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ISLAMABAD: A Chinese man was detained in Indian-occupied Kashmir after, according to local media, Indian security agencies claimed they were alerted by &ldquo;unusual chatter&rdquo; intercepted online. The man, identified as Hu Congtai, 29, reportedly arrived in Delhi on November 19 on a tourist visa. The visa, the report claims, allowed him to visit Buddhist religious sites in Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, Sarnath, Gaya, and Kushi Nagar. However, Congtai boarded a flight to Leh on November 20 and did not register at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office counter at Leh airport, as required by India&rsquo;s strict regulations. The report, quoting Indian officials, states that during his stay, the Chinese man toured the Zanskar region (Ladakh) for three days and visited places of significance in the Himalayan town before entering Srinagar (IIOJK) on December 1. Phone history&nbsp;A search of Congtai&rsquo;s phone history allegedly showed queries regarding the deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the valley, Indian officials claimed, adding he was being questioned by multiple agencies. They also noted that Congtai had acquired an Indian SIM card from the open market. While in Srinagar, staying in an &ldquo;unregistered&rdquo; guest house, the Chinese national visited a Buddhist religious site at Harwan, the location of a fatal encounter last year involving a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, the report claims. Phone data also reportedly indicated visits to Awantipur ruins in South Kashmir, near the army&rsquo;s Victor Force headquarters. During his stay, Congtai allegedly visited various Srinagar areas, including Shankracharya Hills, Hazratbal, and Mughal Garden along Dal Lake. CPRF deployments&nbsp;His phone reportedly contained searches on CRPF deployments and Article 370, which India controversially abrogated in 2019. Congtai graduated in Physics from Boston University and is a known travel enthusiast. His passport shows visits to multiple countries including the US, New Zealand, Brazil, Fiji, and Hong Kong. Indian officials claimed he violated visa regulations and, at most, could be deported, highlighting India&rsquo;s strict enforcement measures.

India

Hu Congtai’s phone history allegedly showed searches related to Central Reserve Police Force deployments and Article 370 of the Constitution, which was controversially abrogated in August 2019 by India to revoke the special status of IIOJK.

Chinese man detained, questioned for phone searches in Indian-occupied Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday denounced Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh&rsquo;s recent comments about Sindh, calling them &ldquo;delusional&rdquo; and &ldquo;dangerously revisionist&rdquo; and warning that such statements threaten regional stability.&nbsp;The Foreign Office said Singh&rsquo;s remarks reflected &ldquo;an expansionist Hindutva mindset that seeks to challenge established realities&rdquo; and violate international law and the sovereignty of states.&nbsp;The statement came after Singh was quoted by Indian media as saying: &ldquo;Today, the land of Sindh may not be a part of India, but civilisationally, Sindh will always be a part of India. And as far as land is concerned, borders can change. Who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again.&rdquo;&nbsp;He was also cited as claiming that Hindu community in Sindh of his generation had &ldquo;never fully accepted the province&rsquo;s accession to Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;Islamabad rejected these assertions outright, urging Indian leaders to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame tensions.&nbsp;&ldquo;We urge Mr. Rajnath Singh and other Indian leaders to refrain from provocative rhetoric that threatens regional peace and stability,&rdquo; the Foreign Office said, arguing the Indian government would be &ldquo;far more constructive&rdquo; if it focused on protecting its own citizens, especially &ldquo;vulnerable minority communities.&rdquo;&nbsp;The statement also criticized the treatment of communities in India&rsquo;s northeast, noting that many continue to face &ldquo;systematic marginalization, identity-based persecution, and cycles of state-enabled violence.&rdquo;&nbsp;Reiterating its longstanding position on Kashmir, Pakistan called on India to take &ldquo;credible steps toward the genuine resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people under occupation.&rdquo;&nbsp;Islamabad added that while it remains committed to peace based on &ldquo;justice, equity and established international legal norms,&rdquo; it is &ldquo;firmly resolved to safeguard its security, national independence and sovereignty.&rdquo;&nbsp;The exchange marks the latest in a series of diplomatic tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, underscoring how historical grievances, territorial disputes and identity-based politics continue to shape regional discourse.

