In the first address after his appointment, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today raked up the Kashmir issue, saying &quot;the issue will have to be resolved in line with the United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace.&quot;&nbsp;

The newly-appointed army chief was briefed on the security situation along the border &quot;in view of the recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistan&#39;s own response&quot;, the army&#39;s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.&nbsp;

Bajwa asked the soldiers to respond with &quot;full force&quot; to any ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.

During a visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi he said, &quot;Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner.&quot; He urged troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times.&nbsp;

His statement comes at a time when the relations between Pakistan and India are highly strained, following India&#39;s surgical strikes on terror launchpads in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Indian external affairs ministry had ruled out the possibility of holding bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar.&nbsp;

India deplored &quot;the atmosphere of continued terror&quot; and said it will &quot;never accept cross-border terrorism as the new normal ties&quot; between the two South Asian neighbours.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue once again, saying it must be resolved in line with UN resolutions, after India ruled out bilateral talks

In the first address after his appointment, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today raked up the Kashmir issue, saying "the issue will have to be resolved in line with the United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace." The newly-appointed army chief was briefed on the security situation along the border "in view of the recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistan's own response", the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Bajwa asked the soldiers to respond with "full force" to any ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. During a visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi he said, "Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner." He urged troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times. His statement comes at a time when the relations between Pakistan and India are highly strained, following India's surgical strikes on terror launchpads in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir. On Thursday, Indian external affairs ministry had ruled out the possibility of holding bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar. India deplored "the atmosphere of continued terror" and said it will "never accept cross-border terrorism as the new normal ties" between the two South Asian neighbours. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Newly-appointed Pakistan army chief rakes up Kashmir issue, asks troops to keep high vigil

Pakistan on Monday said it was willing to take action against terrorist forces operating out of the country provided it was given concrete evidence.

&nbsp;

While speaking to the press in New Delhi, Pakistan&#39;s High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, criticised India for trying to isolate it globally on the issue of terrorism and said sustained diplomacy could improve relations between the two countries, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Basit said his country was being unnecessarily being blamed for the Uri terror attacks and called for an international probe before drawing a premature conclusion. He instead maintained that his country had &quot;zero tolerance&quot; for terrorism and did not need &quot;misplaced jingoism and hypernationalism&quot; to pursue its foreign policy objectives.

&nbsp;

He reiterated Pakistan&#39;s old stand that the &quot;root cause&quot; for all problems between India and Pakistan was the issue of Jammu and Kashmir which &quot;has made us mutually antagonistic. Let its just resolution unite us in peace and prosperity.&quot;

&nbsp;

&quot;How on earth is it possible to isolate a country on terrorism when that country itself is the worst victim of terrorism,&quot; Basit said at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

&nbsp;

&quot;As far as Pakistan is concerned there is zero tolerance for terrorism. When Uri attack was underway, Pakistan was being blamed, when we were not knowing as to what was happening. We didn&#39;t know what was happening on ground, and we were referred to as a terrorist state,&quot; Pakistan&#39;s High Commissioner to India said.

&nbsp;

Asked about the deterioration of &nbsp;Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Burhan Wani, Basit said &quot;We have seen time and again as to how the development in Jammu and Kashmir has affected the Indo-Pak relations. To claim that the hundreds and thousands who attended Burhan Wani&#39;s funeral were instigated by Pakistan is wrong. We need to move from symbolism to substance and from conflict management to conflict resolution. If would serve better purpose if we tone down the rhetoric and build new bridges of trust.&quot; &nbsp;Nawaz Sharif had slammed India for Burhan Wani&#39;s death at the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

&nbsp;

The Pakistan&#39;s high commissioner&#39;s statement comes amid increasing international pressure to take action against terrorist groups in its country. US state department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner had said last week that his country was pushing Islamabad to take action against terrorist groups and pushing for more dialogue between India and Pakistan.

&nbsp;

Casting doubts on Islamabad&#39;s intention to fight terrorism, India&#39;s interior minister Rajnath Singh said last week that if Pakistan was serious about fighting terror, then India was ready to help them eradicate it.

&nbsp;

&quot;Pakistan has forgotten the difference between terrorists and freedom fighters. Terrorism in India is mostly sponsored from across the border...If Pakistan is serious about fighting terror then we are ready to help them eradicate terror, but their intention is not that,&quot; Singh said, referring clearly to the September 18 Uri terror attack.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan's high commissioner to India Abdul Basit said 'the country itself is the worst victim of terrorism'

Pakistan on Monday said it was willing to take action against terrorist forces operating out of the country provided it was given concrete evidence. While speaking to the press in New Delhi, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, criticised India for trying to isolate it globally on the issue of terrorism and said sustained diplomacy could improve relations between the two countries, news agency PTI reported. Basit said his country was being unnecessarily being blamed for the Uri terror attacks and called for an international probe before drawing a premature conclusion. He instead maintained that his country had "zero tolerance" for terrorism and did not need "misplaced jingoism and hypernationalism" to pursue its foreign policy objectives. He reiterated Pakistan's old stand that the "root cause" for all problems between India and Pakistan was the issue of Jammu and Kashmir which "has made us mutually antagonistic. Let its just resolution unite us in peace and prosperity." "How on earth is it possible to isolate a country on terrorism when that country itself is the worst victim of terrorism," Basit said at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. "As far as Pakistan is concerned there is zero tolerance for terrorism. When Uri attack was underway, Pakistan was being blamed, when we were not knowing as to what was happening. We didn't know what was happening on ground, and we were referred to as a terrorist state," Pakistan's High Commissioner to India said. Asked about the deterioration of Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Burhan Wani, Basit said "We have seen time and again as to how the development in Jammu and Kashmir has affected the Indo-Pak relations. To claim that the hundreds and thousands who attended Burhan Wani's funeral were instigated by Pakistan is wrong. We need to move from symbolism to substance and from conflict management to conflict resolution. If would serve better purpose if we tone down the rhetoric and build new bridges of trust." Nawaz Sharif had slammed India for Burhan Wani's death at the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. The Pakistan's high commissioner's statement comes amid increasing international pressure to take action against terrorist groups in its country. US state department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner had said last week that his country was pushing Islamabad to take action against terrorist groups and pushing for more dialogue between India and Pakistan. Casting doubts on Islamabad's intention to fight terrorism, India's interior minister Rajnath Singh said last week that if Pakistan was serious about fighting terror, then India was ready to help them eradicate it. "Pakistan has forgotten the difference between terrorists and freedom fighters. Terrorism in India is mostly sponsored from across the border...If Pakistan is serious about fighting terror then we are ready to help them eradicate terror, but their intention is not that," Singh said, referring clearly to the September 18 Uri terror attack. (WION with inputs from agencies)

'Pakistan has zero tolerance for terrorism'

India&rsquo;s interior minister Rajnath Singh today assured that all attempts are being made to secure the release of an Indian soldier who inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan on Thursday.

&quot;All attempts are being made to secure his release,&quot; Singh told reporters.

Singh added that New Delhi will take up the matter with Islamabad for the soldier&rsquo;s early release.

Chandu Babulal Chohan, 22, crossed the Line of Control (LOC) when the Indian army carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

Indian Army sources had said yesterday that &quot;one soldier from 37 RR with weapon has inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control. Pakistan has been informed by the DGMO on the hotline.&quot;

The sources later clarified that his crossing over was not related to the surgical strikes.

&quot;Such inadvertent crossing by Army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms,&quot; they had said.

The Indian Army had yesterday rejected as &quot;false and baseless&quot; reports in a section of Pakistani media that eight Indian soldiers were killed and one captured by Pakistani military in retaliatory fire.

Indian Army sources said, &quot;As regard (to the) report of killing of eight Indian Army personnel reported in sections of Pakistan media, the report is completely false and baseless.&quot;

India had carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army inflicting &quot;significant casualties&quot; on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

India claims the soldier 'inadvertently' crossed the Line of Control while Pakistan says he was captured after India's surgical strikes

India’s interior minister Rajnath Singh today assured that all attempts are being made to secure the release of an Indian soldier who inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan on Thursday. "All attempts are being made to secure his release," Singh told reporters. Singh added that New Delhi will take up the matter with Islamabad for the soldier’s early release. Chandu Babulal Chohan, 22, crossed the Line of Control (LOC) when the Indian army carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistan Administered Kashmir. Indian Army sources had said yesterday that "one soldier from 37 RR with weapon has inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control. Pakistan has been informed by the DGMO on the hotline." The sources later clarified that his crossing over was not related to the surgical strikes. "Such inadvertent crossing by Army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms," they had said. The Indian Army had yesterday rejected as "false and baseless" reports in a section of Pakistani media that eight Indian soldiers were killed and one captured by Pakistani military in retaliatory fire. Indian Army sources said, "As regard (to the) report of killing of eight Indian Army personnel reported in sections of Pakistan media, the report is completely false and baseless." India had carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan Administered Kashmir. (WION with inputs from PTI)

All attempts being made to secure release of Indian soldier: Interior minister

Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an emergency cabinet meeting held today said Islamabad was ready to counter any external threat.

