“Raja-Kan”, of the holy land of Shitalnath, Srinagar, has been sent to the Organizing Committee for the “bhumi-pujan”. 

Shitalnath has been the centre of Hindu society in Kashmir from the historical, social, cultural and political point of view along with being the “karama-bhumi” of forii Pandits. 

Sharda Peeth soil for Ram Mandir 

Save Sharda Committee, Kashmir, on invitation of VHP, attended a Press conference in New Delhi, on July 24 and presented the pious soil got from Sharda Peeth in PoK to its working president, Sh. Alok Kumar. The soil, along with the soil, collected from various parts of the country, are to reach Ayodhya on 5 August where these will be used in the Garba greha of the temple in the foundation. At the Press conference, the soil urns were displayed. 

Speaking on the occasion, Founder of Save Sharda Committee Ravinder Pandita said he is thankful to the civil society members of PoK, who had sent the pious soil and flowers from Sharda Peeth to him. The pious soil of the maha Shakti Peeth are being utilized on the pious occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of Shree Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, on August 5.

Save Sharda Committee has been struggling for more than two decades for exploration of Sharda Peeth and reopening of pilgrimage to that. 

Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is incredibly happy, jubilant, and excited to send best wishes on the festive occasion the groundbreaking ceremony of Sri Rama Temple in Ayodhya after many years of litigation. We congratulate all the organizers of the Groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of  Bhagawan Ram. GHHF has been following the developments for the last 15 years, written articles, conducted seminars, and organized lectures to awaken the Hindus about the history of Rama Temple since 1100 AD. The arrangements for the Bhoomi Puja are being done on a grand scale to make all Hindus proud of their heritage. It is also the right time to talk about the history of Sri Rama Temple to our future generations to make them feel proud of their rich culture.

It is also, the right time to remember the history of Sri Rama Temple and commit ourselves that we will not repeat the same mistake allowing other religions to destroy our Temples, deface our Gods and demean our Hindu Dharma. Muslims have committed to destroying the most sacred places to Hindus ever since then entered India: and destroyed Rama Temple, Kasi Viswanath Temple,  and Krishna Janmasthala.  They concentrated on the destruction of Hindu sacred places only to deny Hindus to worship their loving Gods and Goddesses. Hindus should learn from Sri Rama Temple experience that the Muslims are interested in making India an Islamic Country and they do not hide their agenda. It is Hindus who are hiding behind Secularism for their political future, power, fame, and name. It is the responsibility of all Hindus to make sure the Politicians will not sacrifice Hindu dharma for the sake of other religions.

Sri Rama is considered as Maryada Purusha, He is an embodiment of dharma. Raja dharma is more important than his personal dharma. He worked only for the welfare of the people.  He is known as invincible, simple, straightforward, courage, brave, truthful, virtuous, spoke the truth, adhered to dharma, balanced and judicious.

Pummeled ceaselessly by shelling from Pakistan, three north Kashmir villages alongside the LoC in Kupwara district that remained cut-off for six months attributable to heavy snow and left its roughly 14,000 residents to steer darkish and dreary lives for many years will mild up for the primary time since independence.

Final week, a two-year undertaking of the Kashmir Energy Distribution Company Restricted (KPDCL) to affect the area drew to an in depth with the set up of a 33kV (kilovolt) line and a receiving station to hold electrical energy to the villages of Keran, Mundian and Patruu. Keran is a mere 500 mts away from the Line of Management. Underneath the undertaking, 979 utility poles have been put in.

Mohammad Aijaz Asad, managing director of KPDCL, instructed TOI that Covid-19 lockdown helped them pace issues up. “We had been in a position to divert manpower which might in any other case have been engaged in common work to this undertaking.” Asad stated that robust terrain and the proximity to LoC posed challenges that the group needed to work round to put excessive pressure wires and set up utility poles within the area.

