Omar

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Friday said that Chairman of the separatist Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was free to travel wherever he wanted, including China. Mirwaiz is expected to visit China and Pakistan later this month. His proposed visit to China comes at a time of diplomatic skirmishes between New Delhi and Beijing, especially over China’’s insistence on issuing separate visas to citizens belonging to Jammu and Kashmir. Krishna said there was nothing unusual in Mirwaiz’’s proposed visit to China. “They are free to travel wherever they want. So, there is nothing unusual in somebody going to China and somebody coming ... Read Full Story

There are nearly 700 terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir and the infiltrating militants in the state are getting funds and equipment from Pakistan, said Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda on Saturday. Read Full Story

The government said the ambitious National Solar Mission, which aims to generate 20,000 MW of power by 2020, will be launched on Friday. “Tomorrow, it will be cleared by the Cabinet and it will have a nice launch on Friday,” New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of an event in which MoUs were signed for setting up of biogas-power plants in cowsheds. Asked about the reasons behind the one-week delay in launching the mission, the Minister said, “it was not delayed. For buying power from solar project developers, the Government has designated NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd ... Read Full Story

Cricket chiefs in Indian Kashmir were left fuming on Tuesday after India's armed forces refused to field a team in a first-class match in the separatist-riven region. The Jammu and Kashmir team received a walk-over when their opponents Services -- representing the Indian armed forces -- failed to turn up for a Ranji Trophy match in Srinagar due to start on Tuesday. The state's former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who also heads the region's cricket association, said the withdrawal of the Services team sent the wrong signal at a time when violence in Kashmir is on the wane. "The Services have negated what the ... Read Full Story

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday stepped into a row triggered by the refusal of the armed forces' cricket team to play a first-class match in volatile Indian Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir team enjoyed a walk-over on Tuesday when their opponents, Services -- representing the Indian armed forces -- failed to turn up for a Ranji Trophy match in Srinagar. Furious local politicians said the move sent the wrong signal at a time when the separatist violence that has dogged Kashmir for decades is waning. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned the Services team from the rest of ... Read Full Story