Indian Muslim

Srinagar : As shopping for Eid-ul-Zuha reaches a feverish pitch in Jammu and Kashmir, animal markets overflowing with sacrificial sheep and goat are the most thronged places here these days.

Sarfraz Khan, 42, has come to summer capital Srinagar's main animal market at the Eidgah lawns with his flock of sheep and goats from the Rajouri district in the Jammu region.

New Delhi : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday opposed any move to set aside funds for minorities while other chief ministers of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states offered only a feeble opposition to the proposal at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) here.

New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh virtually snubbed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi here Wednesday on the issue of favouring minorities and said the 11th Five Year Plan did not seek to divide people.

"This plan is for the poor," the prime minister told a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) here after Modi opposed 15 percent outlays under central schemes for the minorities in the 11th plan.

Srinagar : Close to the heels of announcement by Hizbul Mujahideen, another hardcore militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba today claimed that it has announced blanket bane on use of hand grenades in public places.

In an interview to News Agency of Kashmir, spokesman of Lashkar-e-Toiba Dr Abdullah Gaznavi said that hand grenades would not be used by his outfit in any public place like parks, roads and markets keeping in view the safety of common people.

Jammu : The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is stepping in to assist Institute of Kashmir Studies towards the development and promotion of art, culture, literature and philosophy of Kashmir.

Jammu : Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said that his party is not only striving for the political and economic empowerment of various regions and sub-regions of the State, but is also putting in place a comprehensive plan of action for the welfare of all the segments of the society.

Mena : Wearing white robes, walked or boarded buses to Mena, the pilgrims are chanting -- Here, I am answering Your call, O, God.

Police prevented pilgrims from squatting in places where it was banned, especially west of Al-Khaif Mosque and the Jamrat and the Pedestrian Road.

Mena, which was a virtual ghost town until Sunday, was transformed into a sea of pilgrims dressed in white Ihram by noon prayer.

Ayodhya : The cutting and carving of stones for the planned Ram temple on the ruins of the Babri mosque here has come to a halt after a gap of 17 years because of fund constraints.

While Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists offered several explanations for the discontinuation in work, Ram Janmabhoomi Trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopaldas put the blame on "definite shortage of funds".

Kabul : For many in Afghanistan, both old and young, the name of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India, rings familiar.

This was evident from a lecture organised here by the India Cultural Centre (ICC), Kabul, which saw scholars of repute like 83-year-old Afghan poet Maulvi Zeinollah Manalai hold forth on the life and philosophy of Maulana Azad.

London : An Indian computer engineer has accused the British intelligence agency MI5 of adopting blackmail and other illegal tactics in its drive to recruit Muslims in the war against terror.

The man, named only as Hassan, says MI5 agents threatened to deport him to India if he did not spy on Muslims.

Patna: Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) Mr. Motur Rahman died of heart attack at his residence in East Champaran district on Tuesday.

Mr. Rehman was 61 years old and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2005. He is survived by his wife Rukhsana Khatun, two sons and four daughters.

Mumbai : Rashid Khan Tuesday fired a six-under 64 to take the lead in the opening round of the Sunfeast Western India junior and sub-Junior golf championship at the par-70 Bombay Presidency Golf Club here.

Vicky Sharma was lying a far second with one under par-69 while Amanjyot Singh shot a level par-70 to be in the third position. Rommel Majumdar was sole fourth with two-over-72 while Angad Cheema was fifth with 73.

Bhopal : Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Tuesday stressed on the need to implement the National Performance Index (NPI) for achieving the dream of seeing India a developed nation by 2020.

Inaugurating a three-day management festival, Odyssey-2007, at the Bhopal School of Social Sciences, Kalam said that the major problems before the country were poverty, increasing population, lack of education, unemployment and slow pace of development.

New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to oppose any move by the government at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting Wednesday to set aside 15 percent allocation for minorities in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-2012), terming it "communal budgeting".

The NDC, a conclave of chief ministers chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is meeting Wednesday to approve the proposals of the 11th Five-Year Plan, including distribution of resources.

Srinagar : Chairman J&K People's League Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has urged upon the people of Kashmir to defend their struggle for the right of self determination against the ‘occupation’ by themselves on the basis of UN charter and the relevant resolutions regarding plebiscite in J&K.

Rajouri : Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today visited the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Rajouri and had an interaction with the faculty and students.

It may be mentioned here that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the founder Chancellor of the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University as this University was established when he was the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

Patna : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha member Motiur Rahman died at his residence in Bihar's Motihari district Tuesday after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 58.

Rahman was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2005. He was also national general secretary and spokesman of the RJD.

Lalu Prasad and leader of the opposition in the state assembly Rabri Devi have condoled Rahman's death.