Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said there has been&nbsp;increase in the number of<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/highest-number-of-youth-joined-militant-group-in-2017-report-27600" target="_blank"> youth who have joined militancy </a>in 2017.

&quot;Number of youths who joined militancy in 2017 is 126, while in 2016 the number was 88 and in 2015, it was 66,&quot; the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said in a written reply in the state assembly.

According to the date, 2017 has been marked as the year of highest recruitment of youth in militant groups in the last seven years.

The data placed before Parliament in March last year, showed a steady hike in the number of youths taking up arms in the Valley from 2014 onwards, as compared to 2011, 2012 and 2013.

This rush in locals joining militancy was witnessed after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in South Kashmir on July 8, 2016.

Mufti further said that certain Separatist leaders including two women were detained in terms of the provisions of the Public Safety Act, 1978 to prevent them from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the state or maintenance of the public order. 
&nbsp;

'Number of youths who joined militancy in 2017 is 126, while in 2016 the number was 88 and in 2015, it was 66,' Mehbooba Mufti said in a written reply in the state assembly

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said there has been increase in the number of youth who have joined militancy in 2017. "Number of youths who joined militancy in 2017 is 126, while in 2016 the number was 88 and in 2015, it was 66," the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said in a written reply in the state assembly. According to the date, 2017 has been marked as the year of highest recruitment of youth in militant groups in the last seven years. The data placed before Parliament in March last year, showed a steady hike in the number of youths taking up arms in the Valley from 2014 onwards, as compared to 2011, 2012 and 2013. This rush in locals joining militancy was witnessed after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in South Kashmir on July 8, 2016. Mufti further said that certain Separatist leaders including two women were detained in terms of the provisions of the Public Safety Act, 1978 to prevent them from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the state or maintenance of the public order.

Spike in number of youths joining militancy: Mehbooba

An audio clip of a purported conversation between two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists has gone viral here in which a commander of the outfit tells his cadres to pour acid into the eyes of those who contest the upcoming panchayat elections in Kashmir.

In the purported clip, Hizb commander Riyaz Naikoo tells another terrorist of the outfit, Sameer Tiger, that they should not threaten or kill anyone contesting the polls but pour &quot;strong acid -- Sulphuric Acid or Hydrochloric acid&quot; into the their eyes.

&quot;Over the past 28 years, we have been threatening and killing the candidates but it has not deterred them. Normally, those people stand for elections who are considered useless by their families.

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<h5>They (families) want to get them (candidates) killed so that they get Rs 5 lakh ex gratia and job on compassionate grounds,&#39; Naikoo says in the clip</h5>
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&quot;They (families) want to get them (candidates) killed so that they get Rs 5 lakh ex gratia and job on compassionate grounds,&quot; Naikoo is heard saying in the audio clip.

He says in the clip that instead of helping these people get rid of their unwanted family members, &quot;this (pouring acid) will ensure that they (victims) become a burden on them&quot;.

The state government last month announced that panchayat elections will be held from February 15 this year.

Pour 'strong acid -- Sulphuric Acid or Hydrochloric acid' into their eyes, Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo tells Sameer Tiger in the clip

An audio clip of a purported conversation between two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists has gone viral here in which a commander of the outfit tells his cadres to pour acid into the eyes of those who contest the upcoming panchayat elections in Kashmir. In the purported clip, Hizb commander Riyaz Naikoo tells another terrorist of the outfit, Sameer Tiger, that they should not threaten or kill anyone contesting the polls but pour "strong acid -- Sulphuric Acid or Hydrochloric acid" into the their eyes. "Over the past 28 years, we have been threatening and killing the candidates but it has not deterred them. Normally, those people stand for elections who are considered useless by their families. They (families) want to get them (candidates) killed so that they get Rs 5 lakh ex gratia and job on compassionate grounds,' Naikoo says in the clip × "They (families) want to get them (candidates) killed so that they get Rs 5 lakh ex gratia and job on compassionate grounds," Naikoo is heard saying in the audio clip. He says in the clip that instead of helping these people get rid of their unwanted family members, "this (pouring acid) will ensure that they (victims) become a burden on them". The state government last month announced that panchayat elections will be held from February 15 this year.

Don't kill panchayat poll candidates, pour acid into their eyes, Hizbul militants say in audio clip

The Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested a terrorist in connection with the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-dead-body-of-army-soldier-found-police-investigates-25086" target="_blank">murder of Sepoy Irfan Dar</a>.

The police investigation conducted by the J&amp;K Shopian police have identified the terrorist as Muzamil Ahmad Malik.

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Jammu and Kashmir: One of the co-conspirators has been arrested by Shopian Police, in connection with murder of Sepoy Irfan Dar who was working with 175 Territorial Army <a href="https://t.co/vhrndFHgJf">pic.twitter.com/vhrndFHgJf</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938354017427582976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The investigation has revealed that the terrorist was involved in the murder of sepoy Irfan Dar.

The arrested terrorist along with Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT terrorists&nbsp;was involved in the criminal conspiracy for murdering the sepoy.&nbsp;

The conspiracy&nbsp;was plotted by Hizbul Mujahideen&#39;s Saddam Padder, Bilal Mohand and LeT&#39;s Touseef Ahmad and a newly recruited terrorist along with the arrested accused Muzamil Ahmad Malik.

The bullet-ridden dead body of a 23-year-old Territorial-Army jawan,&nbsp;Irfan Ahmad Dar, was found in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir on November 25.

A resident of Saazan village,&nbsp;Irfan was&nbsp;posted at Guruz.&nbsp;He was in engineering regiment of the Territorial Army.&nbsp;

The army soldier was on a vacation. He went out of&nbsp;his home on Friday and did not return, reports said.

His body was found at Wuthmulla village located in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp;

The police investigation conducted by the J&K Shopian police have identified the terrorist as Muzamil Ahmad Malik

The Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested a terrorist in connection with the murder of Sepoy Irfan Dar. The police investigation conducted by the J&K Shopian police have identified the terrorist as Muzamil Ahmad Malik. Jammu and Kashmir: One of the co-conspirators has been arrested by Shopian Police, in connection with murder of Sepoy Irfan Dar who was working with 175 Territorial Army pic.twitter.com/vhrndFHgJf — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × The investigation has revealed that the terrorist was involved in the murder of sepoy Irfan Dar. The arrested terrorist along with Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT terrorists was involved in the criminal conspiracy for murdering the sepoy. The conspiracy was plotted by Hizbul Mujahideen's Saddam Padder, Bilal Mohand and LeT's Touseef Ahmad and a newly recruited terrorist along with the arrested accused Muzamil Ahmad Malik. The bullet-ridden dead body of a 23-year-old Territorial-Army jawan, Irfan Ahmad Dar, was found in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir on November 25. A resident of Saazan village, Irfan was posted at Guruz. He was in engineering regiment of the Territorial Army. The army soldier was on a vacation. He went out of his home on Friday and did not return, reports said. His body was found at Wuthmulla village located in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.

J&K police arrests terrorist in connection with murder of Sepoy Irfan Dar

A Jammu and Kashmir police constable is suspected to have joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba after a photograph of him posing with an AK-47 went viral on social media.&nbsp;

This could be the third such switch -- personnel from the security forces joining the militants -- made this year.&nbsp;

Ishfaq Ahmad Dar, who was posted at the Police Training Centre in Kathua, was reported missing after he failed to return from leave on Monday.

When he did not show up at Kathua, news reports said, his family filed a missing person&#39;s complaint.&nbsp;

A little later, the photograph of him posing with an AK-47 surfaced.&nbsp;

&ldquo;There are reports, we are trying to confirm. The matter is being investigated,&rdquo; the Hindustan Times quoted Kashmir&#39;s Director General of Police SP Vaid as saying.&nbsp;

The Hindustan Times, quoting sources, added that a number of people in Dar&rsquo;s family, including his brother, were policemen.

The Hindustan Times added that in May this year, a constable from Shopian, Syed Naveed Mushtaq, decamped with four service rifles and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.

And that two months later, Zahoor Ahmad Thokar &mdash; who was with the 173 Territorial Army Engineering regiment at Baramulla &mdash; deserted his unit and joined the militants, taking with him his service AK-47 rifle and three magazines.&nbsp;

Ishfaq Ahmad Dar, who was posted at the Police Training Centre in Kathua, was reported missing after he failed to return from leave on Monday

A Jammu and Kashmir police constable is suspected to have joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba after a photograph of him posing with an AK-47 went viral on social media. This could be the third such switch -- personnel from the security forces joining the militants -- made this year. Ishfaq Ahmad Dar, who was posted at the Police Training Centre in Kathua, was reported missing after he failed to return from leave on Monday. When he did not show up at Kathua, news reports said, his family filed a missing person's complaint. A little later, the photograph of him posing with an AK-47 surfaced. “There are reports, we are trying to confirm. The matter is being investigated,” the Hindustan Times quoted Kashmir's Director General of Police SP Vaid as saying. The Hindustan Times, quoting sources, added that a number of people in Dar’s family, including his brother, were policemen. The Hindustan Times added that in May this year, a constable from Shopian, Syed Naveed Mushtaq, decamped with four service rifles and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. And that two months later, Zahoor Ahmad Thokar — who was with the 173 Territorial Army Engineering regiment at Baramulla — deserted his unit and joined the militants, taking with him his service AK-47 rifle and three magazines.

Kashmir: Third man from security forces joins militants this year

The Border Security Force has unearthed a tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Arnia sector.&nbsp;

The BSF says the tunnel would have been used to infiltrate militants into India.&nbsp;

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Noticed suspicious movement, surveyed area &amp; found 13-14 ft long tunnel (in Arnia),but its end wasn&#39;t open: Ram Awtar IG BSF, Jammu Frontier <a href="https://t.co/heZF5LaUYX">pic.twitter.com/heZF5LaUYX</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914107531424817152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Ram Awtar, IG BSF, Jammu Frontier, said they found the tunnel which was about 13-14 feet long after noticing suspicious movement.

But, he added, one end of the tunnel was not &quot;open&quot;.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> of items recovered from tunnel unearthed by BSF in J&amp;K&#39;s Arnia Sector. <a href="https://t.co/eaAtpVQ4k6">pic.twitter.com/eaAtpVQ4k6</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914115860582735872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLASH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FLASH</a> Pakistan&#39;s nefarious design to infiltrate terrorists through a tunnel in J&amp;K&#39;s Arnia Sector foiled: Border Security Force
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914070162961195008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Whatever method Pak uses, Army&amp;BSF capable of foiling it. They&#39;ve full liberty by govt: Jitendra Singh, MoS Home on tunnel unearthed in J&amp;K <a href="https://t.co/CY7alAFUkO">pic.twitter.com/CY7alAFUkO</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914074408771231744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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ANI reported minister of state for home Jitendra Singh as saying, &quot;Whatever method Pakistan uses, Army and BSF capable of foiling it.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;They have full liberty by government,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

The Border Security Force has unearthed a tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Arnia sector. The BSF says the tunnel would have been used to infiltrate militants into India. Noticed suspicious movement, surveyed area & found 13-14 ft long tunnel (in Arnia),but its end wasn't open: Ram Awtar IG BSF, Jammu Frontier pic.twitter.com/heZF5LaUYX — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × Ram Awtar, IG BSF, Jammu Frontier, said they found the tunnel which was about 13-14 feet long after noticing suspicious movement. But, he added, one end of the tunnel was not "open". #Visuals of items recovered from tunnel unearthed by BSF in J&K's Arnia Sector. pic.twitter.com/eaAtpVQ4k6 — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × #FLASH Pakistan's nefarious design to infiltrate terrorists through a tunnel in J&K's Arnia Sector foiled: Border Security Force — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × Whatever method Pak uses, Army&BSF capable of foiling it. They've full liberty by govt: Jitendra Singh, MoS Home on tunnel unearthed in J&K pic.twitter.com/CY7alAFUkO — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × ANI reported minister of state for home Jitendra Singh as saying, "Whatever method Pakistan uses, Army and BSF capable of foiling it." "They have full liberty by government," he added.

J&K: BSF unearths tunnel, says would have been used to infiltrate militants

Eight security forces personnel lost their lives in an encounter in Kashmir&#39;s Pulwama.

Three militants have also been killed in the encounter which started on early Saturday morning.

The militants had attacked the police lines early on Saturday morning.

Militants entered the family quarters of the District Police Lines in Pulwama.&nbsp;

Security forces said families had been evacuated from the quarters and that there was no hostage situation.&nbsp;

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We brought families out of blocks. Troops are continuing with ops. It is a fidayeen attack.We don&#39;t have hostage situation: Lt Gen JS Sandhu <a href="https://t.co/OWTyAVIBad">pic.twitter.com/OWTyAVIBad</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/901340384571269120">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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ANI had earlier reported Lt Gen JS Sandhu, GoC 15 Corps, as saying, &quot;Two terrorists entered family quarters at District Police LInes, Pulwama.&quot;

&quot;We brought families out of blocks. Troops are continuing with ops. It is a fidayeen attack. We don&#39;t have hostage situation,&quot; ANI added Lt Gen Sandhu as saying.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash">#UPDATE</a>: Another CRPF jawan lost his life during encounter in Pulwama&#39;s District Police Lines; security personnel&#39;s death toll reaches 3.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/901319045491728384">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash">#Visuals</a>: Encounter underway at District Police Lines building in Pulwama; one Policeman has lost his life (visuals deferred) <a href="https://t.co/EpqHau4q6E">pic.twitter.com/EpqHau4q6E</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/901278015287459840">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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ANI reported that two to three militants were hiding inside the Police Lines and that the encounter was ongoing.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash">#UPDATE</a> J&amp;K: 2-3 terrorists are hiding inside DPL, Pulwama; encounter underway (visuals deferred) <a href="https://t.co/w04e5NvPuD">pic.twitter.com/w04e5NvPuD</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/901263335512973312">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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ANI reported earlier that two policemen and 2 CRPF jawans had been injured in the encounter.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLASH?src=hash">#FLASH</a> J&amp;K: Terrorists attack District Police Lines in Pulwama. 2 policemen and 2 CRPF jawans injured. <a href="https://t.co/lGwNWSFdNi">pic.twitter.com/lGwNWSFdNi</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/901248683051597824">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

A Jammu and Kashmir police constable and two CRPF jawans have been killed

Eight security forces personnel lost their lives in an encounter in Kashmir's Pulwama. Three militants have also been killed in the encounter which started on early Saturday morning. The militants had attacked the police lines early on Saturday morning. Militants entered the family quarters of the District Police Lines in Pulwama. Security forces said families had been evacuated from the quarters and that there was no hostage situation. We brought families out of blocks. Troops are continuing with ops. It is a fidayeen attack.We don't have hostage situation: Lt Gen JS Sandhu pic.twitter.com/OWTyAVIBad — ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2017 × ANI had earlier reported Lt Gen JS Sandhu, GoC 15 Corps, as saying, "Two terrorists entered family quarters at District Police LInes, Pulwama." "We brought families out of blocks. Troops are continuing with ops. It is a fidayeen attack. We don't have hostage situation," ANI added Lt Gen Sandhu as saying. #UPDATE: Another CRPF jawan lost his life during encounter in Pulwama's District Police Lines; security personnel's death toll reaches 3. — ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2017 × #Visuals: Encounter underway at District Police Lines building in Pulwama; one Policeman has lost his life (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/EpqHau4q6E — ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2017 × ANI reported that two to three militants were hiding inside the Police Lines and that the encounter was ongoing. #UPDATE J&K: 2-3 terrorists are hiding inside DPL, Pulwama; encounter underway (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/w04e5NvPuD — ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2017 × ANI reported earlier that two policemen and 2 CRPF jawans had been injured in the encounter. #FLASH J&K: Terrorists attack District Police Lines in Pulwama. 2 policemen and 2 CRPF jawans injured. pic.twitter.com/lGwNWSFdNi — ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2017 ×

Kashmir: 8 security forces personnel, 3 militants killed in Pulwama encounter

Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Islamabad was disappointed over what it termed the unjustified imposition of sanctions by the United States on Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.

