Can Kashmir’s conflict be solved through serious political engagements? This central question prevailed throughout the discussion that followed the release of Gowhar Geelani’s book Kashmir, Rage and Reason, here at the India International Centre in New Delhi on July 17. “The idea of the book emerged in 2008 when many-many civilians were killed, then 2010 (army crackdown) happened. My[Read More…]

(One of the reasons for unstable connectivity of the valley in the absence of the traditional Jhelum Valley Road is the missing tunnels on most of the other links going through the surrounding mountains!) The National Highway NH-1A, the only life line to Kashmir valley has given this year the worst headache during its entire existence. Earlier too it had[Read More…]

Some moments are important than epochs in the histories of nations. So holds true about 13 July 1931 in the history of Kashmir. On this day v people of Kashmir scripted their history with their blood. It was not the first day when people laid their lives for just cause- history of Kashmir after 1819 is replete with incidents when[Read More…]

The troubled valley of Kashmir, is a place, where seasons of peace, don’t last long. After death of more than hundred thousand people, it has been declared as a war zone, which has its boiling points, that have precipitated, out of its historic phases of insurgency. It is also a valley of mass protests, arising out of conditions, that are[Read More…]

‘Back to village’, the programme launched by the government for the villagers to end their miseries has brought no cheer among the dwellers of hamlets in the Valley as the Gram Sabhas and other awareness campaigns organized in last few days witnessed less participation of people. The programme aimed to provide facilities to people at their door step had less[Read More…]

(A) Right to property: First, in his article “Article 35 A: Myth or Reality” , published in GK on 03-04-2019, Mr. Drabu has written: “In 1950, when the J&K government initiated ‘land to tiller’, it was not legally possible to do so under the Indian Constitution. Till 1978, Right to Property under Article 19 was a fundamental right. It was[Read More…]

All Adventure Sports activities are hazardous by nature and need an efficient rescue service to avoid fatal accidents Adventure Sports were introduced in Kashmir on a regular basis as an “Active Tourism” activity in early seventies of the last century by establshing an Adventure Tourism Wing in the Directorate of Tourism. The seven Ski and Mountaineering Instructors trained by the[Read More…]

After the massive mandate in 2019 General Elections, Narendra Modi Government is in the firm saddle. Now Mr. Amit Shah, who seems to be the most powerful person after Modi is the Home Minster. It is expected that he will pay special attention to the nagging Kashmir issue. Different social groups, the victims of the turmoil in Kashmir, are also[Read More…]

Sanjay Tula and his wife Tula Sanjay are products of Jayaprakash Narayan’s total revolution movement in the ‘70s. They live in Mehsana, Gujarat and run a small organization called Vishwagram which hosts less than 20 children picked up from railway platforms. However, Sanjay is leading a silent peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir which may never produce any macro level[Read More…]

Delimitation of  Assembly constituencies in J&K is the new war cry let loose by Sangh Parivar & its drooling followers. Columns , opinions & views have started appearing  in print & social media  exhorting the new Govt. in New-Delhi to initiate such an action so as to show People of Kashmir their political worth as it has shown to Muslims[Read More…]

Living with deformity is very difficult. The degree of difficulty varies with the intensity of disability and its impact on people. One of the vital parts of human body is the eye. So, a disease or injury to the eye or eyes has a significant impact on lives of people. The use of pellets in Kashmir has caused loss of[Read More…]

(India and Pakistan have now strong and stable governments. The leaders in both countries claim to be people friendly. There cannot be a better opportunity than this to solve the most intractable problem of Kashmir!) The recent elections have thrown up Narendra Modi as the uncontested leader of the 1.3 billion people of India. He has shown that he has[Read More…]

Srinagar: Facebook on Wednesday blocked the official page of Srinagar based english daily ‘Good Morning Kashmir’ and deleted hundreds of its posts for not “following community standards”, shocking its editors who demanded immediate restoration of the page. Good Morning Kashmir , a daily English newspaper had shared the routine news reports for which Facebook blocked their Facebook page. “The issue,[Read More…]

Srinagar, May 23: After the news of Zakir Musa’s killing spread in the valley, intense clashes erupted in various parts of Kashmir valley on Thursday evening. As per reports, as soon as the news of Zakir Musa’s killing spread across the valley, scores of youth from many parts of the valley took to roads and started throwing stones on government[Read More…]

(Kashmir’s political problem is a Gordian knot which no one has been able to disentangle for last 70 years. Till the problem gets resolved, there is need for good governance to at least make daily living conditions of the citizens comfortable) Most of the political leaders in Kashmir from all the “streams” talk about the “Political” problem. The mainstream leaders[Read More…]

