>106 killed this year so far

> Among 3 slain militants in Srinagar 2 were locals
>Jaish commander left behind US made M-4 gun in Kulgam

> Kathua aerial consignment was meant for Jaish Commander Furqan

Faizan Wani

Srinagar, June 21: Inspector General of Police Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar Sunday said that the number of active militants in Kashmir is between 100 to 200 and 106 militants have been killed this year so far. He said that there may have been some successful infiltration bids as well this year so far.

Addressing a press conference here the IGP Kashmir said that when he took charge there were 252 active militants in Kashmir and at present the number is between 100 to 200. “The reason for this number is that there may have been some successful infiltration bids as well this year so far,” he said.
The IGP said, “Police doesn’t go by numbers and its job is to kill militants wherever it gets a lead about their presence.”

On Today’s encounter at Zonimar, Kadikadal area of Srinagar’s downtown, the Kashmir police chief said that late yesterday night, police received a tip off about the presence of three militants. “A siege was laid and hectic efforts were made to ensure surrender of militants.

Two of the three were locals and we brought their families and made repeated announcement on loudspeakers through area elders and also by the parents,” he said, adding that the hiding militants lobbed grenades and fired at the security forces, triggering an encounter. “In the ensuing encounter three militants were killed,” he said.

Two among the three have been identified and their families will be allowed to participate in the last rites either in Handwara or Baramulla district of north Kashmir. “The identity of third slain is being ascertained,” he said.
The IGP said that the slain were listed as the Islamic State of J&K militants and police records but there were reports that they had joined Hizb of late. “One AK-47 riffle and two pistols were recovered from the slain militants,” he said, adding that the operation as held in a very clean manner and there was no collateral damage for which CRPF and police deserve applause.
Asked whether Srinagar was witnessing resurgence of militancy, the IGP said if there are no anti-militancy operations taking place in any district, that doesn’t mean militancy isn’t there. “There are two active militants in Srinagar at present. Srinagar being the Central district is used by militants to receive funds and meet group leaders and other associates,” he said.
About the identity of slain militants, the IGP said one of the two local slain militants has been identified as Shakoor Farooq Langoo of Qamarwari, Srinagar. “He was involved in the killing of two BSF men at Soura and had also snatched their weapons. There were other militants also involved, but Shakoor was the one who had fired at BSF men,” Kumar said.
He said that police and CRPF teams used full professionalism and didn’t damage the house where the trio were hiding. “This is for the first time in history that militant leadership in Kashmir stands collapsed. In the recent months, we have been able to kill all the leaders of four major outfits, Hizb, Lashkar, Jaish and Ansaar Gazwatul Hind (AGH),” he said.
About Saturday’s encounter at Kulgam, the IGP said that one militant was killed at Lokhidipora area near orchards while two others managed to flee including Waleed Bhai alias Lamboo who is from Punjab Pakistan. “Waleed Bhai is an IED expert left behind M-4 carbine which is US made besides other ammunition,” he said.
About yesterday’s incident at Kathua where BSF men shot a Hexa Copter laden with arms and ammunition that include US made M-4 carbine, the IGP said the consignment was meant for “Ali Bhai” After checking the records, we found that there was a Jaish militant active in Kulgam district whose name is Furqan and his code name is Ali Bhai. “Perhaps the consignment was meant for him,” he said.

Srinagar, June 21: The recent decision of the government to allow offices to function from Jammu as well as Srinagar seems to be aimed at abolishing the 150-year old Darbar Move practice.
Recently Police Headquarters issued an Order No. 1800 of 2020 stating that in connection with the annual Darbar Move of offices from Jammu, eight offices of the Police department will close in Jammu on June 27, 2020 and will reopen in Srinagar on July 6, 2020, while four offices, including that of the Inspector General of Police Security will function from Jammu.
A politician, who wished not to be named said, “It’s a welcome step that Darbar Move practice is being done away with. But important office like that of IG Security should have been shifted to Srinagar as the number of protected persons in Kashmir is more.”
He said, “Even if the office cannot be fully moved to Srinagar fully then IG Security should spend 15-days in Jammu and 15 in Srinagar. Everyone is aware of the security scenario in the Valley. Many people want to meet the IG Security so that they can seek protection and apprise him about the prevailing threat. His office remaining permanently stationed in Jammu will make it difficult for many of us to approach him.”