The U.S. took the action on Wednesday against the largest of the anti-Indian Kashmiri militant organisations fighting in the Himalayan territory, which is divided between Pakistan and India.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it was freezing the assets of the Pakistan-based group, and prohibiting Americans from having dealings with it.

The State Department said the group had claimed responsibility for several attacks, including one in 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir that left 17 people injured.

The move against Hizbul Mujahideen comes after last month&#39;s U.S. designation of militant commander Syed Salahuddin as a terrorist - a label he has denounced.

&quot;We are disappointed,&quot; Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at a media briefing in Islamabad.

&quot;The designation of individuals or groups supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists was completely unjustified,&quot; he said.

Zakaria said it was India which should be held to account for what he said was its brutal use of force and human rights violations in Kashmir.

The countries have fought three wars, two of them over the Muslim-majority Kashmir region, since they gained independence in 1947 from British colonial rule.

Delhi accuses Islamabad of fuelling an insurgency, a charge Pakistan denies, saying it only extends diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri&#39;s independence movement.

In his Independence Day speech on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conciliatory towards Muslims in Kashmir, where violent protests against Indian rule have erupted over the past year. He said neither abuses nor bullets would be enough to pacify the region and that the Kashmiris needed to be embraced instead.&nbsp;

'We are disappointed,' Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at a media briefing in Islamabad

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Islamabad was disappointed over what it termed the unjustified imposition of sanctions by the United States on Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. The U.S. took the action on Wednesday against the largest of the anti-Indian Kashmiri militant organisations fighting in the Himalayan territory, which is divided between Pakistan and India. The U.S. Treasury Department said it was freezing the assets of the Pakistan-based group, and prohibiting Americans from having dealings with it. The State Department said the group had claimed responsibility for several attacks, including one in 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir that left 17 people injured. The move against Hizbul Mujahideen comes after last month's U.S. designation of militant commander Syed Salahuddin as a terrorist - a label he has denounced. "We are disappointed," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at a media briefing in Islamabad. "The designation of individuals or groups supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists was completely unjustified," he said. Zakaria said it was India which should be held to account for what he said was its brutal use of force and human rights violations in Kashmir. The countries have fought three wars, two of them over the Muslim-majority Kashmir region, since they gained independence in 1947 from British colonial rule. Delhi accuses Islamabad of fuelling an insurgency, a charge Pakistan denies, saying it only extends diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri's independence movement. In his Independence Day speech on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conciliatory towards Muslims in Kashmir, where violent protests against Indian rule have erupted over the past year. He said neither abuses nor bullets would be enough to pacify the region and that the Kashmiris needed to be embraced instead.

Sanctions on Hizbul Mujahideen unjustified, says Pakistan

The US Wednesday (August 16)&nbsp;designated Kashmiri terrorist&nbsp;outfit Hizbul Mujahideen as a &quot;foreign terrorist organisation&quot;, nearly two months after declaring the group&#39;s Pakistan-based chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.

The designation, which slaps a series of US sanctions on the outfit, came against the backdrop of upsurge in the terror activities of the terrorist&nbsp;group in Kashmir in recent months.

&quot;These designations seek to deny Hizbul Mujahideen the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks,&quot; the State Department said in a statement.

Among other consequences, all of Hizbul Mujahideen&#39;s property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group.

The US decision marks a severe blow to Pakistan which has been projecting the terrorist&nbsp;group as a voice of the&nbsp;Kashmiri people.

Pakistan&#39;s powerful Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif have repeatedly praised Hizbul&#39;s&nbsp;slain commander Burhan Wani who was killed in July last year in an encounter in Kashmir.

Formed in 1989, Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the largest and oldest terrorist&nbsp;outfits&nbsp;operating in Kashmir. 
 
Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

The State Department said terrorism designations expose and isolate organisations and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of US agencies and other governments, it said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The US designation comes nearly two months after declaring the group's Pakistan-based chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist

The US Wednesday (August 16) designated Kashmiri terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen as a "foreign terrorist organisation", nearly two months after declaring the group's Pakistan-based chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist. The designation, which slaps a series of US sanctions on the outfit, came against the backdrop of upsurge in the terror activities of the terrorist group in Kashmir in recent months. "These designations seek to deny Hizbul Mujahideen the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks," the State Department said in a statement. Among other consequences, all of Hizbul Mujahideen's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group. The US decision marks a severe blow to Pakistan which has been projecting the terrorist group as a voice of the Kashmiri people. Pakistan's powerful Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif have repeatedly praised Hizbul's slain commander Burhan Wani who was killed in July last year in an encounter in Kashmir. Formed in 1989, Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the largest and oldest terrorist outfits operating in Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. The State Department said terrorism designations expose and isolate organisations and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of US agencies and other governments, it said.

US designates Hizbul Mujahideen 'foreign terrorist organisation'

&nbsp;

By Niloy Sengupta &amp; Rumela Sen*

Jammu &amp; Kashmir witnessed a dastardly attack on a group of Hindu pilgrims, resulting in several casualties, mostly women. This attack is significant and has to be seen in the context of the ongoing conflict in the region and the overall Hindu-Muslim relations in India. In politics, as FDR had once said, nothing happens by accident. If that&rsquo;s true, the attack on Hindu pilgrims was planned and wasn&#39;t just a case of innocent civilians being caught in the cross-fire between the security forces and the militants.&nbsp;

Madhumita Saha, in her poignant <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/is-militancy-in-kashmir-taking-a-new-turn-with-the-amarnath-attack-17826">piece in WION</a>, wonders if militants acted out of desperation and if militancy would take a new turn in the area. We would like to argue, on the contrary, this follows a familiar playbook of escalation of violence, and militants are provoking New Delhi to push the conflict towards more militarisation. We wonder why is New Delhi happily obliging? &nbsp;

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<h5>The movement that started as an aspiration of people for their own national identity, &ldquo;Kashmiriyat,&quot; has steadily metamorphosed towards Jihad.</h5>
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That an increased militarisation will be able to finish off the conflict is a mere pipe-dream. J&amp;K is already one of the most militarised regions of the world with around 7 lakh security forces personnel already posted there. A generation of Kashmiris has now seen only jackboots and AK-47s in their land. Still, the conflict goes on unabated, through peaks and troughs of violence, crippling the economy of the region and the well-being of the citizens. The movement that started as an aspiration of people for their own national identity, &ldquo;Kashmiriyat,&quot; has steadily metamorphosed towards Jihad. And the two sides that have benefited from this strategic stalemate have been the Islamic fundamentalists of the region, with a lot of the leadership staying in the relative security of Pakistan.

The incentive for militants to kill pilgrims is pretty evident. As the voices for more powers to the army grows shriller in New Delhi and elsewhere, there will be more human rights violations in Kashmir, which, in turn, will provide more oxygen and local support to the radical Islamic fighters. The militancy that started as a moral outrage of local Kashmiris taking up arms under the JKLF banner is now largely under control of Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. The Kashmiri&nbsp;jihadi groups are acting as conduits to draw in the global Jihadi elements like Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the region, who already have significantly increased their presence in neighbouring Afghanistan and are just waiting to escalate the conflict to a whole new label.

Given the strategic location of J&amp;K, a military conflict is not about to end anytime soon. In fact, the recent rhetoric of the Hindu chauvinists in India, that the army can finish off the job in the next two years has not gone unnoticed in the rest of the world. Iran, who has been sitting on the sidelines regarding Kashmir and had been a good ally of India, has now called for support to the Kashmiri cause. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Looking at extremist movements elsewhere, it is pretty evident that few have been vanquished militarily. Two exceptions in South Asia were the total trouncing of Tamil Tigers and Khalistan militancy. Neither is comparable to Kashmir as they did not fit into global geo-politics. It would have been difficult for Sri Lanka to succeed militarily against the LTTE unless India took a &quot;hands-off&quot; policy following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the terrible setback for the IPKF. Nobody should expect that Pakistan and the global Jihad industry will sit back and relax on the matter of Kashmir. &nbsp;

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<h5>The Kashmiri&nbsp;jihadi groups are acting as conduits to draw in the global Jihadi elements like Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the region</h5>
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On the other hand, there is already a model for de-escalation of violence and transition to democracy as shown by the Nepal Maoists and the FARC in Colombia. These models are important, as were bi-partite efforts and did not require interlocutors, as any otherwise would be unpalatable to New Delhi. That leaves us with important lessons and templates for resolving the Kashmir conflict.

It is important to note that political settlement of the Kashmir question is critical but not a necessary pre-condition to initiate the de-escalation process. In fact, as peace settles in, and people experience its benefits, there will be pressure from below to force the hardliners to change stance and stick to the negotiations rather taking up the gun again.&nbsp;

That brings us to the central argument for grassroots peacebuilding in Kashmir. It might sound like a clich&eacute; beaten to death by overuse, but grassroots democracy is the only solution to an intractable ethnic conflict. The mechanism is quite intuitive: as long as the two communities routinely interact with each other on ordinary, dull, day-to-day issues, the breadth of civic engagement checks violence. Everything, from street corner gup-shup, theatre, art, films to various professional and trade associations and labor unions, count.

There is a wealth of empirical evidence to show that villages constitute a remarkably small portion of ethnic rioting compared to cities, where inter-ethnic communication is relatively sparse. Ashutosh Varshney has meticulously documented that between 1950-1995, rural India accounted for only 3.6 per cent&nbsp;of death in communal violence whereas eight cities representing merely 5 per cent&nbsp;of India&rsquo;s population, accounted for 46 per cent&nbsp;of such deaths. He concludes that routine inter-ethnic engagement among Hindus and the Muslims kills rumours, banish radical elements to the sidelines and makes neighbourhood level peace possible. These local peace committees can act as bulwarks against rebel recruitment and polarising rhetoric and actions that precipitate violence.&nbsp;

Only when the two communities communicate, their respective leaderships and other stakeholders will experience a bottom-up demand to negotiate a political settlement. Of course, there are time-tested measures of counter-insurgency that needs to be integrated with this framework of grassroots peacebuilding. But spiteful bravado of rightwing fundamentalists, cheering violent repression by the Indian state, and baying for the blood of all Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists, is bound to polarise the two communities further into their belligerent clamshells. This will obliterate any possibility of neighbourhood intimacy and choke the limited democratic space that can be the site of inter-ethnic dialogue and peacebuilding.

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<h5>Instead of using surrendered militants against the current militants, the state needs to integrate former rebels into grassroots peacebuilding initiatives, both formal and informal.</h5>
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A thriving associational life will also create opportunities for rebels to retire and reintegrate back into the mainstream. We need the boys and girls to return to democracy. The vitriolic rhetoric of hate trickling down to towns and neighborhoods makes the prospect of return impossible and unattractive to rebels ready to quit extremist groups. As part of the counterinsurgency strategy, the Indian state needs to start to engage the local population, who are pro-democracy but sensitive to the rebels&#39; cause, to build both neighborhood peace committees. Instead of using surrendered militants against the current militants, the state needs to integrate former rebels into grassroots peacebuilding initiatives, both formal and informal. In other words, potent counterinsurgency strategy in Kashmir is building a thriving network of inter-ethnic grassroots associations, which will contribute to increasing the lure of democracy in the region.&nbsp;

Of course, there are many spoilers in the Kashmir conflict who have vested interests in aggravating communal relations and continuing the bloodbath. But by eroding the very secular and democratic fabric that holds the country together, by advocating extreme repression and taking every communal outbreak as an excuse for attacking the entire Muslim community in Kashmir, we are playing into the very hands of these spoilers and militants. None of this is unknown to those in power in New Delhi and Srinagar. The question is simple: do we want a long-term peaceful solution in Kashmir or not?&nbsp;

In spite of provocations such as the Amarnath incident, rich associational life, replete with inter-ethnic civic engagement, both formal and informal, building a bottom-up democracy is our only hope against extremism. It is often referred to as &quot;iron fist, velvet gloves&quot; in counterinsurgency terms. We simply suggest what we already know: guns don&rsquo;t keep the peace. Rabindranath Tagore said it so well. &quot;Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where walls don&rsquo;t break the world into fragments, where we keep the clear stream of reason unhindered by baggage, can peace and freedom prevail&quot;.

&nbsp;

* Rumela Sen&nbsp;is Post Doctoral Fellow in Political Science at Columbia University. She is researching political violence in South Asia. Twitter: @rsen02

&nbsp;

In spite of provocations such as the Amarnath incident, building a bottom-up democracy is India's only hope against extremism.

