Pune teen not a suicide bomber, misinterpretation of intelligence inputs cause confusion

New Delhi:- On January 23, a flash was sent out from the zonal headquarters of Jammu and Kashmir Police in Srinagar. The message was titled "urgent". A Pune girl in her late teens was suspected of planning a suicide attack on the eve of Republic Day in Kashmir.

There was reason to worry as the girl was on the radar of security agencies for the past few years. In 2015, she was detained for suspicious activities on the internet by ATS Maharashtra and was asked to go through a de-radicalisation programme. She was reportedly traced by the ATS in closed chat rooms of the Islamic State. There was some confusion over the suspect’s age: whether she is a minor or major.

All the superintendents of police in J&K were asked to be vigilant in the wake of this input. For two days the entire intelligence machinery of state police was deployed to track this girl.

“We have arrested the lady last night from Kashmir. Now we are questioning her. We will carry out a detailed investigation on what she was really up to. So far we don’t have many details. We acted swiftly on the intelligence generated by agencies,” said Munir Khan, additional director general, J&K Police.

However, later it emerged that this was possibly a case of misinterpretation of intelligence inputs by police. And an alleged Facebook post by the girl to a friend, joking that she would stage a suicide attack, added to the row. Cops will hand her over to her family as there are no cases pending against her.

The teen had been trying to visit Jammu and Kashmir for the past two years. According to sources, in 2017 she was in touch with a few people from the Jammu division. Given her background, she was detained at the railway station, and asked to return to Pune.

“She seems to be a strange person with dubious links. She has definitely been in touch with some anti-national elements on the internet, but she has done nothing so far. That is the reason why Maharashtra ATS asked her to go through a de-radicalisation programme. In this instance, intelligence agencies picked up chatter in which she seemed to have written messages about a suicide attack. That is the reason the system went into alert mode,” said a senior officer of J&K Police.

As per details received from sources, she was this time in touch with a youth from Kupwara, and a girl from central Kashmir’s Budgam district. She had informed them of her plans to visit the Valley. She landed in Srinagar on January 19 or 20, and reached out to the girl she was in touch with, saying she was here to do something. This call sent alarm bells ringing in security grids. After the call she went missing. Sources say that she was eventually traced in south Kashmir.

While special teams were formed to trace the suspect, the security grid across the Valley was tightened soon after the input. More deployments were made at sensitive locations, restrictions on the movement of people were imposed, and mobile internet services were snapped for many hours till the Republic Day parade was completed in Srinagar and other areas of the Valley.

Via India Today

Tral town in South Kashmir shuts on the 3rd death anniversary of Hizb Commander

Tral: Tral town here in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district is observing a complete shutdown to remember a local militant Abid Ahmed Khan on his 3rd death anniversary.

All the shops and business establishments are shut while transport is also off the roads.

Abid Ahmed Khan was the Hizbul Mujhadeen District Commander who along with his associate son of Ghulam Hasan Dar resident of Warigund was killed in a gun fight on this day in 2015 at Handora village of Tral town. 

An Army Colonel of 42 Rashtriya Rifles MN Roy and an SOG Head Constable Sanjeev Singh were also killed in this gun fight.

“Abid was the District Commander of Hizb and he was active from September 2012 in the area.

Kupwara in North Kashmir shuts to remember 1994 massacre victims

Kupwara: People in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district are observing a complete shutdown to remember massacre victims of 1994. At least 27 innocent civilians including three cops were put to death by 31 Medium Regiment on this day in 1994. The people were butchered for observing shutdown in the market on the eve of India’s Republic Day. Reports said that all the shops and business establishments are shut while a large number of people visited martyrs graveyard to pay homage to the massacre victims. The call for shutdown has been forwarded by Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik.

Grenade hurled on Police Station Pulwama

Srinagar, Jan 26 Suspected militants on Friday evening hurled a grenade towards Police station Pulwama in south Kashmir.


Official sources told that militants tossed the grenade which hit the roof of the building and exploded with a bang.

SSP Pulwama Mohammad Aslam choudary told that a blast like sound was heard near police station and the investigations have been launched to ascertain nature of the blast.

The SSP, however, said that no one suffered injury in the incident.


Meanwhile, police and CRPF launched searches in the whole area to trace those behind the incident. So far no one has been arrested when this report was filed.