The meeting was held to discuss the situation in Kashmir and the cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) with India.

Sharif called the attack at the LoC &quot;unprovoked and naked aggression&quot; of Indian forces.

&quot;No external force has the capability or capacity to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan,&quot; he was reported as saying.

Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign secretary had also earlier summoned the Indian High Commissioner and urged the Indian government &quot;to ensure the safety and security of Pakistan&#39;s High Commissioner, other officials and their families, in accordance with the Vienna Convention&quot;.

The cabinet condemned &ldquo;unprovoked firing at the LoC&rdquo; which claimed the lives of two Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan media reports said.

The Indian Army said it carried out surgical strikes at the LoC on Thursday in response to the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 19 soldiers earlier this month.

The strikes had been based on &quot;specific credible information&quot; that militants were planning to carry out strikes in Indian cities, including Jammu, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh of the Indian Army told reporters on Thursday.

But Pakistan has denied India&nbsp;conducting any surgical strikes on their soil.

Islamabad says there was a cross-border &quot;skirmish&quot; between the Indian Army and Pakistan Rangers that killed two of their soldiers.

Pakistan also claimed that they captured one of the Indian soldiers during the exchange over the border.

But New Delhi said the soldier had &quot;inadvertently crossed&quot;&nbsp;over to the other side of the LoC and not captured by Pakistan.&nbsp;

Pakistan Defence recently tweeted that the Indian establishment was nervous that the captured soldier would expose India&#39;s &#39;surgical strikes claim.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Indian military is in complete panic mode by what the captured Indian soldier might reveal about the so called &quot;Surgical Strike&quot; .
&mdash; Pakistan Defence (@defencepk) <a href="https://twitter.com/defencepk/status/781854373244706816">September 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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(WION)

Pakistan's federal cabinet condemned India's 'unprovoked firing at the LoC' which claimed the lives of two Pakistani soldiers on Thursday

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an emergency cabinet meeting held today said Islamabad was ready to counter any external threat. The meeting was held to discuss the situation in Kashmir and the cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) with India. Sharif called the attack at the LoC "unprovoked and naked aggression" of Indian forces. "No external force has the capability or capacity to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan," he was reported as saying. Pakistan’s foreign secretary had also earlier summoned the Indian High Commissioner and urged the Indian government "to ensure the safety and security of Pakistan's High Commissioner, other officials and their families, in accordance with the Vienna Convention". The cabinet condemned “unprovoked firing at the LoC” which claimed the lives of two Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan media reports said. The Indian Army said it carried out surgical strikes at the LoC on Thursday in response to the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 19 soldiers earlier this month. The strikes had been based on "specific credible information" that militants were planning to carry out strikes in Indian cities, including Jammu, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh of the Indian Army told reporters on Thursday. But Pakistan has denied India conducting any surgical strikes on their soil. Islamabad says there was a cross-border "skirmish" between the Indian Army and Pakistan Rangers that killed two of their soldiers. Pakistan also claimed that they captured one of the Indian soldiers during the exchange over the border. But New Delhi said the soldier had "inadvertently crossed" over to the other side of the LoC and not captured by Pakistan. Pakistan Defence recently tweeted that the Indian establishment was nervous that the captured soldier would expose India's 'surgical strikes claim. Indian military is in complete panic mode by what the captured Indian soldier might reveal about the so called "Surgical Strike" . — Pakistan Defence (@defencepk) September 30, 2016 × (WION)

Pakistan ready to counter external threat: PM Nawaz Sharif

By Taha Siddiqui 
 
Heightened tensions after the Uri terror&nbsp;attack in Jammu and Kashmir state&nbsp;and fear-mongering about an impending &#39;nuclear war&#39;&nbsp;have brought the&nbsp;relationship between India and Pakistan to a new low. While the&nbsp;local&nbsp;media focuses&nbsp;only on the speech of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the United Nation&#39;s General Assembly, internationally,&nbsp;all eyes are back on Pakistan&#39;s role in supporting terrorism in the region&nbsp;following the Uri attack.&nbsp; 
 
On September 18, there was a terror attack on Indian Army brigadier headquarters in Uri, Jammu and&nbsp;Kashmir, which was&nbsp;dubbed by the Indian media as &quot;the deadliest attack on security forces in the state&nbsp;in two decades&quot;. Eighteen&nbsp;Indian Army soldiers were killed in the attack that&nbsp;New Delhi claimed was aided by jihadists from across the border. 
 
&quot;Pakistani security elite is in denial of what is happening globally. They are being isolated. And their interests even clash with the aspirations of the Pakistani public&nbsp;who want peace with India,&quot; says Marvi Sirmed, a political commentator who is part of Track II dialogue between India and Pakistan.&nbsp;Track II dialogues aim to bring together individuals from various professional backgrounds from both countries to foster peace. 
 
Sirmed feels that such aspirations do not&nbsp;make it to the mainstream media. &ldquo;The mainstream Pakistani media is overshadowed by those who are close to the military which does not want to have peace with India. They are from the middle and upper class backgrounds, and usually direct beneficiaries of the status quo, and therefore do not want such change,&rdquo; she adds, explaining that even on social media such proxies of the Pakistani security establishment have taken over the narrative and made the debate anti-India. 
&nbsp; 
At the same time, the hawks in the military and civilian domain having been talking about&nbsp;a nuclear war between the two nuclear-armed nations. &ldquo;Pakistan may be forced to use nuclear weapons if any region under its territory is threatened by any foreign force. We cannot let Bangladesh be repeated,&rdquo; says Brigadier Asad Munir, a retired military officer, who used to head an intelligence division in the Pakistani tribal belt. 
&nbsp; 
Certain sections of the media have also whipped up talks of a full-blown war with the neighbours. Messages such as &quot;Pakistan will be attacked by India soon&quot; are being circulated by a few mediapersons considered to be close to the military. 
 
The Pakistan Army has also upped its shields with its chief Raheel Sharif talking about &quot;thwarting any sinister design against integrity and sovereignty&quot; of the country. 
 
&quot;Armed forces of Pakistan are fully prepared to respond to an&nbsp;entire spectrum of direct and indirect threat,&quot; the military&#39;s media wing statement read. 
 
&quot;Taking note of a hostile narrative being propagated by India, COAS [Chief of Army Staff] said that we are fully cognizant and closely watching the latest happenings in the region and their impact on the security of Pakistan,&quot; the statement said. 
 
Some in Pakistan have pointed fingers at India for fomenting tension in the region.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;For all the investments in peace since 2002, and gains made after 2008, both following incidents of violence in India, the rollback to rock bottom is unfortunate but not unforeseen,&rdquo; says Salman Zaidi, an Indo-Pak expert and a research fellow at Jinnah Institute. 
 
According to Zaidi, recent statements made by Indian government officials about strikes inside Pakistan have activated the war machinery in the country. &ldquo;There are ample precedents in the past of rapid conflict escalation. One hopes that war,&nbsp;nuclear or conventional, does not break out, yet if it starts, the Indian side will initiate it. The possibility is not remote,&rdquo; he adds. 
&nbsp; 
But Sirmed says there is some hope given that Pakistani military for the first time used the term terrorists&nbsp;to describe&nbsp;the Uri attackers. &quot;This shows a change in approach. They are calling the perpetrators terrorists in the press statement issued by the military media wing. This gives me some hope that Pakistan Army may change its policy towards Kashmir jihadists. But such a huge network cannot be dismantled in a day, so it will take time,&quot; she adds.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

Talks of war with India have intensified among the hawks in Pakistan, but internationally it is seen as supporting terror in the region