Since this was defence land, loads of approvals had been required which took time, added an official from the district administration. “Households within the villages had been depending on solar energy or energy provide was offered by diesel mills between 6 and 9 pm,” Asad stated. The price of electrical energy within the area could be between Rs. 2-3 per unit, he added.

Farmers within the area are hoping electrification would enhance their earnings. These like Ghulam Hasan Lone, Mohammad Akram and Imran Zayed who develop apples, walnuts and rice stated they’d been utilizing electrical energy from diesel mills to water their fields. “However the facility was accessible just for a couple of hours each night. For us, 24 x 7 electrical energy is a dream. We hope we’ll have the ability to develop extra crops and enhance our earnings,” stated Zayed, a 68-year-old farmer from Keran.

Courtesy: Times of India, August 2, 2020

Majid Jahangir, Tribune News Service, Srinagar: A Kashmiri IAF officer has earned a rare honour of being a part of the team which oversaw the dispatch of the first batch of Rafale fighter jets from France. And as the French fighter jets landed in Ambala on Wednesday, back home his family is proud of his achievement. 

Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, who is India’s Air Atache to France, saw off the first batch of Rafale jets, which took off from France to India on July 27 last. Rather is believed to have played a key role in weaponising Rafale fighter jets as per Indian conditions. A resident of Bakshi Abad, Anantnag, in south Kashmir, Hilal did his early schooling in his native town and later joined Sainik School, Nagrota, Jammu.

On July 28 morning when Hilal’s sister Shahida, a retired law officer, came to know about his brother’s achievement, she immediately texted his brother poet Allama Iqbal’s celebrated couplet “Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gunbad par, tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chatanon mein (Your abode is not on the dome of a royal palace. For you are an eagle and destined to live on the hard rock’s of mountains)”. “My brother later called me and I congratulated him,” Shahida said.

Hilal’s father Mohammad Abdullah Rather, who had retired as a DSP, died in 2013. During that time Hilal visited Kashmir, his sister said. “Our father fought the Chinese in the 1962 war,” she said. Shahida said among the five siblings, Hilal was the brightest student. “Today, he has made all of us proud. Our father wanted Hilal to touch the skies and he has done that,” she said.

Defence officials said Hilal was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in the flying branch on December 1988.

Courtesy: Tribune, July 30, 2020

For the first time since 1948, there will be no holiday and official functions to commemorate martyrs’ day in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

“In December last year, the list of gazetted holidays had no mention of martyrs’ day on July 13 and December 5, the birth anniversary of former J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. Therefore, the question doesn’t arise of holding any official function or declaring a holiday on Monday,” said a senior official.

Following the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 last year, the government had issued a list of gazette holidays for the newly carved union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. However, July 13 and December 5 were omitted from the list inviting an outcry by the Kashmir centric parties.

The then prime minister of J&K, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, had declared July 13 as martyrs’ day in memory of those who revolted against the Dogra rule on July 13, 1931. Twenty-two people were killed in the protest against the then Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh.

While Kashmir commemorated the day as martyrs’ day and chief minister, ministers and DGPs used to pay tributes at the official programmes across the then state of J&K, in recent years Jammu had started observing it as a ‘black’ day.

Pro-Jammu parties used to hold protest rallies wearing black armbands to express their resentment against the decision of successive Kashmir centric governments.

The parties also included Kashmiri Pandits, who called July 13, 1931, as the first-ever communal attack on religious minorities in J&K.

In the new list of gazette holidays, the government, however, declared October 26 as a gazetted holiday. On this day in 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh had signed the “Instrument of Accession” with the dominion of India.

Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC) observed July 13 last as a Black Day by wearing black badges, headgears, hoisting black flags on houses and business establishments as well as conducted prayers for those martyrs who became victim of mass  violence  on July 13, 1931, at Srinagar, Kanikote, Kotla, Mirpur, Poonch and other places.