Srinagar, May 14: Student protests against rape of three-year-old minor girl in Bandipora district continue to rock Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, even as authorities had ordered the closure of some colleges but at different places clashes between Students and government forces turned violent particularly in Srinagar city. In Srinagar, a large number of students from Amar Singh College on Tuesday[Read More…]

(The most promising sector in Tourism is Adventure Tourism but to promote and develop it on modern lines there is urgent need for an independent organization of trained people in the line)  The Tourism arrivals these days seem to be on a very low key. The month of May used to be the peak seasonas regards domestic tourism. Unfortunately, some[Read More…]

(The uncertain situation for last few years is making already fragile Kashmir economy to bleed without any redressal in sight!) The founder of the Ziraat Times, Arjimand Hussain Talib in a recent post on the Facebook while highlighting the problems faced by the trade in Kashmir has observed, “Kashmir’s economy is dying silently, with far-reaching long term negative impacts.It is[Read More…]

Prelude:  With the end of WWII, it became clearer than ever that India was going to get independence from British Rule. Under the Government of India Act, 1935 the foundation was already laid for an electoral democracy in United India. In winter 1945-1946, elections by “limited franchise”, though, were held for twelve provincial assembles & central assembly of “United India”.[Read More…]

(The ideal thing to keep the Tourist inflow appreciable and protect the environment is to start dedicated charter flights from some of the most potential markets to destinations in Kashmir) The most beneficial aspect of Tourism is “Sustainable Tourism” which strikes a balance between the tourist in flow and preservation of environment. Globally Tourism is supposed to be booming business.[Read More…]

(The failure of various government agencies in executing flood prevention measures in spite of a lapse of almost 5 years is a recipe for new disaster!) According to a news report, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed concern over abrupt rise in Jhelum water level. According to them just a few millimeters of rain have caused such[Read More…]

The government of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir said civilian traffic on the highway was banned from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday and Wednesday until May 31, to allow for exclusive movement of security convoys.The decision comes after a suicide bomber rammed his car into a military convoy on the same highway – a lifeline for[Read More…]

Leave aside the privileges accruing from Article 370, our state has not even such powers as are available to other states of the union under its constitution. Senior IAS, IPS officers and bureaucrats are usually drawn from outside the state. We have a host of non-state senior officers here. This policy creates an impression among the local bureaucrats, police officers[Read More…]

From Hindu Brahmin convert’s in our Kashmir to inherently Islamic religious clerics & kings, Sheikh Clan dominate at extreme edges world over Sheikh as a word in Arabic is a title denoting a political or spiritual leader of a community. It represents an honorific title, as in Saudi who particularly deals with the petroleum oil exports. In Sufism, a Sheikh[Read More…]

(In view of the prevailing situation, Tourism needs reorientation both in marketing strategy and in the organization managing it!) Kashmir has been known through ages as a Paradise on Earth. In fact, the Mughal time couplet, “If there is a Paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, and it is here!” has always been quoted to promote tourism[Read More…]

‘The liberty of the press is indeed essential to the nature of a free state. Every freeman has an undoubted right to lay what he pleases before the public: to forbid this is to destroy the freedom of the press.’ – ‘Free speech must be kept free even in wartime, even when passions are high because that is when the[Read More…]

In past, Kashmiris were naïve & simple. It was the time when the gradual progression of science in Europe had not yet crossed the mountains of valley of Kashmir. Modern technology & fast modes of communication were not yet discovered. The material prosperity & modernization had not yet touched the people of this landlocked country. So, in those situational conditions[Read More…]

(The basic requirement of any healthcare set up is a hospital. Kashmir has many government and private hospitals but these are lacking in many respects) Before one examines the status of the hospitals in Kashmir, it would be useful to recapitulate how Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia describes a hospital. “A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized medical and nursing staff and[Read More…]

I am not a psephologist. Notwithstanding, in the democratic process, the role of psephology is recognized as an important one, the study of elections in Jammu and Kashmir has never been my cup of tea. I never endeavoured to analyse voting patterns, regional and sub-regional factors, the role of caste, sects and religious factors, in the elections held in the[Read More…]

A non-profit educational forum to encourage research in Science among school & college going students & impact upon outreach at grassroots level Kashir Scientist, founded in 2011, is a non-profit organization of research scientists, students and teachers from Jammu and Kashmir conceived with sole intention of encouraging school & college going students to pursue science education & impact upon its[Read More…]

