Srinagar, Oct 4: Several weather stations across Kashmir recorded their highest or near-highest October temperatures on Sunday, with the mercury soaring several degrees above normal amid an unusual spell of warmth.

Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 31.2 degrees Celsius, making it the second-highest October temperature on record.

The reading, as per details collected by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), surpassed the previous October high of 31.1 degrees Celsius, recorded on October 2, 2008. The all-time October record for Srinagar remains 33.9 degrees Celsius, recorded on October 2, 1931.

At Qazigund, the maximum temperature rose to 31.4 degrees Celsius, breaking its previous October record of 31.2 degrees Celsius, set on October 1, 1985. The temperature was 7.3 degrees above normal.

Independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif described the temperatures recorded at several stations as exceptional for October. “The temperatures are exceptionally high for this time of the year, with Qazigund and Kokernag breaking their respective October records. Such values are unusual and indicate an intense spell of heat across Kashmir,” Arif said.

In Gulmarg, the mercury climbed to 23.2 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous October high of 23 degrees recorded just a day earlier. The October record for Gulmarg stands at 23.4 degrees Celsius, recorded on October 1, 2009.

The temperature at Gulmarg was 6.7 degrees above normal, making Sunday the second-hottest October day recorded at the resort. 

Meanwhile, Kokernag also registered a new October record, with the maximum temperature reaching 29.4 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of 29.2 degrees Celsius, recorded on October 4, 2008. The temperature was 5.8 degrees above normal.

Arif further said the persistence of unusually high temperatures across both valley stations and higher-altitude locations made the ongoing spell particularly noteworthy.

The unusually warm conditions come at a time when temperatures across Kashmir are normally expected to decline steadily as autumn progresses.

Srinagar, Oct 4: Former separatist leader Bilal Ahmad Lone on Sunday called for moving beyond the contentious debate over accountability and focusing on securing the future of the younger generation, asserting that revisiting the past repeatedly will not help Jammu and Kashmir move forward.

Lone, who has signalled a shift toward mainstream politics to stake a claim to the legacy of his slain father, Abdul Gani Lone, made the remarks while participating in the 5th ‘Halla Bol’ conclave organised by a news portal here.

He shared the stage with Congress MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir and former J-K BJP president Ravinder Raina.

Responding to a question on accountability for the human cost of three decades of violence in J-K, Lone said the political discourse should take into account the sufferings of the affected families and not politicise the dead.

“We have lost more than one lakh lives; our homes have been severely affected. It’s a different argument whether those one lakh people were on the right path… They are in their graves now. What we need to do is give those people some sense of peace and consolation,” Lone said.

He argued that repeatedly questioning the past will not provide solutions for the younger generation.

“These last few questions will not achieve anything,” he said, adding that the focus should instead be on finding a way forward.

Lone’s remarks came in the context of a wider discussion on the political legacy of the conflict, the role of separatist politics and the need to rebuild trust among the people of Kashmir.

“The priority should be to ensure that the next generation does not inherit the same cycle of uncertainty and conflict… No graveyards anymore,” he said, stressing that what matters now is finding a path forward for those who remain.

He said the families of those killed, particularly those belonging to economically weaker sections, were the ones who had borne the consequences of the conflict.

“There is a need to acknowledge the sufferings of these families rather than turn the deaths into another political argument,” he said.

Referring to the political situation in J-K, Lone said people remained bound together before August 5, 2019 (when Article 370 was revoked), but the priority now should be to find a way forward.

However, rather than getting caught up in questions of accountability over the past, Lone said the emphasis should be on the future.

“I think we need to move forward. Our way forward will create a path for us,” he said.

Referring to his decades-long association with the moderate Hurriyat Conference, Lone said the amalgam made a great effort to carry forward dialogue by meeting both the Congress and BJP governments time and again for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir problem.

“We were in politics, we are in politics, and, Insha Allah (god willing), we will remain in politics. For us, it is not merely about electoral politics,” Lone said, indirectly defending his decision to shift to mainstream politics.

As a society, he said, “we will try to revive the Kashmiri identity and the Kashmiri character that we have. We want to find a better path for the new generation. That is our aspiration; that is our mission”.

He skipped a direct reply to a question on whether the Hurriyat leadership, including its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and JKLF chief Yaseen Malik should apologise to the people of J-K, saying people should realise that their real benefit lies in the democratic process.

“People will have to come together and do something collectively. That’s it,” he said.

Answering another query, he said the situation under the BJP remained tough.

“Working in BJP’s time, to be honest, it is a bit tough. I have concluded that, in the Valley, the basic thing is very simple – we have to restore the trust of the Kashmiri people. And how can that trust be restored? You have to go to the people and build a relationship with them,” he said.

Lone said he assessed that people would gradually understand the need for rebuilding this relationship, as they listen to what their elected representatives say.

A large section of the Kashmiri population continues to face difficult circumstances, while only a relatively small section is economically and politically better placed, he said.

Srinagar, Oct 4: A gathering of Islamic scholars, Sajjada Nashins, Imams and Khateebs from across Jammu and Kashmir has resolved to strengthen the *Tehreek-e-Ittihad Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat* to promote communal, sectarian and fiqhi unity in the region.

The gathering, comprising representatives associated with Sufi shrines and religious institutions, also resolved to oppose any act or statement deemed blasphemous towards Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or the Awliyas of Kashmir, while stressing the need to counter hatred and sectarian discord through dialogue and reform.