By Taha Siddiqui Heightened tensions after the Uri terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir state and fear-mongering about an impending 'nuclear war' have brought the relationship between India and Pakistan to a new low. While the local media focuses only on the speech of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the United Nation's General Assembly, internationally, all eyes are back on Pakistan's role in supporting terrorism in the region following the Uri attack. On September 18, there was a terror attack on Indian Army brigadier headquarters in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, which was dubbed by the Indian media as "the deadliest attack on security forces in the state in two decades". Eighteen Indian Army soldiers were killed in the attack that New Delhi claimed was aided by jihadists from across the border. "Pakistani security elite is in denial of what is happening globally. They are being isolated. And their interests even clash with the aspirations of the Pakistani public who want peace with India," says Marvi Sirmed, a political commentator who is part of Track II dialogue between India and Pakistan. Track II dialogues aim to bring together individuals from various professional backgrounds from both countries to foster peace. Sirmed feels that such aspirations do not make it to the mainstream media. “The mainstream Pakistani media is overshadowed by those who are close to the military which does not want to have peace with India. They are from the middle and upper class backgrounds, and usually direct beneficiaries of the status quo, and therefore do not want such change,” she adds, explaining that even on social media such proxies of the Pakistani security establishment have taken over the narrative and made the debate anti-India. At the same time, the hawks in the military and civilian domain having been talking about a nuclear war between the two nuclear-armed nations. “Pakistan may be forced to use nuclear weapons if any region under its territory is threatened by any foreign force. We cannot let Bangladesh be repeated,” says Brigadier Asad Munir, a retired military officer, who used to head an intelligence division in the Pakistani tribal belt. Certain sections of the media have also whipped up talks of a full-blown war with the neighbours. Messages such as "Pakistan will be attacked by India soon" are being circulated by a few mediapersons considered to be close to the military. The Pakistan Army has also upped its shields with its chief Raheel Sharif talking about "thwarting any sinister design against integrity and sovereignty" of the country. "Armed forces of Pakistan are fully prepared to respond to an entire spectrum of direct and indirect threat," the military's media wing statement read. "Taking note of a hostile narrative being propagated by India, COAS [Chief of Army Staff] said that we are fully cognizant and closely watching the latest happenings in the region and their impact on the security of Pakistan," the statement said. Some in Pakistan have pointed fingers at India for fomenting tension in the region. “For all the investments in peace since 2002, and gains made after 2008, both following incidents of violence in India, the rollback to rock bottom is unfortunate but not unforeseen,” says Salman Zaidi, an Indo-Pak expert and a research fellow at Jinnah Institute. According to Zaidi, recent statements made by Indian government officials about strikes inside Pakistan have activated the war machinery in the country. “There are ample precedents in the past of rapid conflict escalation. One hopes that war, nuclear or conventional, does not break out, yet if it starts, the Indian side will initiate it. The possibility is not remote,” he adds. But Sirmed says there is some hope given that Pakistani military for the first time used the term terrorists to describe the Uri attackers. "This shows a change in approach. They are calling the perpetrators terrorists in the press statement issued by the military media wing. This gives me some hope that Pakistan Army may change its policy towards Kashmir jihadists. But such a huge network cannot be dismantled in a day, so it will take time," she adds. (WION)

Uri attack aftermath: Fear-mongering about nuclear war in Pakistan

India&#39;s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit over the Uri attacks, sources close to MEA told ANI. 
 
Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar too reacted strongly to the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Uri district and said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s statement about punishing those behind the deadly attack will not remain a mere statement. 
 
Speaking at an event organised by the All India Management Association (AIMA), Parrikar said, &quot;Something may have gone wrong in Uri. It is a sensitive matter. I believe in zero error. As a nation should ensure this is not repeated again. I will take steps to ensure it doesn&#39;t go wrong again.&quot; 
 
Further warning Pakistan, he said, &quot;Not saying specifically on this incident, but if I want I can have a knee-jerk reaction. I normally prefer to implement things rather than talk. PM Modi&#39;s statement that &#39;those behind Uri attack will not go unpunished&#39;, will not remain a mere statement.&quot; 
 
Security has been beefed up in the Valley, especially after the Uri attack in which 18 Army soldiers lost their lives, and defence forces are on high alert and on the lookout for any untoward elements. 
 
(This piece first appeared in DNA)

Security has been beefed up in the Kashmir valley after the Uri attack that killed 18 Indian Army soldiers

India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit over the Uri attacks, sources close to MEA told ANI. Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar too reacted strongly to the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri district and said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement about punishing those behind the deadly attack will not remain a mere statement. Speaking at an event organised by the All India Management Association (AIMA), Parrikar said, "Something may have gone wrong in Uri. It is a sensitive matter. I believe in zero error. As a nation should ensure this is not repeated again. I will take steps to ensure it doesn't go wrong again." Further warning Pakistan, he said, "Not saying specifically on this incident, but if I want I can have a knee-jerk reaction. I normally prefer to implement things rather than talk. PM Modi's statement that 'those behind Uri attack will not go unpunished', will not remain a mere statement." Security has been beefed up in the Valley, especially after the Uri attack in which 18 Army soldiers lost their lives, and defence forces are on high alert and on the lookout for any untoward elements. (This piece first appeared in DNA)

India summons Pak envoy Basit over Uri attack

Ten terrorists were killed by the Indian Army in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Uri sector on Tuesday, ANI reported.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLASH?src=hash">#FLASH</a> Two more terrorists killed by Army in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Uri sector. Total 10 terrorists killed.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/778194651748589568">September 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
Two days after the terror attack in Uri, Pakistani troops today &quot;violated the border ceasefire&quot; in the same sector of Kashmir, targeting Indian Army positions with small firearms, PTI reported. 
 
&quot;Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing by small arms towards Indian positions in Uri sector this afternoon,&quot; an army official said. 
 
In Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a Pakistani colonel said that there was no firing. He, however, added that both&nbsp;sides were on high alert and strengthening their positions. 
 
Pakistan&#39;s foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that no shot had been fired by Pakistan, after Indian television channels said troops of both countries had exchanged fire. 
 
&quot;There seems to be some activity across the border but there has been no activity from our side, not one shot fired from here,&quot; he told Reuters. 
 
The Indian Army official said that the firing from across the Line of Control took place between 1.10 pm and 1. 30 pm today, according to a PTI report. 
 
The ceasefire violation comes two days after four Jaish- e-Mohammad militants stormed an army base in Uri Sector, killing 18 soldiers and injuring several others. All the four militants were also killed. 
 
The terror attack has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

An Indian Army official said that the firing took place from across the line of control today

Ten terrorists were killed by the Indian Army in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector on Tuesday, ANI reported. #FLASH Two more terrorists killed by Army in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector. Total 10 terrorists killed. — ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Two days after the terror attack in Uri, Pakistani troops today "violated the border ceasefire" in the same sector of Kashmir, targeting Indian Army positions with small firearms, PTI reported. "Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing by small arms towards Indian positions in Uri sector this afternoon," an army official said. In Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a Pakistani colonel said that there was no firing. He, however, added that both sides were on high alert and strengthening their positions. Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that no shot had been fired by Pakistan, after Indian television channels said troops of both countries had exchanged fire. "There seems to be some activity across the border but there has been no activity from our side, not one shot fired from here," he told Reuters. The Indian Army official said that the firing from across the Line of Control took place between 1.10 pm and 1. 30 pm today, according to a PTI report. The ceasefire violation comes two days after four Jaish- e-Mohammad militants stormed an army base in Uri Sector, killing 18 soldiers and injuring several others. All the four militants were also killed. The terror attack has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. (WION with inputs from agencies)

10 terrorists killed in Kashmir's Uri after Pakistan 'violates' ceasefire

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

US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Pakistan to stop jihadists from using their country as safe havens. 
 
&quot;(Pakistan) Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) and Secretary Kerry expressed strong concern with recent violence in Kashmir - particularly the army base attack - and the need for all sides to reduce tensions,&quot;&nbsp;State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said, The Times of India reported. 
 
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner also urged India and Pakistan to &quot;work closely&quot; to tackle the menace in the subcontinent.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ve seen some progress; we want to see more,&quot; he said. 
 
The statements come a day after&nbsp;Kerry met Sharif yesterday on the sidelines of the United Nationas General Assembly (UNGA) session. 
 
Prime Minister Sharif on Monday sought help from the United States to resolve tensions between India and Pakistan, as he raised the issue of alleged human rights violations and killings in the Indian state of Kashmir.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The Prime Minister said that more than 107 people have been assassinated in Kashmir, thousands injured and worst human rights violations are being committed at the state level,&quot; according to a readout of the meeting issued by Pakistan. 
 
Sharif met US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the UN summit in New York, amid a fresh war of words between Pakistan and India after terrorists killed 18 Indian soldiers in Kashmir. 
 
He urged Washington to &quot;play a role&quot; in the resolution of the long-standing dispute.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had two very productive meetings at the&nbsp;start of General Assembly visit with US Secretary of State John Kerry &amp; PM of New Zealand,&quot; Pakistan&#39;s envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi tweeted. 
 
&quot;PM urged the US to play a role in the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and highlighted human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir,&quot; she said. 
 
Sharif told Kerry that he &quot;still remember President (Bill) Clinton&#39;s promise that the&nbsp;US will play its role to help out in resolving bilateral disputes and issues between Pakistan and India.&quot; 
 
&quot;I expect US Administration and Secretary Kerry to use his good offices to help in resolving bilateral issues between Pakistan and India,&quot; the statement quoted Sharif as saying. 
 
Sharif had earlier called on the permanent members of the UN Security Council demanding that India should be forced to stop its alleged brutalities in Kashmir. 
 
He has said he will highlight the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. 
 