Srinagar, June 21: Government has given permission to establish a Multiplex Cinema in Kashmir capital Srinagar.
The permission for establishment of Multiplex Cinema was sought by Vikas Dhar who is Managing Director M/S Taksal Hospitality Pvt Ltd in March this year and after inspection of the land and the building, district administration Srinagar has accorded permission for the same.
Sources told KNT that Vikas Dhar had submitted application for the permission to establish an international standard Multiplex in Srinagar, pursuant to which a committee of officers was deputed for inspection and report.
Tehsildar South Srinagar city has submitted that land measuring 2 kanals 18 Marlas and 64 Square Feet situation in Survey number 946/802 of Estate Sonwar is owned by Vikas Dhar and Vishal Dhar, sons of Vijay Dhar (who runs Delhi Public School) and are residents of Gupkar Srinagar and permission for the construction has been issued by the Cantonment Board.
Executive Engineer Public Works Department confirmed inspection of the 5 storey building under construction and presently raised up to 2 floors level having two cinema halls. He has further recommended technical check for structural safety sand seismic resistance, which shall be done in due course before operationalization.
The building has also been inspected by Deputy Director, Fire and Emergency Services who has recommended that fire safety measures should be properly adopted.
The permission to set up Multiplex Cinema has been granted under ‘The Cinematography Act’ 1952 to Vikas Dhar-Managing Director M/S Taksal Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
As per the order issued by District Magistrate Srinagar the license under section 11 of ‘The Cinematography Act’ to operate the Multiplex Cinema shall follow on completion of the building.
Pertinently, the last Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik had said that there is a need to set up big malls, multiplexes and other recreational stuff in Kashmir Valley. (KNT)

New Delhi, June 21: In wake of ongoing border stalemate in Eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday held a high-level review meeting with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and all three service chiefs, sources in the defence establishment said.
The minister has taken stock of ground situation in Ladakh and preparedness along LAC, sources said.
The services chiefs were asked to ensure strict vigil on Chinese activities around land border, airspace and in strategic sea lanes,” the sources said.
On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel were killed in a violent face-off with the China’s PLA.
The Indian soldiers were attacked with iron rods, nail-studded clubs and rocks wrapped in barbed wire in the fight near Patrol Point 14.
Singh will be leaving for Russia on Monday to participate in the Victory Day parade in Moscow on June 24. “Raksha Mantri would be visiting Moscow next week to further cement the strong and historic bonds of friendship between Russia & India. RM will also be attending the Grand Parade in Moscow to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of their victory in great Patriotic War of 1941-1945,” the Defence Minister Office said in a tweet on Saturday.
His visit assumes significance as the Indian Air Force (IAF) has pushed a proposal to the government for acquiring 33 new fighter aircraft, including 21 MiG-29s and 12 Su-30MKIs from Russia.
Defence Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu has invited Raksha Mantri to the Victory Parade, which was originally scheduled on May 9, 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington, June 21:  United States President, Donald Trump has said that US is talking to both India and China to help them resolve their ongoing border tensions.
“It’s a very tough situation. We’re talking to India. We’re talking to China. They’ve got a big problem there,” Trump told reporters at the White House before boarding Marine 1 on his way to his first post-COVID-19 election rally in Oklahoma.
“They’ve come to blows, and we’ll see what happens. We’ll try and help them out,” Trump said when asked about his assessment of the situation between India and China.
Over the past few days, the entire Trump Administration has rallied behind India against the incursions of the Chinese Army into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.
As many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed in fierce clashes against Chinese intruders into Galwan Valley in Ladakh early this week. According to US intelligence sources, more than 35 Chinese soldiers were also killed during the skirmish.
The United States has accused China of escalating border tension with India and other neighbours by trying to take benefit of these countries busy fighting coronavirus pandemic. “The PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has escalated border tensions with India, the world’s most populous democracy. It’s militarizing the South China Sea and illegally claiming more territory there, threatening vital sea lanes,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, in a major speech on China a day earlier.”
In his virtual address on ”Europe and the China Challenge” during the 2020 Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Friday, Pompeo described the ruling Chinese Communist Party as a “rogue actor.”
Early this week, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president is aware of the situation and the US is monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the line of actual control in Eastern Ladakh.
During a phone call on June 2nd that Trump had with Prime Minister Modi, they did discuss the situation on the Indo-China border, McEnany said.
“Trump and (PM) Modi have a terrific relationship and trust between them,” Al Mason, co-chair of the Trump Victory Indian American Finance Committee said, adding that the statements coming from the White House, the State Department and the US Embassy in New Delhi is reflective of this.
Coming out in support of India, Texas Congressman Lance Gooden said that China cannot be trusted. “As more news comes out about the deadly conflict between China and India, once again CHINA appears to be an aggressive bad actor,” the Republican Congressman said. “The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) cannot be taken at their word, EVER,” Gooden said in a tweet.
On the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that “on land, for the sake of grabbing territory, the PLA appears to have instigated the most violent clash between China and India since those nations went to war in 1962”.
Experts feel that the latest Chinese behavior will swing India towards the United States.
“Even before the latest flareup, a majority of Indian strategists saw Chinese assertiveness as India”s biggest foreign-policy challenge. This has resulted in an unspoken but unmistakable swing toward the US,” Jeff Smith from The Heritage Foundation think tank said.
“The bullying of US partners and allies needs to come at a cost,” Smith said in a tweet.