By Niloy Sengupta & Rumela Sen* Jammu & Kashmir witnessed a dastardly attack on a group of Hindu pilgrims, resulting in several casualties, mostly women. This attack is significant and has to be seen in the context of the ongoing conflict in the region and the overall Hindu-Muslim relations in India. In politics, as FDR had once said, nothing happens by accident. If that’s true, the attack on Hindu pilgrims was planned and wasn't just a case of innocent civilians being caught in the cross-fire between the security forces and the militants. Madhumita Saha, in her poignant piece in WION, wonders if militants acted out of desperation and if militancy would take a new turn in the area. We would like to argue, on the contrary, this follows a familiar playbook of escalation of violence, and militants are provoking New Delhi to push the conflict towards more militarisation. We wonder why is New Delhi happily obliging? The movement that started as an aspiration of people for their own national identity, “Kashmiriyat," has steadily metamorphosed towards Jihad. × That an increased militarisation will be able to finish off the conflict is a mere pipe-dream. J&K is already one of the most militarised regions of the world with around 7 lakh security forces personnel already posted there. A generation of Kashmiris has now seen only jackboots and AK-47s in their land. Still, the conflict goes on unabated, through peaks and troughs of violence, crippling the economy of the region and the well-being of the citizens. The movement that started as an aspiration of people for their own national identity, “Kashmiriyat," has steadily metamorphosed towards Jihad. And the two sides that have benefited from this strategic stalemate have been the Islamic fundamentalists of the region, with a lot of the leadership staying in the relative security of Pakistan. The incentive for militants to kill pilgrims is pretty evident. As the voices for more powers to the army grows shriller in New Delhi and elsewhere, there will be more human rights violations in Kashmir, which, in turn, will provide more oxygen and local support to the radical Islamic fighters. The militancy that started as a moral outrage of local Kashmiris taking up arms under the JKLF banner is now largely under control of Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. The Kashmiri jihadi groups are acting as conduits to draw in the global Jihadi elements like Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the region, who already have significantly increased their presence in neighbouring Afghanistan and are just waiting to escalate the conflict to a whole new label. Given the strategic location of J&K, a military conflict is not about to end anytime soon. In fact, the recent rhetoric of the Hindu chauvinists in India, that the army can finish off the job in the next two years has not gone unnoticed in the rest of the world. Iran, who has been sitting on the sidelines regarding Kashmir and had been a good ally of India, has now called for support to the Kashmiri cause. Looking at extremist movements elsewhere, it is pretty evident that few have been vanquished militarily. Two exceptions in South Asia were the total trouncing of Tamil Tigers and Khalistan militancy. Neither is comparable to Kashmir as they did not fit into global geo-politics. It would have been difficult for Sri Lanka to succeed militarily against the LTTE unless India took a "hands-off" policy following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the terrible setback for the IPKF. Nobody should expect that Pakistan and the global Jihad industry will sit back and relax on the matter of Kashmir. The Kashmiri jihadi groups are acting as conduits to draw in the global Jihadi elements like Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the region × On the other hand, there is already a model for de-escalation of violence and transition to democracy as shown by the Nepal Maoists and the FARC in Colombia. These models are important, as were bi-partite efforts and did not require interlocutors, as any otherwise would be unpalatable to New Delhi. That leaves us with important lessons and templates for resolving the Kashmir conflict. It is important to note that political settlement of the Kashmir question is critical but not a necessary pre-condition to initiate the de-escalation process. In fact, as peace settles in, and people experience its benefits, there will be pressure from below to force the hardliners to change stance and stick to the negotiations rather taking up the gun again. That brings us to the central argument for grassroots peacebuilding in Kashmir. It might sound like a cliché beaten to death by overuse, but grassroots democracy is the only solution to an intractable ethnic conflict. The mechanism is quite intuitive: as long as the two communities routinely interact with each other on ordinary, dull, day-to-day issues, the breadth of civic engagement checks violence. Everything, from street corner gup-shup, theatre, art, films to various professional and trade associations and labor unions, count. There is a wealth of empirical evidence to show that villages constitute a remarkably small portion of ethnic rioting compared to cities, where inter-ethnic communication is relatively sparse. Ashutosh Varshney has meticulously documented that between 1950-1995, rural India accounted for only 3.6 per cent of death in communal violence whereas eight cities representing merely 5 per cent of India’s population, accounted for 46 per cent of such deaths. He concludes that routine inter-ethnic engagement among Hindus and the Muslims kills rumours, banish radical elements to the sidelines and makes neighbourhood level peace possible. These local peace committees can act as bulwarks against rebel recruitment and polarising rhetoric and actions that precipitate violence. Only when the two communities communicate, their respective leaderships and other stakeholders will experience a bottom-up demand to negotiate a political settlement. Of course, there are time-tested measures of counter-insurgency that needs to be integrated with this framework of grassroots peacebuilding. But spiteful bravado of rightwing fundamentalists, cheering violent repression by the Indian state, and baying for the blood of all Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists, is bound to polarise the two communities further into their belligerent clamshells. This will obliterate any possibility of neighbourhood intimacy and choke the limited democratic space that can be the site of inter-ethnic dialogue and peacebuilding. Instead of using surrendered militants against the current militants, the state needs to integrate former rebels into grassroots peacebuilding initiatives, both formal and informal. × A thriving associational life will also create opportunities for rebels to retire and reintegrate back into the mainstream. We need the boys and girls to return to democracy. The vitriolic rhetoric of hate trickling down to towns and neighborhoods makes the prospect of return impossible and unattractive to rebels ready to quit extremist groups. As part of the counterinsurgency strategy, the Indian state needs to start to engage the local population, who are pro-democracy but sensitive to the rebels' cause, to build both neighborhood peace committees. Instead of using surrendered militants against the current militants, the state needs to integrate former rebels into grassroots peacebuilding initiatives, both formal and informal. In other words, potent counterinsurgency strategy in Kashmir is building a thriving network of inter-ethnic grassroots associations, which will contribute to increasing the lure of democracy in the region. Of course, there are many spoilers in the Kashmir conflict who have vested interests in aggravating communal relations and continuing the bloodbath. But by eroding the very secular and democratic fabric that holds the country together, by advocating extreme repression and taking every communal outbreak as an excuse for attacking the entire Muslim community in Kashmir, we are playing into the very hands of these spoilers and militants. None of this is unknown to those in power in New Delhi and Srinagar. The question is simple: do we want a long-term peaceful solution in Kashmir or not? In spite of provocations such as the Amarnath incident, rich associational life, replete with inter-ethnic civic engagement, both formal and informal, building a bottom-up democracy is our only hope against extremism. It is often referred to as "iron fist, velvet gloves" in counterinsurgency terms. We simply suggest what we already know: guns don’t keep the peace. Rabindranath Tagore said it so well. "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where walls don’t break the world into fragments, where we keep the clear stream of reason unhindered by baggage, can peace and freedom prevail". * Rumela Sen is Post Doctoral Fellow in Political Science at Columbia University. She is researching political violence in South Asia. Twitter: @rsen02

Grassroots democracy is Kashmir's only hope against militancy

Fearing unrest on the eve of first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, authorities clamped curfew in his native town of Tral in Kashmir&#39;s Pulwama district.

A number of restrictions have also been imposed on the movement of people, according to PTI.

Wani&#39;s father today appealed for peace and harmony in Kashmir on the death anniversary of his son.

&quot;I don&#39;t want any untoward incident or killing. I only want peace and harmony.&quot; Muzaffar Ahmad Wani said in a video message.

Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with the security forces last year. His death sparked protests in the entire Kashmir valley which claimed over a 100 lives .

The separatist camp which includes both the Hurriyat factions and the Yasin Malik-led JKLF has&nbsp;asked people to march towards Tral.

Security has been beefed up across valley with large deployment of police and paramilitary personnel to quell any incidents of violence.

Internet services were shut down on Thursday evening.&nbsp;

The separatist camp which includes both the Hurriyat factions and the Yasin Malik-led JKLF have asked people to march towards Tral

Fearing unrest on the eve of first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, authorities clamped curfew in his native town of Tral in Kashmir's Pulwama district. A number of restrictions have also been imposed on the movement of people, according to PTI. Wani's father today appealed for peace and harmony in Kashmir on the death anniversary of his son. "I don't want any untoward incident or killing. I only want peace and harmony." Muzaffar Ahmad Wani said in a video message. Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with the security forces last year. His death sparked protests in the entire Kashmir valley which claimed over a 100 lives . The separatist camp which includes both the Hurriyat factions and the Yasin Malik-led JKLF has asked people to march towards Tral. Security has been beefed up across valley with large deployment of police and paramilitary personnel to quell any incidents of violence. Internet services were shut down on Thursday evening.

Curfew imposed in Kashmir's Tral on Burhan Wani's first death anniversary

Ahead of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s meeting with the US President Donald Trump, the US state department has designated Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a specially designated global terrorist.&nbsp;

Syed Salahuddin is one of the most wanted terrorists in India. He heads the terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen. He is also the head of the United Jehad Council which is an umbrella group of all anti-India terrorist organisations based out of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The move hints at United States&#39; resolve to tighten the noose around terrorist organisations operating in Pakistan.

The designation of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist would impose sanctions on him and bar any US citizen from engaging in any transaction with him.

The move will also lead to all of his property within the US jurisdiction getting blocked.

&quot;In September, 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley &#39;into a graveyard for Indian forces,&#39;&quot; said the official statement of the US state department.

The designation of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist by the US state department shows the Trump administration's resolve in cracking down on terrorist groups operating out of Pakistan

Ahead of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with the US President Donald Trump, the US state department has designated Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a specially designated global terrorist. Syed Salahuddin is one of the most wanted terrorists in India. He heads the terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen. He is also the head of the United Jehad Council which is an umbrella group of all anti-India terrorist organisations based out of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The move hints at United States' resolve to tighten the noose around terrorist organisations operating in Pakistan. The designation of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist would impose sanctions on him and bar any US citizen from engaging in any transaction with him. The move will also lead to all of his property within the US jurisdiction getting blocked. "In September, 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley 'into a graveyard for Indian forces,'" said the official statement of the US state department.

US designates Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin as global terrorist

After the Hizbul Mujahideen distanced itself from his statement threatening Kashmir separatists, Zakir Musa declared Saturday that he had dissociated himself from the terrorist outfit.

Zakir Musa announced he would not be associated with the Hizb from Saturday onwards.

&quot;If Hizbul doesn&#39;t treat me its member, I too don&#39;t represent it,&quot; Musa said in the latest audio clip released on social media.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Following my last audio message, a lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message,&quot; he said.

On Friday, in an audio tape which went viral on social media, Musa had threatened to kill Hurriyat leaders for interfering in the Hizbul Mujahideen&#39;s struggle for Islam. He said the organisation would chop off the heads of Hurriyat leaders and hang them in Srinagar&#39;s Lal Chowk for calling the Kashmir issue &quot;political in nature&quot; and not an &quot;Islamic struggle&quot;.

Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said the outfit had nothing to do with&nbsp;Musa&#39;s statements.&nbsp;

&quot;Such a statement (Musa`s) is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir Musa,&quot; Hizb spokesperson Saleem Hashmi said in a statement emailed to a local news agency in Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, meanwhile, said today that the government will consider any request for security from separatist leaders following a threat by the Hizbul Mujahideen commander.

&quot;When somebody will seek security from us we will think over it,&quot; Mehbooba Mufti said on the sidelines of a function when asked about the threat given to separatist leaders by Mussa.

The Hizbul Mujahideen has been insigating violence in the Valley and fighting for Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s annexation to Pakistan since 1989. Its terrorists&nbsp;are suspected to be behind the abduction and killing of Kashmiri Army officer Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz earlier this week.

The Hizbul Mujahideen has been designated a terrorist outfit by the India, the United States and the European Union. 
 
(WION)

Musa had threatened to kill Hurriyat leaders for interfering in the Hizbul Mujahideen's struggle for Islam

After the Hizbul Mujahideen distanced itself from his statement threatening Kashmir separatists, Zakir Musa declared Saturday that he had dissociated himself from the terrorist outfit. Zakir Musa announced he would not be associated with the Hizb from Saturday onwards. "If Hizbul doesn't treat me its member, I too don't represent it," Musa said in the latest audio clip released on social media." "Following my last audio message, a lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message," he said. On Friday, in an audio tape which went viral on social media, Musa had threatened to kill Hurriyat leaders for interfering in the Hizbul Mujahideen's struggle for Islam. He said the organisation would chop off the heads of Hurriyat leaders and hang them in Srinagar's Lal Chowk for calling the Kashmir issue "political in nature" and not an "Islamic struggle". Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said the outfit had nothing to do with Musa's statements. "Such a statement (Musa`s) is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir Musa," Hizb spokesperson Saleem Hashmi said in a statement emailed to a local news agency in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, meanwhile, said today that the government will consider any request for security from separatist leaders following a threat by the Hizbul Mujahideen commander. "When somebody will seek security from us we will think over it," Mehbooba Mufti said on the sidelines of a function when asked about the threat given to separatist leaders by Mussa. The Hizbul Mujahideen has been insigating violence in the Valley and fighting for Jammu and Kashmir's annexation to Pakistan since 1989. Its terrorists are suspected to be behind the abduction and killing of Kashmiri Army officer Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz earlier this week. The Hizbul Mujahideen has been designated a terrorist outfit by the India, the United States and the European Union. (WION)

Hizb terrorist Zakir Musa who threatened Hurriyat leaders dissociates himself from militant outfit

India&#39;s security personnel killed two militants belonging to a Kashmiri separatist group in India&#39;s Kashmir state on Saturday.

An Indian police spokesperson said a &quot;major terrorist action was averted&quot; when a security team intercepted the militants, belong to a group named Hizbul Mujaideen, near Amargarh village, 50 kilometres from Kashmir&#39;s capital city Srinagar.

Two policemen were injured as the cornered militants opened fire and lobbed a grenade at the police team, the spokesperson said.

Hizbul Mujahideen identified the slain militants as&nbsp;Azaharuddin who goes by nom de guerre&nbsp;&ldquo;Gazi Umar&rdquo; and Sajad Ahmad alias &ldquo;Babar&rdquo;. The outfit added that it was a &quot;big loss&quot; for them and that Azharuddin was a lecturer by profession who had abdicated government services to join the militant organisation.

Police recovered&nbsp;two AK assault rifles, one pistol, four hand grenades and other arms and ammunition from the scene of the encounter.

Last July, the Indian security forces had killed the group&#39;s commander Burhan Wani in an encounter, triggering waves of protests which degenerated into violence and clashes with Indian security forces.

Kashmir has been convulsed with extremism over the past few months. The northern state of India was also crippled by months-long curfew following the killing of Burhan Wani, who many Kashmiris viewed as the new face of the &#39;azaadi&#39; (freedom) movement.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

The two Hizbul Mujahideen militants opened fire and lobbed a grenade at the police team before they were killed

India's security personnel killed two militants belonging to a Kashmiri separatist group in India's Kashmir state on Saturday. An Indian police spokesperson said a "major terrorist action was averted" when a security team intercepted the militants, belong to a group named Hizbul Mujaideen, near Amargarh village, 50 kilometres from Kashmir's capital city Srinagar. Two policemen were injured as the cornered militants opened fire and lobbed a grenade at the police team, the spokesperson said. Hizbul Mujahideen identified the slain militants as Azaharuddin who goes by nom de guerre “Gazi Umar” and Sajad Ahmad alias “Babar”. The outfit added that it was a "big loss" for them and that Azharuddin was a lecturer by profession who had abdicated government services to join the militant organisation. Police recovered two AK assault rifles, one pistol, four hand grenades and other arms and ammunition from the scene of the encounter. Last July, the Indian security forces had killed the group's commander Burhan Wani in an encounter, triggering waves of protests which degenerated into violence and clashes with Indian security forces. Kashmir has been convulsed with extremism over the past few months. The northern state of India was also crippled by months-long curfew following the killing of Burhan Wani, who many Kashmiris viewed as the new face of the 'azaadi' (freedom) movement. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India kills two Kashmiri rebels to 'avert major terrorist action'

A new Hizbul Mujahideen video has surfaced on social media, showing a group of armed militants greeting and hugging each other, in a reminder of the campaign undertaken by its erstwhile commander Burhan Wani before he was killed in an encounter three months back.