Sunday&#39;s attack on the Indian army in Uri by terrorists has sparked outrage and triggered calls for Pakistan&#39;s diplomatic isolation. &nbsp; 
 
India claimed the items carried by the four terrorists had Pakistani markings and that the initial reports indicated they belonged to the&nbsp;Pakistan-based Jaish-E-Mohammed terrorist group. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The comment comes a day after Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif met US Secretary of State John Kerry on sidelines of UN meet

US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Pakistan to stop jihadists from using their country as safe havens. "(Pakistan) Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) and Secretary Kerry expressed strong concern with recent violence in Kashmir - particularly the army base attack - and the need for all sides to reduce tensions," State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said, The Times of India reported. US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner also urged India and Pakistan to "work closely" to tackle the menace in the subcontinent. "We've seen some progress; we want to see more," he said. The statements come a day after Kerry met Sharif yesterday on the sidelines of the United Nationas General Assembly (UNGA) session. Prime Minister Sharif on Monday sought help from the United States to resolve tensions between India and Pakistan, as he raised the issue of alleged human rights violations and killings in the Indian state of Kashmir. "The Prime Minister said that more than 107 people have been assassinated in Kashmir, thousands injured and worst human rights violations are being committed at the state level," according to a readout of the meeting issued by Pakistan. Sharif met US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the UN summit in New York, amid a fresh war of words between Pakistan and India after terrorists killed 18 Indian soldiers in Kashmir. He urged Washington to "play a role" in the resolution of the long-standing dispute. "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had two very productive meetings at the start of General Assembly visit with US Secretary of State John Kerry & PM of New Zealand," Pakistan's envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi tweeted. "PM urged the US to play a role in the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and highlighted human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir," she said. Sharif told Kerry that he "still remember President (Bill) Clinton's promise that the US will play its role to help out in resolving bilateral disputes and issues between Pakistan and India." "I expect US Administration and Secretary Kerry to use his good offices to help in resolving bilateral issues between Pakistan and India," the statement quoted Sharif as saying. Sharif had earlier called on the permanent members of the UN Security Council demanding that India should be forced to stop its alleged brutalities in Kashmir. He has said he will highlight the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Sunday's attack on the Indian army in Uri by terrorists has sparked outrage and triggered calls for Pakistan's diplomatic isolation. India claimed the items carried by the four terrorists had Pakistani markings and that the initial reports indicated they belonged to the Pakistan-based Jaish-E-Mohammed terrorist group. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US urges Pakistan to do more to tackle terror menace

Continuing with its efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan on Sunday took up the matter on the second day of the NAM summit in Venezuela.&nbsp; 
 
Head of the Pakistani delegation and the Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said the group should be outraged by the situation in the Indian state of Kashmir.&nbsp; 
 
Aziz said resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council is imperative to the peace in South Asia. 
 
&quot;It is tragic that 60 years after being promised, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and Kashmir along with Palestine has become one of the longstanding items on the UN agenda,&quot; Aziz said. 
 
&quot;We should also be outraged by the horrific images of innocent Kashmiris being killed, maimed and blinded by the use of boot force in Kashmir in the last two months,&quot; he added. 
 
Aziz asserted that Pakistan strongly endorses the NAM agreement to undertake measures to oppose terrorism and violent extremism.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. ..Pakistan has lost tens of thousands of lives in this fight yet are resolve is firm, our commitment unflinching and our actions tougher and more wide-ranging than ever,&quot; Aziz said. 
 
Aziz told the 120-nation group that Pakistan is willing to share the valuable experience it has acquired in successfully tackling the menace of terrorism in the past three years. &nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Islamabad said Kashmir issue has been a longstanding UN agenda and must be resolved to bring peace in the South Asian region

Continuing with its efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan on Sunday took up the matter on the second day of the NAM summit in Venezuela. Head of the Pakistani delegation and the Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said the group should be outraged by the situation in the Indian state of Kashmir. Aziz said resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council is imperative to the peace in South Asia. "It is tragic that 60 years after being promised, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and Kashmir along with Palestine has become one of the longstanding items on the UN agenda," Aziz said. "We should also be outraged by the horrific images of innocent Kashmiris being killed, maimed and blinded by the use of boot force in Kashmir in the last two months," he added. Aziz asserted that Pakistan strongly endorses the NAM agreement to undertake measures to oppose terrorism and violent extremism. "We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. ..Pakistan has lost tens of thousands of lives in this fight yet are resolve is firm, our commitment unflinching and our actions tougher and more wide-ranging than ever," Aziz said. Aziz told the 120-nation group that Pakistan is willing to share the valuable experience it has acquired in successfully tackling the menace of terrorism in the past three years. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan raises Kashmir issue at NAM summit, says it is outraged by suppression of innocent civilians

An Indian Member of Parliament from Srinagar in Kashmir, Tariq Hameed Karra, resigned from the People&#39;s Democratic Party (PDP)&nbsp;and also quit his lower house seat in Parliament today. He said he tendered resignation to protest against the &quot;brutal policies&quot; of the Indian government and the state government&#39;s surrender to it. 
 
Karra is a founding member of the PDP and one of the three MPs from the Kashmir part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. His resignation is being seen as a major set-back for the Mehmooba Mufti-led PDP-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state. 
 
&quot;I have decided to disassociate myself from the primary membership of the PDP and from the membership of the Parliament to which I was elected from the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency in 2014 on PDP ticket,&quot; Karra told reporters at his residence here. 
 
Karra alleged that the central and state governments policies of &quot;unabated genocide&quot;, continued denial of the dangerous ground realities, insensitive and adhoc approach towards Kashmir issue and blatant policy of dealing with Kashmiris by way of &quot;oppressive, repressive and suppressive measures&quot; were the other reasons for his resignation. 
 
The Srinagar MP&#39;s resignation comes after more than two months of curfew in the state following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani in a gun battle with security forces. This was also the first time in more than two-and-a-half decades that curfew was imposed in the state on Eid. 
 
&quot;My heart is bleeding and my soul is crying for the people of my homeland. My conscience cannot take it any longer,&quot; Karra said.&nbsp; 
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The Lok Sabha (Lower House) member from Srinagar said PDP was floated in 1999 to safeguard lives, property, honour, dignity, self-respect and the political aspirations of the people. &quot;But today, in the present tragic circumstances, (PDP) made a U-turn and treated its subjects much worst than the Nazi forces. I feel still continuing with them would be equally subscribing to the administratively inhuman and politically unethical blunders,&quot; he said. 
 
Karra, 61, said the PDP was formed to act as buffer between the Indian government and the state. &quot;The launch of this new political dispensation was on the premise as facilitators rather than collaborators or obstructionists for the&nbsp;permanent, peaceful and everlasting resolution of Kashmir issue.&quot; 
 
&quot;I was forcefully consistent on it so that PDP buffer character would be saved which had blood and sweat of thousands of dedicated and selfless workers in it,&quot; Karra said. He&nbsp;is the first Jammu and Kashmir MP to resign from the Parliament. 
 
Karra also said that members of his party in office at the state and central government will have to decide if they want to support the helpless people of Kashmir or let the bloodshed continue. He said the violence in the state in which 80 have been killed in 69 days and thousands injured was&nbsp;&quot;perpetuated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-driven BJP and facilitated by the PDP.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karra said his &quot;imperialistic methods&quot; have intensified the Kashmir unrest and to only blame Pakistan for the current situation was a self-defeating approach. 
 
&quot;His arm-twisting attitude and imperialistic methods towards Kashmir and issues of Kashmir added fuel to the fire.&quot; 
 
&quot;He firmly believes that minus Pakistan there would be no Jammu and Kashmir problem. To my understanding it is self-defeating move and not a smart move even for India.&quot; 
 
Karra alleged that the Prime Minister has pushed the country towards Hinduisation and turned &quot;Incredible India into Intolerant India&quot; 
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&quot;The Prime Minister has pushed the country towards Hinduisation and by doing so undermined Indian nationalism which has liberal space and place for diversity built into it.&quot; 
 
&quot;Although he couldn&#39;t convert his jingoistic promises made during general elections even to the people of Ladakh and Jammu into reality, one must give the devil his due for converting highly publicised Incredible India into Intolerant India.&quot; 
 
He claimed his foresight about RSS and BJP making inroads and committing &quot;religious aggression&quot; in Kashmir has been vindicated after the state government imposed curfew and locked down major mosques and shrines in the Valley 
 
&quot;The Grand mosque (Jamia Masjid) of Sringar was closed and people were not allowed to offer Eid prayers. The last time the grand mosque was closed was in 1819,&quot; he rued.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)

Karra is one of the three MPs from Indian Kashmir. He decided to step down after 69 days of unrest in the state