Kashmir, once christened as paradise on earth is now a crown of militarization from last three decades where Kashmiris are paralyzed in conflict molded battleground resulting in generations growing up with disruption and conflict way of life. The burgeoning crisis in Kashmir is tantamount to a powderkeg and could bring two nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war, as was[Read More…]

(Most of the political leaders in Kashmir have been selling “Dreams” to the people that ultimately get interpreted in their own personal well-being leaving the people high and dry!) The tragedy of Kashmir right from the start of the struggle of its people for emancipation has been their political leaders behaving like the “Dream Merchants”. The people have been shown[Read More…]

On 14th February 2019, vehicles of security forces which were on its way to reach Srinagar came under a heavy attach when a vehicle-borne bomber attacked the vehicles at Lethpora Pulwama. As a result of the attack, 49 CRPF personal died along with the person who carried the attack. As soon as the attack took place, the Kashmiri students studying[Read More…]

Shah Faesal has finally launched a new political project in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a question which rings in the mind of most observers and merits a deep analysis. That question put succinctly is this; Whose project is this? Is it Faesal’s personal idea, conviction and effort or is it a part of some bigger design.[Read More…]

Like Chris, a French writer and filmmaker, “What I’m passionate about is History; politics interests me only insofar as it is the cross-section of History in the present.” Looking, at the contemporary scenario at our own place, I was thinking how past three centuries have shaped our contemporary narrative, in this column I may not venture courage to write how[Read More…]

  China has yet again blocked the move at UN to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. India is  highly disappointed at China’s stand  which had the support of other permanent members of security council- US, UK, France Russia and many other non-permanent members like Germany, Poland & Belgium etc. A security council diplomat, not happy with the Chinese[Read More…]

The uncertainty of the present physical link of the valley to the outside world shows the urgency of restoring other historical routes to prevent people from getting claustrophobic! The frequent closure of the National Highway NH-1A linking valley by surface to the outside world during the current winter has almost turned the local population claustrophobic. They feel to have been[Read More…]

At this uncertain time of scarred historicity and the chaotic years I had followed from the beginning of my existence onto the world, memory of my past would often haunt me. I had seen the people of my age suffocated, caught in the hue and cry not finding any sight of peace dawning. I had heard houses have souls and[Read More…]

Thank God for the clouds of war that frighteningly hovered for a week have started waning from the skies of the Sub-Continent. In the seventy years, acrimonious history of India and Pakistan another terrifying date has been added to already existing long list of the dates reminiscent of awful tales of death and destruction. On Tuesday 26 February 2019,  twenty[Read More…]

No book of history or literature of any credence on Kashmir has anywhere used the term “Kashmiriyat” in its references to socio-cultural values of its inhabitants:  Kashmiris. I.  However, the term “did not emerge ex-nihilo from the soil of Kashmir.  II. It has a clear background more political than pretended or projected socio-religious that gave birth to it. In a desperate[Read More…]

The current comprehensive crackdown  on Jama’at-e-Islami though not unprecedented is  unique at the same  in many respects.In the past whenever there was a ban  placed on it, it was on the instigation of local political players. It is interesting to note that when emergency was declared in India in 1975 by Mrs Gandhi, Jam’at was left out of its purview.[Read More…]

So Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir has been declared an ‘unlawful association’ and banned for five years on the grounds of what the notification says ‘Indulging in subversive activities’ and all the manufactured tosh the document is crammed with. it should not come as a calamitous shock, especially to those who have understood or experienced the petty machinations the present regime has churned[Read More…]

For four million people living in   an area of 85,805.8 square milesin the bosom of mighty Himalayas,Saturday ‘12 March 1932’ was a momentous day.On this day after years of struggle and sacrifices,   ‘Maharaja Hari Singh, the autocratic ruler of Kashmir  on the recommendations of the Glancy Commission Report announced the grant of the rights to freedom of press and platform[Read More…]

 “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education”                                 ~ Martin Luther King  A notification released by the Ministry of human affairs on 28th February has imposed[Read More…]

I am not trying to be a conspiracy theorist, but certain intriguing things are happening which need to be questioned big time as there was another IED blast which took place in the Pulwama district yesterday night. Interestingly, it took place in a village which is at a distance of 15kms from the site of February 14 blast, and in[Read More…]

Everybody knows that Article 35-A is sub judice before the Apex Court of India.  The petitioners who challenged the Article are proxy of the ruling class of India who want the Article to be declared unconstitutional in total disregard of the conditions under which it was incorporated in the Constitution by the First President of Free India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad,[Read More…]

