Kashmir News LIVE Updates: Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged 'unprovoked ceasefire violations' by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian. Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn 'the unprovoked ceasefire violations' by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said.

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Imran, accompanied by several ministers, will fly to Muzaffarabad on 14 August and hold an all-parties' conference. He will be presented with a Guard of Honour.

Pakistan will observe its Independence Day on 14 August as 'Kashmir Solidarity Day', in wake of India's decision to invoke the Article 370. Imran Khan will celebrate the Independence Day of Pakistan in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir where he is scheduled to address the legislative assembly.

The Narendra Modi-led government's move came to pre-empt a possibly violent reaction to its decision on 5 August to abrogate Article 370 and 35A, which provided autonomy and special status to the state.

Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday entered the tenth day of a Centre-imposed communication clampdown and a curfew as the rest of the country geared up to observe Independence Day on 15 August.

"National highway continues to function normally. 100 heavy vehicles carrying LPG, and other essentials are plying daily. Flights from the Valley are operating normally and around 1,500 light motor and other vehicles are plying on a daily basis," the spokesperson added.

The MHA spokesperson tweeted saying that medical services were being provided to locals "without any hindrance" and that 13,500 people had been treated in various out-patient departments."The availability of all drugs, including life-saving drugs, have been provided in every hospital across the Valley," the tweet said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday said that the restrictions imposed in the Kashmir Valley currently, which include a communications blackout and a curfew, will be eased out "in a phased manner", and added that the situation in the Jammu division had been restored after assessment by relevant local authorities.

The response from the former finance minister comes a day after Malik accused Rahul of "politicising" his invitation to him by seeking to bring a delegation of opposition leaders to the region to create "further unrest and problems for the common people" and said he has referred the matter to local administration to examine the request further.

"J&K Governor's invitation to Rahul Gandhi was never a sincere invitation. It was a tool of propaganda," Chidambaram wrote on his Twitter handle.

Hitting out at Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday stated that his invitation to Rahul Gandhi to visit the Kashmir Valley to take stock of the situation was never a sincere one but just a "tool of propaganda".

News18 reported that the movement of people has become more restricted, in lieu of Independence Day. "The central government had already deployed tens of thousands of additional soldiers to the region as a preemptive measure," the report said.

The security lockdown imposed by the Centre was tightened in the restive Kashmir Valley on Wednesday in view of Independence Day on Thursday. The government had deployed several thousand troops in addition to the forces already present in the Valley ahead of its announcement to scrap Article 370 and 35A earlier this month.

The governor was apprised of the full dress rehearsal for Independence Day that has been done in every district of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh and that necessary arrangements have been put in place for smooth conduct of the celebrations, the report said.

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday asked all the deputy commissioners to direct sarpanches to hoist the national flag in their respective panchayats on Independence Day. In a meeting held at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening, Malik reviewed the to-date status of the prevailing security, law and order and provision of basic and essential services to people in the state, PTI reported.

Qureshi said Pakistan considered India's actions in Kashmir as a threat to the regional peace. "It is a mistake on part of India if it thought that it could crush the right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir," he said.

Qureshi said that the decision to call for the UNSC meeting was taken in the meeting of high-profile National Security Committee meeting held last week.

Pakistan has formally called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss India's move to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.

The AIMIM leader said the government's decision to bifurcate the state into Union territories was against the principles of federalism as the state assembly's views should have been taken before implementing such a decision. Kashmir is a part of India and would remain so, Owaisi added.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday asked the government to remove the restrictions on communication links in Kashmir. "No phone works there. Internet is a far-off thing," Owaisi said while addressing an Eid Milap at his party's office on Tuesday night. "I said in Parliament that if Kashmir people are so happy... let them come out of their homes," the Hyderabad MP said. "Why don't you open phone lines?" he asked.

The Centre's move on Jammu and Kashmir will exacerbate the "crisis" in the militancy-affected state, he said, and sought to know whether the RSS/BJP play any role in making Jammu and Kashmir part of India post-independence.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said the Centre's decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of the special status and bifurcate it into two Union Territories was put into action without taking the people of the border state into confidence.