In the four-and-a-half minute video, 12 militants are seen in an orchard, carrying weapons, including INSAS rifles, apparently snatched from police forces.

They are seen greeting and hugging each other as well as laughing in an attempt to lure youth to join militancy.

Wani had actively used social media to attract the youth to militancy. He made many such propaganda videos before he was killed in the encounter with security forces on July 8.

In another video which also surfaced recently, the new Hizb commander Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Musa is seen asking youth to join militancy by snatching rifles from security forces.

During the recent months, there have been a number of incidents in which weapons were snatched or looted from police and security personnel. At least 67 rifles have so far been snatched. These include INSAS and Carbine rifles, which are exclusively used by the police and security forces.

(PTI)

12 of them are seen in an orchard, carrying weapons including INSAS rifles that were apparently stolen from police personnel

A new Hizbul Mujahideen video has surfaced on social media, showing a group of armed militants greeting and hugging each other, in a reminder of the campaign undertaken by its erstwhile commander Burhan Wani before he was killed in an encounter three months back. In the four-and-a-half minute video, 12 militants are seen in an orchard, carrying weapons, including INSAS rifles, apparently snatched from police forces. They are seen greeting and hugging each other as well as laughing in an attempt to lure youth to join militancy. Wani had actively used social media to attract the youth to militancy. He made many such propaganda videos before he was killed in the encounter with security forces on July 8. In another video which also surfaced recently, the new Hizb commander Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Musa is seen asking youth to join militancy by snatching rifles from security forces. During the recent months, there have been a number of incidents in which weapons were snatched or looted from police and security personnel. At least 67 rifles have so far been snatched. These include INSAS and Carbine rifles, which are exclusively used by the police and security forces. (PTI)

India: Video of Hizbul Mujahideen militants, hugging & laughing, appears on social media

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Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has asked migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to flee the Jammu and Kashmir &nbsp;Valley in the early 90&#39;s&nbsp;after the eruption of militancy, to return to their homes, assuring them of protection, and also said it was planning to raise a Sikh outfit.

&quot;We request Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. We take responsibility of their safety,&quot; &nbsp;Zakir Rashid Bhat alias &quot;Musa&quot;, the self-styled commander of the militant outfit, said in a brief video message released yesterday.

Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley after they were targeted by militant groups during the outbreak of militancy and have been living in Jammu and other parts of the country.

&quot;They should look at those Pandits who never left Kashmir. Who has harassed or killed them?&quot; asked the &quot;successor&quot; of the slain militant Burhan Wani.

Dressed in military camouflage and fiddling with a grenade in the video, Bhat, who dropped out of engineering course from a Punjab college and joined Hizbul Mujahideen some years back, also voiced the&nbsp;conspiracy theory that the&nbsp;Pandits were forced out of the Valley as part of a planned strategy to target Muslims.

He claimed that the government was planning to take action in the Valley in an operation similar to &#39;Operation Blue Star&#39; in Punjab.

Bhat revealed in the 1.38 minute video that the militants were planning to raise an exclusive group of Sikh youths in the outfit.

&quot;Our Sikh brothers are requesting us to join Hizbul Mujahideen...We are with them on every front and God willing, we will try and make an exclusive group for Sikhs in the outfit,&quot; he said.

About the latest trend of weapon snatching in the Valley, especially in south Kashmir districts, he said, &quot;Many youths have taken to Jihad, snatched the weapons and joined our ranks.&quot;

Two green banners with religious slogans and as many weapons on both sides behind him could also been seen in the video which was shot at an unknown location.

South Kashmir witnessed a spurt in weapon snatching incidents over the past three months of unrest which was triggered by the killing of Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.

The unrest has so far claimed 84 lives and injured thousands of others. &nbsp;

(PTI)

Thousands of Pandits, who are Hindu, were forced to flee the Kashmir valley in the early 90's after the militancy broke out

Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has asked migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to flee the Jammu and Kashmir Valley in the early 90's after the eruption of militancy, to return to their homes, assuring them of protection, and also said it was planning to raise a Sikh outfit. "We request Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. We take responsibility of their safety," Zakir Rashid Bhat alias "Musa", the self-styled commander of the militant outfit, said in a brief video message released yesterday. Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley after they were targeted by militant groups during the outbreak of militancy and have been living in Jammu and other parts of the country. "They should look at those Pandits who never left Kashmir. Who has harassed or killed them?" asked the "successor" of the slain militant Burhan Wani. Dressed in military camouflage and fiddling with a grenade in the video, Bhat, who dropped out of engineering course from a Punjab college and joined Hizbul Mujahideen some years back, also voiced the conspiracy theory that the Pandits were forced out of the Valley as part of a planned strategy to target Muslims. He claimed that the government was planning to take action in the Valley in an operation similar to 'Operation Blue Star' in Punjab. Bhat revealed in the 1.38 minute video that the militants were planning to raise an exclusive group of Sikh youths in the outfit. "Our Sikh brothers are requesting us to join Hizbul Mujahideen...We are with them on every front and God willing, we will try and make an exclusive group for Sikhs in the outfit," he said. About the latest trend of weapon snatching in the Valley, especially in south Kashmir districts, he said, "Many youths have taken to Jihad, snatched the weapons and joined our ranks." Two green banners with religious slogans and as many weapons on both sides behind him could also been seen in the video which was shot at an unknown location. South Kashmir witnessed a spurt in weapon snatching incidents over the past three months of unrest which was triggered by the killing of Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. The unrest has so far claimed 84 lives and injured thousands of others. (PTI)

Kashmir: Burhan Wani's 'successor' asks Pandits to return, says militants planning Sikh outfit

At least 250 militants from three jihadist groups, believed to be operating from Pakistan, are hiding in Kashmir and waiting to launch more attacks, top Indian government sources said.

Quoting Intelligence feed, the sources said Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen militants had infiltrated before the surgical strikes took place and were instructed by their handlers to target security forces stationed in the Valley, Indian news agency&nbsp;Press Trust of India reported.

Security has been beefed up along the Indian side of the Line of Control (a de facto border separating India and Pakistan) and the international border. But security gaps remain due to rough topography of the region.&nbsp;

Intelligence reports suggest that more terrorists are planning to infiltrate Kashmir using different entry points, including from Jammu.

The Indian government has instructed all security forces in India&#39;s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir to be alert to any possible infiltration attempts.&nbsp;

During the surgical strikes on the intervening night of September 28-29, maximum casualty was inflicted on the Lashkar-e-Taiba with almost 20 of their militants killed, according to assessment reports of radio intercepts&nbsp;belonging to the Indian Army.&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

Intelligence reports suggest that more terrorists are planning to infiltrate Kashmir using different entry points

At least 250 militants from three jihadist groups, believed to be operating from Pakistan, are hiding in Kashmir and waiting to launch more attacks, top Indian government sources said. Quoting Intelligence feed, the sources said Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen militants had infiltrated before the surgical strikes took place and were instructed by their handlers to target security forces stationed in the Valley, Indian news agency Press Trust of India reported. Security has been beefed up along the Indian side of the Line of Control (a de facto border separating India and Pakistan) and the international border. But security gaps remain due to rough topography of the region. Intelligence reports suggest that more terrorists are planning to infiltrate Kashmir using different entry points, including from Jammu. The Indian government has instructed all security forces in India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir to be alert to any possible infiltration attempts. During the surgical strikes on the intervening night of September 28-29, maximum casualty was inflicted on the Lashkar-e-Taiba with almost 20 of their militants killed, according to assessment reports of radio intercepts belonging to the Indian Army. (WION)

At least 250 militants hiding in Kashmir to launch attacks: India

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday called on India to&nbsp;immediately cease &ldquo;atrocities&rdquo; in Kashmir and settle the issue peacefully&nbsp;according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations Security&nbsp;Council (UNSC) resolutions. 
 
OIC secretary general Iyad Ameen Madani, at a meeting on the sidelines of the&nbsp;United Nations General Assembly yesterday, reaffirmed the group&rsquo;s &ldquo;resolve to&nbsp;remain the voice of the Kashmiris&rsquo; at the international stage&rdquo;. 
 
Adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz in a meeting&nbsp;addressing the OIC contact group on Kashmir mentioned the killing of Hizbul&nbsp;Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani by India&rsquo;s security forces, saying that such&nbsp;measure cannot break the spirit of the Kashmiris. 
 
&quot;Underscoring that the Kashmir dispute remains central to lasting peace and&nbsp;stability in South Asia, the adviser regretted that India had failed to reciprocate&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s proposal of meaningful engagement for the resolution of the Jammu&nbsp;and Kashmir dispute,&quot; PTI reported from a statement by the OIC contact group. 
 
Azad Jammu and Kashmir president Masood Khan gave a detailed overview of&nbsp;&lsquo;violations of human rights and international humanitarian law&rsquo; being carried&nbsp;out by Indian forces in Kashmir and representatives of the Kashmiri people&nbsp;briefed the meeting about &lsquo;continued Indian brutalities&rsquo; in the region. 
 
Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey expressed concern over the situation&nbsp;in Kashmir and emphasised the urgency of resolving the dispute. 
 
The representative of the government of Niger said that the international&nbsp;community could not remain indifferent in the wake of grave human rights&nbsp;violations, and urged the OIC to find means to resolve the conflict. 
 
The conclusions of the meeting will be submitted for appropriate action to the&nbsp;council of foreign ministers of the OIC. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The group has urged India to settle the issue peacefully?according to wishes of the Kashmiri people and UNSC resolutions

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday called on India to immediately cease “atrocities” in Kashmir and settle the issue peacefully according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. OIC secretary general Iyad Ameen Madani, at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, reaffirmed the group’s “resolve to remain the voice of the Kashmiris’ at the international stage”. Adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz in a meeting addressing the OIC contact group on Kashmir mentioned the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani by India’s security forces, saying that such measure cannot break the spirit of the Kashmiris. "Underscoring that the Kashmir dispute remains central to lasting peace and stability in South Asia, the adviser regretted that India had failed to reciprocate Pakistan’s proposal of meaningful engagement for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute," PTI reported from a statement by the OIC contact group. Azad Jammu and Kashmir president Masood Khan gave a detailed overview of ‘violations of human rights and international humanitarian law’ being carried out by Indian forces in Kashmir and representatives of the Kashmiri people briefed the meeting about ‘continued Indian brutalities’ in the region. Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir and emphasised the urgency of resolving the dispute. The representative of the government of Niger said that the international community could not remain indifferent in the wake of grave human rights violations, and urged the OIC to find means to resolve the conflict. The conclusions of the meeting will be submitted for appropriate action to the council of foreign ministers of the OIC. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation asks India to cease 'atrocities' in Kashmir

A youth was killed and several others injured in fresh clashes between protestors and security forces in Pulwama district, in India&#39;s northern Kashmir state, raising the death toll to 67.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;One youth identified as 18-year-old Shakeel Ahmad Ganai was brought to district hospital Pulwama with pellet injuries in his chest. He was declared &#39;brought dead&#39; by the doctors,&quot; a police official said. 
 
He said Ganai and several other persons were injured in the action by security forces against protestors at Nikas Arbal in Rajpora area of the district this afternoon. 
 
The ongoing unrest,&nbsp;which broke out a day after separatist organisation, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter on July 8. 
 
(PTI)

Shakeel Ahmad Ganai, 18, had pellet injuries to his chest. He was declared dead on arrival at the Pulwama district hospital

A youth was killed and several others injured in fresh clashes between protestors and security forces in Pulwama district, in India's northern Kashmir state, raising the death toll to 67. "One youth identified as 18-year-old Shakeel Ahmad Ganai was brought to district hospital Pulwama with pellet injuries in his chest. He was declared 'brought dead' by the doctors," a police official said. He said Ganai and several other persons were injured in the action by security forces against protestors at Nikas Arbal in Rajpora area of the district this afternoon. The ongoing unrest, which broke out a day after separatist organisation, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter on July 8. (PTI)

Kashmir: Another youth killed in clashes, death toll rises to 67

A delegation of opposition leaders from India&#39;s Kashmir met President Pranab Mukherjee in capital New Delhi on Saturday to apprise him of the prevailing unrest in the northern province. 
 
Kashmir has been on the boil since Indian security forces gunned down 22-year-old Burhan Wani, leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, a group fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region, on July 8.&nbsp;Wani represented a new generation of fighters in a region where alienation runs deep even though attacks have fallen dramatically in recent years.&nbsp;His killing has triggered the Valley&#39;s worst outbreak of violence in six years. 
 
The delegation included leaders from National Conference, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Congress, Democratic Party Front (DPF) and People&#39;s Democratic Front (PDF). 
 
The delegation called for a political plan to diffuse the over month-and-a-half long crisis in India&#39;s only Muslim-majority state. 
 
&quot;The motive was to bring to the president&#39;s notice the situation with which the state of Jammu and Kashmir and especially the Kashmir valley is grappling. According to us, this is a big human tragedy which is being faced by our people,&quot; said a leader of CPI (M), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami. 
 
Tarigami alleged that the federal and state government had so far followed an inhuman approach in tackling the situation. 
 
Meanwhile, curfew continued to remain in force for the 43rd consecutive day in the Valley with the police personnel maintaining strict vigil in Srinagar, the&nbsp;summer capital of the province. Shops remained shut and roads deserted as civilians chose to stay indoors.&nbsp;Repeated clashes between protesters and security forces have overwhelmed hospitals, where some patients with severe injuries said they had been beaten in their homes by troops. 
 
At least 65 people have been killed and 6,000 injured in the ensuing clashes, many of them wounded by pellets fired by security forces enforcing a curfew across the region.&nbsp;India has urged its security forces to act with restraint as they try to keep protesters off the streets and quell near-daily violence, but many segments have accused troops of using excessive force. 
 
Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, which rules a northwestern section of the divided region, and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The delegation has called for a political plan to diffuse the month-and-a-half long crisis in Kashmir

A delegation of opposition leaders from India's Kashmir met President Pranab Mukherjee in capital New Delhi on Saturday to apprise him of the prevailing unrest in the northern province. Kashmir has been on the boil since Indian security forces gunned down 22-year-old Burhan Wani, leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, a group fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region, on July 8. Wani represented a new generation of fighters in a region where alienation runs deep even though attacks have fallen dramatically in recent years. His killing has triggered the Valley's worst outbreak of violence in six years. The delegation included leaders from National Conference, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Congress, Democratic Party Front (DPF) and People's Democratic Front (PDF). The delegation called for a political plan to diffuse the over month-and-a-half long crisis in India's only Muslim-majority state. "The motive was to bring to the president's notice the situation with which the state of Jammu and Kashmir and especially the Kashmir valley is grappling. According to us, this is a big human tragedy which is being faced by our people," said a leader of CPI (M), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami. Tarigami alleged that the federal and state government had so far followed an inhuman approach in tackling the situation. Meanwhile, curfew continued to remain in force for the 43rd consecutive day in the Valley with the police personnel maintaining strict vigil in Srinagar, the summer capital of the province. Shops remained shut and roads deserted as civilians chose to stay indoors. Repeated clashes between protesters and security forces have overwhelmed hospitals, where some patients with severe injuries said they had been beaten in their homes by troops. At least 65 people have been killed and 6,000 injured in the ensuing clashes, many of them wounded by pellets fired by security forces enforcing a curfew across the region. India has urged its security forces to act with restraint as they try to keep protesters off the streets and quell near-daily violence, but many segments have accused troops of using excessive force. Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, which rules a northwestern section of the divided region, and backed an insurgency in the late 1980s and 1990s that Indian security forces largely crushed. (Reuters)

Kashmir opposition leaders meet Indian President Pranab Mukherjee

Curfew and restrictions were re-imposed in south Kashmir and parts of the capital city of Srinagar today in view of a march called by the separatists. As per reports, curfew will remain imposed in Anantnag and Kulgam districts, while restrictions under Section 144 have been imposed in Shopian and Pulwama districts of the state. 
 
Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain the law and order situation. Protests erupted yesterday after authorities lifted the curfew from Srinagar, south Kashmir districts and other areas. Meanwhile, the mobile internet services were restored in the Jammu region yesterday after remaining suspended for 17 days in view of protests in Kashmir valley following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani. 
 
Fearing a backlash in Jammu region after the start of protests in the valley, the authorities had decided to snap mobile internet services across 10 districts of the region. Barring BSNL post-paid mobile connections and landlines with broadband connections, the authorities suspended mobile telephony and mobile internet services across the valley following protests. 
 
With communication snapped, Kashmiris outside the state have been expressing concerns over their families&#39; welfare with some students complaining that they were running out of money. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

Protests erupted yesterday after authorities lifted the curfew from Srinagar, south Kashmir districts and other areas

Curfew and restrictions were re-imposed in south Kashmir and parts of the capital city of Srinagar today in view of a march called by the separatists. As per reports, curfew will remain imposed in Anantnag and Kulgam districts, while restrictions under Section 144 have been imposed in Shopian and Pulwama districts of the state. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain the law and order situation. Protests erupted yesterday after authorities lifted the curfew from Srinagar, south Kashmir districts and other areas. Meanwhile, the mobile internet services were restored in the Jammu region yesterday after remaining suspended for 17 days in view of protests in Kashmir valley following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Fearing a backlash in Jammu region after the start of protests in the valley, the authorities had decided to snap mobile internet services across 10 districts of the region. Barring BSNL post-paid mobile connections and landlines with broadband connections, the authorities suspended mobile telephony and mobile internet services across the valley following protests. With communication snapped, Kashmiris outside the state have been expressing concerns over their families' welfare with some students complaining that they were running out of money. (ANI)

Curfew re-imposed in south Kashmir in view of separatists' march

In the midst of massive outburst, men and women, young and old, are out on roads. Slogans from the loudspeaker of nearby mosques fill the air.&nbsp;Young boys man the highway enforcing a strike called by &#39;pro-freedom&#39; camps.&nbsp; 
 
Gripped with unrest for more than two weeks, South Kashmir in India&#39;s northernmost state, Jammu and Kashmir, is angry and mourning.&nbsp; 
 
Amid this anger, a small hamlet in Kokernag area, between a dense cover of poplar and willow trees, is as silent as a grave. This &#39;unnerving&#39; silence in Bemdoora village is not usual for the inhabitants, they say.&nbsp; 
 
Dozen homes burnt down in frenzy&nbsp; 
 
Two weeks after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed here with two other rebels,&nbsp;the residents of this rural neighbourhood,&nbsp;nearly 80 km from state&#39;s summer capital Srinagar, are living in constant fear.&nbsp; 
 
Close to a dozen homes have already been burnt down in a frenzy that erupted against some locals of Bemdoora for allegedly informing the police about the whereabouts of the three armed militants in the area. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/burhan%204-20160725084539.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
One of the homes in the hamlet that bore the wrath of protesters.
</div>
Following the gunfight on July 8 where Wani was killed, hundreds have come to the the hamlet to show contempt against the locals rather than empathy, holding them &quot;responsible&quot; for the encounter.&nbsp; 
 
Farooq Ahmad&#39;s home, where Wani and two others were shot down by security forces, was the first to be burned down by hundreds of angry protesters, who alleged that Farooq tipped off the police about them hiding in the area.&nbsp; 
 
Farooq, the maternal uncle of one of Wani&#39;s associates, Sartaj Ahmad, has left the village along with his family. 
 
The smoke still emanates from a spilled rice mound set on fire here, while the walls of granaries have already crumbled. People have vented out their anger by damaging these homes. &nbsp; 
 
&#39;Encounter did not last long&#39;&nbsp; 
 
According to a local, the gunfight between the militants and security forces did not last too long after the area was cordoned off on July 8. 
 
&ldquo;We heard a few gun shots, and within 10 minutes, the three were killed,&rdquo; he said, asking not to be named. Fearing a further backlash, the villagers are living in dread. Others hope to reason with the protesters to not damage properties further.&nbsp; 
 
Ghulam Qadir, along with many other locals, however, confesses no one in the locality had any idea about the presence of the armed militants in the area and said that people should wait until the facts are laid bare.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We request people and Hurriyat leaders to tell others, especially people living in areas near this village, to be calm and patient,&rdquo; Qadir appeals.&nbsp; 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/kash1-20160723041103.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Kashmir valley has been gripped with tension following Wani&#39;s death.
</div>
As many as 6,000 apple trees have been destroyed inside an orchard, spread over nearly 10-acre, close to where Burhan was killed.&nbsp; 
 
Fayaz Ahmad, an employee at the orchard, says they were beaten up by an angry mob that believed the property belonged to state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We pleaded before them that it is not owned by any minister, but they did not listen and destroyed everything, even setting our living quarters on fire,&rdquo; Fayaz says.&nbsp; 
 
Outside the village, a few young boys say they firmly believe that Farooq&#39;s family was involved in the encounter. &ldquo;Otherwise, there is no reason why it couldn&rsquo;t have lasted longer,&rdquo; they say.&nbsp; 
 
After Wani&#39;s killing, more than 50 have been killed and about 4,000 have been left injured in the widespread chaos that enveloped Kashmir valley over the past 15 days.&nbsp; 
 
Close to a hundred have been blinded in pellet firing. The separatist camp, fighting for Kashmir&#39;s independence, have issued a protest and strike calendar for people to follow till July 29.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

Mobs from neighbouring areas attacked the Kokernag village after rumours that they had tipped-off police about Wani's hideout

In the midst of massive outburst, men and women, young and old, are out on roads. Slogans from the loudspeaker of nearby mosques fill the air. Young boys man the highway enforcing a strike called by 'pro-freedom' camps. Gripped with unrest for more than two weeks, South Kashmir in India's northernmost state, Jammu and Kashmir, is angry and mourning. Amid this anger, a small hamlet in Kokernag area, between a dense cover of poplar and willow trees, is as silent as a grave. This 'unnerving' silence in Bemdoora village is not usual for the inhabitants, they say. Dozen homes burnt down in frenzy Two weeks after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed here with two other rebels, the residents of this rural neighbourhood, nearly 80 km from state's summer capital Srinagar, are living in constant fear. Close to a dozen homes have already been burnt down in a frenzy that erupted against some locals of Bemdoora for allegedly informing the police about the whereabouts of the three armed militants in the area. One of the homes in the hamlet that bore the wrath of protesters. Following the gunfight on July 8 where Wani was killed, hundreds have come to the the hamlet to show contempt against the locals rather than empathy, holding them "responsible" for the encounter. Farooq Ahmad's home, where Wani and two others were shot down by security forces, was the first to be burned down by hundreds of angry protesters, who alleged that Farooq tipped off the police about them hiding in the area. Farooq, the maternal uncle of one of Wani's associates, Sartaj Ahmad, has left the village along with his family. The smoke still emanates from a spilled rice mound set on fire here, while the walls of granaries have already crumbled. People have vented out their anger by damaging these homes. 'Encounter did not last long' According to a local, the gunfight between the militants and security forces did not last too long after the area was cordoned off on July 8. “We heard a few gun shots, and within 10 minutes, the three were killed,” he said, asking not to be named. Fearing a further backlash, the villagers are living in dread. Others hope to reason with the protesters to not damage properties further. Ghulam Qadir, along with many other locals, however, confesses no one in the locality had any idea about the presence of the armed militants in the area and said that people should wait until the facts are laid bare. “We request people and Hurriyat leaders to tell others, especially people living in areas near this village, to be calm and patient,” Qadir appeals. Kashmir valley has been gripped with tension following Wani's death. As many as 6,000 apple trees have been destroyed inside an orchard, spread over nearly 10-acre, close to where Burhan was killed. Fayaz Ahmad, an employee at the orchard, says they were beaten up by an angry mob that believed the property belonged to state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. “We pleaded before them that it is not owned by any minister, but they did not listen and destroyed everything, even setting our living quarters on fire,” Fayaz says. Outside the village, a few young boys say they firmly believe that Farooq's family was involved in the encounter. “Otherwise, there is no reason why it couldn’t have lasted longer,” they say. After Wani's killing, more than 50 have been killed and about 4,000 have been left injured in the widespread chaos that enveloped Kashmir valley over the past 15 days. Close to a hundred have been blinded in pellet firing. The separatist camp, fighting for Kashmir's independence, have issued a protest and strike calendar for people to follow till July 29. (WION)

Branded 'informers', Kashmir village Burhan Wani was slain in lives in terror

Academics and activists accused Facebook Friday of censoring posts about India&#39;s northern state of Kashmir as a curfew in the region extended into its 14th day following unrest that has left 48 protesters dead. 
 
Facebook users posting on the violence in Kashmir in Britain, the US, India and Pakistan told AFP their posts had been removed or their profiles permanently deleted by the Silicon Valley giant citing &quot;violation of community standards&quot;. 
 
Wide-scale protests against Indian rule have flared across the Muslim-majority territory since the killing on July 8 of popular rebel leader Burhan Wani in a firefight with government forces. 
 
Professor Huma Dar, a Kashmiri-origin academic at the University of California Berkeley, said her profile was permanently disabled after she posted photos of Wani and a video of his funeral attended by tens of thousands of mourners. 
 
&quot;We will not reactivate it for any reason,&quot; Dar said Facebook informed her. 
 
Professor Dibyesh Anand of London&#39;s Westminster University said his posts about the actions of Indian security forces, which have drawn criticism for their heavy-handed tactics, were removed twice. 
 
&quot;They (Facebook) apologised. But they blocked a second time within a day, again for 24 hours for a mild post,&quot; Anand told AFP from London. 
 
&quot;When a conspicuous number of posts relating to state violence in Kashmir gets removed by Facebook and profiles of academics and writers blocked, it is clear that there is censorship,&quot; Anand said. 
 
More than 3,000 people, hundreds of them police officers, have been injured in the clashes, overwhelming hospitals in the region&#39;s main city of Srinagar. 
 
Indian authorities have imposed a curfew, suspended mobile networks and internet in large parts of the territory and seized newspapers in a bid to quell protests. 
 
US-based social activist Mary Scully said her posts were also removed on more than one occasion, citing community standards. 
She and Anand along with others have started a petition urging Facebook to investigate. 
 
&quot;None of the posts removed have violated Facebook&#39;s community standards of hate speech or incitement to violence but have only portrayed the violence being perpetrated against the Kashmiri people,&quot; the petition states. 
 
Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 
 
According to Facebook data, India ranks second only to the US for the number of requests for user data and content restriction made every year to the company. 
 
Residents of Kashmir have regularly complained of Facebook removing their posts since 2010 when large protests roiled the territory. 
&quot;My account was permanently disabled when I posted a video of Indian paramilitaries ransacking a hospital,&quot; said Kashmir valley resident Rayees Rasool. 
 
Burhan Wani was the leader of banned rebel group Hizbul Mujahideen, one of several fighting some 500,000 Indian troops deployed in the region since 1989, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Residents of Kashmir have regularly complained of Facebook removing their posts since 2010 when large protests roiled the territory

Academics and activists accused Facebook Friday of censoring posts about India's northern state of Kashmir as a curfew in the region extended into its 14th day following unrest that has left 48 protesters dead. Facebook users posting on the violence in Kashmir in Britain, the US, India and Pakistan told AFP their posts had been removed or their profiles permanently deleted by the Silicon Valley giant citing "violation of community standards". Wide-scale protests against Indian rule have flared across the Muslim-majority territory since the killing on July 8 of popular rebel leader Burhan Wani in a firefight with government forces. Professor Huma Dar, a Kashmiri-origin academic at the University of California Berkeley, said her profile was permanently disabled after she posted photos of Wani and a video of his funeral attended by tens of thousands of mourners. "We will not reactivate it for any reason," Dar said Facebook informed her. Professor Dibyesh Anand of London's Westminster University said his posts about the actions of Indian security forces, which have drawn criticism for their heavy-handed tactics, were removed twice. "They (Facebook) apologised. But they blocked a second time within a day, again for 24 hours for a mild post," Anand told AFP from London. "When a conspicuous number of posts relating to state violence in Kashmir gets removed by Facebook and profiles of academics and writers blocked, it is clear that there is censorship," Anand said. More than 3,000 people, hundreds of them police officers, have been injured in the clashes, overwhelming hospitals in the region's main city of Srinagar. Indian authorities have imposed a curfew, suspended mobile networks and internet in large parts of the territory and seized newspapers in a bid to quell protests. US-based social activist Mary Scully said her posts were also removed on more than one occasion, citing community standards. She and Anand along with others have started a petition urging Facebook to investigate. "None of the posts removed have violated Facebook's community standards of hate speech or incitement to violence but have only portrayed the violence being perpetrated against the Kashmiri people," the petition states. Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment. According to Facebook data, India ranks second only to the US for the number of requests for user data and content restriction made every year to the company. Residents of Kashmir have regularly complained of Facebook removing their posts since 2010 when large protests roiled the territory. "My account was permanently disabled when I posted a video of Indian paramilitaries ransacking a hospital," said Kashmir valley resident Rayees Rasool. Burhan Wani was the leader of banned rebel group Hizbul Mujahideen, one of several fighting some 500,000 Indian troops deployed in the region since 1989, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. (AFP)

Facebook criticised for censoring Kashmir-related posts

With the curfew in the Valley dragging on, life in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir continued to be in a state of paralysis even though incidents of violence between locals and the security forces show no sign of cooling down and the death toll of civilians continues to rise. 
 
Meanwhile, owners and editors of newspapers in the Valley have refused to publish dailies, in protest against the state governments failure to own the &quot;ban order&quot; that was issued three days ago. 
 
Yesterday, Mufti had clarified to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu that no ban has been imposed on the publication of newspapers in the troubled state. 
 
Naidu spoke to Mufti on Monday night on the issue of ban on newspapers in the state. 
 