An Indian Member of Parliament from Srinagar in Kashmir, Tariq Hameed Karra, resigned from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and also quit his lower house seat in Parliament today. He said he tendered resignation to protest against the "brutal policies" of the Indian government and the state government's surrender to it. Karra is a founding member of the PDP and one of the three MPs from the Kashmir part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. His resignation is being seen as a major set-back for the Mehmooba Mufti-led PDP-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state. "I have decided to disassociate myself from the primary membership of the PDP and from the membership of the Parliament to which I was elected from the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency in 2014 on PDP ticket," Karra told reporters at his residence here. Karra alleged that the central and state governments policies of "unabated genocide", continued denial of the dangerous ground realities, insensitive and adhoc approach towards Kashmir issue and blatant policy of dealing with Kashmiris by way of "oppressive, repressive and suppressive measures" were the other reasons for his resignation. The Srinagar MP's resignation comes after more than two months of curfew in the state following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani in a gun battle with security forces. This was also the first time in more than two-and-a-half decades that curfew was imposed in the state on Eid. "My heart is bleeding and my soul is crying for the people of my homeland. My conscience cannot take it any longer," Karra said. The Grand mosque (Jamia Masjid) of Sringar was closed and people were not allowed to offer Eid prayers. The last time the grand mosque was closed was in 1819, Karra rued The Lok Sabha (Lower House) member from Srinagar said PDP was floated in 1999 to safeguard lives, property, honour, dignity, self-respect and the political aspirations of the people. "But today, in the present tragic circumstances, (PDP) made a U-turn and treated its subjects much worst than the Nazi forces. I feel still continuing with them would be equally subscribing to the administratively inhuman and politically unethical blunders," he said. Karra, 61, said the PDP was formed to act as buffer between the Indian government and the state. "The launch of this new political dispensation was on the premise as facilitators rather than collaborators or obstructionists for the permanent, peaceful and everlasting resolution of Kashmir issue." "I was forcefully consistent on it so that PDP buffer character would be saved which had blood and sweat of thousands of dedicated and selfless workers in it," Karra said. He is the first Jammu and Kashmir MP to resign from the Parliament. Karra also said that members of his party in office at the state and central government will have to decide if they want to support the helpless people of Kashmir or let the bloodshed continue. He said the violence in the state in which 80 have been killed in 69 days and thousands injured was "perpetuated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-driven BJP and facilitated by the PDP." Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karra said his "imperialistic methods" have intensified the Kashmir unrest and to only blame Pakistan for the current situation was a self-defeating approach. "His arm-twisting attitude and imperialistic methods towards Kashmir and issues of Kashmir added fuel to the fire." "He firmly believes that minus Pakistan there would be no Jammu and Kashmir problem. To my understanding it is self-defeating move and not a smart move even for India." Karra alleged that the Prime Minister has pushed the country towards Hinduisation and turned "Incredible India into Intolerant India" Karra alleged that the Prime Minister has pushed the country towards Hinduisation and turned 'Incredible India' into 'Intolerant India' "The Prime Minister has pushed the country towards Hinduisation and by doing so undermined Indian nationalism which has liberal space and place for diversity built into it." "Although he couldn't convert his jingoistic promises made during general elections even to the people of Ladakh and Jammu into reality, one must give the devil his due for converting highly publicised Incredible India into Intolerant India." He claimed his foresight about RSS and BJP making inroads and committing "religious aggression" in Kashmir has been vindicated after the state government imposed curfew and locked down major mosques and shrines in the Valley "The Grand mosque (Jamia Masjid) of Sringar was closed and people were not allowed to offer Eid prayers. The last time the grand mosque was closed was in 1819," he rued. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Kashmir MP Karra resigns from party, Parliament

Indian ministry of external affairs today summoned&nbsp;Pakistan envoy to India Abdul Basit over &#39;discourtesy&#39; to Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale in Karachi. 
 
Sources in the MEA confirmed the news. &quot;Yes. Basit was summoned by Secretary (West) over discourtesy to our high commissioner in Karachi,&quot; an MEA official told WION. 
 
The event was cancelled over Bambawale&#39;s remarks about &#39;Pakistan&#39;s interference in the Kashmir issue&#39;, which he said was India&#39;s internal matter, according to media reports.&nbsp; 
 
The event was cancelled half an hour before it was slated to begin, PTI reported. 
 
On Tuesday, Bambawale was also quoted as saying that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to visiting Islamabad for the SAARC Summit. Sources in the Indian government, however, said that no decision had been taken on the Modi&#39;s participation in the summit scheduled for November. 
 
&quot;I can&#39;t say about the future but as of today, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is looking forward to visiting Islamabad for the SAARC summit in November this year,&quot;&nbsp;Bambawale, who was attending an interactive session organised by the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations, said.&nbsp; 
 
His remarks come at a time when both the countries are engaged in a verbal battle over terrorism and the situation in the Kashmir Valley gripped by unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Burhan Wani on July 8. While India has accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, Pakistan has been trying to sought international attention towards the Kashmir issue, alleging New Delhi of human rights violations. 
 
Indian ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted today that no such decision had been made yet. &quot;As I stated in my weekly briefing, decisions and announcements of such nature are not made so far in advance,&quot; Swarup said. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The Indian envoy's event in Karachi was reportedly cancelled at the last moment over his Kashmir issue remarks

Indian ministry of external affairs today summoned Pakistan envoy to India Abdul Basit over 'discourtesy' to Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale in Karachi. Sources in the MEA confirmed the news. "Yes. Basit was summoned by Secretary (West) over discourtesy to our high commissioner in Karachi," an MEA official told WION. The event was cancelled over Bambawale's remarks about 'Pakistan's interference in the Kashmir issue', which he said was India's internal matter, according to media reports. The event was cancelled half an hour before it was slated to begin, PTI reported. On Tuesday, Bambawale was also quoted as saying that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to visiting Islamabad for the SAARC Summit. Sources in the Indian government, however, said that no decision had been taken on the Modi's participation in the summit scheduled for November. "I can't say about the future but as of today, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is looking forward to visiting Islamabad for the SAARC summit in November this year," Bambawale, who was attending an interactive session organised by the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations, said. His remarks come at a time when both the countries are engaged in a verbal battle over terrorism and the situation in the Kashmir Valley gripped by unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Burhan Wani on July 8. While India has accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, Pakistan has been trying to sought international attention towards the Kashmir issue, alleging New Delhi of human rights violations. Indian ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted today that no such decision had been made yet. "As I stated in my weekly briefing, decisions and announcements of such nature are not made so far in advance," Swarup said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India summons Pakistan envoy over 'discourtesy' to Indian high commissioner in Karachi

Sheikh Allauddin of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has suggested to the Punjab Assembly that they invite Indian novelist and rights activist Arundhati Roy to talk on the Kashmir issue, the Dawn newspaper has reported. 
 
Sheikh&rsquo;s suggestion was welcomed by labour and human resources minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, after which PML member Ramesh Singh Arora raised the issue of Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar&rsquo;s statement on Pakistan. Parrikar had said &quot;going to Pakistan was like going to hell&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Arora demanded the foreign office summon the Indian ambassador and record a protest. 
 
He added that New Delhi was committing atrocities against the Kashmiris, and accusing Islamabad of fomenting violence in the region. He said the propaganda against Pakistan must be checked, the Dawn reported.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently announced the appointment of 22 special envoys who would be dispatched to various capitals around the world to &quot;raise the Kashmir issue&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Roy, who has been vocal about the issue, as she has about most others that she has touched upon, has got into trouble over Kashmir earlier. In 2010, she was charged with sedition after she said the region was not an integral part of India.&nbsp; 
 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Sheikh Allauddin of the ruling PML (N) made the suggestion in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday

Sheikh Allauddin of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has suggested to the Punjab Assembly that they invite Indian novelist and rights activist Arundhati Roy to talk on the Kashmir issue, the Dawn newspaper has reported. Sheikh’s suggestion was welcomed by labour and human resources minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, after which PML member Ramesh Singh Arora raised the issue of Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s statement on Pakistan. Parrikar had said "going to Pakistan was like going to hell". Arora demanded the foreign office summon the Indian ambassador and record a protest. He added that New Delhi was committing atrocities against the Kashmiris, and accusing Islamabad of fomenting violence in the region. He said the propaganda against Pakistan must be checked, the Dawn reported. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently announced the appointment of 22 special envoys who would be dispatched to various capitals around the world to "raise the Kashmir issue". Roy, who has been vocal about the issue, as she has about most others that she has touched upon, has got into trouble over Kashmir earlier. In 2010, she was charged with sedition after she said the region was not an integral part of India. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan: State assembly mulls inviting Indian author Arundhati Roy to talk on Kashmir issue

A Pakistani court today reserved its verdict over a petition filed by Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief seeking directives for the government to take up the&nbsp;Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council forum. 
 
Saeed had filed the petition in the Lahore High Court on August 12. 
 
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali heard the petition and&nbsp;reserved the judgement after hearing arguments from Saeed&#39;s counsel advocate&nbsp;A K Dogar. 
 
Saeed in his petition alleged that India had been committing &quot;atrocities&quot; on&nbsp;Kashmiris and &quot;violating&quot; the resolutions passed by the UN. 
 
The petetion alleged that India also did not give Kashmiris their right to self-determination. 
 
Saeed sought a court order for the federal government to take up the Kashmir&nbsp;issue at the Security Council to force India to obey the Security Council&#39;s&nbsp;resolution passed in April 1948. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The petition sought directives for the government to raise the Kashmir issue with the UN Security Council

A Pakistani court today reserved its verdict over a petition filed by Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief seeking directives for the government to take up the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council forum. Saeed had filed the petition in the Lahore High Court on August 12. Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali heard the petition and reserved the judgement after hearing arguments from Saeed's counsel advocate A K Dogar. Saeed in his petition alleged that India had been committing "atrocities" on Kashmiris and "violating" the resolutions passed by the UN. The petetion alleged that India also did not give Kashmiris their right to self-determination. Saeed sought a court order for the federal government to take up the Kashmir issue at the Security Council to force India to obey the Security Council's resolution passed in April 1948. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan court reserves verdict over JuD chief's petition regarding Kashmir issue

By Manan Kumar 
 
In a bid to sympathise with the unrest in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, union home minister Rajnath Singh is all set to visit the Valley yet again for two days. 
 