"I want to clearly assure my sisters and brothers of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh that these regions will develop as per the wishes of local people, their dreams and ambitions. The growth of these regions will first and foremost be powered by those belonging to these regions. Articles 370 and 35(A) were like chains that kept people tied. These chains are now broken, people have been unshackled from such dominance and they will now shape their own destiny," Narendra Modi told news agency IANS in an interview.

Rubbishing claims of any major incidents of violence reported in the Valley, Khan says, " Whenever a situation takes shape in the Valley, our neighbours try to vitiate the atmosphere, you have seen certain videos that have been circulated from 2016. There have been localized incidents which have been contained...few pellet injuries have been reported but no major injuries...we have taken all precaution to avoid collateral damage."

"The government Medical College's principal, who runs a hospital network with 3,500 beds, had to personally visit district officials to coordinate stuff. 'Police stations have been given satellite phones but not him. That shows their (government’s) priority,' an official said. Even hospital and fire department staff were without any communication devices," Ghoshal said .

Reuters reporter Devjyot Ghoshal revealed, that about 200 police and local administration officials had satellite phones, with several hundred more using a restricted military network but by and large all communication channels were shut down.

“Independence Day is an opportunity for great happiness, but today we are saddened by the plight of our Kashmiri brothers in occupied Jammu and Kashmir who are victims of Indian oppression,” Khan said in a statement. “I assure my Kashmiri brothers that we stand with them,” he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used an address celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday to criticise India for its actions in the disputed Kashmir region that has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

With tensions running high between the two nuclear-powered neighbours, border security personnel skipped the suctomary exchange of sweets with their Pakistani counterparts at the Attari-Wagah border on the occasion of Pakistan Independence Day. It is unlikely that the Indian troopers will offer sweets to Pakistani Rangers tomorrow as well.

The information filtering in from Kashmir has been slow to reach the mainstream media and with enough alternate versions floating around, it has been hard to relay verified chain of events. But what is obvious from video evidence shared by foreign media, anecdotes from local journalists and the few reports that are making through the severe clampdown, is that between the layers of imposed normalcy, there certainly are sensitive pockets where Kashmiris have expressed resentment over stripping of state's special rights, and that the authorities did use force to reign them in.

Likewise, after there were reports claiming that there is an increase in the number of people seeking treatment from pellet gun injuries, the Additional Director General of Police of J&K Munir Khan today admitted that there have been 'few' such cases but insisted that nobody was seriously injured.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a strong rebuttal recently, denying reports by foreign media, including Reuters , BBC and Al Jazeera, that hundreds and thousands of people thronged the streets of Kashmir and raised anti-India slogans in parts of Kashmir, including Sriniggar's Soura. However, on Tuesday, the MHA, in an U-turn , said that “miscreants mingled with people returning home after prayers at a local mosque” in Srinagar’s Soura, leading to violence but not resulting in the firing of bullets."

Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Mahabharata' analogy in his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the government's Kashmir decisions continues irked AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who snapped back at the actor-turned-politician during a speech in Hyderabad. "A Tamil Nadu actor called PM Modi and Amit Shah Krishna and Arjun for abrogating Article 370 from J&K. Then who are Pandavas and Kauravas in this situation. Do you want another 'Mahabharat' in the country," Owaisi asked .

Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal was on Wednesday detained at Delhi airport and sent back to Kashmir, NDTV reported. He was reportedly trying to leave the country and has been reportedly placed under house arrest.

Former IAS officer Shah Faesal was detained by authorities at the Delhi airport on Wednesday and sent back to Kashmir, officials said. Faesal was again detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) on his arrival in Srinagar, they said. He was bound for Istanbul, the officials added.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Shah Faesal had expressed disappointment at the end of the 'mainstream' in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. He said that one can now either be a "stooge or a separatist".

Jammu and Kashmir Additional General of Police (Law and Order) Munir Khan on Wednesday appealed people to celebrate first Independence Day after the bifurcation of the state with vigour and fervour. "Everything is in place here. All arrangements have been made. Celebrate 15 August 'dabake'," he told ANI when he asked if he wanted to convey any message to the people of the state. Khan said that situations are normal across the state and the restrictions are not imposed or lifted in a generalised manner, but the decision on the same was being taken after accessing the prevailing situation by the district authorities. "All preparations are in place to ensure peaceful celebration throughout the state," Khan said. The government has relaxed prohibitory orders in "large areas" of the state including Srinagar till afternoon.