Mufti&#39;s contradiction came days after government spokesman Nayeem Akhtar reportedly said that &quot;the undesirable step was taken to ensure peace, to save lives and strengthen peace efforts&quot;. 
 
According to reports, hawkers in the citys centre alleged that police did not allow them to distribute the newspapers and also seized their copies. 
 
With Pakistan observing &#39;Black Day&#39; today over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, security measured have been stepped up as more police and paramilitary soldiers have been deployed across all towns and villages, including Srinagar to maintain law and order. 
 
So far, at least 45 people have been killed in clashes with security forces and around 3000 remain injured. 
 
Cellphone services and mobile internet remains blocked, also newspapers are refusing to publish. 
 
Meanwhile, in the wake of the violent situation in the Valley spiraling out of control day-by-day, Indian army chief General Dalbir Singh will visit Jammu and Kashmir today to take stock of the situation. 
 
The death toll climbed to 42 after a woman who had sustained grievous injuries at Qazigund on Monday succumbed in hospital early morning yesterday. 
 
However, the Indian army yesterday expressed regret over the death of civilians in Qazigund and ordered a probe in the matter. 
 
Expressing grief over the loss of life and injuries sustained by the protesters, the Army appealed to the people of the Valley to maintain peace and refrain from attacking security forces or their vehicles or establishments, thus creating situations where they are left with no option but to retaliate in self defence. 
 
The incidents of violence continue to crop up despite the Indian government and state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti urging the people to maintain calm and cooperate with the state government to restore peace in the Valley.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)

Security in Valley stepped up as Pakistan observes 'Black Day' over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani

With the curfew in the Valley dragging on, life in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir continued to be in a state of paralysis even though incidents of violence between locals and the security forces show no sign of cooling down and the death toll of civilians continues to rise. Meanwhile, owners and editors of newspapers in the Valley have refused to publish dailies, in protest against the state governments failure to own the "ban order" that was issued three days ago. Yesterday, Mufti had clarified to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu that no ban has been imposed on the publication of newspapers in the troubled state. Naidu spoke to Mufti on Monday night on the issue of ban on newspapers in the state. Mufti's contradiction came days after government spokesman Nayeem Akhtar reportedly said that "the undesirable step was taken to ensure peace, to save lives and strengthen peace efforts". According to reports, hawkers in the citys centre alleged that police did not allow them to distribute the newspapers and also seized their copies. With Pakistan observing 'Black Day' today over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, security measured have been stepped up as more police and paramilitary soldiers have been deployed across all towns and villages, including Srinagar to maintain law and order. So far, at least 45 people have been killed in clashes with security forces and around 3000 remain injured. Cellphone services and mobile internet remains blocked, also newspapers are refusing to publish. Meanwhile, in the wake of the violent situation in the Valley spiraling out of control day-by-day, Indian army chief General Dalbir Singh will visit Jammu and Kashmir today to take stock of the situation. The death toll climbed to 42 after a woman who had sustained grievous injuries at Qazigund on Monday succumbed in hospital early morning yesterday. However, the Indian army yesterday expressed regret over the death of civilians in Qazigund and ordered a probe in the matter. Expressing grief over the loss of life and injuries sustained by the protesters, the Army appealed to the people of the Valley to maintain peace and refrain from attacking security forces or their vehicles or establishments, thus creating situations where they are left with no option but to retaliate in self defence. The incidents of violence continue to crop up despite the Indian government and state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti urging the people to maintain calm and cooperate with the state government to restore peace in the Valley. (ANI)

Kashmir unrest: Newspapers refuse to publish despite permission

One person has been killed&nbsp;as army fired&nbsp;on protesters trying to&nbsp;storm its camp in&nbsp;Bandipora&nbsp;in Kashmir, putting the toll in the violence-hit Kashmir&nbsp;to&nbsp;40.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Valley was rocked by violent protests after armed forces gunned down Burhan Wani, the militant commander of the separatist outfit&nbsp; Hizbul&nbsp;Mujahideen. About&nbsp;3,160 persons, including 1,500 security force personnel,&nbsp;have been injured.&nbsp;

To help arrest the violence that entered into its ninth day today,&nbsp;about&nbsp;2,000&nbsp;additional CRPF personnel are being rushed to&nbsp;the Valley.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Official said that a total of 20 fresh companies (100 personnel in each) are being rushed to the Valley which will be in addition to 2,800 Central Reserve Police Force personnel which were sent to assist the state police last week.&nbsp;

They said the additional reinforcements will be deployed to further enhance the security&nbsp;arrangements.&nbsp;

&quot;Some of the fresh units will exclusively render the task of road opening parties in order to secure the movement of security forces convoys,&quot; a senior official said.&nbsp; 
 
About 60 battalions (about 1,000 in personnel each) are already stationed in the state as part of counter insurgency grid.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&nbsp;at an all-party meeting convened ahead of the Monsson session of Parliament&nbsp;said that political parties have spoken in one voice over the developments in Kashmir and asserted that it has sent the right message and benefitted the country.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&quot;Various parties have given statements on Kashmir events which benefitted the country. This has sent a right message and I thank all the parties for the same,&quot; he said while complimenting them for speaking in &quot;one voice&quot;, according to an official statement.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&quot;We represent both the people and the parties and there is a need to keep national interests above anything else,&quot; the Prime Minister said.&nbsp;

(PTI)

About 2,000 additional Central Reserve Police Forces personnel are being rushed to enhance security arrangements

One person has been killed as army fired on protesters trying to storm its camp in Bandipora in Kashmir, putting the toll in the violence-hit Kashmir to 40. The Valley was rocked by violent protests after armed forces gunned down Burhan Wani, the militant commander of the separatist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. About 3,160 persons, including 1,500 security force personnel, have been injured. To help arrest the violence that entered into its ninth day today, about 2,000 additional CRPF personnel are being rushed to the Valley. Official said that a total of 20 fresh companies (100 personnel in each) are being rushed to the Valley which will be in addition to 2,800 Central Reserve Police Force personnel which were sent to assist the state police last week. They said the additional reinforcements will be deployed to further enhance the security arrangements. "Some of the fresh units will exclusively render the task of road opening parties in order to secure the movement of security forces convoys," a senior official said. About 60 battalions (about 1,000 in personnel each) are already stationed in the state as part of counter insurgency grid. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an all-party meeting convened ahead of the Monsson session of Parliament said that political parties have spoken in one voice over the developments in Kashmir and asserted that it has sent the right message and benefitted the country. "Various parties have given statements on Kashmir events which benefitted the country. This has sent a right message and I thank all the parties for the same," he said while complimenting them for speaking in "one voice", according to an official statement. "We represent both the people and the parties and there is a need to keep national interests above anything else," the Prime Minister said. (PTI)

Clashes claim one more life in Kashmir, death toll touches 40

One person was today killed amid clashes between security personnel and protesters in Kashmir Valley in India.&nbsp; 
 
Defying curfew, a mob attacked a police post at Hatmulla in north Kashmir&#39;s Kupwara district this afternoon triggering retaliation from security personnel. Apart from one person killed, two were also injured during the protest.&nbsp; 
 
At least 39 persons have died and over 3,100 have been left injured in the violence since last week following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen millitant commander Burhan Wani. With unrest refusying to die down, 3,140 persons including 1,500 security personnel have been injured so far in the past eight days.&nbsp; 
 
Minor protests were reported from some parts of the Valley but the miscreants were chased away by security personnel who resorted to baton charge, the official said. 
 
&quot;The situation across Kashmir Valley today remained relatively peaceful. No major incident was reported from anywhere in the Valley,&quot; he said. 
 
Mobile services remain suspended, clampdown on media offices&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, authorities prevented newspapers from hitting the stands today as some media houses claimed that police raided their printing presses last night and seized the material while cable TV services were also affected in most parts of the Valley. 
 
The police official said curfew remained in force in all 10 districts of the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. 
 
He said the decision to continue the curfew was taken in view of large number of stone-pelting incidents across the Valley yesterday. 
 
Two persons were killed and 23 others, including 9 securitymen, injured in the violence yesterday as mobs indulged in stone-pelting after defying curfew in many parts, while a police station was attacked with a grenade and firing by suspected militants from amidst the crowd of protesters. 
 
Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across the Valley for strict implementation of the prohibitory orders, the official said. 
 
Mobile telephone services in the Valley also remained suspended to prevent any rumour-mongering. &quot;Only postpaid connections of BSNL are working,&quot; the official said. 
 
All telephone services including landlines were not functioning in Kupwara district today. Mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended for the seventh day today while trains are also off the tracks in the Valley. 
 
Greater Kashmir, the leading English daily published from the Valley, alleged that police arrested Printing Press foreman Biju Chaudary and two other employees. 
 
&quot;The policemen seized the plates of Greater Kashmir and more than 50,000 printed copies of Kashmir Uzma and closed down the GKC printing press,&quot; the paper claimed.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Defying curfew, a mob attacked a police post at Hatmulla in north Kashmir's Kupwara district this afternoon triggering retaliation

One person was today killed amid clashes between security personnel and protesters in Kashmir Valley in India. Defying curfew, a mob attacked a police post at Hatmulla in north Kashmir's Kupwara district this afternoon triggering retaliation from security personnel. Apart from one person killed, two were also injured during the protest. At least 39 persons have died and over 3,100 have been left injured in the violence since last week following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen millitant commander Burhan Wani. With unrest refusying to die down, 3,140 persons including 1,500 security personnel have been injured so far in the past eight days. Minor protests were reported from some parts of the Valley but the miscreants were chased away by security personnel who resorted to baton charge, the official said. "The situation across Kashmir Valley today remained relatively peaceful. No major incident was reported from anywhere in the Valley," he said. Mobile services remain suspended, clampdown on media offices Meanwhile, authorities prevented newspapers from hitting the stands today as some media houses claimed that police raided their printing presses last night and seized the material while cable TV services were also affected in most parts of the Valley. The police official said curfew remained in force in all 10 districts of the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. He said the decision to continue the curfew was taken in view of large number of stone-pelting incidents across the Valley yesterday. Two persons were killed and 23 others, including 9 securitymen, injured in the violence yesterday as mobs indulged in stone-pelting after defying curfew in many parts, while a police station was attacked with a grenade and firing by suspected militants from amidst the crowd of protesters. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across the Valley for strict implementation of the prohibitory orders, the official said. Mobile telephone services in the Valley also remained suspended to prevent any rumour-mongering. "Only postpaid connections of BSNL are working," the official said. All telephone services including landlines were not functioning in Kupwara district today. Mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended for the seventh day today while trains are also off the tracks in the Valley. Greater Kashmir, the leading English daily published from the Valley, alleged that police arrested Printing Press foreman Biju Chaudary and two other employees. "The policemen seized the plates of Greater Kashmir and more than 50,000 printed copies of Kashmir Uzma and closed down the GKC printing press," the paper claimed. (Reuters)

Clashes in Kashmir claim another life, death toll mounts to 39

It was early afternoon when we made a quiet exit from our hotel in Islamabad from the back door. 
 
We had an interview lined by with head of a Kashmiri terrorist group, Abdullah, whose real name is Ghulam Rasool. He had killed over a 100 people and was held in jail in Kashmir. But then he became unwell and was admitted in hospital from where he escaped. 
 
It was almost lunch time and we saw him finish his prayer. In the meanwhile, our equipment was checked and we were frisked into this small home in a poor neighbourhood. Lunch was served, a full chicken in each plate. I asked him what his ultimate goal was. When will he stop? He said that the day the whole world turned Islamic he would. I knew Ghulam Rasool was going to be doing what he is doing for the rest of his life, killing more people in what he believed was his work for his God. 
 
Impact of terrorism 
 
The sharp rise in terrorism around the globe has put the countries on edge, and it seems the more the governments are doing to tackle the menace the more the terrorists are getting bolder. Terrorism continues to remain unbeatable, at least for now. 
 
Terror claimed more than 32,600 lives in 2014, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2015. The index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global think tank, also showed a staggering 80 per cent increase in deaths caused by terrorism over the previous year. In the past one year, there have been 1,195 terrorist attacks across the globe, with Bangladesh cafe violence being the most recent one. From Pakistan to Nigeria, seven countries are locked in dangerous conflicts or full&shy;scale wars involving terrorism. 
 
What drives people to terror? 
 
Terrorist organisations may receive massive fundings from vested interests but it is surprising how they are able to deploy human resources at such sustainable levels. A few reasons can be found in the social, economic and political factors. A country has been at war for so long that the people there know nothing but only war as a way of life. 
 
Some terrorists come from poor economic backgrounds or in certain cases the would&shy; be terrorists are subjected to class differences or social discrimination leading them to join extremist organisations. The poor and illiterate, it is said, are easy to radicalise. 
 
However, in the case of the Dhaka cafe attack, there were terrorists from affluent backgrounds with good education who had joined hands with terror organisations such as the ISIS. Closer home, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Muzaffar Wani, who was killed by security forces in Kashmir on Friday, belonged to a relatively well&shy;-off family. His father is a retired school principal, and Wani himself was a good student who secured 90 per cent in his class X examination in 2010. 
 
Effects of radicalisation 
 
The impact of radicalisation is so deep that it sometimes blurs blood ties. Twin brothers in Saudi Arabia recently killed their mother after she tried to stop them from joining Islamic State in Syria. The twins were arrested trying to flee across the border to Yemen. 
 
Is education a factor? 
 
Many people around the world have been surprised by the trend of educated people getting into terrorism. The question is what drives such educated individuals to extremist organisations? Is their religion playing a role in all this? Education, per se, has nothing to do with it. There is nothing to get surprised by the fact that most of the attackers in Bangladesh massacre were educated men. In the Nazi Germany, the perpetrators of holocaust were decently educated. In India also, there is the Godmen culture, especially among the Hindus. A large chunk of the so &shy;called godmen&rsquo;s followers often comes from the upper middle class and educated families. They have complete faith in the godmen they follow. So much so that the followers of one of the godmen have preserved his body with the belief that one day he would come alive. 
 
A psychologist&rsquo;s perspective 
 
Psychologist Dr Harish Shetty says: &ldquo;Man&rsquo;s search for meaning has been a perennial quest since mankind evolved. Many found meaning in harakiri, martyrdom and other culturally sanctioned &lsquo;suicide homicide&rsquo; complex during the last few centuries. The terminologies change depending from which side one views the act. Freedom fighters or terrorists are the descriptive denominators. 
 
In an era where peace and technology have overwhelmed religious doctrines, certain sections feel threatened and are rebelling against this sweeping change in the garb of religion.&rdquo; Globalisation, Dr Shetty says, is viewed as a religious doctrine or an ideology that undermines the control of powerful religious heads. &ldquo;A small section of people falls prey to this indoctrination and finds a new meaning in life. Freedom fighters kill the oppressor and the so&shy;called terrorists today suffer from the same core belief &mdash; kill the perceived enemy or those who are the extensions. 
 
