J&K POLICE IDENTIFY MILITANTS WHO KILLED DRIVER

SRINAGAR : A fruit trader from Punjab remained in critical condition on Thursday after he was shot and wounded by suspected Kashmiri militants who killed an associate of his in south Kashmir’s Shopian district in the latest attack on people associated with the fruit business, one of the mainstays of the local economy. Meanwhile, the police released pictures of the two top Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Shopian who they suspect were responsible for killing a truck driver from Rajasthan on Monday. They were identified as Hizbul commander Naveed Babu and his associate.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered the transfer of buildings, assets and staff of the legislative council (upper house) of the bicameral state legislature to other departments after the House’s abolition under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.

The decision follows the Centre’s decision on August 5 to effectively revoke the special status of the state and to split it into two Union territories -- J&K and Ladakh. “Consequent to the abolition of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council in terms of Section 57 of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, it is hereby ordered that all the staff of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council shall report to the General Administration Department (GAD) by 22nd of October, 2019,” read an order issued on Wednesday by Farooq Ahmad Lone, GAD secretary.

The order directed the secretary of the council to hand over the property to the director, estates. Vehicles purchased for the legislative council from time to time would be transferred to the director, state motor garages.

The special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was revoked on August 5 in parliament. The J&K legislature comprised a 85-member legislative assembly and 36-seat legislative council.