"We are all concerned at moment about truth of the humanitarian crisis and the atrocities created by this lockdown that has been imposed," he said. "We have to make the world realise that RSS ideology is exactly like the Nazi ideology. After World War II, the world made a collective decision that such genocide would never be repeated again. The RSS ideology is heading that way again."

Addressing the 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir' Assembly (in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan claimed that the RSS' ideology has "emboldened", from the Babari mosque incident, to the increase in lynchings of Muslims and the atrocities in Kashmir, because "they have not faced any resistance from the intentional community".

On the situation in Kashmir following the scrapping of Article 370, Imran Khan asked what the Narendra Modi was trying to achieve. "What can be achieved via all this? Sending troops in, pushing tourists out, and having people under curfew. I am of view that Modi is making a strategic blunder. He is playing his final card but it is going to be very expensive for India," he said.

Imran Khan called Kashmir becoming a global narrative "an important development". "We have spoken to Donald Trump about it; we brought it up at the OIC. Kashmir was not on the radar of the international community, but we as Pakistan have to ensure that this new momentum continues where Kashmir is in the global narrative," he said.

Stepping up his attack on RSS, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan said in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Assembly, "This is the ideology (of Nazis) that has done ethnic cleansing in the world, that has created wars. People have no idea how much India has radicalised. It is no longer a plural society. The facade of a tolerant India has been removed... RSS goons are going and lynching people, threatening judges, and intellectuals. This is exactly what the Nazis did; anyone who spoke against their supremacy was a traitor."

He further claimed, "Pro-Indian Kashmiri politicians today are endorsing two-nation theory. This Pandora’s box of the RSS ideology will not stop at Muslims; it will spillover into the Sikh community, and the Christian community. It is an epidemic. We have information; the Pakistani Army is aware they have have a plan to carry out operations in AJK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)"

"Muslims are living in fear today in India. When I used to play cricket in India; Muslims from affluent households used to say the two nation theory wasn’t right. Today, those same people say Quaid-e-Azam (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) was absolutely right," said Imran Khan, while addressing the 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir' Assembly.

Comparing Modi to Adolf Hitler, he said, "Hitler had arrogance and Modi’s arrogance is no different. But history has shown that Hitler was destroyed, Napoleon was destroyed. War is never the solution; it leads to multiple other conflicts."

Imran Khan warned India that Pakistan will "respond ten folds" if the Indian troops try a skirmish in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "To divert the world’s attention of what they are doing under curfew in Kashmir, they want to do an operation in AJK (PoK). I am telling Narendra Modi that if you try a skirmish, we will respond ten folds," he said,

"We will go to UN and every other global forum. We will go to the International Court of Justice. We are mobilising the global community of Kashmiris and you will see a historic number of people come out... All our ambassadors globally are active. I am going to be the global ambassador for the cause of Kashmir and raise it at every international forum," Imran Khan said during his address.

Officials earlier only told PTI that Faesal from sent back to Kashmir. With this development, Faesal joined a list of politicians from Jammu and Kashmir whose whereabouts are unknown. One of the reasons for this is that the Centre is continuing to remain tight-lipped about the actions against leaders from the Valley. Also, because of the communication blackout, limited journalists are able to operate on ground and get hold of credible information. This is leading to more speculations about what's going on in the state.

There is no clarity on who detained Shah Faesal from the Delhi airport. Reuters journalist Devjyot Ghoshal and a few other mediapersons quoted the airport DCP as saying that the police at the Indira Gandhi Internationa Airport did not detain the IAS-turned-politician. The Hindu journalist Vijaita Singh tweeted that the immigration department also didn't stopped Faesal.

Imran Khan said at the Assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, "We are observing where the events go from here. Pakistan is fully ready; our army, and our people are on one page. We have decided we will not tolerate any violation and are fully ready to counter it."