Through this visit, which comes a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s&nbsp;statement expressing &quot;deep concern and pain&quot; at the prevailing&nbsp;situation in Kashmir and an appeal for a dialogue, the Centre is hopeful of at least initiating the process of political outreach that has so far eluded it. 
 
However, Kashmir observers within the government have little hopes from the visit, which they think is ill-timed unless the home minister comes out with a significant announcement like the ban of pellet guns. 
 
Pending a big announcement, chances are that his reception may elicit&nbsp;lukewarm response, much below the expectations he generated during his earlier visit in July, said sources. The possibility of any meeting with Hurriyat leaders was is not possible after the Prime Minister&#39;s clear message of finding a permanent and lasting solution to the problem within the framework of the Constitution, they said. 
 
Before planning his sudden visit, Singh had met people from the civil society, including some Kashmiri scholars, on two consecutive days to discuss ways to tackle the vexed issue. Nearly all had suggested him to completely ban pellet guns. 
 
A couple of days ago, Singh had also said, &quot;I want to tell the people of Kashmir that we not only love the land of Kashmir but also its people.&quot; 
 
The news so far from Kashmir, however, is not so encouraging for Singh as organisations like the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, Kashmir Economic Alliance, Writers&#39; Association, Kashmir High Court Bar Association and Fruit Growers&#39; Association have already shown disinterest in meeting the home minister. 
 
To give the home minister&#39;s visit a semblance of achieving something, J&amp;K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti&#39;s office is working overtime to cajole and coax organisations to meet him. &quot;The response so far is feeble,&quot; said sources. 
 
Unable to spell out Singh&#39;s itinerary in Srinagar, ministry sources said that the visit is an extension of his earlier July visit when the home minister had clearly said that he would keep coming to the state. 
 
Besides meeting Mehbooba Mufti, governor N N Vohra and top officials from the civil administration, he is also expected to review the overall&nbsp;security situation in Kashmir that is showing signs of further deterioration amid resignations by state police personnel. 
 
(DNA)

Kashmir observers within the government have little hopes from the visit, which they think is ill-timed

By Manan Kumar In a bid to sympathise with the unrest in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, union home minister Rajnath Singh is all set to visit the Valley yet again for two days. Through this visit, which comes a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement expressing "deep concern and pain" at the prevailing situation in Kashmir and an appeal for a dialogue, the Centre is hopeful of at least initiating the process of political outreach that has so far eluded it. However, Kashmir observers within the government have little hopes from the visit, which they think is ill-timed unless the home minister comes out with a significant announcement like the ban of pellet guns. Pending a big announcement, chances are that his reception may elicit lukewarm response, much below the expectations he generated during his earlier visit in July, said sources. The possibility of any meeting with Hurriyat leaders was is not possible after the Prime Minister's clear message of finding a permanent and lasting solution to the problem within the framework of the Constitution, they said. Before planning his sudden visit, Singh had met people from the civil society, including some Kashmiri scholars, on two consecutive days to discuss ways to tackle the vexed issue. Nearly all had suggested him to completely ban pellet guns. A couple of days ago, Singh had also said, "I want to tell the people of Kashmir that we not only love the land of Kashmir but also its people." The news so far from Kashmir, however, is not so encouraging for Singh as organisations like the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, Kashmir Economic Alliance, Writers' Association, Kashmir High Court Bar Association and Fruit Growers' Association have already shown disinterest in meeting the home minister. To give the home minister's visit a semblance of achieving something, J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's office is working overtime to cajole and coax organisations to meet him. "The response so far is feeble," said sources. Unable to spell out Singh's itinerary in Srinagar, ministry sources said that the visit is an extension of his earlier July visit when the home minister had clearly said that he would keep coming to the state. Besides meeting Mehbooba Mufti, governor N N Vohra and top officials from the civil administration, he is also expected to review the overall security situation in Kashmir that is showing signs of further deterioration amid resignations by state police personnel. (DNA)

Indian home minister's two-day Kashmir visit likely to  elicit?lukewarm response

A direct dialogue between India and Pakistan is good for them and the region, the US has said as it voiced support to meetings at any level between the two countries. 
 
&quot;We strongly support all efforts between India and Pakistan that can contribute to a more stable and prosperous region, and that includes meetings at any level between Indian and Pakistani officials,&quot; State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference. 
 
&quot;Our longstanding position has always been that India and Pakistan stand to benefit from a normalisation of relations and practical cooperation, and so we would be encouraged that India and Pakistan continue to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions,&quot; he said yesterday. 
 
The State Department&#39;s statement came days after India rejected Pakistan&#39;s proposal to hold Foreign Secretary-level talks on Kashmir and asserted that it would like to discuss aspects related to cross-border terrorism which are central to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
Responding to Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry&#39;s invitation, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on August 17 expressed his willingness to travel to Islamabad but maintained Pakistan has no locus standi in addressing any aspect of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which is an internal matter of India, except to put an end to cross-border terrorism and infiltration. 
 
(PTI)

The State Department's statement came days after India rejected Pakistan's proposal to hold Foreign Secretary-level talks on Kashmir

A direct dialogue between India and Pakistan is good for them and the region, the US has said as it voiced support to meetings at any level between the two countries. "We strongly support all efforts between India and Pakistan that can contribute to a more stable and prosperous region, and that includes meetings at any level between Indian and Pakistani officials," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference. "Our longstanding position has always been that India and Pakistan stand to benefit from a normalisation of relations and practical cooperation, and so we would be encouraged that India and Pakistan continue to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions," he said yesterday. The State Department's statement came days after India rejected Pakistan's proposal to hold Foreign Secretary-level talks on Kashmir and asserted that it would like to discuss aspects related to cross-border terrorism which are central to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's invitation, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on August 17 expressed his willingness to travel to Islamabad but maintained Pakistan has no locus standi in addressing any aspect of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which is an internal matter of India, except to put an end to cross-border terrorism and infiltration. (PTI)

US says it supports direct Indo-Pak dialogue

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is considering an array of factors as the country braces up for the appointment of next army chief, the Dawn has reported.&nbsp; 
 
Lieutenant general Zubair Hayat, lieutenant&nbsp;general Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed, lieutenant&nbsp; general Javed Iqbal Ramday, and lieutenant &nbsp;general Qamar Javed Bajwa are the four prospective candidates to take over lieutenant general Raheel Sharif, the report says.&nbsp; 
 
Interestingly, the daily mentions that among that the Pakistan Prime Minister is relying on intelligence inputs for the selection process and &#39;India factor&#39; would also be one of the aspects that would be considered &nbsp;by Sharif.&nbsp; 
 
The prospective candidates&#39; views on foreign policy issues, particularly ties with India, is another point of consideration for Shairf, the Dawn says.&nbsp; 
 
Quoting an anonymous politician, who is close to Sharif, the daily says that the Pakistan Prime Minister has considered officers who have been directly in contact with him. 
 
Meanwhile, Lt Gen Bajwa is said to consider extremism a bigger threat for the country than India even after his extreme involvement in Kashmir and northern areas, the report reads.&nbsp; 
 
While on the other hand, Lt Gen Hayat has worked in the artillery and is currently serving in the chief of general staff. Further, Lt Gen Ramday is ex-president of the National Defence University in Islamabad and now leads the Bahawalpur corps, it says.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Gen Raheel Sharif would not like to become controversial and would not like the Prime Minister to use his recommendation as an excuse to distort the seniority list,&quot; a retired general was quoted as saying. 
 
(WION)&nbsp;

'The prospective candidates' views on foreign policy issues, particularly ties with India, is point of consideration for Pakistan PM'

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is considering an array of factors as the country braces up for the appointment of next army chief, the Dawn has reported. Lieutenant general Zubair Hayat, lieutenant general Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed, lieutenant general Javed Iqbal Ramday, and lieutenant general Qamar Javed Bajwa are the four prospective candidates to take over lieutenant general Raheel Sharif, the report says. Interestingly, the daily mentions that among that the Pakistan Prime Minister is relying on intelligence inputs for the selection process and 'India factor' would also be one of the aspects that would be considered by Sharif. The prospective candidates' views on foreign policy issues, particularly ties with India, is another point of consideration for Shairf, the Dawn says. Quoting an anonymous politician, who is close to Sharif, the daily says that the Pakistan Prime Minister has considered officers who have been directly in contact with him. Meanwhile, Lt Gen Bajwa is said to consider extremism a bigger threat for the country than India even after his extreme involvement in Kashmir and northern areas, the report reads. While on the other hand, Lt Gen Hayat has worked in the artillery and is currently serving in the chief of general staff. Further, Lt Gen Ramday is ex-president of the National Defence University in Islamabad and now leads the Bahawalpur corps, it says. "Gen Raheel Sharif would not like to become controversial and would not like the Prime Minister to use his recommendation as an excuse to distort the seniority list," a retired general was quoted as saying. (WION)

Pakistan's next army chief may be decided based on 'India factor', reports Dawn?
?

