Srinagar, Feb 13: JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra has asked the J&K government to send an all-party MLAs team to the Kashmiri migrant camps to see their living conditions and recommend urgent measures to improve them.

Karra said this after  interaction with the Kashmiri Pandit community, on the eve of Shivratri, during a visit to the Jagti migrant camp at Nagrota Jammu. He said “enough politics has taken place on the plight and sufferings of Kashmiri displaced community but it’s time to rise above vote bank politics and improve their lot who are suffering on multiple fronts,”.

He said that while fresh initiatives for their respectful, safe and dignified return should be taken and continue, for which Congress has suggested the government a local level dialogue through elected MLAs from all parties, simultaneously urgent and effective steps should be taken to improve their living conditions and rehabilitation measures in migrant camps and solve their genuine issues. The best way is to send an all-party MLAs team to their camps and migrant basis to study their conditions and recommend urgent measures. Karra was invited by the migrant community to express gratitude for raising the issue of community during the ongoing budget session of J&K Assembly, said a press release.

Accompanied by senior leaders of the party including working President  Raman Bhalla, Karra visited the migrant camp.

Srinagar, Feb 13: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed more than 9,000 awareness and outreach programmes under the ‘Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan’, with participation of over 4.51 lakh individuals across the Union Territory, officials informed during a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday.

The outreach-based campaign, spearheaded by the Information Department in close collaboration with key departments, is aimed at curbing substance abuse through awareness, rehabilitation and coordinated action at the grassroots level.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary reviewed the progress and impact of the initiative and stressed the need for stronger digital integration and institutional capacity building. He directed officials to link the Nasha Mukt J&K portal with the National Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) portal to ensure seamless data sharing, enhanced visibility and effective monitoring of activities.

Officials informed that besides large-scale awareness drives conducted in Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and educational institutions, 218 individuals have been successfully rehabilitated as part of the campaign. Additionally, 1.83 lakh bulk SMS messages were sent to participants acknowledging their involvement and reinforcing the anti-drug message.

Emphasising transparency and accessibility, Dulloo directed that trained counsellors be mapped to their respective educational institutions, Panchayats, ULBs and health facilities on the portal. He said their qualifications, training capacity and upcoming training schedules should be prominently displayed to enable easy public access and better coordination.

The Chief Secretary also asked the Health Department to design certified courses in de-addiction and counselling to create a skilled professional workforce across departments. He directed IMHANS Srinagar to introduce diversified and certified training programmes and expand facilities in the Jammu Division as well.

Describing substance abuse as a serious public health challenge, Dulloo called for a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen the counsellor base and ensure structured capacity building to address the issue effectively.

He further urged departments to develop age-specific and profession-specific awareness content tailored for ASHA workers, Self-Help Group (SHG) members, youth, elderly citizens, government employees, police personnel and prosecution staff.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary also took a live demonstration of the Nasha Mukt J&K portal and directed that it be hosted on the State Data Centre to ensure improved security, reliability and accessibility.

New Delhi, Feb 13: The Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi on Friday sentenced two Over Ground workers (OGWs) of the Pakistan Army backed banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist outfit to a maximum of 15 years of imprisonment in RC-11/2016/NIA/DLI, for providing shelter, food and logistic support to a heavily armed Pakistani terrorist who had infiltrated into Kashmir along with others with the intent to unleash terror in the Valley in 2016.

The agency in a statement issued said that residents of Handwara in Kupwara district of Kashmir, the two accused, identified as Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazeer Ahmad Peer, have been convicted and sentenced to 15 years of  imprisonment each under Section 18 and Section 19 of the UA(P) Act, and another nine years under Section 39 of the same legislation. The sentences will run concurrently, upto the maximum of 15 years. The two men have also been fined Rs. 50,000 under each of these sections, totalling a fine of Rs. 1,50,000 for each accused.

It said the case RC-11/2016/NIA/DLI relates to a larger LeT conspiracy, under which one Bahadur Ali @ Saifullah, a Pakistani national and trained terrorist, had infiltrated into the Indian territory in District Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, along with other terrorists. The heavily armed group of terrorists was equipped with sophisticated arms and ammunition, explosives, navigation devices, night vision devices, and communication equipment.

While they were in the Indian territory, the group of terrorists had remained in constant contact with their LeT handlers based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan. The terrorists were continuously receiving instructions and directions for carrying out terrorist activities within India. They had planned to carry out a series of terror attacks J&K and other parts of India, including Delhi. Their plans were, however, foiled as Bahadur Ali was arrested on 25th July 2016, while two other infiltrating terrorists, namely Abu Saad and Abu Darda, were killed in an encounter by security forces later.

NIA had filed chargesheet against accused Bahadur Ali in January 2017. After he pleaded guilty, Bahadur Ali was convicted in March 2021, and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment under various provisions of IPC, UA (P) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act,  Arms Act, and Foreigners Act.

It was during the course of further investigation that the role of Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmad Peer emerged, and NIA found that they had provided safe shelter, food, and other logistics support to the Pakistani terrorist. The duo had even facilitated Bahadur Ali by arranging his meetings with other Pakistani terrorists in Kashmir Valley.

These two men were identified and arrested in September 2017 and were chargesheeted by NIA in March 2018. The court convicted them on 18th December 2025, and passed the sentence against them today, causing a massive setback to the OGW network of harbourers of Pakistani terrorists in Kashmir, the statement said.

Srinagar, Feb 13: The Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) on Friday said that due to some unavoidable maintenance work, the power supply will remain affected in several areas of Kashmir division in coming days.

Chief Engineer, Distribution, KPDCL said that the shutdown of 33 KV Cheshmashahi-TRC-Nedous line will be observed due to which power supply to Dal, Paras Hospital and 33 KV installations of Rajbagh Tapline will be affected from 10 AM to 03 PM on 15 February 2026.

Further, shutdown of 33 KV Nehalpora-Gulmarg line will be observed due to which power supply to Reram, Chandilora, Watnoo, Tangmarg, Mulgam, Ferozpora, Katlipora, Rangwali, Kulhama, Gulmarg, Khyber, Chandil, Wanigam, Krelweth, Malpora and adjoining areas will be affected from 09 AM to 03 PM on 14 & 17 February 2026.