The participants adopted a “Resolution of Unity” inspired by the legacy of Hazrat Bulbul Shah and Amir-e-Kabir Shah-e-Hamadan, calling for greater unity among Ahl-e-Sunnat groups and broader communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir.

Among those present were Khwaja Renzushah, Mian Adil Noorani, Mirwaiz Centre’s Lateef Bukhari, Mirwaiz Budgam Arigam Shams-ud-Din Nizami, Chairman of the Mashaikh Board Noorani Naqshbandi, General Secretary of the Makhdoom Foundation Mohammad Sultan Makhdoomi, Abdul Rahman Shah, founder of Tableegh-e-Islam Hanafia Hanafi Arabi College, and several Sajjada Nashins, Imams and Khateebs from different parts of Kashmir.

The gathering also included religious figures and scholars from Tangmarg, Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, South Kashmir and the Pir Panjal region, including Ghulam Nabi Razvi, Abdullah Batewari, Mehraj-ud-Din, Salman Farooqi, Ghulam Nabi Dar, Riyaz Malik, Ghulam Mohammad Malroo, Sheikh Mohammad Hussain, Abdul Majeed Buchoo, Hilal Ahmad Khan, Syed Amjid Razvi, Haji Peerzada Manzoor Akhoon, Faisal Qayum, Nazir Ahmad Mattoo, Mohammad Iqbal Kanth, Mohammad Yousuf Loan, Mohammad Ayash, Maulana Mubashir, Farooq Ahmad Mattoo, Dr Nisar Ahmad Baba, Sufi Bashir Ahmad, Mir Fayaz Ahmad, Manzoor Ahmad Mir, Maulana Abid Hussain Rizvi and Nazir Ahmad Bagh, among others.

According to the resolution, the participants will work as founding members and representatives of the proposed initiative, with senior scholars designated as its *Tarjuman-e-Aala*.

The federation said its scholars, Muftis and Ulama would monitor public statements, sermons and social media posts for content that promotes religious hatred, insults sects or communities, or demeans revered Sufi personalities of Kashmir.

Where such statements are found to be deliberate or inflammatory, the organisation said the matter would be examined by a panel of scholars and Muftis. The concerned individual may be called before the scholars to explain the context and intent of the remarks, with the stated objective of reforming expressions and preventing further discord.

The participants stressed that any such action would be based on research, verification and a consensus-based decision of the organisation’s Ulama, Muftis and scholars.

The gathering also reiterated its commitment to communal brotherhood, sectarian harmony and peaceful coexistence, urging religious scholars and community representatives to work collectively against forces seeking to deepen divisions in society.

Sopore, Oct 04: Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Sunday said the government has been directed to examine the alleged regional imbalance in the issuance of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) certificates, while efforts are also underway to introduce a translation facility to enable legislators to speak and have their interventions recorded in Kashmiri in the House.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme held in Sopore, Rather said the EWS issue needed to be examined seriously to ensure that no section of society was subjected to injustice.

“Yes, I have directed the government to examine the same wherever there is scope of improvement to avoid injustice to any section of society,” he said.

The issue had figured prominently during the recently concluded Autumn Session of the J&K Legislative Assembly after Peoples Conference president and MLA Sajad Gani Lone moved a Calling Attention Motion over alleged disparities in the issuance of EWS certificates across different regions.

Lone sought corrective measures to ensure equitable access to benefits available under the EWS category, raising concerns over what he described as a regional imbalance in the issuance of the certificates.

On another issue concerning the functioning of the Assembly, Rather said the government was working on a mechanism to facilitate the use of Kashmiri langauge in the House, acknowledging that the absence of translators was currently preventing members from having their Kashmiri interventions officially recorded.

“The government has to look into many angles. Currently we don’t have any translator in the Assembly, which often becomes a hurdle in speaking in Kashmiri. Efforts are on to address this concern in future,” Rather said.

The Speaker also clarified that he had not barred any legislator from speaking in Kashmiri, saying the difficulty was limited to recording the remarks in the absence of a translator.

“I told those who tried to speak in Kashmiri langauge that they can use the langauge but it can’t be recorded as we don’t have a translator in the Assembly currently,” he said.

The issue came to limelight after the NC legislator Mubarak Gul spoke in Kashmiri during the Autumn Session but was informed that his remarks would not be recorded due to the absence of a translator in the House.

Rather said efforts were being made to address the issue and facilitate the use of Kashmiri in Assembly proceedings in the future.

The Speaker was speaking after attending the ‘Youm-i-Meeras’ programme organised to pay tributes to late Atiqa Bano and her contribution to preserving Kashmir’s cultural and educational heritage through the Meeras Mahal Museum in Sopore.

The programme was organised by Majlis-un-Nisa, Jammu & Kashmir, Sopore, in collaboration with Adbi Markaz Kamraz J&K.

MLA Sopore Irshad Rasool Kar and Convenor INTACH J&K chapter Mohammad Saleem Beigh were among those present at the occasion 

Several writers and other intellectuals also attended the programme.

Srinagar, Oct 04: Security forces arrested an army personnel at the drop gate of Srinagar International Airport after some contraband substance was recovered from his baggage, officials said on Sunday.

Police and CRPF personnel apprehended the army personnel on Saturday as they recovered poppy straw and cannabis-like substance from his possession, the officials said.

The banned substances recovered included 213 grams of poppy straw and 69 grams of cannabis-like substance.

A case under relevant sections of the law have been registered and investigation set into motion, they added.