  Sirhama, one of the most promising village in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, is located in the lap of beautiful mountains.  It is located on the eastern side of the mountain ( Khareewan)  which demarcated the Srigufwara tehsil of Anantnag district from the Tral tehsil of the Pulwama district. It is positioned in the Dochnipora   bloc that[Read More…]

We are on the brink of a disaster What would Mahatma Gandhi say about the threat of war between India and Pakistan,  which has brought the two nations and the world to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe? Throughout the struggle for Indian independence, Gandhi was faced with the serious problem of avoiding conflict between religious groups once independence had[Read More…]

(The events of last few years have affected the Valley people psychologically so much that any rumour sells and puts the inhabitants on the edge!) Kashmiris are traditionally given to rumour mongering and then believing in rumours without any attempt to verify these! During recent years of turmoil the rumours have had a free flow in Kashmir. Many a times[Read More…]

Ever since more than 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Pulwama on February 14, the Indian mainstream has gone mad with more hawkish nationalists calling for revenge and war. The incident took place in Indian-administered Kashmir, where an armed insurgency for independence has been going on for years. The Indian government generally blames neighbouring Pakistan[Read More…]

Co-Written by Inamul Haq& Tajamul Maqbool Rape as well as sexual violence committed by security forces against women have been an indispensable element of Indian military strategy in conflict zones like Kashmir and northeast. Those who were legally bound to protect the civilian rights have been involved incrimes particularly against women in Kashmir. For two decades there have been incidents[Read More…]

It has been stated before that when there is no political will to resolve a long pending dispute then ‘all roads can lead to hell’. Loss of 49 CRPF soldier’s lives in a sucide attack augurs ill. Despite massive military and security apparatus deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, no one had any clue that a suicide bombing was in the[Read More…]

There are two significant opinions on Kashmir situation expressed by two eminent personalities from Chennai whose opinion matters in the aftermath of the Phulwama terror attack on February 14 that killed 42 security personals, gives a southern perspective to the Kashmir tangle. The first comment came from actor-turned-politician, Kamal Haasan who when  asked to comment on the Pulwama suicide attack[Read More…]

“Death of a militant, civilian or an army personal is a human loss. It should never be celebrated because nothing can be achieved through it. It only desolate a house, widow a woman and orphan many children. So to celebrate this occasion is never a human quality.” The Lethpora Pulwama attack in Kashmir on the CRPF convoy might have shocked[Read More…]

(Due to the misfortune of Kashmiris, the two neighbours have converted the place into a bleeding “Paradise”!) Historically Kashmir has been known as the “Paradise on Earth” because of its natural beauty. Unfortunately, for past some time there has been so much violence and blood shed that it is turning into a bleeding paradise. The recent attack on a CRPF[Read More…]

(The setting up of a third territorial division in the erstwhile State of J & K created by Maharaja Gulab Singhmay result in its finaldismemberment!) For past sometime there has been demand of some people for converting Ladakh into a union territory and the Jammu people too have sometimes raised a similar demand. The recent order creating Ladakh as a[Read More…]

With the brutal ‘drawing and quartering’ of the domestic servant Robert-François Damiens, who attempted the assassination of King Louis XV of France in 1757, to ‘make the amende honorable before the main door of the Church of France’ started the slow disappearance of torture as a public spectacle. According to the then punishment code, the flesh from Damiens’ breasts, arms,[Read More…]

This valley of mountains and forests has been the source of attraction for tourists all over the world. The rush of tourists both foreign and domestic has reduced to a great extent because of total unrest here. This chaos and confusion has hit us hard. This adorable piece of land, popularly known as “heaven on earth” has been stuck in[Read More…]

(The continuous blockade of the National Highway linking Kashmir with the rest of the world in spite of the best efforts of the Border Roads Organization calls for an alternate link) The continuous landslides taking away portions of the road has virtually cut off Kashmir by surface from the outside world. The tragedy is that it is the only link[Read More…]

[Flipside of Sheikh Abdullah’s narrative] Sheikh M Abdullah who was key political figure from Kashmir in the whole story has written that it was Pakistani authorities in UN that, on many occasions, when the solution to Kashmir-issue was “almost finalised” or “within reach”, stumbled which, to him, seemed their “intellectual bankruptcy” or “politicking”. In support of his contention, he refers[Read More…]

Co-Written by Masood Ali Mir & Zahoor Ahmad Mir Dr Shah Faisal has resigned, he has resigned from the top most post and a dream job of millions of Indians. From Home Ministry to Governor to common masses every one is in a kind of shock over his decision of resignation. Dr Faisal has now joined politics, although he has[Read More…]

