NEW DELHI — A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea by jailed Jammu and Kashmir parliamentarian Engineer Rashid seeking custody parole or interim bail to attend the upcoming Parliament session. Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma was hearing the plea filed through advocate Vikhyat Oberoi on behalf of Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly […]
Politics
Punjab governor urges tourists to visit Kashmir, says Pahalgam attack ‘one-off’ incident
SRINAGAR — Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Tuesday urged people to continue visiting Jammu and Kashmir, saying the Pahalgam terror attack was an isolated incident and it should not impact tourism. The recent Delhi blast showed that there are elements who want to destabilise the nation, Kataria, who is on a visit to Kashmir, […]
‘Faith fine, but admissions are by merit’: Omar Abdullah hits out at BJP on SMVDIME row
JAMMU — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday asked BJP leader Sunil Sharma to push for declaring Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) a minority institute to keep away non-Hindu students. However, he said such leaders should remember their opposition to the admission of Muslim students in the medical […]
Ruhullah Mehdi warns J&K govt on quota policy, vows to join protests after Parliament’s Winter Session
SRINAGAR — Estranged National Conference Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has asked the party-led government in Jammu and Kashmir to resolve the reservation issue before the Winter session of Parliament ends, saying he will join the quota protests if no action is taken. The Winter session will be held from December 1 to […]
Looking forward to day when J&K won’t need to approach Centre for financial assistance: Omar Abdullah
JAMMU — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he is looking forward to a day when Jammu and Kashmir would no longer need to approach the central government for financial assistance, but instead be self-sufficient and capable of contributing to the Centre. He expressed gratitude to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy for proposing a […]
No proposal to hike electricity tariff in J&K: CM Omar Abdullah
JAMMU — There is no proposal to hike electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday, junking reports of imposition of a 20 per cent surcharge on the base power tariff for consumption during designated peak hours in the Valley. “No electricity hike is proposed, and I do not know […]
‘Merit sole basis, not religion’, says Omar Abdullah amid SMVDIME admissions row
JAMMU — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday took strong exception to the BJP’s stance on the first admissions in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, and said any move to grant MBBS seats without merit would require the Supreme Court’s approval. The Constitution has a word, ‘secular’, and […]
SMVDIME Admission Row: Sajad Lone hits out at BJP for attempting to ‘communalise the medical sciences’
SRINAGAR — People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone hit out at the attempt to “communalise the medical sciences” after a BJP MLA demanded reservations for Hindus in MBBS admissions of a university. Lone, a former ally of the BJP, asserted that positions in medical colleges should be secured through a merit-based national-level test. Several Hindu […]
‘Misguided, dangerous’: Tanvir Sadiq slams BJP demand to scrap SMVDIME admission list
JAMMU — National Conference (NC) leader Tanvir Sadiq on Sunday criticised the BJP’s call to revoke the admission list at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), saying the demand to reserve seats for students who have faith in the deity is “misguided and dangerous”. Disgruntled BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal also criticised […]
BJP legislators meet LG in Jammu; demands revocation of first MBBS admission list in SMVDIME
JAMMU — A delegation of BJP legislators late Saturday called on Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and sought the revocation of the first admission list issued by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi district. The delegation led by Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma questioned […]







