The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday ahead of the 10-day autumn session of the Assembly, scheduled to begin on September 21.

The Assembly Secretariat has written to party leaders and members of the Business Advisory Committee, asking them to attend the meeting at 2 pm at the Assembly complex.

According to a letter accessed by the news agency KNO, the Speaker has invited Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma of the BJP, Ali Muhammad Sagar and Mubarak Gul of the National Conference, CPI(M) legislator Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir, People’s Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone, PDP leader Mir Muhammad Fayaz and Independent legislator Choudhary Muhammad Akram.

The meeting comes days before the autumn session, which is scheduled to commence on September 21.

The session is expected to see sharp exchanges, with the BJP and smaller Kashmir-based parties, including the PDP, PC and AIP, preparing to raise a range of governance and administrative issues.

The BJP has already begun preparations, with Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma scheduled to chair a meeting of party legislators at the party headquarters in Jammu on Tuesday.

As per the calendar issued by the Assembly Secretariat, four days have been allotted for government business, while three days have been scheduled for Private Members’ Bills and resolutions.

Two days have specifically been earmarked for Private Members’ Bills. The supplied report notes that such bills seldom pass in the Lok Sabha or the J&K Assembly because of procedural hurdles.

The government is expected to introduce four bills during the session.

SRINAGAR — The University of Kashmir has tightened financial controls over expenditure on seminars, conferences, workshops and other university-sponsored events, directing academic and administrative units to keep spending within their sanctioned budgets.

The directions have been issued by the University's Development Section and apply to Deans, Heads of Departments, Directors and Coordinators involved in organising university-sponsored or departmental events.

Under the instructions, expenditure on seminars, conferences, workshops, symposia, cultural programmes and other official functions must remain within the allocated budget or available grants.

The university has also directed that no supplementary or additional expenditure be incurred without prior formal approval from the competent authority.

The directions have come into effect immediately, according to the circular.

The move comes as the University of Kashmir continues to organise academic programmes, seminars, lectures and other institutional activities through its departments and centres.

The university's Centre of Central Asian Studies, for instance, has listed several academic events during 2026, including national seminars and conferences.

NEW DELHI — BRICS leaders on Friday strongly condemned the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people and injured several others, while reaffirming their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

In the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the BRICS Summit, the grouping described acts of terrorism as "criminal and unjustifiable" regardless of their motivation and said such acts must be condemned wherever and by whomever they are committed, news agency KNO reported.

The leaders specifically denounced the Pahalgam attack and expressed solidarity with the victims and those affected by the incident.

Reaffirming their resolve to combat terrorism, BRICS countries stressed the need to tackle the cross-border movement of terrorists, terror financing networks and the provision of safe havens to extremist groups.

The declaration said terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group and called for individuals and entities involved in terrorist activities or support networks to be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with national and international law.

The bloc also urged the international community to adopt a policy of "zero tolerance" towards terrorism and reject double standards in counter-terrorism efforts.

BRICS leaders emphasised that states bear the primary responsibility for preventing and combating terrorism, while stressing that global counter-terrorism measures must remain consistent with international law, including the UN Charter, international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law.

The grouping welcomed the work of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group and its five subgroups operating under the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Action Plan, and pledged to further deepen cooperation in the field.

The declaration also called for the early finalisation and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the United Nations framework.

It further urged concerted action against all terrorists and terrorist entities designated by the United Nations.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

India assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2026, with this year’s summit being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from September 12-13.