Kashmir is a zone of chaos, a highest militarised zone in the world.Kashmir is a bone of fight between the two Nuclear Countries. The independence of India and Pakistan gave the birth to conflicts, chaos, and hatred. The two independent dominions of Pakistan and India were born on 14th and 15th of August respectively. Princely states were a peculiar issue,[Read More…]

Shah Faesal’s journey from an overwhelming personal tragedy to excellence in his career is both amazing and awe-inspiring. At 19, his father, a government teacher who was very popular locally, was murdered by the hitherto unknown militants because of his refusal to provide them shelter, according to a 2010 newspaper report quoting his mother Mubeena Begum. Such a calamity could’ve[Read More…]

The present Director of the Srinagar Met Office, Sonam Lotus, has made people very much weather conscious by his useful forecasts during last few years!)   Sonam Lotus These days’ people have become very conscious of the weather forecasts thanks to Mr. Sonam Lotus, the present Director of the Srinagar Met Office. In earlier times people were not very much[Read More…]

Sometimes meeting an embittered politician, enables one to peep into a domain of politics that otherwise remains obscure. Moreover, on occasions sharing experiences about such meetings helps in analysing the games behind popping up of new characters like mushrooms during rains with alternative narratives for fortifying the ‘hegemonic discourses’ at the time of elections in the State. Moreit also helps[Read More…]

The word massacre denotes a form of collective action that destroys the defenceless individuals. In European middle ages, the word has been used in reference to animals. There is a difference between massacre and genocide. Every massacre is not a genocide, a genocide is primarily composed of one or more massacres. There are many categories of massacre like local (face[Read More…]

The only surface access to Kashmir from the outside world is becoming totally undependable due to the crumbling strata through which it passes From the ancient times Kashmir has been known as a landlocked country situated in the heart of the Himalaya. Mountains have been taken as natural guardians which let the country remain unmolested for a long time. The[Read More…]

“Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life”. – Bob Marley From my birth, I have always learnt that Kashmir is the heaven of the world after it was quoted by Jahangir as “Gar firdaus, ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin asto”. Later, many British rulers trespassed Kashmir and Maxmillar[Read More…]

More than a century ago, George Bernard Shaw in his famous 1906 play The Doctor’s Dilemma has said “all professions are a conspiracy against laity”. Conspiracies are hatched & executed in groups, albeit the idea is often brainchild of a master kingpin of that group who resembles “suspense boss” of the Bollywood movies. Conspiracies are committed on back of the[Read More…]

Like many others in my tribe; opinion writers and columnists, guided by screaming headlines I am also oblivious to the urges and aspirations of our youth. That there is a strong undercurrent in a whole generation of them to use music, arts, literature, theatre and modern mediums like Instagram and YouTube for telling their stories, and articulating their pain and[Read More…]

Dr Shah Faesal’s reclaiming a new electoral politics after resigning from civil services in India’s Kashmir neither seems vapid nor promising at the moment.The prominent youth icon shot to fame when he topped the Indian Civil Services (IAS) in 2010. He keeps every body guessing and amid his much talked about resignation from the prestigious civil services a few days[Read More…]

Why is she nowadays visiting the militant families and apologizing the people for her past deeds and remarks? Why is she terming the slain militants as martyrs? Is it that she wanted the support of people to repeat her previous activities or the fulfillment of leftover dreams of her father? As the assembly elections of 2019 are around the corner,[Read More…]

                      Till 2010 Shah Faesal was not a well known figure in Kashmir but after cracking the India’s top most civil service examination held under UPSC (IAS) that too with a top position gave him a good reputation in Kashmir as well as in India and sooner was considered as an inspiration for the youth. Indian politicians and other[Read More…]

(The Doctrine of State cannot override the Doctrine of Human Rights!) Mr Yashwant Sinha former Foreign Minister in an interview on NDTV disclosed that a senior Government Officer had informed him that Delhi is following the “Doctrine of State” in Kashmir. According to him, as part of this doctrine the government is going all out in elimination of any rebellion[Read More…]

Kashmir has been continuously ravaged by many outside forces for more than four centuries. While the barbarity and oppression has failed to dampen our unique spirit of survival, it has proved a nemesis for all the oppressors! Dictionary defines nemesis as, “The nemesis of a person or thing is a situation, event or a person which causes them to be[Read More…]

