In Ladakh, Chairman, LAHDC, Kargil Feroz Ahmed Khan appreciated the efforts of all authorities on the closure of the Zojila Pass today.

He said, the efforts of all agencies including Project VIJAYAK, Project Beacon, Ladakh Police, Traffic Police Ladakh, UT Administration Ladakh and others are commendable for keeping strategic Zojila Pass open for a record time this year.

Last year, the Zojila Pass was kept open till the 03rd of January. This year once again, due to concerted efforts, the Pass was open for the first time ever, till the 06th of January.

The CEC said the people of Kargil acknowledge the efforts of BRO agencies in keeping the Zojila Pass open by regularly maintaining the pass despite the severe cold. He appreciated the coordination between Ganderbal Administration and Ladakh Police.

SRINAGAR, Jan 7: A majority of Kashmiri Pandit employees, who had struck work following the killing of Rahul Bhat by terrorists last year, have returned to work, a senior official of the Jammu and Kashmir administration said here. “I reject this notion that all Kashmiri Pandit employees are protesting in Jammu. A majority of these employees have already joined their offices (and) we are releasing their salaries. They have understood the importance of reporting to work,” Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang Kundbarao Pole said. Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit employee, was shot dead by the ultras inside his office at Chadoora in Budgam district in May last year. The killing had sparked off protests by the Kashmiri Pandit employees who refused to return to work.
A group of protesting employees left the Valley and demonstrated in Jammu, demanding that they be relocated out of Kashmir till the security situation improved here. Though the administration agreed to look into most of the demands of the Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), it refused to relocate them out of Kashmir. It further hardened its stand against the protesting employees and stopped salaries of those who did not return to work.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir police stated that work was going on to expeditiously complete transit accommodations for the Kashmiri Pandit employees posted in the Valley.
“The government has reserved 6,000 jobs for the Kashmiri Pandits under the Prime Minister employment package. The selection process is almost complete and 6,000 flats are being raised at 17 places in Kashmir for them,” a police officer said. “We have tried to establish these accommodations near main roads and not in the interiors. However, this also depends on the availability of government land,” he said. Pole said while police personnel will be deployed for the security of these accommodations, preference has been given to set up these flats near CRPF camps so that the occupants feel a sense of security and protection. He said the compounds for Kashmiri Pandits employees will have other facilities like mini hospitals, anganwari centres and fair price retail shops.
While 600 flats for the employees are already operational, another 500 will be completed by March-end. The total number of flats is expected to go up to 2,000 by June this year.
“Till now, 600 flats are completed at Vessu (Kulgam) and Sheihkpura (Budgam) area. Prefabricated huts have been provided at Natnusa and Veerwan in Baramulla. By March 2023, nearly 500 flats will be completed and in June 2023, we are expecting the completion of 2,000 flats,” the divisional commissioner added.
Even as the administration asserts that the employees from the community have nothing to fear in the Valley, political parties maintain that a sense of security among the minority community members was as important as physical security. “It is not about one-room or two-room apartments. The government thinks that providing accommodation will resolve the entire issue about Kashmiri Pandits, but that is not the case. “The government has to build a sense of security and confidence among the Kashmiri Pandits,” PDP spokesman Mohit Bhan said.
He said the Kashmiri Pandit employees came back to the Valley in 2010 to restore the community’s essence and culture.
“Unfortunately, since 2019, we have seen incidents of target killings of minorities. When regional parties were governing Jammu and Kashmir, not a single Kashmiri Pandit was harmed during agitations like in 2010 and 2016. Now, they are losing trust in the security establishment,” he added.
National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi Dar echoed similar views.
“Primarily, the government has to give the employees a sense of security which it has failed. Otherwise, why are they protesting in Jammu for the past so many days? They are not ready to come back as they do not feel secure enough,” he said. BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur had a different take to offer on the issue. “The biggest security for the Kashmiri Pandits are the majority Muslims living in the Valley…,” he said. Thakur said security forces are capable enough to fight against terrorists and provide adequate security to the Kashmiri Pandits.
”… The KPs should come back. They should not surrender before the hollow threats of terrorists as the motive of these Pakistan-sponsored ultras is that the Kashmiri Pandits should not come back (to the Valley),” he added. (Agencies)

Srinagar, Jan 7: The minimum temperature recorded a considerable increase on Saturday as Jammu and Kashmir braces for nearly weeklong cloudy and wet weather in wake of two back-to-back western disturbances.

