Pahalgam attack terrorists identified, they won't live for long: Jammu & Kashmir K LG Sinha
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
a day ago
- News18
Opinion: The Forgotten Loyalists Of Kashmir
Last Updated: Silenced for decades, now heard by the nation, India's boldest narrative shift in Kashmir's post-independence For over three decades, Kashmir was not a voice—it was a narrative, hijacked and manipulated by Pakistan's propaganda machinery. The pain of this land was never Pakistan's concern; it was a tool, a weapon, a theatre script for international forums. While Islamabad paraded selective tragedies before the world, the actual victims—those who stood by India, whose families were shattered by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism—were pushed into oblivion. No one asked: Who mourned these loyal sons and daughters of Bharat? Who stood by the mothers who lost not one but four children because they refused to feed terrorists? These families were not statistics—they were testaments of courage. And yet, they were forgotten. Until now. This past month in Jammu & Kashmir, something extraordinary happened. Something that doesn't often make headlines in the noise of national politics but should dominate the conscience of a nation. For the first time in independent India's history, families of terror victims—those killed for their loyalty to the Indian State—were brought to the front stage of justice, remembrance, and restitution. In Anantnag and later in Baramulla, scores of families who had been living in the shadows of memory—women who lost husbands, children who never met their fathers, parents who buried sons—were called forth not to be consoled, but to be recognised. Forty of these families, many of whom had never stepped into a government building with hope, were given job orders, legal protection, and public honour. But what they received most profoundly was a return of moral dignity—a currency long denied to them by both state apathy and societal betrayal. The picture of change has existed for some time now, but there has been a spotlight on it emanating from the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha. He has provided a different narrative to governance in Kashmir. In an atmosphere characterized by soft separatism and bureaucratic inaction, Sinha's administration has done something ethically sound. It has provided state recognition for those who embraced India, and not only embraced, but stood with India in Kashmir state action, which is deserving of state acclamation. Sinha's actions change the Kashmiri narrative and the narrative of integration to India. What truly struck me is the scene of people from Baramulla. It is the picture of change, and His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor was the subject. His leadership is what incites tears and affection from a large population. The leadership from Delhi coming to listen is what drives emotion. Kissed his forehead. Hugged him. These actions portray love unprecedented to the LG. He did not come to issue state security directives which has been the hub of concern in the past, but to engage with the people and deliver answers that are long overdue. This stands as an example of individual kindness, 'strategic humanitarian intervention" or 'civilian-national reconstruction". Pakistan has pursued an expansive information warfare policy against India, using Kashmir as the primary theatre. Not only has it crossed the threshold of violence by sending gunmen, it has sought to justify such actions through narratives of unending oppression. It has deployed narratives of oppression where the 'terrorist' is a 'freedom fighter' and a 'patriot' is a 'traitor'. It has never only displaced fighters, but exported a vocabulary of ruthless dismantling of truth. The literally unthinking victims of terrorism were absented. This new initiative reconstructs the narratives of Kashmir by placing these treated, forgotten families at the center of the conversation. The initiative has literally and practically changed the paradigm. It allows the victims of human rights to truly speak of their reality witnessed in Kashmir, not the militants but the genuine martyrs, who didn't take up arms even at the cost of their lives. Let us remember: many of these victims were killed not in crossfire, but in cold blood, for refusing to feed a terrorist, for waving a flag, for refusing to shelter a terrorist. Some entire families were wiped out. And for years, successive governments turned their eyes away, fearing political backlash, fearing it might 'disturb the peace". But how can a peace built on silence ever last? What makes this initiative powerful is not just its emotional resonance but its implications for justice, narrative, and state legitimacy. For the first time, India is not defending itself on Kashmir—it is setting the agenda. It is saying that if the world must speak of Kashmir, it must first listen to the mothers whose sons were murdered for loving India by the Pak-Sponsored terrorism. The symbolism certainly has depth, but the ramifications of policy also matter. When these families received employment, it was more than a job: it was recognition of their participation in the 'national project.' Likewise, when LG Manoj Sinha interacted with them, he was not merely meeting constituents, instead, he was in some way, healing a long-standing wound in the conscience of the country. These families were mocked and ignored by the political elite, and the shift in ideological thinking is staggering. Kashmir is a region once ruled by a political elite. Many of them infrequently visited these families, and some even scorned them. Some leaders even referred to the victims of terror as 'collateral" and equated slain terrorists to fallen soldiers. While some might call that mockery, it goes far beyond that; not only is it offensive, but it is also profoundly dehumanizing. This administration has corrected that language with action. This also has effects on international relations. India no longer needs to struggle on international platforms. India need not shout on world stages anymore. Let these mothers and widows speak. Let the woman from North Kashmir who lost four family members for refusing food to a terrorist cell, tell her story. Let the children orphaned in 1996, now grown into quiet young men, narrate how society shunned them as 'informers". These tales counter any document India submitted to the United Nations and so as the women and children provided them, their truths would be bombastic than any document India submitted to the United Nations. 