More than a decade back, sitting in a newspaper office, a fellow writer Ashraf Sahil suggested the idea of instituting of the ‘private awards’ in Kashmir for literature. Comparing the reports and writings of journalists of Kashmir, works of some writers with the literary works of Barbara Harlow, he suggested instituting of annual awards for best journalists, fiction writers, novelists[Read More…]

While government scheme Deen Dayal Yojana has a vision to provide continuous power supply to rural areas, Wevan a small village in Bandipora District of Northern Kashmir, is still stuck in dark ages. Wevan, a small village on the foothills of a rocky hill in Bandipora district, of North Kashmir is without electricity eventhouth it is 71 years since India[Read More…]

A former northern army commander has twice over recently observed that the military’s operational success in counter insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has not been taken advantage of politically. He was voicing the army’s longstanding position that talks need to proceed abreast with operations to culminate in a return of peace. In the army’s doctrinal view, counter insurgency operations[Read More…]

In 1963, an act of serious sacrilege plunged Kashmir into grief and fury never witnessed before. As people in Srinagar woke up to an icy Friday morning on 27 December corresponding to the 7th day of Chilai Kalan, the 40-day long harshest period of Kashmir winter, a shocking news spread like wildfire across the city. The Moi-e-Muqqadas (strand of holy[Read More…]

Kashmir and its history is replete with intimate massacres. These massacres were not witnessed after the birth of nation states who drafted the independent nation into disputed territory. These massacres were also witnessed during Mughal rule, Afghan rule, Sikh as well as in Dogra rule. In the year 1947, when one side the sub-continent of India got their independence from[Read More…]

 Identity is a concept for understanding and learning about social conflicts. The issue of Muslim identity in the Kashmir conflict became a concern, thereby turning potentially negotiable issues into intractable conflicts centered on conflicting groups’ self-image and religion. A stalemate has followed because of the perception that the identity of a Kashmiri Muslim is non-negotiable. Identities are complex, historically bound[Read More…]

(Violence in any form with any motive can never solve a problem. Unless the senseless violence from all sides is ended soon, it will engulf the entire region resulting in an Armageddon!) The recent virtual massacre of the civilians in Pulwama has been likened to the massacre in Jalianwala Bagh during the British rule in India by a former judge[Read More…]

During our childhood, when elders at home talked about prices of essential commodities prevalent during their own childhood that they referred to as prone zamane (old times), our reaction would be of disbelief. Although their prone zamane was only 40 or 50 years backwards in time but the stories they told would bring it into our mind as an ancient[Read More…]

On 5th December, a daunting picture went Viral on Social Media in which 14 year old Cute Boy holding an AK-47 in one hand and and Knife in another. Mudasir a resident of Khankah Mohalla of Hajin town along with 16 year old Saqib Bilal had gone missing from home on 31 August this year after an encounter took place[Read More…]

A complete shutdown was observed across Kashmir valley on Sunday to mourn the civilian and militant killings in Sirnoo village of Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Saturday . All shops and other business establishments were closed in the Valley while public transport was off the road. Restrictions were imposed by the authorities in parts of Srinagar and Section 144[Read More…]

The Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer is a novel read of its kind. It provides an intimate account of life in the 1990’s when insurgency and counter-insurgency engulfed the valley. The author, through his personal experiences, highlights the agonies of being born and living in a conflict situation like Kashmir. Most of the narratives about Kashmir have been centered on[Read More…]

(In spite of tall claims from various politicians and the government functionaries about Tourism being the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, the sector seems to have lost government’s priority!) Kashmir has been a well-known Tourist destination throughout our history. In earlier times, great travelers used to visit the valley and describe its beauty in their travelogues and other writings. Before partition[Read More…]

Governor Malik’s decision to classify J&K Bank as a Public sector undertaking (PSU) should be seen in the broader scheme of Indian efforts to strengthen the tools of occupation which aim at controlling economic resources besides political, military & cultural control of the occupied. Before commenting on the specific act of J&K Bank, it needs to be stated that Under[Read More…]

Pre-View: State of J & K is most probably only piece of land on the world map that despite being profusely rich in many resources of self-reliance & self-satisfaction is not, & has not been, enabled to reap their benefit to its full advantage. Huge hydroelectric power resources of the State have not been exploited by the government-politicians & State-administration[Read More…]

5 December is the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a mass leader who dominated the politics of Kashmir for over half a century before passing away in 1982. For 22 years between his ouster as Prime Minister in 1953 and return as Chief Minister in 1975, he remained a dominant symbol of the popular demand for UN-mandated plebiscite in[Read More…]

