SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Article 370, which granted the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region a special status in the Constitution, was like a wall that had blocked progress for decades and was dismantled for good by his party. “Because Article 370 is gone, I […]
NEW DELHI (AA) – The death toll in the violence over the demolition drive of “illegal structures” in a town of northern Indian state of Uttarakhand rose to five despite strict restrictions on a third consecutive day, officials said on Saturday. Authorities had imposed a curfew and shut down the internet in the Banbhoolpura area […...
Varanasi, India – AFP Hindu worshippers on Thursday began praying inside a mosque in the Indian city of Varanasi just hours after a court order gave them the go-ahead at the deeply sensitive site, media reported. The Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi is one of several Islamic houses of worship that Hindu activists, backed by Prime […]
ANKARA (AA) – India and France have expressed concern about the massive loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, urging Tel Aviv to respect international humanitarian law and create conditions, including a humanitarian cease-fire, for aid to flow to the enclave. French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Mini...
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed “grave worry” Tuesday at the opening of a Hindu temple on top of the demolished Babri Mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya. “In line with the OIC position expressed by the Council of Foreign Ministers in its previous sessions, the General S...
Ayodhya, India — AFP While for many Hindus in India, the opening of a grand new temple this month was a long-held ambition that materialized, for India’s over 200 million Muslims like Mohammed Shahid, the day will evoke only blood-soaked memories. The shrine in Ayodhya has been built on the ground where an ancient mosque […]
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – The Kashmiri pro-freedom party Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) has been declared an “unlawful association” by India. The party has been banned for five years under India’ anti-terror law. Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah said the outfit is involved in “forbidden activities” aimed at separating Ja...
New Delhi, India – AFP Indian police were investigating a blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday that did not cause any casualties. Officers cordoned off the embassy as they combed through the surrounding areas following the report of the late afternoon blast. Israel’s foreign ministry in a statement reported “...
NEW DELHI (AA) – The Indian southern state of Karnataka decided to revoke a ban on wearing headscarves inside educational premises, the state’s top elected official said Friday. “I have told (officials) to withdraw the hijab ban,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote on X, while pointing the finger at the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya J...
KARACHI / NEW DELHI (AA) – Pakistan has rejected the Indian parliament’s legislation on the future of the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, dubbing it a “farce.” India’s parliament on Wednesday passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2023....