Pakistan has decided to play a &quot;good host&quot; and avoid a repetition of the tense atmosphere that prevailed during Indian home minister Rajnath Singh&#39;s recent visit by according a &quot;warm welcome&quot; to finance minister Arun Jaitley at the SAARC ministerial conference later this month. 
 
Jaitley is likely to attend the SAARC Finance Ministers&#39; Conference to be hosted in Islamabad on August 25 and 26 and there are chances of &quot;gracious handshakes&quot; between Pakistan finance minister Ishaq Dar and his Indian counterpart, finance ministry officials said. 
 
The government has finalised arrangements for the upcoming SAARC meet, a finance ministry statement said, adding that Dar chaired a meeting to review arrangements for the conference. 
 
Pakistan would play the role of a &quot;good host&quot; and try to keep the overall ambiance positive, the statement added. 
 
The ministerial conference comes in the shadow of home minister Singh&#39;s visit to Islamabad earlier this month where barbs were exchanged between Singh and Pakistan interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who only had a tense and uneasy handshake during the SAARC meeting. 
 
The duo exchanged repartee over issues of terrorism and violence in Kashmir. 
 
&quot;The hostilities were at peak during the home ministers&#39; Conference and Dar does not wish a repetition,&quot; finance ministry officials were quoted as saying by the Express Tribune. 
 
They further said that all regional countries except Bangladesh have confirmed participation of their finance ministers. 
 
&quot;Bangladesh has so far only confirmed the participation of its deputy finance minister. Dar will personally call his Bangladeshi counterpart and urge him to attend the conference,&quot; they added. 
 
However, the ministry of finance did not comment on whether a bilateral meeting would be held between the finance ministers of India and Pakistan. 
 
The meetings are taking place ahead of the SAARC Summit to be held in November in Islamabad wherein Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to participate. 
 
&quot;All SAARC countries have a lot of potential to develop together utilising each other&#39;s potentials and energies. The cooperation is necessary in promoting the welfare and improving the quality of life of the people of the region,&quot; said Dar. 
 
&quot;The upcoming conference is an important event in this regard,&quot; he added. 
 
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. PTI S 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

The meet comes after Rajnath Singh and his Pakistan counterpart exchanged repartee over terrorism issues earlier this month

Pakistan has decided to play a "good host" and avoid a repetition of the tense atmosphere that prevailed during Indian home minister Rajnath Singh's recent visit by according a "warm welcome" to finance minister Arun Jaitley at the SAARC ministerial conference later this month. Jaitley is likely to attend the SAARC Finance Ministers' Conference to be hosted in Islamabad on August 25 and 26 and there are chances of "gracious handshakes" between Pakistan finance minister Ishaq Dar and his Indian counterpart, finance ministry officials said. The government has finalised arrangements for the upcoming SAARC meet, a finance ministry statement said, adding that Dar chaired a meeting to review arrangements for the conference. Pakistan would play the role of a "good host" and try to keep the overall ambiance positive, the statement added. The ministerial conference comes in the shadow of home minister Singh's visit to Islamabad earlier this month where barbs were exchanged between Singh and Pakistan interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who only had a tense and uneasy handshake during the SAARC meeting. The duo exchanged repartee over issues of terrorism and violence in Kashmir. "The hostilities were at peak during the home ministers' Conference and Dar does not wish a repetition," finance ministry officials were quoted as saying by the Express Tribune. They further said that all regional countries except Bangladesh have confirmed participation of their finance ministers. "Bangladesh has so far only confirmed the participation of its deputy finance minister. Dar will personally call his Bangladeshi counterpart and urge him to attend the conference," they added. However, the ministry of finance did not comment on whether a bilateral meeting would be held between the finance ministers of India and Pakistan. The meetings are taking place ahead of the SAARC Summit to be held in November in Islamabad wherein Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to participate. "All SAARC countries have a lot of potential to develop together utilising each other's potentials and energies. The cooperation is necessary in promoting the welfare and improving the quality of life of the people of the region," said Dar. "The upcoming conference is an important event in this regard," he added. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. PTI S (PTI)

Pakistan decides to play 'good host' to India's finance minister at SAARC meet

Separatists are bracing for a major showdown with the Mehbooba Mufti-led government as they called for grand celebrations to mark Pakistan&#39;s Independence Day on August 14 in India&#39;s northern state of&nbsp;Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
Joint Resistance Forum, an amalgam of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik have called for a referendum march to Lal Chowk and offering special prayers for the stability of Pakistan after every prayer session (namaz) on August 14. 
 
Separatists have identified scores of places where they plan to hoist Pakistani flags on Sunday. People have been asked to march with Pakistani flags and celebrate Independence Day with great fanfare. 
 
Even militant outfits have jumped on&nbsp;the bandwagon calling for grand celebrations on Pakistan Day. &quot;Pakistan can&#39;t celebrate its Independence Day when Kashmir is burning and its people are suffering,&quot; said Mehmood Shah, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief for Kashmir. 
 
The wary Jammu and Kashmir government has beefed up security across Kashmir to prevent the situation from worsening. &quot;We have made all arrangements for ensuring safety and security of the people of the Valley&quot;, said a top government officer. 
 
Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a massive crackdown against the stone throwers and separatists across Kashmir. More than 1,000 people have been taken into custody and some of them have been slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA) to send a signal that nobody will be spared for fomenting trouble. 
 
The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn broadband services in most places bringing curtains on the limited internet services in the Valley. The government has already imposed a curfew by suspending mobile internet services. 
 
What has worried the security establishment is the call for observing India&#39;s Independence day as Black Day on August 15. 
 
&quot;From 7:00 am onwards block all the roads towards and around the place of celebration of Indian Independence Day; District development commissioners are asked not to hoist the Indian Flag in any part of the Jammu and Kashmir. Raise black flags on your houses, shops, market centers and local chowks wear black dresses or black bands on this day&quot;, said the spokesman of Joint Resistance Forum. 
 
Director general of police, Jammu and Kashmir, K Rajendra Kumar said close liaison should be maintained at every level to foil any attempt by troublemakers to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere. 
 
&quot;To foil any attempt by the troublemakers to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere, close liaison should be maintained at every level and the officers supervising different components should be briefed accordingly. The comprehensive security grid and deployment mechanism for conduct of peaceful celebrations needs to be fully implemented&quot;, he said while chairing high level security meeting. 
 
During the meeting threadbare discussions were held with regard to deployment and maintenance of law and order in the Valley during the celebrations. 
 
&quot;It was told that sufficient man power has been earmarked for the security of the venues, where the ID functions are scheduled to be held. Installation of CCTV cameras and security gadgets at the venues, intelligence gathering and preventive measures to check the activities of anti-national elements were also discussed&quot;, said a police spokesman. 
 
Meanwhile, another youth who was injured during firing incident succumbed at hospital taking the death toll to 57 since the unrest began after the killing of Hizbul Mujhadeen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. 
 
Police said the situation remained by and large peaceful throughout Kashmir valley although six incidents of stone pelting were reported from Bandipora, Baramulla and Srinagar on Saturday. 
 
Police said restrictions under section 144 Code of Criminal Procedure&nbsp;remained in force across the Valley, however, curfew was imposed in Srinagar and Anantnag town only. 
 
Police said two police personnel were seriously injured when miscreants disrupted the traffic movement and pelted stones on police and security forces at Ashtingoo Bandipora. 
 
&quot;They were referred to Srinagar. One of them has been seriously injured in the eye and has been shifted for advance treatment to Delhi&quot;, the spokesman added. 
 