On 24 October 2018, the State Government inaugurated in Srinagar a ‘library building’ named after the third generation Dogra ruler, Pratap Singh, whose memory in Kashmir only evokes painful feelings of oppression. On psychological plain, the development could be read as a statement to emphasize that theoretically the Dogra regime (1846-1947) might have since ended but its spirit still rules[Read More…]

(Many of Kashmir’s politicians have been acting like chameleons, changing their ideologies and convictions like the colours of these lizards) During the last seventy years Kashmir has given birth to a class of politicians who can be called the political “Chameleons”. They have been changing their colours with every political upheaval and now these have turned into virtual “Dinosaurs” destroying[Read More…]

Co-Written by Syed Mujtaba & Mirza jahanzeb Since 1989, the People of Jammu and Kashmir were killed, tortured, humiliated, and disappeared. Thousands of the people were killed due to cycle of violence prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir. Thousands of the people became permanently disabled due to ongoing circles of violence. Many are those who lost their beloved children, daughters, sisters,[Read More…]

The unconstitutional act of the governor of Jammu and Kashmir in disallowing political parties to explore formation of a new government reflect that the Modi government is not interested in resolving the Kashmir issue, rather, it would like to use the sentiments of ‘nationalism’ during the elections. It is like playing with fire where a historical grievance of a community[Read More…]

(Kashmir has the highest potential for the development of Winter Tourism if proper facilities are provided. We could easily have half a dozen ski-resorts!) In mid-eighties, one had the opportunity of flying in a helicopter with a European ski expert over the snow areas of entire Kashmir valley. He had remarked that Kashmir has unlimited “White Gold”. The oil reserves[Read More…]

USING THE INK OF MY TEARS I WROTE TO YOU ,THE ONE WITH GOLDEN ATTIRE. These verses are a fair display of our contemporary atmosphere in Kashmir. With the growing number of vehicles, roads in Kashmir are spattered with blood as accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities have been mounting over the years. No doubt, road accidents are in high[Read More…]

According to the white paper on Jammu & Kashmir published by the government of India early in 1948, Government of India made it clear that they would regard “Instrument of accession” as purely provisional until such time as the will of the people of the state be ascertained. This instrument of accession was signed under the Indian Independence act 1947, which[Read More…]

Peace is the foundation of prosperity among the nation states of the world and harmony forms the basic foundation of that enterprise.Man is the wonderful creation of God with an inherent sense of metaphysical and worldly belongings. The savage societies of the pre-historic times without any order and hierarchy of social organisation subsequently in the long timeframe paved way for[Read More…]

(For last few years the political space in Kashmir has been gradually made to shrink and now even the so called “mainstream” is being squeezed out!) Recently Omar Abdullah in an interview said that the political space for main stream parties has shrunk in Kashmir. One could ask him whether there ever was real political space in Kashmir any time[Read More…]

In a scenario, when politics in our state has become crazy, the ‘hegemonic discourses’ have the sway, and a big lie projected as truth is accepted, restlessness is a natural corollary. To fight this restlessness instead of reading new books on Kashmir by authors published by big houses in India,- of course, tutored, of late, I have started re-reading books[Read More…]

  A momentous day in the life of a leader, writer or poet is when he sees his ideas translated into reality. Iqbal did not live up to the day when his dream of a separate nation for Muslims of South Asia became a reality on 14 August 1947. He was not a part of the galaxy of leaders of[Read More…]

  (Apart from various perennial problems relating to demand and supply, the very system of transmitting and supplying power is extremely fragile) The recent power break down in the valley reportedly resulting from the collapse of a high voltage transmission tower caused by a foot or so of unusually heavy and untimely snowfall resulted in a power outage throughout the[Read More…]

The new ‘political’ Governor of J&K, Satya Pal Malik stepped into a volatile “Disturbed Area” at a testing and disturbing time. He is not the first to do so. However, he has in this short time several firsts to his credit. He did assure Kashmiris that under his watch there will be no underhand move to install a goverment. He[Read More…]

Kangri or Kangdhi , or Kanger in common Kashmiri parlance, is an indispensable part of socio-cultural milieu of Kashmir. All Kashmiris, cutting across gender, creed & age use & “consider it indispensable in the cold season”. Its cultural importance can be gauged from a Kashmiri saying: what Laila was to Mujnoon’s heart (legendary lovers), Kanger is to a Kashmiri. Kanger[Read More…]

Two sons did an excellent job! Both merit credit for doing a job that many other children placed in similar situations have chosen to ignore. Fathers of the two from ab initio were proactively involved in the struggle for ending the autocratic rule in the state. For their centrality in the struggle and proximity to the top leadership, the two[Read More…]

