New Delhi, Sep 13: Jammu and Kashmir Tourism team has bagged an award for countries promising MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination during its participation in a three days promotional event in New Delhi.

A team of officers including Director SKICC Ghalib M Shah and CEO Gulmarg Development Authority Tariq Naikoo represented the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir at BLMT platform, a product of FairFest exclusive meant for showcasing the best MICE potential of the country.

The team interacted with lot of potential MICE organizers who have shown keen interest in planning their future mega events in SKICC and other destinations of Jammu and Kashmir.
MICE and Wedding Tourism have emerged as a new niche tourism segment and is considered a priority sector of tourism.

SKICC being hub of the said sector has established itself globally by hosting number of MICE events and activities.

The team has shown satisfaction over the outcome of this event.

Srinagar, Sep 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the upcoming India–Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup should be viewed as part of a multilateral tournament and not as a bilateral contest, stressing that sports must not repeatedly become a casualty of politics.

Komar Omar omaomar omarSpeakingoma to reporters in Chennai, Omar Abdullah, as per news agency Kashmir News Corner — KNC, remarked, “Our problem has always been with bilateral matches, never with multilateral tournaments.”

“This is part of a larger competition, not a bilateral series between India and Pakistan. If this is a beginning and things move in a positive direction, nothing like it.”

He added, “Sport often becomes the victim of politics, especially cricket in the subcontinent. But you cannot ignore the realities. My part of the country has suffered for over three decades, and what happened this year in Pahalgam are real concerns we live with. These cannot be wished away.”

Srinagar, Sep 13: Ruling National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said he is hopeful the Centre will respect the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and restore its statehood.

The three-time former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was in Pahalgam as a guest of honour at a golf tournament in which around 50 golfers from across the country are participating.

Asked if he was hopeful of restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, Abdullah told PTI Videos, “God willing, that will also happen one day. We are hopeful that Delhi will pay attention to it. The prime minister will see to it that the people of Jammu and Kashmir want statehood to be restored”.

To a question on whether controversies like Hazratbal or Doda divert attention from real issues, the NC president said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been living in difficult times since 1947, and “this is not something new”.

“However, we have to come out of that… nothing is static, things move. God willing, the situation has improved here, and I am hopeful that the leadership of our country will understand this and try to further improve the situation by paying attention towards the aspirations of the people here,” he added.

On September 5, a controversy erupted in Kashmir after a plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem was vandalised in the Hazratbal shrine after Friday prayers, sparking outrage from political parties who accused Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by placing the national emblem in a mosque and demanded registration of a criminal case and her immediate removal.

Meanwhile, in Jammu’s Doda district, tensions flared after MLA Mehraj Malik — who won the seat in the 2024 assembly elections — was arrested under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order and subsequently lodged in Kathua district jail.

Referring to the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed, Abdullah said the incident dealt a severe blow to tourism in the Kashmir valley.

“Tourism is essential for sustaining the economy of Kashmir. Be it poor or rich, everyone benefits from tourism. It (tourism) remains shut for six months, so they earn for six months and sustain that in the winters,” he said.

Asserting that the people of Kashmir were not behind the attack, he said the whole of the valley stood united against the attack.

He said the golf tournament will send a message across the country that Kashmir was safe and the situation had improved.

“It is our endeavour to end fear among the people of the country after the April 22 (attack). It is our friends who have organised the tournament so that a message goes out across the country that the situation is good now and everyone should come here to enjoy the hospitality,” he added.

Srinagar, Sep 13: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday strongly criticised the detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), terming it an attack on democratic values and institutions while urging speaker to call assembly session immediately.

Speaking to media persons, Mehbooba said the government should have resolved the matter through legislative procedures rather than placing an elected representative behind bars.

“Invoking PSA against an MLA is unacceptable. The Speaker should have convened an emergency Assembly session, debated the matter and passed a resolution to be sent to Delhi. That is how democracy functions,” Mehbooba said.

She accused the government of bypassing democratic forums and silencing dissent. “Whatever political scores you have to settle with PDP, do it openly. But undermining democratic institutions by targeting elected leaders is sheer injustice,” she remarked.

Reacting to CM Omar Abdullah’s remarks on providing legal assistance, the PDP chief said, “Legal help must be extended to thousands of poor prisoners languishing in jails across India whose families have no resources, not to an MLA who has the means to defend himself.”

Mehbooba also reminded that thousands of Kashmiri detainees are lodged in prisons in Tihar, Agra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, with families struggling even to meet them.

She further referred to AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s recent arrest in Jammu, noting that those who supported the abrogation of Article 370 are now facing its consequences. “He voted for its removal in 2019, claiming it was good for J&K. Today he has realised the reality,” she said.

Calling for immediate corrective measures, Mehbooba urged the Speaker to rise above politics. “An Assembly session must be called without delay, a debate held, and a resolution passed demanding Malik’s release. Such misuse of PSA against elected representatives must not become a precedent,” she said. (KNC)