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad condemns Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s Sindh comments as “dangerously revisionist,” urging India to avoid provocative rhetoric and address internal grievances while reiterating its stance on Kashmir.

Pakistan denounces Indian minister’s remarks on Sindh, warns of destabilization

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s representative, while rejecting India&rsquo;s remarks during the United Nations Security Council debate on Women, Peace, and Security, highlighted the plight of women in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. In his statement on Monday, in response to the remarks of an Indian delegate during the Open Debate, Pakistan&rsquo;s First Secretary Sarfraz Ahmad Gohar termed the comments as &ldquo;baseless.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1975345866274742689&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=29ec884f4e99fd027fdfa45f88042cebcf603b2d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 769px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" spellcheck="false" aria-label="To enrich screen reader interactions, please activate Accessibility in Grammarly extension settings">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Gohar said that India&rsquo;s remarks are an attempt to deflect attention from its appalling record in the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir. &lsquo;Disputed territory&rsquo;&ldquo;The fact remains that Jammu and Kashmir is not an integral part of India. It is a disputed territory, as affirmed by Security Council resolutions, which call for a United Nations-supervised plebiscite. India accepted these resolutions and is bound under Article 25 of the UN Charter to implement them,&rdquo; the first secretary stressed. Speaking on the topic of the debate, Gohar said the theme of the discussion, &quot;Women, Peace, and Security,&quot; is painfully relevant to the occupied region of Jammu and Kashmir. For decades, women there have endured the worst forms of violence &mdash; rape, harassment, arbitrary detention, and collective punishment &mdash; at the hands of Indian occupation forces. &ldquo;Their plight deserves this Council&rsquo;s attention,&rdquo; he said. Gohar, in his response, said: &quot;The reference [by the Indian delegate] to 1971 is yet another attempt to distort history -- by a country that distinguishes itself in disinformation and as a serial violator of international law.&quot; &ldquo;India&rsquo;s interference, naked aggression, and military intervention in East Pakistan was a blatant violation of the UN Charter,&rdquo; he added. Credible stepsThe Pakistan representative also highlighted the plight of Muslims, Christians, Dalits, and other minorities in India, saying, &ldquo;Hindutva ideology has become state policy.&rdquo; He said that Genocide Watch (a non-governmental organisation based in Canada) warned during a US congressional briefing that there were early &ldquo;signs and processes&rdquo; of genocide in the Indian state of Assam and in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Gohar demanded that India must take credible steps toward fulfilling the Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, protect the minorities living in its country, and stop misleading the UN Security Council.

It condemned India’s actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting violence against Kashmiri women and minorities, urging India to comply with UN resolutions and end human rights abuses in the disputed territory.