Naeem Akhtar At Kulgam

The main function was held at Government Degree College Kulgam where Minister for Public Works Department, Naeem Akhter, unfurled the tricolour, took the salute at the march past and inspected the parade.

In his Republic Day speech, the Minister congratulated the people and highlighted the significance of celebration of the Republic Day. He said it was due to the strenuous efforts of the current dispensation that the State is on the path of development. However, he underlined the need for peace in the path of progress and development of the State.

On the occasion, the Minister said that youth are the real assets of the State and the Government is keen to channelize their energies in a constructive way. He added that focus is being laid on building infrastructure for sports in the State. He said that the young and talented youth of the State are shining and proving their mettle at various sports competitions at national level.

The Minister also spoke on the initiatives taken by the Government to put the State on the path of development. He said that execution work on the national highway is going on in an expeditious manner and by its completion, the travelling time from Srinagar to Jammu will be curtailed down.

He also highlighted the developmental achievements of the district and made a particular mention of health, education, road connectivity, potable drinking water, and other sectors.

 The contingents of CRPF, District Police, IRP, Fire & Emergency, District Home Guard, school children and NCC cadets participated in the march past.

Later, a colourful cultural programme was presented by various clubs educational institutions.

The Minister distributed prizes and mementoes among the lifetime achievers, outstanding persons in diverse walks of life and meritorious students.

The function was attended by Member of Parliament, Nazir Ahmad Laway, MLA DH Pora, Abdul Majeed Padder, Deputy Commissioner, SSP, other civilian and para-military officers besides, a large gathering of people of the district.

Similar functions were also held at sub-division DH Pora and Tehsil headquarters.

Pakistani Student Makes History With World's Highest Marks In 'Cambridge Exam' ....

ISLAMABAD::Muhammad Haider Khan, a student of Bahria College Karsazhas made a new world record in the Cambridge Examination for Mathematics (Syllabus D).

Haider Khan has bagged top position in Mathematics (Syllabus D) Cambridge Examination 2017. Haider Khan is a bright and intelligent studentof his school. Spokesperson of Pakistan Navy said in a statement that Haider achieved a world distinction in the subject.

The statement also saidthat Haider’s achievement is a testament of the navy’s efforts to promote quality education in Pakistan as well as its determination to fulfill institutional duties with utmost professionalism.

 The statement further added that Pakistan Navy, through its educational institutes, aims to promote educational and extra-curricular excellence among its students.

R-day functions pass off peacefully in J&K

Amid heightened security, the R-Day functions on Friday passed off peacefully in Sgr, J&K. The main flag hoisting function and ceremonial parade was held at the Maulana Azad stadium in Jammu city where state governor N.N. Vohra unfurled the Tri-colour and took the salute at an impressive parade. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, her cabinet colleagues, Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta, high court judges and senior army police and civil officials were also present at the function.

Weather Forecast Snow On Monday

Low Danger avalanche warning issued

Srinagar—There was no relief from cold wave conditions in Kashmir as mercury stayed several degrees below freezing point in most parts of the valley even as weatherman forecast “fairly widespread snow or rain” on Monday.
“There is possibility of fairly widespread snow or rain on January 29,” a meteorological department official here said.
Kargil town in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir saw the mercury rise by three degrees last night but settled at a bone chilling minus 17.8 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said Kargil continued to be the coldest recorded place in the state.
The nearby Leh town was the second coldest as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 6.1 degrees Celsius, up by over four degrees from minus 10.5 degrees Celsius the previous night.
He said Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.9 degrees Celsius last night, up from minus 5.7 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The night temperature in Kokernag town in south Kashmir settled at minus 1.3 degrees Celsius last night, the official said.
He said Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.1 degrees Celsius, slightly down from the previous night's minus 4.7 degrees Celsius.
The official said the night temperature in Pahalgam - the famous health resort which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra -- settled at a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius compared to minus 5.8 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Kashmir has been going through extremely dry and cold weather conditions this winter, leading to health-related problems among children and the elderly.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, a 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.
It ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in the valley.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day-long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day-long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).

Low Danger avalanche warning issued

Srinagar: Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) has issued Low Danger Avalanche Warning for higher reaches of Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Kupwara, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kargil, Leh Districts, for the next 24 hours.
The Department of Disaster Management has advised people, living in higher reaches of these districts, to avoid movement in the avalanche-prone areas/slopes for the next 24 hours.