'It cannot be denied that when the truth finally comes out, the noise will be powerful indeed, way more than so-called propaganda." There is also a spiritual dimension to all of this. This wasn't just governance. It was atonement. A political system that had failed a generation, today bows its head and says: We hear you. We believe you. You matter. That is not just reform. It is resurrection. This initiative is not the end—it is the beginning of a new Indian imagination in Kashmir. One where every tear matters, every loyalty is honoured, and every silence is broken with justice. As this movement spreads from Anantnag to Baramulla and beyond, one thing becomes clear: this isn't just about healing the wounds of yesterday. It is about building a new architecture of trust for tomorrow. The bullet ends a life. But justice restores a future. And for once, that future belongs to the side that bled quietly—and waited for India to remember. Mudasir Dar is a social and peace activist based in South Kashmir. He is a Rashtrapati Award recipient in world scouting and has contributed to many local and national publications on a diverse range of topics, including national security, politics, governance, peace, and conflict. He tweets from @DarMudasir10. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. view comments Location : Jammu and Kashmir, India, India First Published: August 03, 2025, 13:18 IST News opinion Opinion: The Forgotten Loyalists Of Kashmir Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Over 5k farmers to take part in PM's kisan samman event today
Patna: More than 5,000 farmers from across the state will participate in the 'PM Kisan Utsav Diwas' event, for the distribution of the 20th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, at Bapu Sabhagar here on Saturday. Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, who also holds the agriculture portfolio, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute this instalment online from Varanasi. Union agriculture and farmers welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the chief guest in Patna. Sinha said more than 5,000 farmers, scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, agriculture department officials and krishak mitras from all the 38 districts of the state will participate in the Patna event, where the amount of the scheme will be transferred to the bank accounts of 74,00,000 farmers in the state. He said more than 73.88 lakh farmers of the state have benefited from the scheme. The transparent system of sending funds directly to the bank accounts of farmers through this scheme has strengthened their economic stability, he said. Sinha said the development works related to agriculture road map, crop diversification, water-life-greenery, agricultural mechanisation, agricultural feeders and rural paths will be showcased in the programme.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Approved semiconductor projects to produce over 24 billion chips per annum: Official
Semiconductor projects approved by the government till date will produce over 24 billion chips per annum and there are more projects in the pipeline as well, a senior IT ministry official said on Thursday. Speaking at an event organised by Germany-based applied research organisation Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Amitesh Sinha, Additional Secretary in Ministry of Electronics and IT and India Semiconductor Mission CEO, said that the government has approved six projects comprising a wafer fabrication plant by Tata Electronics and five packaging units. "Tata fab is going to produce 50,000 wafers per month. The other 5 packaging units are going to produce 24 billion chips per annum. There are many more proposals under appraisal. So in near future you will see lot of approvals coming up," he said Sinha said that India is going to be a long-term player in the semiconductor space "We are here for a long-term journey. Semiconductor is not a business for a few years. We assure all of you that the policies will be continued and support for development of the entire ecosystem will be provided," he said. The government has put in place a ₹76,000-crore scheme to boost the semiconductor ecosystem in India. A significant amount of the fund has been committed to the approved projects. "A lot of rare earth materials and permanent magnet recycling, all those are the areas where you can see synergy with Fraunhofer. Coming back to semiconductors, we are seeing that India has approved some proposals and is going to approve many others," Sinha said. He asked German semiconductor companies to support fabrication activities in India. Sinha said that there are a lot of collaboration opportunities with Germany as India is looking to enter in the space of high technology research. "Now we are also going to develop the supply chain ecosystem in India. In the supply chain, a lot of technologies will be required for the high grade purity of chemical gases and materials. Fraunhofer's research is very strong in materials. In 2D materials or graphene also, there is a lot of scope and few of our R&D organizations are doing research in 2D and graphene technologies also. So there also I see scope," he said. 2D materials have the potential to produce over 10 times smaller chips than silicon-based chips being developed at present. Sinha said India is a trusted player in the global supply chain and has policies which are very transparent. "The honourable prime minister of India has already announced that we would like to be a trusted player in the global supply chain. Whatever industry we are setting here, whether it is semiconductor or artificial intelligence or quantum computing, it is for the better use for the entire world," Sinha said.
