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| In J&K's biggest disaster ever, death toll can go beyond 500 | | 138 bodies recovered so far, over 600 still missing | | | BHARAT BHUSHAN
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 7: In what has been termed as the biggest disaster ever to have struck Jammu and Kashmir in hundreds of years, several people, including foreign tourists, outstation labourers, army personnel and locals have been killed while over 600 hundred others are said to be missing in flash floods and mudslides triggered by two cloudbursts in Leh Thursday night.
While six IAF planes with relief material, 125 rescue and relief personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and doctors landed in Leh this afternoon, several army jawans and over 1,000 ITBP personnel had been pressed into rescue operations, official sources said.
Among the missing people were foreign tourists and at least 31 army personnel, including three JCOs and 30 other ranks of 15th Bn of Bihar Regiment, who had not still been located. Army had suffered maximum losses in Turtuk area, the sources added.
Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who reached Leh today along with Farooq Abdullah and Prithvi Raj Chavan, described it as the greatest tragedy to have struck Jammu... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| Ultras manage to flee, search on | | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
RAJOURI, Aug 7: Though search operation to flush out the terrorists is still on, 3 holed up militants in Chiti Bhatti area of Mendhar in Poonch district have reportedly given a slip to the security forces and managed to escape from the area as there is no response from the maize crops where the militants had taken shelter last evening. Yesterday, one army follower was killed in the encounter.
Since police, Centre Reserve Police Force and troops of 38 Rashtriya Rifles have not called off the operation and the search operation is continued, sources said that militants might have escaped from the area taken the advantage of heavy rainfall and dense maize crops.
"We hav... | |
| | | | NC facing internal crisis, party in complete disarray | | Old guards gasping for space | | | Gopal Gupta
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 7: Stung by pro-New Delhi stance of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led coalition government, several stalwarts of National Conference (NC) have begun feeling suffocated and are gasping for democratic space within the party which according to them once existed in the party.
Fearful of consequences, these stalwarts prefer anonymity and speak out at length about how democratic space within the party has been dwindling. What to talk of alleged scams and scandals which are widely publicized in the selected newspapers, these senior politicians have been briefing former Chief Minister and President of National Conference (NC) Dr.Farooq Abdullah even abou... | |
| | | | Turbulence toll reaches 50; Curfew relaxed | | vGeelani rejects PC’s dialogue offer; fresh shutdown calendar issued | | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Aug 7: Number of the youngsters killed in current spell of turbulence in Kashmir valley since June 11th reached 50 today when a critically injured youth of Sopore area died at a hospital. Even as curfew was relaxed and shops opened after eight days in parts of the capital city and other districts, separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani has not only rejected Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's offer of dialogue but also issued a fresh shutdown calendar for the Kashmiris.
Informed sources told Early Times that 22-year-old Rameez Ahmed Rishi son of Ghulam Nabi Rishi resident of Mundji, Sopore, succumbed to injuries at SKIMS, Soura, in the w... | |
| | | | Kashmir violence motivates centre to resume talks with separatists | | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Aug 7: Once again Union Home Minister, P.C. Chidambaram, has stated that he was willing and prepared to resume dialogue with the separatists and in this connection he has requested the hardliners, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, to join the process of dialogue. Chidambarams' announcement that the Centre was keen to resume talks with the separatists is not as important news as the timing of the announcement. One would like to ask the Union Home Minister to disclose what prompted or provoked or motivated him to favour resumption of talks with those who are other side of the fence. One has not to wait for an answer from the Minister because it is no longer a secret ... | |
| | | | Real challenge for PM from Kashmir based politicians? | | All Party talks on Aug 10 | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Aug 7: Notwithstanding his 'peace making' efforts during the past few days , separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani has issued fresh calendar today, underscoring among other related programmes for the masses to follow, the need to continue protests, apparently in a bid to keep up the spirit and tempo of the 'movement'. And in the backdrop of this fresh calendar, the mainstream parties and politicians who matter in the state politics have started receiving the invitations for All party talks , this time with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh scheduled on August 10.
