Baramulla, July 11: BJP General Secretary (Organisation), J&K, Ashok Koul addressed a Workers’ Convention at Town Hall, Lagama, Uri, where he interacted with dedicated party workers and reviewed the party’s organisational activities in the region.

During the convention, Ashok Koul emphasized the importance of a strong and disciplined organisational structure, urging party workers to remain actively connected with the people and work with commitment to strengthen the BJP at the grassroots level. He highlighted the significance of effective coordination among karyakartas to ensure the successful implementation of the party’s programmes and initiatives.

The meeting focused on various organisational matters, upcoming party programmes, and strategies to enhance coordination and outreach. Koul appreciated the dedication and tireless efforts of the party workers and encouraged them to continue serving the public with sincerity while taking the party’s vision and policies to every household.

The convention witnessed enthusiastic participation from party workers, who reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the organisation and ensuring the success of the BJP’s future programmes.

Among those present on the occasion were BJP J&K Secretary Mudasir Wani, District Prabhari Baramulla Bilal Parray, & District President Baramulla Ghulam Hussain Dar, along with senior party leaders and karyakartas.

Srinagar, July 11: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir has secured an Interpol Red Corner notice against designated Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo in a 2013 terror case, officials said on Saturday.

The officials said that in a major breakthrough in its sustained counter-terrorism efforts, the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir has secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against designated Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorist Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo alias Fayaz alias Sajad, marking a significant milestone in the investigation of the 2013 Tarzoo (Hygam) terrorist attack case.

They said the issuance of the Red Corner Notice is a testament to the painstaking and professional investigation carried out by SIA Kashmir, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to ensuring that terrorists involved in heinous acts of violence are brought to justice irrespective of their location. The notice will facilitate international law enforcement agencies in locating, detaining, and initiating legal proceedings for the extradition of the accused to India to face trial.

The case pertains to the terrorist ambush on 26 April 2013 at Peer Mohalla, Hygam, Sopore, where terrorists armed with automatic weapons attacked a police party, resulting in the martyrdom of four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel in one of the most serious terrorist strikes against security forces during that period. The case was initially registered at Police Station Tarzoo, Sopore, and it was transferred to SIA Kashmir in 2024 for a comprehensive investigation.

Following an extensive investigation involving meticulous collection and analysis of evidence, examination of witnesses, and reconstruction of the conspiracy, SIA Kashmir successfully completed the investigation, added more offences on the basis of fresh evidence and filed a comprehensive chargesheet before the competent trial court in July 2024 against six accused persons. During the course of investigation and subsequent operations, two accused—Tariq Ahmad Mir of Kalamabad, Handwara and Qayoom Najar of Batapora, Sopore—were eliminated in encounters with security forces, while Javid Ahmad Mattoo of Sopore, Rouf Najar of Sopore, and Ahmadullah Malla of Dalal Mohalla, Srinagar have been arrested and are facing trial. The sixth and the main accused, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, is absconding and is believed to have exfiltrated to Pakistan, officials said.

A resident of Kraltang, Sopore, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo has been an active member and commander of the proscribed terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen since 2010. Owing to his sustained involvement in terrorist activities, he was notified as a Designated Individual Terrorist by Government of India in October, 2022, they added.

The investigation conducted by SIA Kashmir conclusively established Kandoo’s active and main role in the Hygam terrorist attack and uncovered his involvement in a wider network of terrorist activities. Besides the present case, he is wanted in at least ten more terror-related cases involving terrorist attacks, targeted killings resulting in the deaths of more than 15 persons, arms and ammunition smuggling, and narco- terror financing. Despite sustained efforts by law enforcement agencies, he had continued to evade arrest.

The successful issuance of the Interpol Red Corner Notice against such terrorist is a significant operational and investigative achievement for SIA Kashmir. It underscores the Agency’s growing capability in conducting complex terror investigations, bringing long-pending cases to logical conclusion, pursuing fugitives across international jurisdictions, and leveraging global policing mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of terrorism are held accountable.

SIA Kashmir remains steadfast in its resolve to dismantle terrorist ecosystems, pursue absconding terrorists and their support networks, and ensure that those responsible for acts of terror are brought to justice through all available legal and international mechanisms, officials noted.

Kupwara, July 11: Continuing its sustained drive against drug trafficking and the proceeds of narcotics-related crimes, Kupwara Police today attached a residential house valued at ₹14,45,079 under the provisions of Section 68-F of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, officials said.

The attached property belongs to Raj Mohmad Khan, son of Habibullah Khan, a resident of Kakerpati, Diver Lolab, District Kupwara, they said.

