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The Centre's decision to call off unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir may have also brought down curtains on dialogue offer to the separatists The Centre’s decision to call off unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir may have also brought down curtains on dialogue offer to the separatists who had sought clarity over the proposal before committing to any kind of engagement with New Delhi. During his visit to the summer capital of Srinagar on June 7, Union home minister Rajnath Singh had dropped enough hints about extending the halt in anti-militancy operations beyond Ramzan, raising hopes within the state government of a possible breakthrough for talks with separatists. In fact, the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had twice made a passionate appeal to Hurriyat to take the talks offer saying “such opportunity doesn’t come time and again”. But a sudden surge in militancy-related incidents during the last two weeks of Ramzan seems to have forced government of India to reconside...

Azhar argues that organisations like his JeM can achieve victory for Pakistan in Kashmir and avenge the 1971 defeat Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) head   Masood Azhar   has called on the Pakistani government to "shows a little courage" and allow jihadist organisations a free hand in escalating their attacks in India, in order to "resolve" the Kashmir dispute, the   Indian Express   reported on Thursday. According to the report, Azhar, alleged to have masterminded the Pathankot attack in January this year, was addressing the Pakistani establishment in the current issue of the JeM weekly magazine   al-Qalam . Quoting Azhar, the national daily's report said: “If the government of Pakistan shows a little courage... The problem of Kashmir, as well as the dispute over water, can be resolved once and for all right now. If nothing else, the government simply has to open the path for the mujahideen. Then, god willing, all the bitter memories of 1971 will be dissolved i...

Two terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara, search ops on Two terrorists were killed in   Jammu and Kashmir 's Handwara district on Thursday morning after they opened fire outside the 30 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Langate. The terrorists, who were in army combat uniform, had opened fire at around 5 a.m. During the search operation in the area, the militants opened fire at the forces. The firing continued for 10 to 15 minutes. Since the troops were alert, the attack was aptly retaliated by the security forces. The operation is currently underway. Meanwhile, additional forces have been rushed to the spot to nab the remaining terrorists. No casualties have been reported, so far. Meanwhile, it is reported that the army foiled three infiltration bids along the   LoC   in Jammu and Kashmir last night. Two infiltration bids were foiled in Naugam Sector while one such attempt was foiled in Rampur sector. The attack comes days after terrorists attacked a BSF...

Nawaz Sharif's UNGA speech: Top 10 things he said and India's rebuttals to his accusations Pakistan Prime Minister   Nawaz Sharif   raked up the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and tried to burnish his country's credentials as an opponent of global terrorism. His speech, which also referred to the prevailing situation in Europe and the Middle East, attempted to paint India as an uncooperative neighbour which had rebuffed Sahrif's overtures for peace. His speech came days after suspected Pakistan-based terrorists attacked an Indian army camp in Uri, in Kashmir, and killed 18 Indian soldiers. The four terrorists who participated in the attack were also eliminated by the security forces during the attack. ALSO READ:   Pak PM Sharif should have talked about Balochistan not Kashmir: Baloch activist India for its part reacted very strongly to the Pakistani prime minister's speech, calling it an act of "self-incrimination" on t...

Hizbul's Syed Salahuddin threatens nuclear war against India The   Pakistan   Government has again encouraged terror leader Syed Salahuddin, the head of the Hizbul Mujahideen, to threaten war against India over the   Kashmir   issue, and this time, Salahuddin has threatened a   nuclear attack   on India. Speaking to reporters in   Karachi   Salahuddin said there is a great chance of a nuclear war taking place between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue. "Pakistan is duty bound, morally bound, politically bound and constitutionally bound to provide concrete, substantial support to the ongoing freedom struggle on the territory of Kashmir. And, if Pakistan provides this support, there is a great chance of a nuclear war between the two powers," he added. He said three wars have already been fought between the two countries over the Kashmir issue, adding that he can predict a fourth war with certainty because Kashmiris are no longer w...

'Pakistan group uses disfigured celebrity faces to campaign against use of pellet guns in Kashmir' Pellet   guns were first introduced to   Jammu and Kashmir   police in 2010 during   Omar Abdullah   government. The use of such guns, however, has shot to the forefront after protests against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani saw the use pellets for crowd control. ( more )

Humanity beats curfew in Kashmir as locals rush to help Amarnath bus accident victims One more youth was killed on Wednesday in a clash between a stone-pelting mob and security forces in   Kashmir , taking the toll in the five-day unrest to 35, even as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed "great sadness and sorrow" over the deaths and promised a "healing touch". Zakir Naik cancels conference for third time Controversial Mumbai-based Islamic preacher   Zakir Naik   has cancelled his media interaction on Thursday for the third time. "It is very difficult to do a press conference. We will announce another conference soon. Naik himself is willing to come and share information with people," official spokesperson of Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) told on Thursday. South China Sea ruling must be respected: Philippines The ruling by the Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration(PCA) in favour of Manila over its South China Sea...

Kashmir gets out of hand Funerals of militants have become a public expression of rage and alienation in   Kashmir . While the Union home ministry’s official estimate for the number of militants in the Valley is now a little less than 200, against over 3,500 in the 1990s, the army and paramilitary report an unprecedented rise in local support to insurgency. This is manifested in efforts by villagers to hamper counter-insurgency operations in the Valley, including by women. Army units have been reporting efforts to snatch weapons, something unprecedented. Earlier north   Kashmir Valley   used to be the centre of insurgent activity. It is now south Kashmir. Militants, dead and alive, are present in public consciousness everywhere. Burhan Lions, Aabid Khan Qalandars and Khalid Aryans were the names of cricket teams that played IPL-type matches in south Kashmir this April. These teams were named after militants from the region killed in army action. The cricket matc...