Reports quoted officials as saying that Shah Faesal is now under house arrest in Kashmir under Section 107 (security for keeping peace). The IAS officer-turned-politician is likely to stay under house arrest till normalcy returns.

"The Indian forces along the LoC and working boundary have continuously been targeting civilian-populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons, which still continues," Faisal said.

Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn "the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said.

Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian.

In an interview to Huffington Post , activist Kavita Krishnan claimed that children were being arrested in Kashmir by the police as well as the army "as an act of intimidation". "They are making it a point to raid houses in the night and take away young boys in the night. It creates immense fear, especially among the women," she was quoted as saying. Krishnan held fact-finding mission in Kashmir, along with economist Jean Dreze, Maimoona Mollah from the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the women’s wing of CPM, and social activist Vimal Bhai.

Jammy and Kashmir principal secretary for planning commission Rohit Kansal said at a press conference that the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir "continues to be calm". "There have been no major reports of any untoward incident," he said.

ADGP SJM Gillani confirmed that there have been detentions under Public Safety Act, and there have been preventive arrests as well. "Some people have also been shifted out of the state," he said.

On the Shah Faesal's detention, Jammy and Kashmir principal secretary for planning commission Rohit Kansal said, "Any detention or arrest is based on local assessment of law and order requirement and taken accordingly. We will not comment on individuals."

“We were a consumer state in 1947 and are a consumer state in 2019. We were dependent on outside supply and we are dependent even now,” said Dar.

“If people can benefit from a UT status, what's the harm?" he asked, pointing out that the state has never developed beyond being a "consumer state" since 1947.

He cited the example of New Delhi, asserting that the national capital has continued to develop even though, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is frequently locked in confrontations with the Union government.

Dismissing concerns about Jammu and Kashmir becoming two union territories, former PDP leader Farooq Ahmed Dar said there is no harm if people benefit from it.

"We will go to UN and every other global forum. We will go to the International Court of Justice. We are mobilising the global community of Kashmiris and you will see a historic number of people come out... All our ambassadors globally are active. I am going to be the global ambassador for the cause of Kashmir and raise it at every international forum," Imran Khan said during his address.

Officials earlier only told PTI that Faesal from sent back to Kashmir. With this development, Faesal joined a list of politicians from Jammu and Kashmir whose whereabouts are unknown. One of the reasons for this is that the Centre is continuing to remain tight-lipped about the actions against leaders from the Valley. Also, because of the communication blackout, limited journalists are able to operate on ground and get hold of credible information. This is leading to more speculations about what's going on in the state.

There is no clarity on who detained Shah Faesal from the Delhi airport. Reuters journalist Devjyot Ghoshal and a few other mediapersons quoted the airport DCP as saying that the police at the Indira Gandhi Internationa Airport did not detain the IAS-turned-politician. The Hindu journalist Vijaita Singh tweeted that the immigration department also didn't stopped Faesal.

Telephone numbers of Medical College Principal, heads of other medical facilities have remained functional all these days. Pls respect the facts, you still have a lot more for speculative tweets. https://t.co/EaqU9Kb6qH

Srinagar district magistrate Shahid Choudhary clarified on Twitter that the phone lines of heads of medical facilities have remained functional "all these days". His tweet came in response to a Reuters journalist's claim that the Government Medical College's principal had to personally visit district officials because he couldn't communicate to their from his telephone.

Imran Khan said at the Assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, "We are observing where the events go from here. Pakistan is fully ready; our army, and our people are on one page. We have decided we will not tolerate any violation and are fully ready to counter it."

Reports quoted officials as saying that Shah Faesal is now under house arrest in Kashmir under Section 107 (security for keeping peace). The IAS officer-turned-politician is likely to stay under house arrest till normalcy returns.

"The Indian forces along the LoC and working boundary have continuously been targeting civilian-populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons, which still continues," Faisal said.

Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn "the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said.

Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian.

In an interview to Huffington Post , activist Kavita Krishnan claimed that children were being arrested in Kashmir by the police as well as the army "as an act of intimidation". "They are making it a point to raid houses in the night and take away young boys in the night. It creates immense fear, especially among the women," she was quoted as saying. Krishnan held fact-finding mission in Kashmir, along with economist Jean Dreze, Maimoona Mollah from the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the women’s wing of CPM, and social activist Vimal Bhai.

