded by saying that the notices issued by the DGFT were never received by them. Now the trade body has taken up the issue with the DGFT and it is hoped that the issue will be resolved at the earliest. In its absence, the exports – mostly handicrafts dealers would face a problem. Kashmir exported Rs 1116.37 crore worth of crafts in fiscal 2022-23.
