Srinagar:

After its seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress was finalised, National Conference (NC) Monday issued its first list of 18 candidates for the first phase of the three-phased assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The party in a post on X said the list was approved by NC president Farooq Abdullah.

The party named its former MP from Anantnag, Justice (Retd) Hassnain Masoodi, as its candidate from Pampore and former legislator Mohammad Khalil Bandh from Pulwama.

The NC announced the name of Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Mir from Rajpora, Showkat Hussain Ganie from Zainpora, Sheikh Mohammad Rafi from Shopian and former minister Sakina Ittoo from DH Pora.

It also named Peerzada Feroze Ahmad from Devsa, Chowdary Zaffer Ahmad from Larnoo, Abdul Majeed Larmi from Anantnag West, Bashir Ahmad Veeri from Bijbehara, Reyaz Ahmad Khan from Anantnag East and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo from Pahalgam. All these seats are in south Kashmir.

For the seats in Jammu region, the NC announced Mehboob Iqbal from Bhaderwah, Khalid Najeeb Soharwardy from Doda, Arjun Singh Raju from Ramban, Sajad Shaheen from Banihal, former minister Sajad Kichloo from Kishtwar and Pooja Thokur from Pader-Nagsani.

After hectic negotiation, the NC and the Congress Monday agreed to contest 51 and 32 seats respectively for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

One seat each has been allotted to the CPI(M) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), the allies announced at a joint press conference at the NC president’s residence here after day-long negotiations.

They also said there will be a “friendly contest” on five seats of the Union Territory.

The first phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on September 18, second on September 25 and the third on October 1. Counting of votes will be undertaken on October 4. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jammu:

Three youths were injured in a knife attack incident on Sunday at an election rally of the National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

The incident happened when the NC chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was present at the venue along with the party candidate.

“There was an election rally by NC in Mendhar area of Poonch district today in which NC president, Dr Farooq Abdullah and party candidate for Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, Mian Altaf Ahmad were also present. A fight took place between two groups on the sidelines of the rally in which three youths sustained knife injuries,” said officials.

“The injured youths were shifted to a government medical college hospital in Rajouri town for specialised treatment. Doctors have described the condition of one of the injured identified as Suhail Ahmad of Mendhar as serious. The other two injured youths admitted to the hospital have been identified as Yasir Ahmad and Imran Ahmad,” the officials further said.

These two injured youths — Yasir Ahmad and Imran Ahmad — fled from the hospital. The officials said, “They fled the hospitals for unknown reasons.”

A case has been registered in this incident and police have started an investigation.

“No arrests have been made so far in this incident,” the officials said.

Meanwhile, people started protests against the incident in Mendhar Chowk and authorities were trying to pacify the protesters.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Palestinians check the place of the explosion at al-Ahli hospital, in Gaza City, on October 18, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

As many as 30 Muslim bodies under the banner of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on October 18, condemned the bombing of a hospital in Palestine’s Gaza “in an Israeli air strike”. The National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also expressed their concern.  

A spokesman of the MMU, in a joint statement, said the religious groups express “shock and outrage” at the bombing of a hospital in Gaza”, which left around 500 Palestinians, including children, dead.

Gaza’s doctors struggle to save hospital attack survivors as West Asia rage grows

“People of Jammu & Kashmir are deeply saddened as well as pained by this unfolding tragedy and stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The massacre of Palestinians at the hospital is a blatant war crime under United Nations Charter and the Geneva Conventions,” the spokesman said.

The MMU urged the United Nations and the world powers “to move beyond blame game and partisanship”. “They need to see what is happening in Gaza, for what it is, a humanitarian crisis . The war against hapless Palestinian citizens should be stopped and a resolution to this long-term conflict immediately sought, which restores the rights of Palestinian people to their life and land,” it said.

Joining the condemnation, former J&K chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, in a post on X, said, “A tragic reminder of what must have happened during the Holocaust. Perhaps the only difference is that the very community that the victims belonged to are now the oppressors and gas chambers have been replaced by bombs. Half of the world’s terrorism is a reaction to the unresolved issue of Palestine. Will the powers that be continue being mute bystanders or wake up to the grim reality so that innocents aren’t killed anymore?”

Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah expressed concern over India’s “meek stand”. “India since (former Prime Minister) Jawaharlal Nehru’s time supported Palestine and stood against oppression of Palestinians. It’s unfortunate the same voices do not come forward to Palestine’s support in India anymore. History stands witness that Jews took over the land of Palestinians in Palestine and expanded their territory,” Dr. Abdullah said. 

Srinagar:

Around 77.61 per cent voting was recorded on Wednesday in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections in Kargil, the first key poll to be conducted in Kargil district of Ladakh as Union Territory (UT) after Article 370 was scrapped in August 2019.

The votes will be counted on Sunday. As many as 85 candidates are fighting for 26 seats.

During the polling most of the voters talked about identity issues post scrapping of 370 and absence of democratic representation under Union Territory administration.

“We are angry because Modi has separated us from Kashmir in 2019,” said Zehra Bano.

Seventy-year-old Zehra was part of large number of women in Kargil who came out to vote.

Another voter said that they want to be reunited with Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory experiment has failed to deliver.

“we want statehood back. We didn’t get anything under UT and our children are unemployed,” he said.

The contest is between the BJP and the National Conference-Congress combine. The vote is being looked at as a referendum – if the people have accepted the Centre’s decision of August 5, 2019.

At a poll rally, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had urged voters to send a “clear message to reject or accept” the decision made by the NDA government on August 5, 2019.

Kargil has long been a National Conference stronghold.

Two powerful religious institutions – the Jamiat Ulema Kargil, known as the Islamia School, traditionally backing the National Conference, and the Imam Khumaini Memorial Trust backing the Congress – are driving the politics in Kargil.

Earlier, the Ladakh administration had denied the “plough” symbol to National Conference candidates which led to a legal battle, with the Supreme Court setting aside the Ladakh hill council polls, earlier scheduled for September 10.

Over the last three years, political parties, social and religious groups in Ladakh have forged an alliance opposing Ladakh’s UT status and demanding full statehood and constitutional protection under the 6th schedule. The rare political alliance between Buddhist and Muslim groups in Leh and Kargil districts is posing a major challenge to BJPs electoral prospects in Ladakh.