Pakistan highlights plight of Kashmiri women at UNSC debate   

SRINAGAR: In a modest workshop filled with the fragrance of seasoned wood, 78-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Zaz continues a craft his family has preserved for eight generations <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">&mdash;&nbsp;the making of the Kashmiri santoor. Surrounded by tools that have outlived artisans, he works slowly, each strike and polish echoing centuries of tradition, crafting the musical instrument. &quot;Seven generations have worked and I am the eighth; I have no guarantee anyone after me will do this work,&quot; Zaz said softly, speaking in Kashmiri. Once, several of his family members shared this craft in the heart of Indian-Occupied Kashmir&#39;s main city, Srinagar.&nbsp;Today, he is the last in the city to make the instruments by hand. &quot;If I tell anyone to make something, they won&#39;t know what to do or how to make it,&quot; said Zaz, who produces around eight to 10 instruments every year, selling for around 50,000 rupees ($565) each. &quot;It is not as simple as just picking some wood <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;">&mdash;&nbsp;one needs to find the right kind of wood.&quot; The santoor, a hundred-stringed zither-like instrument played with hammers, has long been central to Kashmir&#39;s musical identity, giving the Muslim-majority region its cultural distinctiveness.&nbsp;Mystical music&nbsp;Historically, the santoor formed the backbone of &quot;sufiana musiqi&quot;, Kashmir&#39;s mystical music tradition, with its hypnotic and reverberating sound bringing tranquillity. &quot;Musicians used to come from Iran to Kashmir; they used to play santoor and other instruments,&quot; said Muzaffar Bhat, a music professor at a government college in Anantnag. &quot;They used to sing in Persian ... we adapted the santoor from them and assimilated it into our music.&quot; The instrument received a new life in the 20th century. In the 1950s, celebrated Indian musician Shivkumar Sharma <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;">&mdash;&nbsp;born in Jammu and Kashmir in 1938 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;">&mdash;&nbsp;used the santoor to play classical music. &quot;Due to that, this became popularized in the classical circles throughout India,&quot; Bhat said. Suddenly, the santoor was no longer confined to Kashmiri sufiana gatherings <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;">&mdash;&nbsp; it had become a celebrated voice in Indian classical music. Yet tradition faced challenges as Western instruments and global music trends began to overshadow local sounds. &quot;A lot of our traditional Kashmiri instruments became sidelined,&quot; said Bhat. For craftsmen like Zaz, this meant fewer patrons, fewer students, and the slow decline of a centuries-old family profession. Zaz sells his instruments in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, but also receives orders from Europe and the Middle East. But there is hope. A revival, however modest, is taking root. &quot;Since the last few years, a new trend has started,&quot; Bhat said. &quot;Our youngsters have started to learn our traditional instruments.&quot;

Entertainment

In Srinagar, 78-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Zaz, the last traditional santoor maker, preserves Kashmir’s fading musical heritage as younger generations slowly begin reviving interest in the region’s centuries-old instruments and mystical traditions.

Strings of identity: Kashmir's fading music endures

ISLAMABAD: Protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh turned violent on Wednesday, with demonstrators clashing with police, torching a local office of ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), and setting a police van on fire, according to Indian media reports. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges to disperse stone-throwing protesters. By evening, several injuries had been reported, with visuals from central Leh showing flames at the BJP office and heavy police presence on the streets. The unrest follows weeks of peaceful demonstrations, including a hunger strike led by local activists calling for statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under India&rsquo;s Sixth Schedule. A constitutional provision that grants special protections to tribal regions. Talks and tensions The protests escalated after two hunger strikers were hospitalized, prompting widespread anger and calls for urgent action. Talks between the Union Home Ministry and Ladakhi representatives are scheduled for October 6 in New Delhi, but local leaders are urging the Centre to bring the meeting forward in light of Wednesday&rsquo;s violence. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two key negotiating groups, have both expressed a desire for meaningful and time-bound dialogue with the government. The latest unrest is part of a broader movement that has been building since Ladakh was designated a Union Territory in 2019, following the revocation of Article 370. Since then, civil society groups and local leaders have voiced concerns over the region&rsquo;s lack of political representation and the need for legal protections for land, jobs, and cultural identity. Appeals for Calm Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist and one of the leading voices behind the hunger strikes, ended his fast on Wednesday amid the violence. He issued an emotional appeal to the youth to maintain non-violent discipline. &ldquo;My message of peaceful path failed today&hellip; I appeal to the youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause,&rdquo; he said in a statement to local media. In response to the unrest, security has been increased across Leh, with additional police deployments and monitoring of protest hotspots. Authorities remain on alert to prevent further escalation ahead of the upcoming talks.

Protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards turned violent, with clashes, arson, and injuries reported in Leh. Local groups seek urgent talks with New Delhi as unrest escalates ahead of scheduled negotiations.

Articles tagged with "Kashmir"

Chinese man detained, questioned for phone searches in Indian-occupied Kashmir

Pakistan denounces Indian minister’s remarks on Sindh, warns of destabilization

Pakistan highlights plight of Kashmiri women at UNSC debate

Strings of identity: Kashmir's fading music endures

Ladakh protesters torch BJP office amid statehood, rights demands