A police spokesperson said in a statement, “The attachment has been carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act as part of the ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking and target assets acquired through illicit means.”

Srinagar, Jul 11: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah delivered a sharply worded address at the Dargah Hazratbal on Saturday, accusing successive governments at the Centre of repeatedly failing to keep their word to Jammu and Kashmir, while taking direct aim at political opponents he accused of acting on Delhi’s orders while claiming to represent local interests.

Recalling decades of unfulfilled assurances, Abdullah invoked a meeting during the tenure of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, saying the promise then was that “whatever shortcomings this government has caused, we will certainly look into them and restore matters.” Decades later, he suggested, little had changed. “We too are human beings,” he said. “We too are the crown of India — we too have our dignity here.”

The NC chief also recounted a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi he said he attended alongside senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, telling those present at the time: “It is unfortunate that we do not trust you, and you do not trust us. Let us first build this trust.” He said assurances that the “distance between Delhi and Kashmir” would be narrowed had, in practice, only widened over the years.

Turning combative, Abdullah accused unnamed local rivals of publicly aligning with Delhi’s directives while stirring unrest on the ground. In pointed remarks, he challenged them directly: “Are you ready to sell this state? Are you ready to sell the honour of your own parents?” He urged them to abandon what he called their “servitude” and align instead with the people’s cause, warning that those who betray the state’s poor “will not be kept at peace… the fire of hell awaits them.”

Abdullah countered by pointing to his own party’s efforts on infrastructure and public services, claiming “no one else could have done” as much in as difficult a period, citing work on schools, colleges, hospitals, and roads.

The NC president closed his address on a note of resolve, framing the party’s demand as one of dignity and rights rather than charity: “We are not asking for anything that isn’t ours — we are only asking for our own right, that this right be returned to us.”

Srinagar, Jul 11: Several high-altitude regions of Jammu and Kashmir have warmed by nearly 1°C over the past two decades, with mountain stations experiencing substantially faster warming than lower elevations, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports.

The study, titled “Warming of the high-mountainous climate sensitive Jammu and Kashmir during the period 1980–2024”, warns that the trend could have serious implications for Himalayan glaciers, snow-fed rivers, water security and climate resilience across northern India.

Conducted by Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath, GS Gopikrishnan and VM Pranav Chandran of the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, the research analysed ground-based observations and atmospheric reanalysis data covering the period from 1980 to 2024.

The researchers found “a clear pattern of elevation-dependent warming,” with temperatures increasing most rapidly at mountain stations such as Bhaderwah, Pahalgam and Gulmarg, while “lower-elevation areas like Jammu showed comparatively weak or insignificant long-term warming.” The study also found that “night-time minimum temperatures are rising much faster than daytime maximum temperatures, particularly during the pre-monsoon season, signalling profound changes in the Himalayan climate system.”

According to the study, “annual mean temperatures increased by up to 0.3 °C per decade at some mid-elevation stations, while pre-monsoon night-time temperatures rose by as much as 0.6 °C per decade.” The researchers said statistical analyses showed that “changes in snow cover and surface reflectivity largely explain winter warming at higher elevations, whereas increasing atmospheric moisture and enhanced longwave radiation are driving the rapid rise in night-time temperatures throughout the year.”

“The Himalaya is among the most climate-sensitive regions on Earth, and our results show that warming is not uniform across elevations,” said Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath.

“The accelerated warming observed in mountain regions threatens glaciers, seasonal snow cover, freshwater availability and ecosystem stability, with consequences extending far beyond the Himalayas,” he added.

Lead author GS Gopikrishnan said the sharp rise in minimum temperatures was particularly significant.

“Warmer nights reduce natural cooling, accelerate snow and ice melt, and alter mountain hydrology. These long-term observations provide critical evidence for improving climate projections and adaptation planning in Himalayan regions,” he said.

Prof. Kuttippurath said the findings also shed light on the processes driving mountain warming.

“The interaction between altitude, snow-albedo feedback, atmospheric moisture and radiation creates distinct warming patterns across the complex Himalayan terrain. This knowledge is essential for developing science-based climate adaptation and disaster-risk reduction strategies,” he said.

The researchers cautioned that continued warming “could accelerate glacier retreat, reduce snow storage, alter river flows, increase the likelihood of climate-related hazards, and threaten livelihoods that depend on Himalayan water resources.”

They called for “strengthened mountain climate monitoring, sustained observations and targeted adaptation policies to safeguard one of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems.”