Quoting a meteorological department official, news agency GNS reported that Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.4°C against last night’s minus 5.5°C that was coldest for the season so far. Today’s minimum temperature was 0.5°C above normal, he said.

Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of minus 1.6°C against minus 5.6°C. Today’s minimum temperature was 1.5°C above normal, he said.

Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 2.8°C against minus 8.6°C on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature was 4.2°C above normal for the place, he said. The coldest night recorded this season in the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district was on January 2 when mercury plunged to minus 9.6°C.

Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.4°C against minus 4.3°C on the previous night, he said. It was 2.6°C above normal for the place.

Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 2.6°C against minus 5.0°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 2.6°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district which recorded its coldest night on January 2 when minimum temperature plummeted to minus 10.0°C, the official said.

In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 2.6°C against minus 5.6°C on the previous night in the north Kashmir area, he said. The official said that the temperature was 0.9°C above normal.

Jammu recorded a low of 5.0°C against 3.7°C on the previous night. It was 2.4°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.

Banihal recorded a low of 3.4°C (above normal by 3.4°C), Batote 5.1°C (above normal by 3.6°C), Katra 7.6°C (1.6°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 2.0°C (3.8°C above normal).

In Ladakh, Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 10.8°C and minus 14.8°C respectively, the official said.

“Two back to back Western Disturbances (are) most likely to affect J&K and adjoining from 7th January (evening),” the meteorological department official here told GNS, adding, “Under The influence of the 1st WD 7th (evening) to 9th January(afternoon), weather is likely to be cloudy with possibility of light snow over higher reaches during 7th night and light rain/snow over plains of J&K and light to moderate snow in middle and higher reaches during January 8th/9th.” From January 9th (afternoon) to 11th January (afternoon), he said, weather is likely to be cloudy with possibility of light snow over isolated higher reaches of Kashmir.

“Under the influence of the 2nd WD from January 11th(afternoon) to 13th January(afternoon), the weather is expected to be cloudy with possibility of light rain/snow over plains of Jammu and Kashmir and light to moderate snow over middle and higher reaches during 12/13 January.”

He advised Travellers and transporters to plan their journey accordingly especially over Sonamarg-Zojila-Gumni axis, Razdan pass, Sinthan pass, Sadhna pass, Mughal Road etc.

Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) from February 20 to March 1.

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Friday banned People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammed, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The ban comes in the backdrop of the outfit carrying out terror activities in Kashmir. The move came a day after home ministry banned The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, for carrying out terror activities in Kashmir.The notification said PAFF is a proxy outfit of Maulana Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed and that it is involved in terror acts.

“…The ‘People’s Anti-Fascist -Front (PAFF)’ emerged in the year 2019 as a proxy outfit of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a proscribed terrorist organization listed at serial number 6 of the First Schedule under the UAPA. It regularly issues threats to Indian security forces, political leaders, and civilians working in Jammu-Kashmir from other states and is involved, along with other organizations, in conspiring pro-actively physically and in social media to undertake violent terrorist acts and Jammu-Kashmir and other major cities in India,” the MHA notification said.

The government on Friday also declared Arbaz Ahmad Mir, an LeT operative who currently is based in Pakistan, as an ‘individual terrorist’ under the fourth schedule of UAPA. He was declared an individual terrorist after Mir was the main accused in the targeted killing of Rajni Bala, a school teacher in Kulgam in May last year.