Several hotels in Kashmir’s iconic Pahalgam were inundated due to flash floods triggered by two cloudbursts in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday night that also damaged homes, roads and farmland, disrupted essential services and prompted the evacuation of tourists and pilgrims, officials said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday called for a fundamental shift in Jammu and Kashmir tourism policy, advocating a transition from volume-driven tourism to a sustainable, value-based model that protects the region's fragile ecology while ensuring long-term economic growth.
A top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Zakir Ganai, was killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday, marking a major breakthrough in an intelligence-based operation.
Taking cognizance of alleged irregularities in on-spot registration of Amarnath pilgrims, the authorities in Kashmir's Ganderbal district suspended four teachers, officials said on Wednesday.
Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday called for keeping the Amarnath Yatra free from politics, saying Kashmir has a long tradition of hospitality towards pilgrims while urging the administration to ensure both pilgrims' safety and minimal disruption to local life.
Army’s spokesman based in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, said that one M4 rifle and a pistol were recovered from the two terrorists killed in the Chingam area of the Kulgam district.
The killing of these terrorists was followed by clashes between the youth of the locality and security forces as the former indulged in stone-pelting.
Apart from this, there were also 242 incidents of cross-border firing from January 1 to August 31, in the Jammu region, along the international border with Pakistan.
An official statement said that during the meeting Shia Anjumans extended their full support to the administration with an assurance that no procession or any other outside gathering will be held during these days.
The area has been cordoned to trace the attackers. Army, CRPF and police have been deployed in strength in the area.