So hit out at those who are enemies and die for the cause. Martyrdom is not new and death in war is the new intoxication, going down fighting is a new high by the dominant ideologies.&rdquo; &ldquo;Dying for such a cause may be viewed with disgust in the dominant ideologies. Meaning in life is a psychosocial pursuit and an altruistic desire...as Freud described...such killings may suffer from similar intrinsic psychosocial needs,&rdquo; Dr Shetty adds. 
 
Government&rsquo;s role 
 
Maybe the governments should spend more in researching and understanding the factors that attract the common citizens towards terrorism. They should take steps to reduce the number of people being influenced by extremist thoughts. Use of force or fighting a war, for that matter, may be required to ensure a nation&rsquo;s security but it is also important to find ways to stop people from going astray. 
 
Terrorists are just terrorists 
 
Religion may not be the reason but could merely be an effective tool to turn individuals into terrorists. On another trip to Lahore, I met Syed Salahuddin, the head of Hizbul Mujahideen, a Kashmiri&shy; led terrorism outfit. He said he had become a terrorist after his family was killed after he challenged a political party in elections and the police did not protect him and his family. 
 
Religion seems to be a common thread in many of the global wars today but we need to go past the usual paradigm and see how some individuals may be using Islam to kill people. For us, terrorists are just terrorists. And they have to be stopped. 
&nbsp;

Combating terror : Countries need to identify factors behind terrorism to take on the scourge effectively

It was early afternoon when we made a quiet exit from our hotel in Islamabad from the back door. We had an interview lined by with head of a Kashmiri terrorist group, Abdullah, whose real name is Ghulam Rasool. He had killed over a 100 people and was held in jail in Kashmir. But then he became unwell and was admitted in hospital from where he escaped. It was almost lunch time and we saw him finish his prayer. In the meanwhile, our equipment was checked and we were frisked into this small home in a poor neighbourhood. Lunch was served, a full chicken in each plate. I asked him what his ultimate goal was. When will he stop? He said that the day the whole world turned Islamic he would. I knew Ghulam Rasool was going to be doing what he is doing for the rest of his life, killing more people in what he believed was his work for his God. Impact of terrorism The sharp rise in terrorism around the globe has put the countries on edge, and it seems the more the governments are doing to tackle the menace the more the terrorists are getting bolder. Terrorism continues to remain unbeatable, at least for now. Terror claimed more than 32,600 lives in 2014, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2015. The index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global think tank, also showed a staggering 80 per cent increase in deaths caused by terrorism over the previous year. In the past one year, there have been 1,195 terrorist attacks across the globe, with Bangladesh cafe violence being the most recent one. From Pakistan to Nigeria, seven countries are locked in dangerous conflicts or fullscale wars involving terrorism. What drives people to terror? Terrorist organisations may receive massive fundings from vested interests but it is surprising how they are able to deploy human resources at such sustainable levels. A few reasons can be found in the social, economic and political factors. A country has been at war for so long that the people there know nothing but only war as a way of life. Some terrorists come from poor economic backgrounds or in certain cases the would be terrorists are subjected to class differences or social discrimination leading them to join extremist organisations. The poor and illiterate, it is said, are easy to radicalise. However, in the case of the Dhaka cafe attack, there were terrorists from affluent backgrounds with good education who had joined hands with terror organisations such as the ISIS. Closer home, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Muzaffar Wani, who was killed by security forces in Kashmir on Friday, belonged to a relatively well-off family. His father is a retired school principal, and Wani himself was a good student who secured 90 per cent in his class X examination in 2010. Effects of radicalisation The impact of radicalisation is so deep that it sometimes blurs blood ties. Twin brothers in Saudi Arabia recently killed their mother after she tried to stop them from joining Islamic State in Syria. The twins were arrested trying to flee across the border to Yemen. Is education a factor? Many people around the world have been surprised by the trend of educated people getting into terrorism. The question is what drives such educated individuals to extremist organisations? Is their religion playing a role in all this? Education, per se, has nothing to do with it. There is nothing to get surprised by the fact that most of the attackers in Bangladesh massacre were educated men. In the Nazi Germany, the perpetrators of holocaust were decently educated. In India also, there is the Godmen culture, especially among the Hindus. A large chunk of the so called godmen’s followers often comes from the upper middle class and educated families. They have complete faith in the godmen they follow. So much so that the followers of one of the godmen have preserved his body with the belief that one day he would come alive. A psychologist’s perspective Psychologist Dr Harish Shetty says: “Man’s search for meaning has been a perennial quest since mankind evolved. Many found meaning in harakiri, martyrdom and other culturally sanctioned ‘suicide homicide’ complex during the last few centuries. The terminologies change depending from which side one views the act. Freedom fighters or terrorists are the descriptive denominators. In an era where peace and technology have overwhelmed religious doctrines, certain sections feel threatened and are rebelling against this sweeping change in the garb of religion.” Globalisation, Dr Shetty says, is viewed as a religious doctrine or an ideology that undermines the control of powerful religious heads. “A small section of people falls prey to this indoctrination and finds a new meaning in life. Freedom fighters kill the oppressor and the socalled terrorists today suffer from the same core belief — kill the perceived enemy or those who are the extensions. So hit out at those who are enemies and die for the cause. Martyrdom is not new and death in war is the new intoxication, going down fighting is a new high by the dominant ideologies.” “Dying for such a cause may be viewed with disgust in the dominant ideologies. Meaning in life is a psychosocial pursuit and an altruistic desire...as Freud described...such killings may suffer from similar intrinsic psychosocial needs,” Dr Shetty adds. Government’s role Maybe the governments should spend more in researching and understanding the factors that attract the common citizens towards terrorism. They should take steps to reduce the number of people being influenced by extremist thoughts. Use of force or fighting a war, for that matter, may be required to ensure a nation’s security but it is also important to find ways to stop people from going astray. Terrorists are just terrorists Religion may not be the reason but could merely be an effective tool to turn individuals into terrorists. On another trip to Lahore, I met Syed Salahuddin, the head of Hizbul Mujahideen, a Kashmiri led terrorism outfit. He said he had become a terrorist after his family was killed after he challenged a political party in elections and the police did not protect him and his family. Religion seems to be a common thread in many of the global wars today but we need to go past the usual paradigm and see how some individuals may be using Islam to kill people. For us, terrorists are just terrorists. And they have to be stopped.

Factors that drive people to take up arms

Curfew remained in force in some parts of Kashmir Valley, including Pampore and Kupwara towns, while restrictions on movement of people were imposed in the rest of the Valley today as the death toll in clashes between protestors and security forces climbed to 34. 
 
Authorities confirmed death of seven more persons in the clashes that erupted Friday evening following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter. 
 
&quot;The death toll now is 34 including a policeman who was killed in mob violence.It also includes one civilian who succumbed to injuries at SKIMS Hospital this morning,&quot; a police official said. 
Mushtaq Ahmad Dar was injured on Saturday at Khudwani in Kulgam district and succumbed this morning. 
 
He said most of the deaths had occurred on Saturday when mobs attacked police and other security installations in south Kashmir but all the deaths could not be accounted for as the situation did not allow the law enforcing agencies to gather information. 
 
Yesterday, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asgar Samoon had said the civilian death toll in the clashes was 22. 
 
According to the latest figures available, most deaths have taken place in Anantnag district (16) followed by Kulgam (eight), Shopian (five), Pulwama (three), Srinagar and Kupwara (one each). 
 
Curfew continued in some parts of the Valley including Pampore town, Kupwara town and Anantnag while restrictions on movement of people were imposed in rest of the Valley, the official said. 
 
Normal life remained affected for the fifth consecutive day today due to a strike called by separatist groups to protest the civilian killings in the clashes with security forces. 
 
Shops and business establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off roads due to the strike. 
 
Mobile Internet and train services are still suspended while mobile telephony has been snapped in Kupwara area following the death of a youth during protests yesterday. 
 
Mobile telephony is partially suspended in south Kashmir&#39;s four districts. 
 
(PTI)

Mobile Internet and train services are still suspended while mobile telephony has been snapped in Kupwara area

Curfew remained in force in some parts of Kashmir Valley, including Pampore and Kupwara towns, while restrictions on movement of people were imposed in the rest of the Valley today as the death toll in clashes between protestors and security forces climbed to 34. Authorities confirmed death of seven more persons in the clashes that erupted Friday evening following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter. "The death toll now is 34 including a policeman who was killed in mob violence.It also includes one civilian who succumbed to injuries at SKIMS Hospital this morning," a police official said. Mushtaq Ahmad Dar was injured on Saturday at Khudwani in Kulgam district and succumbed this morning. He said most of the deaths had occurred on Saturday when mobs attacked police and other security installations in south Kashmir but all the deaths could not be accounted for as the situation did not allow the law enforcing agencies to gather information. Yesterday, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asgar Samoon had said the civilian death toll in the clashes was 22. According to the latest figures available, most deaths have taken place in Anantnag district (16) followed by Kulgam (eight), Shopian (five), Pulwama (three), Srinagar and Kupwara (one each). Curfew continued in some parts of the Valley including Pampore town, Kupwara town and Anantnag while restrictions on movement of people were imposed in rest of the Valley, the official said. Normal life remained affected for the fifth consecutive day today due to a strike called by separatist groups to protest the civilian killings in the clashes with security forces. Shops and business establishments remained closed while public and private transport remained off roads due to the strike. Mobile Internet and train services are still suspended while mobile telephony has been snapped in Kupwara area following the death of a youth during protests yesterday. Mobile telephony is partially suspended in south Kashmir's four districts. (PTI)

Curfew remains in force, toll in Kashmir violence climbs to 34

As clashes continue over the killing of 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, a police post was set on fire today in Romu of Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Pulwama district. 
 
However, no injuries or casualties were reported from the attack. 
 
The security forces have been under attack after Wani was killed in an encounter. 
 
Earlier today, the militants attacked a police party at Warpora area of Sopore town in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp; 
 
Three CRPF jawans were injured in a grenade attack yesterday. The death toll in the clashes between the protesters and the security forces in Kashmir has reached 30, as normal life remains paralysed in the valley due to curfew-like restrictions and separatists-sponsored strike in the wake of Wani`s killing in an encounter earlier on July 8. 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today chaired a high-level meeting in the national capital where he appealed to maintain peace and calm in the valley. &quot;The Prime Minister has hoped for peace and appealed that innocent lives are not disturbed,&quot; minister of state in Prime Minister`s Office, Jitendra Singh told the media after the meeting. 
 
Meanwhile, the United Nations has taken note of the unrest in Kashmir and issued a statement calling on restraint to avoid further violence.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

No injuries or casualties were reported from the attack

As clashes continue over the killing of 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, a police post was set on fire today in Romu of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. However, no injuries or casualties were reported from the attack. The security forces have been under attack after Wani was killed in an encounter. Earlier today, the militants attacked a police party at Warpora area of Sopore town in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. Three CRPF jawans were injured in a grenade attack yesterday. The death toll in the clashes between the protesters and the security forces in Kashmir has reached 30, as normal life remains paralysed in the valley due to curfew-like restrictions and separatists-sponsored strike in the wake of Wani`s killing in an encounter earlier on July 8. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today chaired a high-level meeting in the national capital where he appealed to maintain peace and calm in the valley. "The Prime Minister has hoped for peace and appealed that innocent lives are not disturbed," minister of state in Prime Minister`s Office, Jitendra Singh told the media after the meeting. Meanwhile, the United Nations has taken note of the unrest in Kashmir and issued a statement calling on restraint to avoid further violence. (ANI)

Police post set on fire in Kashmir as unrest continues

TO BE REWORKED; DONT USE -- ANU 
 
 
He captured the imagination of the Kashmir valley&#39;s young and disgruntled. Handsome, some would say baby-faced, 22-year-old Burhan Muzaffar Wani was called the &quot;poster boy of the new insurgency&quot;, admiringly and disparagingly in turns. 
 
True to the generation he belonged to, Burhan was a consumate user of social media,&nbsp;something that became a powerful tool for him to recruit others like him to the ranks of Hizbul Mujahideen, the militant organisation he joined as a 15-year-old in 2010. 
 
Indian security forces dismissed him as a &quot;media creation&quot;, but clearly Burhan was important enough to be gunned down on the night of July 8. The security forces said he was killed in an &quot;encounter&quot;,&nbsp;a term used to describe an ambush,&nbsp;in a small village,&nbsp;Bamdoora,&nbsp;in the state&#39;s&nbsp;Anantnag district. 
 
He and&nbsp;his associates were supposed to have hidden in a house, fired at security personnel, and were claimed to have been killed in retaliatory action. There are reports that within the security establishment there were two views on whether Burhan should be caught alive or eliminated. 
 
The dilemma was well-justified given the outpouring of grief, anger and violence that is shaking Kashmir for the first time since the 2010 &quot;stone-pelting&quot;&nbsp;protests. 
 
More than a hundred thousand&nbsp;turned up for his funeral in Kashmir&#39;s Tral and prayers in absentia were offered all over the state. The situation became volatile and clashes broke out&nbsp;with 30 dead and more than 250 injured. 
 
What set Burhan apart from his contemporaries and seniors in militancy was his inisistence on remaining in the public eye. Unlike others, he never tried to hide his face, or shield himself with anonymity. Photos of Burhan dressed in military fatigues, carrying assault rifles, posing with his unit of a dozen, were a regular feature on Facebook and WhatsApp, that was later circulated by &quot;OGWs&quot; or over-ground workers of Hizb and, of course, his fans. His good looks had turned him into militancy&#39;s pin-up boy. 
 
Unlike the militants in the early 1990s when insurgency took off in Indian Kashmir, Burhan and his group of militants did not cross over to Pakistan. They trained in the Kashmir Valley and would use rifles stolen from police and paramilitary forces.

Burhan&#39;s transition as a militant happened almost over-night, if you go by the popular narrative in Kashmir, with a random thrashing at the hands of Indian Army personnel. 
 
Burhan and his brother, Khalid, were out for a ride on their new motorbike in their hometown, Tral, when they were stopped by Army men and&nbsp;asked to get a few cigarettes. When Khalid returned with them, he was still given a sound beating, and he fell unconscious. Burhan promised to avenge his brother&#39;s mistreatment.&nbsp; 
 
Six month&#39;s later, the headmaster&#39;s son decided to drop out of school and join the militant organisation, Hizbul Mujahideen.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;He remained mostly inactive during his early years in the group, but soon gained prominence after Khalid was killed in April last year,&rdquo; a police officer posted in Tral said.

Khalid was killed in equally tragic circumstances as he tried to meet Burhan in the Kamla forest that flanks Tral to try and pass on some home-cooked food in 2015. 
 
A joint ambush by the Indian Army and state police killed Khalid. His body bore marks of torture. Burhan managed to escape. Khalid&#39;s death established Burhan&#39;s credentials as a dedicated &quot;mujahideen&quot; (holy warrior)&nbsp;in the eyes of the residents&nbsp;of the region.

