POSTPONED: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had no option but to postpone the meeting of the Unified Headquarters slated for Friday evening as nobody turned up at the venue. These included state police chief. Later a government spokesman said it was postponed as all the members were busy in the field to ensure law and order and will take place on Saturday. Four civilians were killed on Friday in Kashmir.
DEPLOYED: Prior to its flag march in Srinagar, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was treated for diarrhoea as the host CRPF supplied them impure water. Later it landed in the controversy for using the helmets and riot gear with ‘UN’ written on it. Fearing that the use of UN logos may give justification to rampant civilian killings during the latest civil unrest in Kashmir, United Nations Military Observer Group officials have asked Indian officials to desist from such a practice. CRPF, of which RAF is a part, however, feels there is no harm in using the gear, which they have got after serving in UN missions.
CONDEMNED: After a long hiatus Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) finally voiced its concern over the latest developments in Kashmir and strongly condemned what it called “the violence perpetrated by the Indian security forces against innocent Kashmiris, leading to the loss of numerous precious lives.” OIC Secretary-General called on India “to end human rights violations in Kashmir and seek a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the Kashmir dispute.”
DEFENDED: UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s chief spokesperson Martin Nesirky defended his colleague Farhan Haq, associate spokesman, who is in the centre of the controversy, against attacks in the Indian press that suggested Haq was responsible for the remarks concerning the violence in Kashmir, which came out of the United Nations on July 28. “I won’t tolerate insults being directed against my colleagues,” Nesirky told journalists while pointing to “ethnic” attack by Indian media over Haq’s Pakistani roots.
AFFECTED: Over 2200 families were affected after a cloudburst caused flash floods in Khonmoh and Balhama areas of Srinagar district, damaging property and crops worth crores of rupees but there was no loss of life in the incident. Administration had to seek the help of army in carrying out search and rescue operations.
ATTACKED: A group of protesters on Thursday attacked the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus in north Kashmir when it was on its way to Srinagar on the Jhelum Valley Road. One passenger from Pakistan administered Kashmir was injured. Police and army later baton charged the protestors and transported the passengers in police vehicles.
RECOVERED: Syed Farrukh Bukhari, a 19-year old student of the department of journalism in Degree College Baramulla was fished out from a stream near the police station that had detained him 14 days ago. People protested over severely tortured body alleging his eyes were gouged out, arm amputated, throat slit- before being killed in police custody. A lady was killed in firing soon after the teenager went missing.
PROMULGATED: The Governor, N. N. Vohra has promulgated an Ordinance making certain amendments in the Stamp Act, Samvat 1977, to pave the way for the implementation of the Demating of the Stamps in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. With e-Stamping System, the state hopes to provide prompt and efficient delivery of an essential public service, resulting in proper valuation of properties, cut down the menace of under-valuation of Stamps and earn enhanced revenue.
SEARCHED: Security agencies are on a lookout for a person, who is accused of double crossing security agencies and militant organisations. The quick witted Shabir Renzoo had made Lashker operatives believe that he could transfer explosive material to Delhi and conduct blasts there whereas, on the other hand he had kept Army intelligence also in picture to intercept the same consignment. Renzoo is alleged to be making fast money this way and get ordinary Kashmiri youths trapped, a news report from Delhi said.
DAMAGED: Heavy rains lashed Surankote area of Poonch causing massive damage to the main market. Property worth crores was destroyed as dozens of shops and residential houses caved in. The situation further deteriorated as stretches of the main road were also damaged. Deputy Commissioner has assured residents of all possible help after locals protested.
DIVERTED: Kashmir protests and the cloudburst in Leh has diverted tens of thousands of tourists to Himachal Pradesh. Hill stations like Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie and Dharamsala have been buzzing with visitors, who earlier would have opted for Kashmir to avoid monsoon in Himachal. The hotel occupancy has gone up by 30-35 per cent compared to previous years.
EARNED: J&K Forest Department has earned a revenue of Rs 6.39 crore from the sale of 1,693 metric tonnes (MT) of resin extracted during the last financial year in Jammu division. The department has also seized four trucks, 11 tractor trollies, three pickup vans involved in illegal timber transportation, in addition to 5,312 cubic feet of wood.
DEMANDED: PDP leaders from Rajouri have demanded a probe into the firing incident in which a woman was killed and nine others, including two Army troopers, injured when a passenger bus was fired at allegedly by militants during an attack on an Army convoy in Rajouri district. Citing varying accounts of eyewitnesses in which finger has been raised at Army, the leaders have demanded a thorough probe into the incident.
KILLED: All the three policemen guarding a political leader in Sopore were killed in a deadly militant attack. The suspected militants struck on the police post at around 11 pm by opening indiscriminate firing on the police personnel at Yaseen Colony in Armpora area of Sopore, official sources said. They said all the policemen were killed on the spot. They were posted as Guard to Mohammed Abdullah, a leader of Democratic Party Nationalist.