(DNA)

Militant groups have also jumped on the bandwagon. Security worried about call for observing India's Independence day as Black Day on Aug 15

Separatists are bracing for a major showdown with the Mehbooba Mufti-led government as they called for grand celebrations to mark Pakistan's Independence Day on August 14 in India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. Joint Resistance Forum, an amalgam of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik have called for a referendum march to Lal Chowk and offering special prayers for the stability of Pakistan after every prayer session (namaz) on August 14. Separatists have identified scores of places where they plan to hoist Pakistani flags on Sunday. People have been asked to march with Pakistani flags and celebrate Independence Day with great fanfare. Even militant outfits have jumped on the bandwagon calling for grand celebrations on Pakistan Day. "Pakistan can't celebrate its Independence Day when Kashmir is burning and its people are suffering," said Mehmood Shah, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief for Kashmir. The wary Jammu and Kashmir government has beefed up security across Kashmir to prevent the situation from worsening. "We have made all arrangements for ensuring safety and security of the people of the Valley", said a top government officer. Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a massive crackdown against the stone throwers and separatists across Kashmir. More than 1,000 people have been taken into custody and some of them have been slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA) to send a signal that nobody will be spared for fomenting trouble. The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn broadband services in most places bringing curtains on the limited internet services in the Valley. The government has already imposed a curfew by suspending mobile internet services. What has worried the security establishment is the call for observing India's Independence day as Black Day on August 15. "From 7:00 am onwards block all the roads towards and around the place of celebration of Indian Independence Day; District development commissioners are asked not to hoist the Indian Flag in any part of the Jammu and Kashmir. Raise black flags on your houses, shops, market centers and local chowks wear black dresses or black bands on this day", said the spokesman of Joint Resistance Forum. Director general of police, Jammu and Kashmir, K Rajendra Kumar said close liaison should be maintained at every level to foil any attempt by troublemakers to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere. "To foil any attempt by the troublemakers to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere, close liaison should be maintained at every level and the officers supervising different components should be briefed accordingly. The comprehensive security grid and deployment mechanism for conduct of peaceful celebrations needs to be fully implemented", he said while chairing high level security meeting. During the meeting threadbare discussions were held with regard to deployment and maintenance of law and order in the Valley during the celebrations. "It was told that sufficient man power has been earmarked for the security of the venues, where the ID functions are scheduled to be held. Installation of CCTV cameras and security gadgets at the venues, intelligence gathering and preventive measures to check the activities of anti-national elements were also discussed", said a police spokesman. Meanwhile, another youth who was injured during firing incident succumbed at hospital taking the death toll to 57 since the unrest began after the killing of Hizbul Mujhadeen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Police said the situation remained by and large peaceful throughout Kashmir valley although six incidents of stone pelting were reported from Bandipora, Baramulla and Srinagar on Saturday. Police said restrictions under section 144 Code of Criminal Procedure remained in force across the Valley, however, curfew was imposed in Srinagar and Anantnag town only. Police said two police personnel were seriously injured when miscreants disrupted the traffic movement and pelted stones on police and security forces at Ashtingoo Bandipora. "They were referred to Srinagar. One of them has been seriously injured in the eye and has been shifted for advance treatment to Delhi", the spokesman added. (DNA)

Separatists in Jammu and Kashmir call for referendum march on Pakistan's Independence Day

Virtually turning down Pakistan&#39;s proposal that it would invite India for a dialogue on the Kashmir dispute, India today made it clear that it would talk on &quot;contemporary and relevant&quot; issues with regards to Indo-Pak relations. At this time, it included stopping &quot;Pakistan-supported cross-border terrorism&quot;. 
 
&quot;India would welcome a dialogue on contemporary and relevant issues in India-Pakistan relations. At this time, these include a stoppage of Pakistani support for cross-border terrorism, infiltration of terrorists like Bahadur Ali. 
 
&quot;Incitement to violence and terrorism across the border, parading of internationally recognised terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin, and sincere follow up on the Mumbai attack trial and the Pathankot attack investigation in Pakistan,&quot; external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. 
 
He was replying to a question on a statement by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz at a press briefing yesterday that Pakistan would invite India for a dialogue on Jammu &amp; Kashmir for which the Pakistan foreign secretary would be writing to his Indian counterpart. 
 
&quot;Our foreign secretary would formally be writing to his counterpart in this regard,&quot; Aziz had said as he briefed the media about the Pakistan&#39;s Envoys Conference held on August 1 -3 to deliberate on major foreign policy challenges of Pakistan and make recommendations. 
 
At a separate event, Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, &quot;Unlike in the past, we cannot agree that dialogue with sponsor and supporters of terrorism should be carried on without being linked to action in that regard,&quot; in an apparent reference to Pakistan. 
 
&quot;Threat of terrorism dominates global concerns today. It is an issue which has confronted Indian diplomacy for many years because of its cross border manifestation. 
 
&quot;Unlike in the past we cannot agree that dialogue with sponsor and supporters of terrorism should carry on without being linked to action in that regard. At the international level we are also putting the spotlight on early conclusion of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

India made clear it would talk only on 'contemporary' and 'relevant' issues, also stopping 'Pak-sponsored cross-border terrorism'

Virtually turning down Pakistan's proposal that it would invite India for a dialogue on the Kashmir dispute, India today made it clear that it would talk on "contemporary and relevant" issues with regards to Indo-Pak relations. At this time, it included stopping "Pakistan-supported cross-border terrorism". "India would welcome a dialogue on contemporary and relevant issues in India-Pakistan relations. At this time, these include a stoppage of Pakistani support for cross-border terrorism, infiltration of terrorists like Bahadur Ali. "Incitement to violence and terrorism across the border, parading of internationally recognised terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin, and sincere follow up on the Mumbai attack trial and the Pathankot attack investigation in Pakistan," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. He was replying to a question on a statement by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz at a press briefing yesterday that Pakistan would invite India for a dialogue on Jammu & Kashmir for which the Pakistan foreign secretary would be writing to his Indian counterpart. "Our foreign secretary would formally be writing to his counterpart in this regard," Aziz had said as he briefed the media about the Pakistan's Envoys Conference held on August 1 -3 to deliberate on major foreign policy challenges of Pakistan and make recommendations. At a separate event, Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, "Unlike in the past, we cannot agree that dialogue with sponsor and supporters of terrorism should be carried on without being linked to action in that regard," in an apparent reference to Pakistan. "Threat of terrorism dominates global concerns today. It is an issue which has confronted Indian diplomacy for many years because of its cross border manifestation. "Unlike in the past we cannot agree that dialogue with sponsor and supporters of terrorism should carry on without being linked to action in that regard. At the international level we are also putting the spotlight on early conclusion of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism," she said. (PTI)

India unlikely to accept Pakistan's Kashmir dialogue proposal

India&#39;s Parliament discussed the ongoing unrest in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, August 10 as curfew continued for an unprecedented 33rd day in the Kashmir valley following the killing of a separatist militant. 
 
Initiating the debate, lawmaker of opposition Congress party, Ghulam Nabi Azad asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement in the Parliament. 
 
&quot;We want this (Kashmir issue) to be sorted out. Everyone should sit together and find a solution. We all should sit together (to find a solution),&quot; Azad said in the upper house of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. 
 
Unrest has been brewing in Jammu and Kashmir since July 8, when security forces gunned down 22-year-old Burhan Wani, leader of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen- a group fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region. 
 
Wani&#39;s killing has triggered the Valley&#39;s worst outbreak of violence in six years. 
Fifty-eight people have been killed and more than 5,000 wounded, including Indian security personnel, in the month-long unrest. More than 300 people have suffered injuries because of pellet guns, including 171 with eye injuries, further fuelling the anger against the forces and the government. 
 
Azad said that the Jammu and Kashmir government did not have the resource or manpower to tackle the problem and urged federal government to find a solution to the crisis. 
 
The debate created ruckus in the House as opposition mounted attacks on the government. 
 
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tried to pacify the situation and said that political parties needed to set aside their differences and speak with one voice. 
 
&quot;Jammu and Kashmir is in a sensitive state, there is a need for all of us to speak in one voice. There have been many differences on various issues in the past but today is not the right time to divert the debate to some other direction,&quot; said Jaitley in Rajya Sabha. 
 
Wani represented a new generation of fighters in a region where alienation runs deep even though attacks have fallen dramatically since the revolt broke out in 1989. 
 
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 some have accused troops of using excessive force.

Curfew in the Valley enters 33rd day today as unrest continues

India's Parliament discussed the ongoing unrest in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, August 10 as curfew continued for an unprecedented 33rd day in the Kashmir valley following the killing of a separatist militant. Initiating the debate, lawmaker of opposition Congress party, Ghulam Nabi Azad asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement in the Parliament. "We want this (Kashmir issue) to be sorted out. Everyone should sit together and find a solution. We all should sit together (to find a solution)," Azad said in the upper house of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. Unrest has been brewing in Jammu and Kashmir since July 8, when security forces gunned down 22-year-old Burhan Wani, leader of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen- a group fighting Indian control of the Muslim-majority region. Wani's killing has triggered the Valley's worst outbreak of violence in six years. Fifty-eight people have been killed and more than 5,000 wounded, including Indian security personnel, in the month-long unrest. More than 300 people have suffered injuries because of pellet guns, including 171 with eye injuries, further fuelling the anger against the forces and the government. Azad said that the Jammu and Kashmir government did not have the resource or manpower to tackle the problem and urged federal government to find a solution to the crisis. The debate created ruckus in the House as opposition mounted attacks on the government. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tried to pacify the situation and said that political parties needed to set aside their differences and speak with one voice. "Jammu and Kashmir is in a sensitive state, there is a need for all of us to speak in one voice. There have been many differences on various issues in the past but today is not the right time to divert the debate to some other direction," said Jaitley in Rajya Sabha. Wani represented a new generation of fighters in a region where alienation runs deep even though attacks have fallen dramatically since the revolt broke out in 1989. 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 some have accused troops of using excessive force.

Indian minister Jaitley calls for all-party discussion on Kashmir issue

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