Khalid&rsquo;s funeral procession became a flashpoint in Tral with protesters pelting stones and the security forces retaliating.&nbsp;Intelligence officials believe that Khalid&rsquo;s funeral was a sign of what would transpire if Burhan, too, was one day gunned down.&nbsp; 
 
The skirmish during Khalid&#39;s funeral inspired a few local young men to join the ranks of the militants.&nbsp;Sabzar Ahmad, who was leading the protesters at Khalid&#39;s funeral,&nbsp;and another youth, Shakir Ahmad, went on to join Burhan&nbsp;the very next day.&nbsp;

Nearly a month after the funeral, Burhan, who was already active on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, posted a photograph of his with Sabzar and 10 others in military fatigues, carrying assault rifles,&nbsp;bringing him&nbsp;cult status.

Over the next few months, Burhan posted a series of photos and videos which popularised him among Kashmiri youth and recruits started pouring in. 
 
Even a policeman, Naseer Pandit, who was a state minister&rsquo;s guard, a coveted government job, escaped with his service rifle and joined Hizb after the incident, perhaps an indication of Burhan&#39;s increasing popularity.

&ldquo;Local recruitement increased as Burhan propagated violence on social media videos,&rdquo; a senior security official said. His activities earned him a top spot in the list of most wanted militants in Kashmir and an 1-million Indian Rupee bounty was declared for him. 
 
In a video message, circulated widely earlier last month, Burhan ruled out any attack on pilgrims visiting Hindu shrines, but openly challenged &lsquo;men in uniform&rsquo; to be ready for surprise attacks.

&ldquo;We have nothing against Hindu pilgrims as they are here (Kashmir) to carry out their religious duty, but the Indian Army and all those who are part of the Indian police and the military will be our target,&rdquo; Burhan had said in a video.

At 22, Burhan was among the youngest commanders of Hizb, which remains at the centre of the armed insurgency in Kashmir since the early 1990s. 
 
While security officials say the militant had no direct hand in any attack&nbsp;in the Valley, Hizb had carried out several high-profile ones while Burhan was leading the charge in Kashmir.&nbsp;

Hizb carried out two attacks in one day on May 23 in Srinagar in which three policemen, including an assistant sub-Inspector, were killed. In another attack&nbsp;claimed by the group, a Border Security Force (BSF) convoy in Bejbehara town, about 50 km from Srinagar, was attacked, killing three soldiers, and leaving scores injured.

Before his encounter on Friday, Burhan surfaced in another video about a week ago. The video featured him playing cricket at an undisclosed location.

In less than a year since his brother&#39;s death and the cult group photograph of militants being&nbsp;posted, most of Burhan&rsquo;s associates have been killed by the police. 
 
Ater Burhan&rsquo;s death, only three militants from the original group are alive.

The Hizbul Mujahideen commander took up arms against the security establishment after he and his brother were beaten up by security forces

TO BE REWORKED; DONT USE -- ANU He captured the imagination of the Kashmir valley's young and disgruntled. Handsome, some would say baby-faced, 22-year-old Burhan Muzaffar Wani was called the "poster boy of the new insurgency", admiringly and disparagingly in turns. True to the generation he belonged to, Burhan was a consumate user of social media, something that became a powerful tool for him to recruit others like him to the ranks of Hizbul Mujahideen, the militant organisation he joined as a 15-year-old in 2010. Indian security forces dismissed him as a "media creation", but clearly Burhan was important enough to be gunned down on the night of July 8. The security forces said he was killed in an "encounter", a term used to describe an ambush, in a small village, Bamdoora, in the state's Anantnag district. He and his associates were supposed to have hidden in a house, fired at security personnel, and were claimed to have been killed in retaliatory action. There are reports that within the security establishment there were two views on whether Burhan should be caught alive or eliminated. The dilemma was well-justified given the outpouring of grief, anger and violence that is shaking Kashmir for the first time since the 2010 "stone-pelting" protests. More than a hundred thousand turned up for his funeral in Kashmir's Tral and prayers in absentia were offered all over the state. The situation became volatile and clashes broke out with 30 dead and more than 250 injured. What set Burhan apart from his contemporaries and seniors in militancy was his inisistence on remaining in the public eye. Unlike others, he never tried to hide his face, or shield himself with anonymity. Photos of Burhan dressed in military fatigues, carrying assault rifles, posing with his unit of a dozen, were a regular feature on Facebook and WhatsApp, that was later circulated by "OGWs" or over-ground workers of Hizb and, of course, his fans. His good looks had turned him into militancy's pin-up boy. Unlike the militants in the early 1990s when insurgency took off in Indian Kashmir, Burhan and his group of militants did not cross over to Pakistan. They trained in the Kashmir Valley and would use rifles stolen from police and paramilitary forces. Burhan's transition as a militant happened almost over-night, if you go by the popular narrative in Kashmir, with a random thrashing at the hands of Indian Army personnel. Burhan and his brother, Khalid, were out for a ride on their new motorbike in their hometown, Tral, when they were stopped by Army men and asked to get a few cigarettes. When Khalid returned with them, he was still given a sound beating, and he fell unconscious. Burhan promised to avenge his brother's mistreatment. Six month's later, the headmaster's son decided to drop out of school and join the militant organisation, Hizbul Mujahideen. “He remained mostly inactive during his early years in the group, but soon gained prominence after Khalid was killed in April last year,” a police officer posted in Tral said. Khalid was killed in equally tragic circumstances as he tried to meet Burhan in the Kamla forest that flanks Tral to try and pass on some home-cooked food in 2015. A joint ambush by the Indian Army and state police killed Khalid. His body bore marks of torture. Burhan managed to escape. Khalid's death established Burhan's credentials as a dedicated "mujahideen" (holy warrior) in the eyes of the residents of the region. Khalid’s funeral procession became a flashpoint in Tral with protesters pelting stones and the security forces retaliating. Intelligence officials believe that Khalid’s funeral was a sign of what would transpire if Burhan, too, was one day gunned down. The skirmish during Khalid's funeral inspired a few local young men to join the ranks of the militants. Sabzar Ahmad, who was leading the protesters at Khalid's funeral, and another youth, Shakir Ahmad, went on to join Burhan the very next day. Nearly a month after the funeral, Burhan, who was already active on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, posted a photograph of his with Sabzar and 10 others in military fatigues, carrying assault rifles, bringing him cult status. Over the next few months, Burhan posted a series of photos and videos which popularised him among Kashmiri youth and recruits started pouring in. Even a policeman, Naseer Pandit, who was a state minister’s guard, a coveted government job, escaped with his service rifle and joined Hizb after the incident, perhaps an indication of Burhan's increasing popularity. “Local recruitement increased as Burhan propagated violence on social media videos,” a senior security official said. His activities earned him a top spot in the list of most wanted militants in Kashmir and an 1-million Indian Rupee bounty was declared for him. In a video message, circulated widely earlier last month, Burhan ruled out any attack on pilgrims visiting Hindu shrines, but openly challenged ‘men in uniform’ to be ready for surprise attacks. “We have nothing against Hindu pilgrims as they are here (Kashmir) to carry out their religious duty, but the Indian Army and all those who are part of the Indian police and the military will be our target,” Burhan had said in a video. At 22, Burhan was among the youngest commanders of Hizb, which remains at the centre of the armed insurgency in Kashmir since the early 1990s. While security officials say the militant had no direct hand in any attack in the Valley, Hizb had carried out several high-profile ones while Burhan was leading the charge in Kashmir. Hizb carried out two attacks in one day on May 23 in Srinagar in which three policemen, including an assistant sub-Inspector, were killed. In another attack claimed by the group, a Border Security Force (BSF) convoy in Bejbehara town, about 50 km from Srinagar, was attacked, killing three soldiers, and leaving scores injured. Before his encounter on Friday, Burhan surfaced in another video about a week ago. The video featured him playing cricket at an undisclosed location. In less than a year since his brother's death and the cult group photograph of militants being posted, most of Burhan’s associates have been killed by the police. Ater Burhan’s death, only three militants from the original group are alive.

Burhan Wani: The story of a short life

Pakistan has strongly condemned the continued killing of innocent Kashmiris in Indian Kashmir and said that solving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible through an impartial plebiscite with the United Nation&#39;s (UN) support.&nbsp; 
 
The statement comes as the Indian security forces shot dead Hizbul Mujahideen&#39;s 22-year-old leader Burhan Muzzafar Wani, along with two of his accomplices in Kokernag area, earlier on Friday. 
 
The statement released by the foreign ministry said the extrajudicial killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and scores of other innocent Kashmiris is deplorable and condemnable. 
 
&quot;Pakistan reiterates that the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices,&quot; the statement said. 
 
&quot;Such acts are a violation of fundamental human rights of Kashmiris and can not deter the people of Jammu and Kashmir from their demand for the realisation of the right to self determination,&quot; it said. 
 
Islamabad also expressed its concern over the detention of Kashmiri leadership and called upon New Delhi to fulfill the human rights obligations as per the United Nation. 
 
&quot;Pakistan also has serious concerns over the detention of Kashmiri leadership in Indian Occupied Kashmir and calls upon the Indian government to fulfill its human rights obligations as well as its commitments under the United Nations Security Council Resolutions,&quot; the statement said. 
 
The Kashmir valley has been on the boil as widespread protests were carried out over Wani`s killing with many separatists calling for a shutdown.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

'Pakistan also has serious concerns over the detention of Kashmiri leadership in Indian Occupied Kashmir,' said a foreign ministry statement

Pakistan has strongly condemned the continued killing of innocent Kashmiris in Indian Kashmir and said that solving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible through an impartial plebiscite with the United Nation's (UN) support. The statement comes as the Indian security forces shot dead Hizbul Mujahideen's 22-year-old leader Burhan Muzzafar Wani, along with two of his accomplices in Kokernag area, earlier on Friday. The statement released by the foreign ministry said the extrajudicial killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and scores of other innocent Kashmiris is deplorable and condemnable. "Pakistan reiterates that the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is only possible by the realisation of the right to self determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the UNSC resolutions, through a fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," the statement said. "Such acts are a violation of fundamental human rights of Kashmiris and can not deter the people of Jammu and Kashmir from their demand for the realisation of the right to self determination," it said. Islamabad also expressed its concern over the detention of Kashmiri leadership and called upon New Delhi to fulfill the human rights obligations as per the United Nation. "Pakistan also has serious concerns over the detention of Kashmiri leadership in Indian Occupied Kashmir and calls upon the Indian government to fulfill its human rights obligations as well as its commitments under the United Nations Security Council Resolutions," the statement said. The Kashmir valley has been on the boil as widespread protests were carried out over Wani`s killing with many separatists calling for a shutdown. (ANI)

Pakistan condemns Burhan's 'extrajudicial killing', says only way to solve Kashmir dispute is via plebiscite

Indian Kashmir continued to be completely shut down for a second day today after 16 people died in clashes between security forces and protesters over the killing of militant separatist Burhan Wani. 
 
Streets were deserted as all shops, major commercial establishments, schools and colleges were closed in the capital Srinagar. Security was tight as troops patrolled the streets fearing trouble by locals. 
 
Mobile, internet services remain suspended in some parts&nbsp; 
 
Security forces gunned down three militants, including a top commander of militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani, in Bumdoora village, 85 km south of Srinagar, capital city of Kashmir, on Friday. 
 
Wani, a 22-year-old militant, was known for his calls to arms on social media.&nbsp;Since then, the Kashmir Valley has been on the boil with protests breaking out at several places. 
 
To quell tension, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Kulgam, Anantnag, Tral, Kokernag and seven other police stations to maintain law and order. 
 
Mobile phone and internet services remained suspended across some parts of the state as a precautionary measure. 
 
Amarnath Yatra halted&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, a pilgrimage to a cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir was suspended for the second day for security purposes. 
 
The pilgrims were made to stay at a base camp in Jammu city set up by state authorities. 
 
Pilgrims, however, were determined to complete the journey. 
 
&quot;I believe in Lord Shiva and I will complete the journey even if I have to wait for two to four days. This is my 17th journey and I have never faced such problems before. I will complete the journey and then only return home,&quot; said a pilgrim from New Delhi, Nandlal Kukareja. 
 
Thousands of pilgrims undertake the journey or Amarnath Yatra to the shrine cave to worship an ice stalagmite called &#39;Shivling&#39;, a symbol of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration. 
 
The cave containing the holy Shiva shrine stands at a height of nearly 12,500 feet (3,888 metres) above sea level, around 141 kilometres from Kashmir&#39;s capital Srinagar. 
 
The 48-day pilgrimage is slated to conclude on August 18. 
 
Unrest in the valley&nbsp; 
 
Violence in Kashmir valley has spiked against a backdrop of rising social tension and separatist sentiment in the Muslim-majority region, which for decades has been at the centre of a strategic tussle between India and Pakistan. 
 
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. 
 
India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels in the portion it controls and sending them to the Indian side, a claim its neighbour denies. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

The streets are deserted, schools and shops shut. And security is tight as troops patrol the streets

Indian Kashmir continued to be completely shut down for a second day today after 16 people died in clashes between security forces and protesters over the killing of militant separatist Burhan Wani. Streets were deserted as all shops, major commercial establishments, schools and colleges were closed in the capital Srinagar. Security was tight as troops patrolled the streets fearing trouble by locals. Mobile, internet services remain suspended in some parts Security forces gunned down three militants, including a top commander of militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani, in Bumdoora village, 85 km south of Srinagar, capital city of Kashmir, on Friday. Wani, a 22-year-old militant, was known for his calls to arms on social media. Since then, the Kashmir Valley has been on the boil with protests breaking out at several places. To quell tension, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Kulgam, Anantnag, Tral, Kokernag and seven other police stations to maintain law and order. Mobile phone and internet services remained suspended across some parts of the state as a precautionary measure. Amarnath Yatra halted Meanwhile, a pilgrimage to a cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir was suspended for the second day for security purposes. The pilgrims were made to stay at a base camp in Jammu city set up by state authorities. Pilgrims, however, were determined to complete the journey. "I believe in Lord Shiva and I will complete the journey even if I have to wait for two to four days. This is my 17th journey and I have never faced such problems before. I will complete the journey and then only return home," said a pilgrim from New Delhi, Nandlal Kukareja. Thousands of pilgrims undertake the journey or Amarnath Yatra to the shrine cave to worship an ice stalagmite called 'Shivling', a symbol of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration. The cave containing the holy Shiva shrine stands at a height of nearly 12,500 feet (3,888 metres) above sea level, around 141 kilometres from Kashmir's capital Srinagar. The 48-day pilgrimage is slated to conclude on August 18. Unrest in the valley Violence in Kashmir valley has spiked against a backdrop of rising social tension and separatist sentiment in the Muslim-majority region, which for decades has been at the centre of a strategic tussle between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels in the portion it controls and sending them to the Indian side, a claim its neighbour denies. (Reuters)

Kashmir stays shut down for second day running