IBTimes

Nearly 3,000 Kashmiri Pandit and other migrant employees working in the Kashmir Valley have reportedly been informally advised to work from home until August 20 following a fresh terror threat against Hindu employees. The administration has also reportedly exempted them from Independence Day stadium duties amid heightened security ahead of August 15 celebrations.

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police raided nine locations across the Union Territory in connection with the 1990 kidnapping and murder of Kashmiri Pandit poet and social activist Sarvanand Kaul Premi and his son Virendra Kaul. The long-pending case, registered under FIR No. 45/1990, is being thoroughly investigated to uncover the conspiracy and bring closure to the decades-old tragedy.

The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway Corridor has come under the spotlight after official data tabled in the Rajya Sabha revealed that 58 of J&K's 73 identified black corridors are located in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, through which the mega highway project passes.

The Union Territory of Ladakh will host India's first-ever Global Black-necked Crane Festival from August 10 to 14 across Leh, Tso Kar and Hanle to promote wildlife conservation, sustainable tourism and community participation. Dedicated to the Black-necked Crane, Ladakh's state bird and the world's only alpine crane, the festival aims to showcase the ecological and cultural significance of the Changthang wetlands.

Jammu and Kashmir Police has executed a court proclamation against Pakistan-based designated terrorist Mohammad Qasim alias Sulliman, directing him to appear before a designated court in Jammu by August 21. Qasim, who carries a Rs 10 lakh reward, is accused of involvement in the Katra and Narwal blasts and of operating a terror network in Rajouri and Poonch.

A Kashmiri youth was allegedly lured to Cambodia with a promise of a lucrative computer operator job but was instead forced into online scamming activities. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Kashmir, has filed a chargesheet against the accused in the overseas job fraud case registered in April.

The Shri Amarnath and Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimages resumed on Saturday after a nearly week-long suspension caused by adverse weather and security concerns. Over 6,200 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp for Kashmir, while around 2,000 devotees registered for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage in Katra as authorities closely monitored weather and safety conditions.

The sleuths of the ED conducted raids at nine locations in J&K and Punjab as part of a money laundering investigation into an alleged Pakistan-linked narco-terror funding network. The probe revealed a cross-border heroin smuggling racket with suspected links to Hizbul Mujahideen, leading to the seizure of incriminating documents and the freezing of bank accounts containing approximately 49.9 lakh.

The Shri Amarnath and Mata Vaishno Devi yatras remained suspended for the sixth consecutive day due to adverse weather conditions, leaving more than 15,000 pilgrims stranded at various locations across Jammu and Kashmir. The Shiv Khori and Machail Mata pilgrimages also remained suspended as authorities continued to monitor the weather and assess the safety of the routes before allowing the yatras to resume. So far, over 3.9 lakh devotees have paid obeisance at the Holy Cave Shrine during the ong

The Principal Sessions Court in Jammu has rejected the bail application of Kamal Singh, the accused in the attempted assassination of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah. The court cited the gravity of the offence, public safety concerns, and the possibility of the accused repeating the crime if released.

The Jammu and Kashmir Congress has announced its participation in the National Conference's July 20 Jantar Mantar protest demanding restoration of statehood, while organising its own march in Jammu on July 19. JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said Congress has been leading the statehood movement since October 2024 and will intensify its agitation if the Centre delays restoring full statehood.

A major tragedy was averted during the Shri Amarnath Yatra after a bus carrying 47 pilgrims caught fire near Ramban following a tyre burst. The driver's quick thinking and prompt rescue by police, Army, CRPF and SDRF ensured all occupants escaped safely, though the bus and passengers' belongings were completely destroyed.

In a bizarre case of mistaken identity, a 22-year-old youth from Jammu's Sohanjana village stunned his family by calling home just as they were preparing his last rites after wrongly identifying another man's body as his. The extraordinary incident has raised serious questions over the identification process, while the identity of the actual deceased remains unknown.