New Delhi, June 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on International Yoga Day on Sunday said that the Yoga boosts immune system of the body and we must include ‘Pranayama’ in our daily life.

Addressing the nation on the occasion via video conference, PM Modi said that ‘International Yoga Day’ is a day of solidarity and Pranayama Yoga or breathing exercises strengthens our respiratory system. It is more relevant in the current times as it is the respiratory system of the body that is most adversely affected by the Coronavirus”.

Describing the IYD is a day of solidarity and a day of universal brotherhood, he further said that Yoga has emerged as a force for unity, deepens the bonds of humanity as it does not discriminate.

“It goes beyond race,colour, gender, faith and nations. Anybody can embrace Yoga.If we can fine tune our cord of health and hope, the day is not far away when world will witness the success of the health and happy humanity. Yoga can definitely help us make this happen”, PM Modi said.

“As conscious citizens, we will move forward as a family and society in unison. We will try to make ‘Yoga at home and Yoga with family’ a part of our lives. We will surely succeed, we will surely win”, the Prime Minister added.

Precious Kashmir News

Jammu, June 21: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu, along with Dr Smita Murmu, First Lady of the UT led the celebrations of the International Day of Yoga in J&K by practicing Yoga at home as per the Common Yoga Protocol issued by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, in consonance with the theme “Yoga@Home and Yoga with family”.
The Lt Governor, in his message, encouraged the people to practice Yoga from their homes during the challenging situation due to COVID-19 pandemic. Yoga maintains harmony between body & mind of practitioners and is useful in managing lifestyle disorders, mental stress and wellbeing, especially improving respiratory health & immunity during this ongoing situation, he added. He advised the people to inculcate Yoga in their daily routine practice as a way of life for a balanced, healthy and peaceful living.

Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, senior officers, security personnel, household and secretariat staff of the Raj Bhavan also participated in the yoga session while maintaining adequate social distancing.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, June 21: The Srinagar Smart City Ltd convened it’s 5th meeting of Board of Directors which reviewed the progress made on various projects under equity and convergence, and also approved a host of new projects with focus on public infrastructure and services.
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir P K Pole in his capacity as Chairman of the board presided over the meeting while proposals for new projects were presented by Chief Executive Officer SSCL (Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar) Shahid Iqbal Choudhary. The Directors who participated in the meeting included Vice-Chairman SDA Vikas Kundal, Director Tourism Nissar Ahmed Wani, Vice-Chairman SMRDA, CEO MRTC and Director SBM, GoI. Special invitees included Chief Engineer PWD Sami Arif Yasvi, SSP Srinagar Dr M Haseeb Mughal.
CEO SSCL (DC Srinagar) briefed the board about new projects started, the working on which has been resumed post-lockdown which included city-wide fire-service infrastructure including fire hydrants, new stations, control room and fire tenders; road re-development works in city, pedestrian pathways and lighting along Dal Lake and Jhelum, parking spaces, beautification, cycle track (utility shifting), disaster shelters, heritage markets, Variable Message Display , Smart Health Centres, Smart Class rooms,
The Board of Directors approved several new projects based on the proposals presented by CEO SSCL and DPRs formulated which include establishment of Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) for public services delivery at HMT, Emergency Operations Centre including city wide CCTV surveillance system, Smart Power Metering, Smart Water metering, Smart Street Vendor Market Zone near flyover at Jahangir Chowk, MA Road re-development, several drainage projects, Real Time Water and Air Quality monitoring system and display, Noise Pollution monitoring system, Smart Street lighting, Bio-toilets at major nodes, installation and commissioning of Reverse vending machines; and electric buses procurement. The board also approved several projects initiated by SSCL including beautification of RBJC flyover and road-redevelopment in city through PWD.
The BoD also approved the proposal for engagement of consultants for Public Private Partnership projects, Multi-Service Underground Ducting in city, and Smart Water metering through Jal Shakti Department. The CEO also informed about record achievement in updation of Jambandis, digitization of land records and ongoing work on 10 Model Revenue offices aimed at enhancement of citizen experience in service delivery. The board further approved development of Community Engagement and Grievance Management System.
Chairman BoD and Divisional Commissioner emphasised on the focused area-based development and development of key infrastructure through concerted efforts for better citizen experience and tangible development. He directed for finalising of revenue model of SSCL through assets created, debt policy, and strict  evaluation of DPRs submitted by the departments . He also directed for Heads of departments to play active role for convergence projects and called for regular interactions for coordination.
The meeting also discussed and approved several proposals related to Junction improvement, roads re-development, and others related to essential infrastructure.

New Delhi, Jun 21: The first solar eclipse of the year 2020 ended at 1410 hours on Sunday, which was witnessed by India and other countries.
The solar event began at 1025 hours in northern parts of the country, and during the episode the circle around the sun looked as if it was a shining ring. The mid- part of the eclipse occurred around 1210 hours when the sun appeared like a ring of fire.
Eclipse was witnessed in Africa, Asia, and in some parts of Europe and interestingly the peak of the eclipse was observed in northern India at around 1208 hours. Earlier, the annular eclipse event was witnessed on December 26 last year in Southern part of the country, while partially was seen at several other places across the country. The next such eclipse is likely to occur in India during the next decade on May 21, 2031, and complete solar eclipse will take place on March 20, 2034. The government’s science and technology department had arranged for the live telecast of the event over the social media.
It was witnessed at Anupgarh, Suratgarh, Jakhal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Dehradun, Tapovan and Joshimath, while in rest of the country people could only see partial eclipse. The annular eclipse was initially seen at the western border area of Ghersana in the morning at around 1150, where it could be witnessed for 30 seconds.
Uttarakhand’s Kalanka was the last prominent point to witness the annular eclipse at around 1210 hours, where the event could be seen for 28 seconds. During this event the moon covered almost 99.5 per cent of the sun as viewed from here.

New Delhi, June 21: The Army has changed rules of engagement along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) with China, empowering field commanders to sanction use of firearms under ”extraordinary” circumstances. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier also said the Army has been given full freedom to deal with the on-ground situation.
Under previous rules of engagement – agreements signed in 1996 and 2005 – neither side opens fire on the other. The two countries had also agreed not to use blasting explosives or firearms within two kilometres of either side of the LAC.
Changes to the decades-old rules come less than a week after a violent face-off in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Indian troops were attacked with iron rods, nail-studded clubs and rocks wrapped in barbed wire in the fight near Patrol Point 14 – a vantage point in Indian territory that overlooks Chinese positions on their side of the LAC, the de-facto border between the two countries.
Neither the army nor the government have commented on how many Chinese soldiers were hurt or killed but sources have told NDTV the number stands at 45. This information is based on intercepts as well as Chinese choppers seen in the area.
The deadly clashes are the worst in 45 years. In 1975, four Assam Rifles soldiers were killed in Tulunug La pass in Arunachal Pradesh while on a routine patrol.