Author: Yusara Askari

‘Political absurdity’: India slams Imran Khan over new ‘political map’
21Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

‘Political absurdity’: India slams Imran Khan over new ‘political map’

Reacting to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s new “political map of Pakistan” that counts Jammu and Kashmir and Junagadh in Gujarat as its territories, India has called out Pakistan PM’s obsession and termed the act as an “exercise in political absurdity.”“We have seen a so-called “political map” of Pakistan that has been released by PM Imran Khan. This is an exercise in political absurdity, laying untenable claims to territories in the Indian state of Gujarat and our union territories of Jammu Kashmir and of Ladakh,” the Government of India said in a statement.India’s foreign ministry also slammed Pakistan for their malafide intentions and said it confirms the reality of “Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandizement supported by cross-border terrorism.”“These ridiculous asserti
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16 people from Jammu and Kashmir crack UPSC civil services exam 2019
21Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

16 people from Jammu and Kashmir crack UPSC civil services exam 2019

The year 2019 witnessed many positive changes in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and one of them is the result of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil service exam-2019 which includes 16 people from the valley.Abhiskhek Augustsya of Jammu, who is ranked at 38, is at the top of the list of the successful candidates from Jammu and Kashmir. According to the UPSC’s list, there are 829 successful candidates. IRS officer Pradeep Singh topped the list.Abhiskhek Augustsya is followed by two other Jammu residents - Sunny Gupta (148), Dev Ahuti (177).Other successful candidates include Parth Gupta (240), Asrar Ahmad Kitchloo (248), Asif Yousuf Tantray (328), Namgyal Angmo (323), and Nadia Beigh (350) from Kupwara.Aftab Rasool (412) from Trehgam Kupwara, Sabzar Ahmad Ganie (628) hailing from
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Farooq Abdullah, Mir demand probe into Kashmiri Pandit exodus
21Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Farooq Abdullah, Mir demand probe into Kashmiri Pandit exodus

Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits, said former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah demanding a probe by retired Supreme Court judges into the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in early 1990s.Replying to questions during a webinar, Abdullah said he was of the firm belief that Kashmir is incomplete without Pandits and that he would support any mechanism to bring them back honorably.Nearly 60,000 Kashmiri Pandit families are registered as migrants after the onset of militancy in the Kashmir Valley in early 1990s. Abdullah chose to blame the then former Governor Jagmohan for the exodus and said that he “took them away” on the false promise of ensuring their return within three months.Meanwhile, questioning the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and establishment of I
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Article 370 abrogation impact: Four lakh domicile certificates issued in J&K
21Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Article 370 abrogation impact: Four lakh domicile certificates issued in J&K

As a consequence of the abrogation of Article 370 and with it, Article 35A, over 4 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir have been issued domicile certificates, giving them the legal rights of a citizen of getting jobs and availing education.A total of 3, 68,500 domicile certificates were issued in Jammu and 79,300 in Kashmir Valley.Among the 4 lakh people, Bhola Ram (57) in Jammu, expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him "justice and dignity".The laws introduced eight months after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 have led to fear in the Valley among residents as they believe that it could trigger floodgates for outsiders to settle in Jammu and Kashmir and alter the Muslim majority character of the region.With domicile certifi...
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Kashmiri girl wants to preserve traditional Urdu calligraphy art
19Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Kashmiri girl wants to preserve traditional Urdu calligraphy art

At a time when everyone is busy typing on their smartphones, a young Saima Bhat from Kashmir wants to preserve the age-old traditional Kashmiri art of calligraphy.Originally from Anantnag district and currently residing in Srinagar’s Raj Bagh area, Bhat wanted to pursue the Urdu calligraphy art since childhood.She did her higher education from Kashmir University and then when her parents wanted her to study medicine, she took calligraphy.“My family wanted me to pursue medical studies while I wanted to learn calligraphy. After my higher education from Kashmir University, I took up the Urdu calligraphy course in the Art, Culture and Languages academy, which is a government institute in Srinagar,” said Bhat.“During my training period, I was offered various jobs including teaching opportunity
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Hope China will follow 2016 South China Sea arbitral award: Australian envoy
19Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Hope China will follow 2016 South China Sea arbitral award: Australian envoy