While highlighting the dimensions of the first organized violence in 1931 against the Kashmiri Pandits and other Hindus by the fanatics and fundamentalists, KPC President Kundan Kashmiri stated that  Kashmiri Pandits were the real martyrs   and main sufferers of loot, arson and fire in village Kanikote in Budgam, Maharajganj and Vicharnag, in Srinagar, and other places in the Kashmir and Jammu Divisions. 

He emphasized the   whole community  to observe  July 13 every year  globally  as “Black Day as this day in 1931 marks the beginning of the first organized genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, when there was loot, arson and killing of the Kashmiri Pandits and others. He said that the present plight of Kashmiri Pandits in exile has a direct link with what happened with the community for hundreds of years in Kashmir and condemned the  human rights violations and atrocities against the KP community at large from time to time and asked his community people not to forget their innocent brethren who laid their lives and made sacrifices for the nationhood. He also appealed to his community people to remain united to fight against  injustice.

Other organisational leaders and activists which include Dr. H.L Saraf, Tej Pandita, Susheel ji Bhat, M.K. Raina, R.L. Raina, S.L. Zuthsi, Rajender Dhar and, Surrender Bhat also paid homage and prayers to the martyrs of July 1931. 

To commemorate 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, a number of political and social organisations paid rich tributes to martyrs, who sacrificed their lives while defending the nation during Kargil War in 1999, on August 1, amidst following social distancing and other advisories issued by the Administration.

On July 26, 1999, Indian Armed Forces won one of the fiercest battles in ‘Operation Vijay’ with Pakistan in Kargil and since then the day is being celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas every year.

On the 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, commemorating India’s victory over Pakistan, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, R K Mathur paid rich tributes to martyrs of Kargil in a wreath-laying ceremony at War Memorial Stupa, Skyatsags. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mathur said, “This day reminds us of the grit, valour and dedication of Kargil war warriors who fought till their last breathe to defend the motherland.

I salute the indomitable courage and innumerable sacrifices of Armed Forces in safeguarding the nation amidst challenging situations.” On the occasion, the LG Ladakh honoured 50 Veer-Naris (war widows) with a token of appreciation.

The CEC LAHDC Leh Gyal P Wangyal, MP Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal along with a number of political and religious heads, war veterans and ex-servicemen were present on the occasion.

BJP Jammu East Mandal saluted brave martyrs of 1999 Kargil War. On the occasion, J&K BJP Vice President Yudhvir Sethi along with Corporator Anil Masoom, President East Mandal Parveen Kerni and Hari Om Sharma paid tributes to gallant martyrs. Floral tributes were paid to martyrs and candles were lit in their honour besides observing two-minute silence.

Courtesy: State Times News, July 28, 2020

Until a few months ago, the MEA was trying to calm tempers and apprehensions among neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Afghanistan about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On July 17, the foreign office indicated that persecuted Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan could use the CAA to take Indian citizenship and move to India for their safety.

This came as India conveyed its gratitude to the Afghan government for securing the release of Sikh leader Nidan Singh Sachdeva, who had been kidnapped in Chamkani district of Paktia province on 22 June. In a statement, the MEA spokesperson said, “In a recent decision, India has decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India.” This is the first time the Indian government has openly pointed to the CAA as a route to citizenship for minorities in neighbouring countries.

After Parliament passed an amendment to the Citizenship Act in December 2019, India faced a barrage of protests from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, along with many Indians who felt the amendment was discriminatory, and linked to the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi actually gave out special identity cards to Afghan Sikhs residing in India who, they said, could use the cards for passports etc. According to some estimates, there are over 1,000 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan who have been targeted by Taliban and other Islamist groups — the March 25 attack on a Kabul gurdwara which killed 25 was one example.

In recent months, the government has highlighted ill-treatment of Hindu minorities in Pakistan as well, in a reminder to those that are opposed to it that this was why the CAA had been passed in the first place.

Courtesy: Times of India, July 21, 2020