Jammu, Feb 19: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday announced that all tourist destinations closed in the aftermath of the Baisaran Pahalgam terror incident will be reopened by May this year.

Winding up the discussion on grants for the departments under his charge, CM Omar Abdullah, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that all tourist destinations shut down after the Pahalgam attack will be reopened by May.

“I want to tell you all these destinations will reopen till May,” the CM said, adding that the Jammu & Kashmir Government has discussed the matter with the Union Government.

He said that they have no plan to privatise power distribution companies in Jammu & Kashmir.

The CM said that whenever action is taken against encroachers, they will target the “big fishes” first.

Jammu, Feb 19: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said that return of Kashmiri Pandits with full dignity and security is the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Jammu Kashmir has been undergoing a profound transformation since 2019. Sinister plot of adversary to destroy the dreams and destiny of people of the UT has been decisively dismantled.

Through tireless effort, this land’s ancient glory has been restored, and development has been accelerated. Very soon, this soil will be completely freed from the scourge of terrorism,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

He was speaking at the release of the book titled “Kashmir-Nativity Regained”, authored by Prof. Ashok Kaul.

“Kashmir-Nativity Regained” explores the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and captures the terror of those dark days and the lasting devastation of being wrenched from ancestral roots.

The Lieutenant Governor said that Prof Kaul’s book is not just a literary endeavour but laudable effort to shatter the silence that has shrouded our collective consciousness for decades.

“I salute the indomitable spirit of Kashmiri Pandit Community. Every displaced family carried within them a living ember of Kashmir. In the crucible of struggle and adversity, they preserved philosophy, spirituality, culture, language, and traditions. Even in agony, they unearthed possibilities and scaled new pinnacles of success,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor highlighted that in 2021, Kashmiri Migrant web portal was launched to recover house and lands of Kashmiri Pandit community, which were encroached upon by others.

“I firmly believe that among the world’s gravest sorrows is the agony of becoming a stranger on one’s own soil. This is precisely what had transpired in Jammu & Kashmir.

The anguish of the 1989-90 massacre of Kashmiri Pandits by terrorists runs so profoundly deep that even the balm of time has failed to soothe it. The torment of abandoning homes overnight, of being uprooted from one’s roots, lingers like thorns in the veins of displaced families even today,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor said that terror ecosystem in J&K tried to bury the truth but we can never forget and never forgive those terrorists and their support networks who sowed terror and struck at the souls of generations.

“The younger generation must never forget that Pakistan-backed terrorists have also spilled the blood of thousands of innocent Kashmiri Muslims. Many cases are so heartrending that words falter in their retelling. Justice has begun flowing to those families since last year, with efforts underway to fulfil their employment needs alongside other essentials,” he said.

The Lieutenant Governor stated that in August 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolished Article 370 and fully integrated J&K, that day instilled the faith that the young generation of Kashmiri Pandit Community could reclaim those roots without fear.

“Prof Kaul’s book serves as a poignant reminder of Kashmiri Pandit Community’s resilience. This is an era of reconstruction. Through his words, Prof Kaul proclaims to the world that the Kashmiri Pandit community is at the very heart of J&K’s narrative,” the Lieutenant Governor further said.

Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu; Rajiv Jha, Publisher, Readers Press; Prof. Neelu Rohmetra; Dean Research Studies; Dr Neeraj Sharma, Registrar, Jammu University; eminent literary personalities, people from different walks of life and students attended the book release ceremony.

Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP Jammu; Dr Rakesh Minhas, Deputy Commissioner Jammu and other senior officials were also present.

Jammu, Feb 19: The speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has admitted a private member’s resolution moved by PDP MLA Waheed-Ur-Rehman Parra, strongly condemning hate crimes against minorities and calling for strict enforcement of law.

The PDP legislator from Pulwama moved the resolution amid growing incidents of targeted attacks and harassment of Kashmiri students and traders in different parts of the country.

According to an official communication issued by the Assembly Secretariat, the resolution has been admitted under Rule 179 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J-K Legislative Assembly.

The resolution “strongly condemns all forms of hate crimes against minorities and calls upon the government of India and state governments to take immediate and effective measures to prevent, investigate and prosecute such offences with strict enforcement of the law”.

In recent weeks, incidents involving alleged attacks and intimidation of Kashmiri students and traders in various states have drawn political attention and concern, prompting calls from several quarters for stronger safeguards and accountability mechanisms.

Jammu, Feb 19: A border resident was arrested with two foreign-made pistols in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.

Sachin Kumar, a resident of Sair village near the Line of Control, was taken into custody by an Army patrolling party from Raipur village in the Nowshera sector late on Wednesday night, they said.

Two pistols — one made in Turkey and another in China — were recovered from his possession along with four magazines and 15 rounds of ammunition.

A case has been registered against Kumar and further investigation is underway, they said.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused had allegedly received the consignment from across the border and was tasked with delivering it to another person, when he was intercepted by the patrolling party, officials said.

Efforts are on to ascertain the intended recipient of the weapons and to determine other details of the cross-border network, they added.

The officials said that meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in Marlog and Lodra forests in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district after receiving information about the movement of three suspected terrorists.

A search operation was underway when last reports were received.

Srinagar, Feb 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Thursday informed the House that no final decision has yet been taken on reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), even though such reservation is envisaged under the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Act, 2024, recently enacted by Parliament.

Replying to a question by MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma, the government said that the amendments in the 2024 Act provide for OBC reservation in both rural and urban local bodies.

The government further stated that a three-member Commission, headed by Justice (Retd.) Janak Raj Kotwal, was constituted to determine the OBC reservation quota.

“The recommendations of the Commission are currently under government consideration and no final decision has been taken yet,” the government added. —(KNO)

Srinagar, Feb 19: The Government on Thursday informed the legeslative assembly that the Northern Railway is undertaking final location surveys for four new railway lines in Kashmir Valley, while assuring that landowners will be duly compensated as per law once the projects are sanctioned.

Replying to an Assembly question tabled by MLA Javid Hassan Baig regarding railway expansion, the Transport Department said the proposed new lines include Baramulla–Uri, Sopore–Kupwara, Anantnag–Bijbehara–Pahalgam and Kakapora–Shopian.

The government said, the alignment of the proposed lines has been finalised in consultation with the concerned district administrations. “The land requirement for these projects has been assessed and, if sanctioned, compensation will be provided to landowners as per applicable laws for the acquisition of land, trees and structures.”

“On concerns about diversion of fertile agricultural land and rehabilitation of affected farmers, the government reiterated that compensation will be paid in accordance with legal provisions during the project execution stage,” the reply said.

Regarding environmental safeguards, the reply stated that once the projects are sanctioned by the Government of India, all mitigation measures will be taken as per environmental policy and the latest guidelines to address issues such as deforestation, soil erosion, water resource disruption and ecological imbalance.

The government further said, coordination with the Government of India and Indian Railways will be maintained during project execution to ensure necessary mitigation measures are implemented to minimise social and environmental impact.

It added that district administrations will remain involved during the execution stage to address local concerns and ensure adherence to prescribed norms for environmental and social safeguards. —(KNO)