jammu and kashmir

Akhnoor, Jammu & Kashmir: In a rare and unusual discovery along the Line of Control (LoC), two balloons were recovered from a village near Akhnoor on Monday. One balloon carried a Pakistani 5,000-rupee note, while the other had a US dollar bill attached, officials said. Army sources reported that the balloons, shaped like airplanes and colored white and red, were found caught in a tree in the border village of Gunara. Along with the currency, a Pakistani mobile number and a QR code were attached to the balloons. Officials believe that these balloons had drifted from Pakistan across the international border. While the arrival of balloons from across the LoC is not uncommon in border areas, this is the first instance where foreign currency notes were attached. Earlier Incidents Alo...

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle carrying personnel went out of control and fell into a river on Saturday in Srinagar, leaving seven soldiers injured. The incident occurred on the Dagpora-Umrahaar Road in the outskirts of the Ahmednagar area. According to officials, the vehicle lost control, overturned, and landed in the river, causing injuries to the seven CRPF personnel on board. Rescue teams promptly responded, and the injured were taken to SKIMS Hospital in Soura, where their condition is reported to be stable. Rescue Operation and Vehicle Recovery Authorities confirmed that the incident occurred when the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn into the river. CRPF officers quickly arrived at the scene to assess th...

Jammu, February 16, 2026: BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Jammu & Kashmir, Gulam Ali Khatana, is facing sharp criticism from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC) for allegedly allocating the bulk of his Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds to projects in Uttar Pradesh instead of his home state. 94% of Funds Spent Outside Home State Gulam Ali Khatana, a senior BJP leader and prominent face of the Gurjar community, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in September 2022. Out of ₹14.7 crore allocated under MPLADS for 176 approved projects, 144 projects were in Uttar Pradesh, costing ₹10.58 crore—equivalent to 94% of the total funds. PDP and NC Raise Concerns PDP spokesperson Tanveer Sadiq questioned the logic of nominating a Jammu ...

Jammu: The central government has refused to grant Sixth Schedule status or statehood to Ladakh, declining demands from the region’s political organizations, including the Leh Apex Body (LAB), Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and Ladakh Buddhist Association. Instead, the government proposed the creation of an autonomous territorial council, which the Ladakhi groups have rejected, raising objections to the reasoning of the Home Ministry’s high-powered committee. The Proposal and Its Rejection Following a meeting with the high-powered committee led by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, KDA Co-Chairman Asgar Ali Karbali stated that the government offered a territorial council model. The proposal included giving the Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomou...

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, is preparing a new policy framework aimed at regulating online news portals, social media platforms, and print media across the Union Territory. The government disclosed this during the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly session while responding to a query raised by BJP विधायक R.S. Pathania. The administration also informed the House that between April 2025 and January 2026, it had issued a total of 28 official rebuttals against fake news and misinformation. Policy Still at Consultation Stage According to the government, the proposed policy has been drafted in response to the rapid growth of digital and social media. The draft, titled New Media Policy–2026, is currently under inter-departmental consul...

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed a major uproar on Wednesday over a controversial remark made by Chief Minister Umar Abdullah during a session on Tuesday. BJP legislators accused the Chief Minister of using unparliamentary language, including references akin to “throwing shoes.” BJP Stages Protest in AssemblyBJP members created a commotion in the Assembly, gathering near the Speaker’s podium to demand an apology from the Chief Minister for his remarks. The protest began after most opposition members, except Sunil Sharma, returned to the House following the question hour, having temporarily walked out earlier over the same issue. The BJP legislators continued chanting slogans against the government and pressed for a formal apology from CM Umar Abdullah. However, the Spe...

Shabana Mahmood is emerging as a potential contender to become Britain’s first Muslim Prime Minister, following mounting pressure on current Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid the Jeffrey Epstein files controversy. Calls for Starmer’s resignation, internal party disagreements, and declining popularity ratings have sparked intense debate within the Labour Party about a possible leadership change. Mahmood, currently Britain’s Home Secretary and a senior figure in the Labour Party, is now in the spotlight as a possible successor. If she ascends to the top position, she would make history as the United Kingdom’s first Muslim woman Prime Minister. Roots in Kashmir Shabana Mahmood has personal ties to India’s Jammu and Kashmir region. Her parents hail from Mirpur, an area that falls under...

Srinagar: In a landmark achievement, Indian Railways has transported live animals for the first time in its history. Twenty-three exotic breed bulls were safely moved from Bengaluru to Kashmir via a freight train, marking a historic milestone for the nation’s railway logistics. Until now, Indian Railways had only transported goods such as parcels, meat, poultry, fruits, steel, cement, and cars, but never live livestock over such a long distance. The bulls were transported in specially designed freight coaches to ensure their safety and well-being throughout the journey. Six bulls were unloaded at the Bari Brahmana goods depot in Jammu, while the remaining 17 reached the Budgam depot in central Kashmir. Officials stated that this initiative is part of the Agricultural and Animal Husbandr...

Srinagar:Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir were placed on high alert after two suspicious individuals wearing army-style uniforms were spotted near a Military Engineering Services (MES) building in the Samba district, prompting an immediate cordon-and-search operation. According to officials, the incident occurred near the MES premises in the Bari Brahmana area, where local residents noticed the suspicious movement and promptly alerted the authorities. Acting on the tip-off, Army personnel swiftly sealed the area and launched a thorough search operation to rule out any security threat. Movement Restricted, Search Operation Underway Security forces restricted civilian movement in and around the MES complex as a precautionary measure. Additional forces were deployed, and a deta...

Jammu: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Saturday restored road connectivity along the 112-kilometre Kishtwar-Sansari stretch, linking Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda-Kishtwar region with Himachal Pradesh. The reopening follows intensive snow clearance operations carried out under extreme weather conditions last week. The Kishtwar-Sansari road serves as a crucial link between the Union Territory and Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti region, ensuring smoother movement of people and goods. In addition, BRO is conducting rapid snow-clearance operations on the Mughal Road, which connects the Kashmir and Jammu regions, with officials aiming to reopen the highway at the earliest.