J&K Principal Secretary (Planning Commission) Rohit Kansal: There will be some restrictions for tomorrow. The overall security situation continues to be calm. There have been no major reports of any untoward incident. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/Y4ukxA54u8

Jammy and Kashmir principal secretary for planning commission Rohit Kansal said at a press conference that the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir "continues to be calm". "There have been no major reports of any untoward incident," he said.

ADGP SJM Gillani confirmed that there have been detentions under Public Safety Act, and there have been preventive arrests as well. "Some people have also been shifted out of the state," he said.

On the Shah Faesal's detention, Jammy and Kashmir principal secretary for planning commission Rohit Kansal said, "Any detention or arrest is based on local assessment of law and order requirement and taken accordingly. We will not comment on individuals."

“We were a consumer state in 1947 and are a consumer state in 2019. We were dependent on outside supply and we are dependent even now,” said Dar.

“If people can benefit from a UT status, what's the harm?" he asked, pointing out that the state has never developed beyond being a "consumer state" since 1947.

He cited the example of New Delhi, asserting that the national capital has continued to develop even though, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is frequently locked in confrontations with the Union government.

Dismissing concerns about Jammu and Kashmir becoming two union territories, former PDP leader Farooq Ahmed Dar said there is no harm if people benefit from it.

Kashmir News Latest Updates: Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the alleged "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian troops across the Line of Control which killed a civilian. Mohammad Faisal, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) and Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, summoned Ahluwalia to condemn "the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian forces on 13 August in Hot Spring Sector in which a 38-year-old man of Laychayal village was killed, the Pakistan foreign office said.

Reports quoted officials as saying that Shah Faesal is now under house arrest in Kashmir under Section 107 (security for keeping peace). The IAS officer-turned-politician is likely to stay under house arrest till normalcy returns.

There is no clarity on who detained Shah Faesal from the Delhi airport. Reuters journalist Devjyot Ghoshal and a few other mediapersons quoted the airport DCP as saying that the police at the Indira Gandhi Internationa Airport did not detain the IAS-turned-politician.Officials earlier only told PTI that Faesal from sent back to Kashmir. With this development, Faesal joined a list of politicians from Jammu and Kashmir whose whereabouts are unknown. One of the reasons for this is that the Centre is continuing to remain tight-lipped about the actions against leaders from the Valley. Also, because of the communication blackout, limited journalists are able to operate on ground and get hold of credible information. This is leading to more speculations about what's going on in the state.

"Muslims are living in fear today in India. When I used to play cricket in India; Muslims from affluent households used to say the two nation theory wasn’t right. Today those same people say Quaid-e-Azam (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) was absolutely right," said Imran Khan, while addressing the 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir' Assembly.

He began the address saying, "We have to make the world realise that RSS ideology is exactly like the Nazi ideology. After World War II, the world made a collective decision that such genocide would never be repeated again. The RSS ideology is heading that way again."

Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal was on Wednesday detained at Delhi airport and sent back to Kashmir. He was reportedly trying to leave the country and has been reportedly placed under house arrest.

Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Mahabharata' analogy in his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the government's Kashmir decisions continues irked AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who snapped back at the actor-turned-politician during a speech in Hyderabad. "A Tamil Nadu actor called PM Modi and Amit Shah Krishna and Arjun for abrogating Article 370 from J&K. Then who are Pandavas and Kauravas in this situation. Do you want another 'Mahabharat' in the country," Owaisi asked.

akistan's prime minister Imran Khan expressed solidarity and said that he supports Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination, as he began celebrations marking Pakistan's Independence Day. He will make a speech in the Legislative Assembly to speak on the Kashmir issue.

Hitting back at the governor for "taking a U-turn" on his offer to visit the state, Rahul Gandhi addressed Jammu and Kashmir governor as Master — a spin off to his own last name Malik stretched on as Maalik meaning master — to mock at what Congress calls the 'undemocratic way' in which Kashmir's special status was abrogated.