Kashmiris Rally in London to protest Indian Republic day outside Embassy

Friday 26 Jan: Declaring India to be a rogue nation run by terrorists, President World Kashmir Freedom Movement WKFM Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur and President Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK Fahim Kayani slammed the government of India’s shameful record on human rights violations. The protest included five vans wrapped in posters depicting Indian crimes and driven around London to highlight Indian brutality in Kashmir, Punjab, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur and against Dalits. Lord Nazir, British Friends of Kashmir and other community leaders were involved in the innovative campaign and protest. Further protests and seminars were conducted simultaneously across UK and Europe by Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK.

In a memorandum delivered to the Indian High Commission in London amid vociferous protesting, Thakur and Kayani accused the establishment and its institutions of turning Kashmir into an open-air prison run by mercenaries, thugs and criminals protected by illegal laws. They mocked India's celebration of their so called secular democracy and constitution whilst trampling on civil liberties of Kashmiris.

"India has no moral right celebrating Republic day when for more than 70 years India has violated international law and refused to adhere to U.N. resolutions granting the people of Kashmir the right of self-determination. Indian state terrorism is tantamount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, with mass human rights violations amounting to genocide and ethnic cleansing. Furthermore, the incarceration of innumerable political and human rights activists makes them prisoners of conscience while thousands more, including minors, languish in jails all across India without the right to a fair trial, or imprisoned under fake allegations.”

They went on to state that until Kashmiris are given the right to self-determination as mandated by the United Nations, illegal laws repealed and demilitarisation of Kashmir does not take place, India will continue to be exposed at every opportunity for being a terrorist nation.

“The blood-thirsty government is run by an extremist Hindutva ideology which thrives on radicalisation of the Indian public, however, the hard work performed by civil societies to uncover the man-made crisis created by India and crimes committed in Kashmir will surely hurl India towards self-implosion. The resistance leadership and the people of Kashmir have shown great resilience against the oppressive tactics of India to crush the legitimate struggle against occupation.”

Paying glowing tributes to sacrifices of Kashmiri victims, martyrs and their families, Thakur and Kayani pledged that the campaign against India would continue until the dispute of Kashmir reaches its logical conclusion, adding that no amount of intimidation would diminish the demand for freedom.

“We will continue to resist the brutal occupation of Kashmir in all ways and forms” concluded the memorandum “and we renew our unwavering support for the Kashmiri people’s legal right to self-determination. The Kashmir cause will never die, no matter how many you kill, injure and detain”.

Republic Day function at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar on Friday.

R-Day: Ministers unfurl tricolor; fin min Drabu gives a miss in Pulwama

Srinagar, Jan 26: While ministers unfurled tricolor in their respective districts on the occasion of Republic Day, Deputy Commissioner Pulwama took the salute and hoisted Indian flag in the district.

Official sources said that originally it was Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Darbu who had to unfurl the tricolor in Pulwanma but couldn’t make it to the venue.

Dr Drabu told news agency GNS that he could not make it to the venue as flight could not take off due to weather conditions on early Friday morning.

“I met Governor N N Vohra at 3:30 pm yesterday and since there was delay I decided to leave early Friday morning in the state plane. However, it could not take off due to weather conditions so I decided to participate in a function in Jammu,” the finance minister said.

Very little participation of students was witnessed in Pulwama as militants had recently warned against participating in the January 26 functions. A Principal of a Govt High School, Pulwama was also intimidated.

SSP Pulwama Mohammad Aslam Choudary said that there was minimum participation by students due to recent militant threat.

Sources said local students did not take part in the cultural programme but the students from other parts including Srinagar were brought to the venue.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Ghulam Mohammad Dar said almost nine cultural progrmames were held and people also participated.

Meanwhile, officials said the 69th Republic Day functions across the valley passed off peacefully.

In Srinagar, the tricolor was unfurled by law and parliamentary affairs minister Abdul Rehman Veeri.

Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura unfurled the tricolour at Budgam, Sajad Lone at Kupwara, Basharat Bukhari at Baramulla, Asiea Naqash at Ganderbal, Imran Raza Ansari at Bandipora, Abdul Haq Khan at Anantnag, Javaid Mustafa Mir at Shopian and Naeem Akthar at Kulgam. (GNS)