Following Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong’s remarks, Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell has said that he hopes Beijing will follow the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award and refrain from actions that unilaterally alter the status quo.“Thank you @China_Amb_India. I would hope then you follow the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award which is final and binding under international law, and also generally refrain from actions that unilaterally alter the status quo,” O’Farell tweeted.Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong expressed discontent on the remarks made by O’Farrell on the South China Sea, saying Beijing’s territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests conform with the international law.“Remarks by Australian HC to India on the South China Sea disreg
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Thank PM for appreciating our efforts: J-K’s Dooru Municipal Committee Chairman
18Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Thank PM for appreciating our efforts: J-K’s Dooru Municipal Committee Chairman

On the unexpected mention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his radio programme, ‘Mann ki Baat’, the Municipal Committee Chairman of Dooru in Kashmir's Anantnag district expressed gratitude for appreciating his district’s work in containing coronavirus.Mohammed Iqbal Ahanger, Municipal Committee Chairman said that it was a joyous day for him. "It was totally unexpected that Prime Minister Modi would mention about our district and the contribution of my team. I am thankful to him for appreciating my work of sanitization and fumigation," Ahanger said."I am also thankful to my team for acknowledging my leadership and helping me with their efforts to bring out the best. I am glad that they followed the lead of their captain," he added.In the recent edition of 'Mann ki Baat', Prime Minister Mo
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Construction of new playground in full swing at J&K’s Wakura village
18Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Construction of new playground in full swing at J&K’s Wakura village

To boost sports activities in Jammu and Kashmir and channelize the energy of the youth in the right direction, construction of a new playground is in full swing at Wakura village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.Chairman of Block Development Council Wakura, Ghulam Mohd Malik said that the playground will play a vital role to boost sports activities and help youths of the district to show their hidden talent in overall sports."It has been eight months that I have become chairman of the block. I felt that the youth in this area are good at sports and they are in need of a good playground. The playground is being constructed for an amount of Rs 13.24 lakhs," Malik said.Malik said funds are being released regularly since Jammu and Kashmir became Union Territory after the abrogation of
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Kashmiri woman wins laurels at national level painting competitions
17Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Kashmiri woman wins laurels at national level painting competitions

With the return of peace in the Jammu and Kashmir, 24-year-old Shafiya Shafi, who hails from downtown Srinagar, has showcased her talent at the national level with paintings depicting the life of women.Being a contemporary and mural artist, Shafiya started her career after completing her Masters in Psychology from Kashmir University."I was inclined towards painting since childhood. I started taking part in competitions during college. It became a motivating factor for me and I started painting. It was later converted into a profession," she said."My paintings depict the struggle of women in her life. Success stories don't come out of their comfort zone. This is true as I faced a lot of struggles in my life. In Kashmir, parents don't focus much on careers in arts and I had faced struggles i...
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22-Year-Old Kashmiri Man develops low-cost Ventilator out of waste
15Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments

22-Year-Old Kashmiri Man develops low-cost Ventilator out of waste

Waseem Ahmad Nadaf, popularly known as 'Unique Waseem' has developed a small-sized ventilator from scrap which he says will prove handy in providing life support to the poor and underprivileged in times of crisisWith 32 innovations under his belt already, Nadaf, 22, said that he was mulling over developing a device to battle the coronavirus pandemic since its outbreak."Ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, I was thinking of developing something like this. Solutions can come from anywhere but the most important thing is that you have to be efficient and cost-effective, because poor people living in the slums cannot afford conventional ventilators. So, I collected scrap available at home, observed it and utilized it into developing this model, which can be used as a prototype and la...
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