While the main Opposition Party PDP has already made clear its mind and the stand that it has no... | |
| | | | Separatists loosing control over present movement in Kashmir | | | | ASHWANI
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug7: The ongoing secessionist movement in Kashmir valley has gone out the hands of the separatist leaders and direct control from across the border, has made the moderate Hurriyat leadership very perturbed. According to sources, the Hurriyat leadership which in past has shown a willingness to hold talks with government of India to settle the present imbroglio in Kashmir feels totally sidelined and its role has become limited in resolving the present crisis in valley.
The sources said, the recent torching of effigies of Hizbul Mujahideen supreme Syed Sallah- ud- Din on his advice to Kashmiris to refrain from violence, arson etc and open public demonstra... | |
| | | | Cornered Azad again let down his supporters in J&K | | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Aug 7: Union Health Minister and former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has once again let down his supporters. In an interview to a leading national Hindi language daily, Azad has said but to talk of today, he will never take over as J&K Chief Minister. He had taken over as Chief Minister of J&K in 2005 as a loyal worker of the party because he was asked by the high command to do so. He was interested in national politics before and he is interested in national politics today as well. He dismissed as a figment of imagination reports in a section of the media that he will take active part in the state politics and take on head on his "detractor" Prof Saif-ud-D... | |
| | | | Time for Gujjar and Bakerwal Muslims to take on Geelanis | | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 7: Tehrik-e-Hurriyat chief and ardent believer in the concept of theocratic Pakistan Syed Ali Shah Geelani has dismissed the Gujjar and Bakerwal Muslims as non-Muslims. He has said that the Gujjar Muslims are different from Muslims and that they belong to a "separate religion." Geelani expressed these views on Thursday while talking to the correspondent of NDTV.
The Gujjar and Bakerwal Muslims constitute the third largest social group in Jammu and Kashmir after the Jammu Dogras and the Kashmiri-speaking Sunnis. These tribal Gujjars and Bakerwals mostly inhabit the hilly and mountainous areas of the state. Poonch and Rajouri districts in Jammu province... | |
| | | | Couple falls out of bus, critical | | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Aug 7: A Delhi -based couple fell out of bus accidentally resulting into multiple injuries to them. The incident occurred at Nagrota when a bus which was on way to Jammu from Udhampur suddenly had a jump and a couple Bimla and Surinder who were sitting near door fell out of it. They were rushed to GMC hospital where doctors declared them critical. They were later rushed to Ludhiana.... | |
| | | | 5 pilgrims die, toll 68 | | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Srinagar, Aug 7: A woman was among five pilgrims who died at different halting stations on Baltal and Nunwan Pahalgam tracks overnight. With this, the total of number of pilgrims to have died during the yatra which commenced on July 1, touches 68.
Besides the pilgrims, a local STD owner also died during the two-month-long pilgrimage. While majority of the pilgrims have died due to cardiac arrest, three were killed in a road accident.
Officials of yatra control room at Pahalgam and Baltal said that the deceased pilgrims have been identified as 75-year-old Sadhu Mani Ram Das, resident of Chattarpur, MP died at Sheshnag, Mata Shiv Rani, wife of Sita Ram, resident of Bari... | |
| | | | Valley traders likely to change business hours | | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Aug 7: The past two decades have not only changed the psyche of Kashmiris. It has changed their culture and traditions as well. Now the stage seems all set for yet another change. This time the business community has decided to do business at night to make good the loss caused by indefinite strikes and curfews.
All important rituals of marriage would be performed at night before commencement of militancy. But the age old tradition had to be abandoned in 1990. The grooms started going to the bride's house during the day. By dusk, he had to come back necessarily along with his bride. The trend continues to this day.
The marriage songs also changed. Women got admi... | |
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