Rubbishing claims of any major incidents of violence reported in the Valley, Khan says, " Whenever a situation takes shape in the Valley, our neighbours try to vitiate the atmosphere, you have seen certain videos that have been circulated from 2016. There have been localized incidents which have been contained...few pellet injuries have been reported but no major injuries...we have taken all precaution to avoid collateral damage."

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday asked all the deputy commissioners to direct sarpanches to hoist the national flag in their respective panchayats on Independence Day. In a meeting held at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening, Malik reviewed the to-date status of the prevailing security, law and order and provision of basic and essential services to people in the state, PTI reported.

The governor was apprised of the full dress rehearsal for Independence Day that has been done in every district of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh and that necessary arrangements have been put in place for smooth conduct of the celebrations, the report said.

The security lockdown imposed by the Centre was tightened in the restive Kashmir Valley on Wednesday in view of Independence Day on Thursday. The government had deployed several thousand troops in addition to the forces already present in the Valley ahead of its announcement to scrap Article 370 and 35A earlier this month.

News18 reported that the movement of people has become more restricted, in lieu of Independence Day. "The central government had already deployed tens of thousands of additional soldiers to the region as a preemptive measure," the report said.

Imran Khan will celebrate the Independence Day of Pakistan in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir where he is scheduled to address the legislative assembly.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday said it is hopeful of further relaxations in the security clampdown after the dress rehearsal for the August 15 Independence Day celebrations conclude in various districts.

Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal told a press conference here that while prohibitory conditions were relaxed in various parts of Kashmir, the Jammu region was "almost entirely" free of restrictions.

"Restrictions, however, do continue in parts of Kashmir," he said.

"We are hopeful that once the full dress rehearsals for Independence Day being carried out in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh conclude, there will be further relaxations," he said.

He added that the curbs would be relaxed in parts of the Valley in a phased manner based on the assessment of local authorities.

The security clampdown was imposed after the Union government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 and said the state would be bifurcated into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Restrictions were first eased in Kashmir on August 9 to allow people to offer Friday prayers at local mosques. Curbs were also relaxed ahead of Eid al-Adha, which was celebrated on Monday.

Kansal said the administration was following the overall policy of "relaxation and easing out" in all parts of the state and the Eid al-Adha celebrations and prayers were peaceful.

He added that there is a "constant endeavour to ensure that people are not obstructed and are facilitated in every possible way".

The principal secretary said the administration is hopeful that the Independence Day celebrations will be carried out in a "grand and benefitting manner" in all parts of the state.

He said all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure smooth Independence Day celebrations.

As far as the issue of communication is concerned, 300 public points have been set up for the locals, from where they can speak to their dear ones. Over 5,000 calls were made in one day, Kansal said.

He added that medical services of all kinds are continuing "normally and unhindered" and the apprehensions in this context are not true.

Routine outpatient department (OPD) operations, admissions, surgical procedures are going on, Kansal said, adding that all kinds of normal and emergency medicines are in adequate supply.

Last week, 13,500 patients were treated in OPDs in Srinagar district, while there were 1,400 admissions and 600 procedures of all kinds, he said.

Kansal said the national highway is functioning normally and over 100 heavy vehicles, trucks carrying LPG cylinders, oil trucks and about 1,500 light motor vehicles and buses have moved over the last 24 hours.

"The flight operations are normal too," he added.

Asked about the government's response over some propaganda material being circulated on social media platforms like Twitter, Kansal said, "Due cognisance has been taken of all the fake handles and of any items that create disaffection and it is being tackled at the appropriate levels legally, procedurally and through appropriate measures."

"Whenever our attention is drawn to any fake accounts or any attempts to spread disaffection or peddle misinformation or create mischief, they are being dealt with procedurally, legally and through all available measures with the government," he said.

Asked by reporters about the proposed plans for unfurling the tricolour on August 15 at various places in the state, including at Lal Chowk here, Kansal said the occasion would be celebrated with respect and grandeur.

"Independence Day celebrations have a certain system. It is a national festival and it will be celebrated with respect and grandeur. I have nothing to say about specific individuals," he said.

The principal secretary said some arrests had been made following a local assessment of the situation.