Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Seven killed in Kashmir fighting: Indian police

Seven killed in Kashmir fighting: Indian police

SIX suspected rebels and a soldier were killed during two separate clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir overnight, police said Thursday (30), rounding off another bloody year in the disputed territory.

Indian police said the six killed in two villages belonged to the Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad, claiming two of them were Pakistani nationals.


India has long accused Pakistan of facilitating cross-border attacks in the territory, which has been divided between the two since 1947 and which both claim in full. Islamabad denies the charge.

Rebel groups have fought Indian forces for over three decades, demanding freedom for Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan, which has controlled part of the region since after independence.

A police statement issued Thursday said one of the four government forces personnel wounded in the clashes died of bullet injuries in a hospital.

Officials say that at least 380 militants, nearly 100 civilians, and over 80 security forces personnel have been killed in the region since August 2019.

That was when New Delhi revoked the region's limited autonomy and brought it under direct rule, adding to anger among locals and galvanising support for self-determination.

This year the death toll was 264, compared to 321 in 2020, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

Police say that with intensified military operations against the rebels, the number of local fighters has dropped to fewer than 100 for the first time in a decade.

Local police chief Vijay Kumar told the Economic Times daily this week that some 70 per cent of the youth who joined militant ranks this year "were either killed or arrested".

Most of those arrested are being held under anti-terror legislation called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The law allows people to be held for six months -- often rolled over -- without being charged and bail is virtually impossible.

One of those -- in custody since November -- is Khurram Parvez, programme coordinator for respected rights group the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS).

On December 1, the UN Human Rights Office criticised the arrest and said that the UAPA "raises serious concerns relating to the right of presumption of innocence along with other due process and fair trial rights."

The Indian government said the statement "betrays a complete lack of understanding on the part of the OHCHR of the security challenges faced by India from cross-border terrorism".

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers deployed in Kashmir, and the two countries have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, coming close to another in 2016.

(AFP)

More For You

Modi meets Vance, family in Paris

Narendra Modi in a group picture with US vice president JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance and their children Ewan and Vivek, at Elysee Palace in Paris. (ANI Photo)

Modi meets Vance, family in Paris

US vice president JD Vance and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi spoke on Tuesday (11) about how the US can assist India in diversifying its energy sourcing through investments in US nuclear technology, the White House said.

The meeting between Vance and Modi in Paris, where they were both attending an artificial intelligence summit, came ahead of the prime minister's US visit later this week in which topics like trade, investment, technology and immigration are expected to be discussed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Heathrow to submit third runway proposal by summer

A British Airways passenger plane takes off behind houses next to land earmarked for a third runway at Longford near Heathrow Airport. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Heathrow to submit third runway proposal by summer

LONDON's Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest hubs, will submit its proposal for a third runway to the British government by summer, its chief executive Thomas Woldbye will say in a speech on Wednesday (12).

The move comes after chancellor Rachel Reeves said last month the government would back the construction of a new runway at Heathrow to boost trade and economic growth.

Keep ReadingShow less
trump-musk-

Musk, standing alongside Trump in the Oval Office with his 4-year-old son, said he was leading the effort to cut government waste. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump, Musk move to cut federal workforce under new order

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to work with Elon Musk to identify government jobs that can be cut and functions that can be eliminated.

The move is part of an effort to reduce the federal workforce and align it with Trump’s policy priorities.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ed-Miliband-India

Miliband said his meetings with Indian officials reinforced the commitment to work together in key areas, including grid modernisation, offshore wind, and industrial decarbonisation.

Exclusive: UK-India energy partnership strengthens as Miliband backs clean transition

BRITAIN sees India as a “crucial partner” as both countries aim to deepen their cooperation on clean energy, with a focus on renewables and climate action, UK secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Ed Miliband, said.

On a visit to India this week, Miliband highlighted India’s ambitious renewable energy targets and its commitment to achieving net zero by 2070.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh's former government accused of 'crimes against humanity'

Sheikh Hasina (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Bangladesh's former government accused of 'crimes against humanity'

BANGLADESH's former government was behind systematic attacks and killings of protesters as it strived to hold onto power last year, the UN said Wednesday (12), warning the abuses could amount to "crimes against humanity".

Before premier Sheikh Hasina was toppled in a student-led revolution last August, her government oversaw a systematic crackdown on protesters and others, including "hundreds of extrajudicial killings", the UN said.

Keep ReadingShow less