For we Kashmiris, the dignity and the basic right to life appear to become too elusive by the moment. Such is the plight of siege and oppression that has been inflicted upon us. This is more apparent to us who live here in South Kashmir. Another fortnight has passed which has seen innocent blood being splattered with almost inhuman nonchalance.[Read More…]

With the trigger prospering unabatedly without any let off, the autumn in Kashmir is characteristically more auburn, crimsoned and of course paler and tawny russet than before, both the perspiration from sky as well as shedding of the human blood – a deluge of death continues in free style. Death looks a happy go hunting, plucking of the buds, turning[Read More…]

On Saturday, Oct27, 2018, there was a graveyard silence outside, and everything is in mourning over spurt of killings during the autumn-  fifty youth killed in a month. In this weird scenario the moment I sat on my desk to write a weekly column Ispotted an old book titled ‘The Governor Sage or Saboteur’ on a shelf in my small[Read More…]

Newly appointed governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik on his interview with Times Now revelled many things including the Major Scam in Jammu and Kashmir Bank. Governor Malik in an interview with Navinka of Times now said that stone pelters will no longer be given amnesty, he also said that stone pelting saw an increase during the BJP-PDP[Read More…]

The Sun that like grand artist excited us when we would be still in our bed now stopped to be a painter for us. In wee hours, rising from behind the Zabarwan hillock, it now did not enter our bedroom through the latticed windows, to create those mesmerizing magical floral and geometrical images on the walls daubed with white clay[Read More…]

It just takes a humane heart to condemn, raise voice or feel empathetic with regard to the pain and suffering experienced by the people of Kashmir since ages, more specifically the mayhem that occurred quite recently in Kulgam Kashmir where 7 civilians lost their lives and around 50 were injured. It is almost impossible to express the pain and loss[Read More…]

News of violence and unrest coming from any part of the country – nay, the world – is disturbing. All the more so if it lasts and continues over long periods of time. And yet there are parts of the country that are special in a special way, and such news coming from there has a qualitatively altogether different effect[Read More…]

  (The PDD has been chasing the PPP for a longtime but the current year’s winter may see the climax of the problem!) No doubt because of our run of the river schemes we have extreme shortage due to low water level in winter yet we are unable to cope even though we have enough power available in the market[Read More…]

   History is replete with chronicles of conflicts since the dawn of the human civilization.Although, the scale and intensity of these conflicts can be variable,yet going through the narratives  and counter-narratives of the past,these conflicts ultimately paved way for the inquisitive enquiries and resolutions from the respective parties to the conflict in order to bridge the loopholes for the settlement[Read More…]

Honestly, they ‘have been more sinned against than sinning.’ Distraught at the plight of a million people with bright minds and deft hands this Shakespearean quote knocked my mind while walking through the streets, lanes, and bylanes of the heart of Srinagar city. None but the people they catapulted to power after big struggle and sacrifices have betrayed them and[Read More…]

Mythical or folklore tales have been a part of all ancient societies & communities. Such stories are still told verbally & even otherwise in writings, songs, paintings, etc, in many societies & communities to keep up their old traditions of culture & art. Romans had richest mythical history, so had Chinese & Arabs. But if you look at any of these[Read More…]

(Repealing of Article 35-A creates an apprehension among Kashmiris of being swept away by the rich from the mainland. On the contrary, Kashmir may turn into something which no one could have imagined!) The controversy regarding the article 35-A has now been in the news for sometime. The shut downs called by various organizations to show the resentment of the[Read More…]

(For past some time the officers in the state administration are being shuffled like a pack of cards which renders them ineffective) Apart from various political and security issues, the State of Jammu & Kashmir is bedevilled by lack of governance and unresponsive administration. Both the issuers emanate from the virtual absence of accountability which is a direct offshoot of[Read More…]

Like many other bibliophiles, the iconic bookstore, ‘The Kashmir Bookshop’ on the Residency Road had also become my haunt. Similar to some morning visitors to the India Coffee House, I also had become an avid dust jacket reader inside the bookshop and had developed the habit of flaunting my knowledge about books over a cup of hot coffee. The bookshop[Read More…]

Shortly before the termination of his rule in 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Hindu ruler of Kashmir, was known to have toyed with the idea of converting Sonawar, a quarter of uptown Srinagar, into a lake to accord a unique peculiarity to his palace, Talay Manzil (Abode of Fortune) of sitting between two lakes, the other being the famed[Read More…]

Flag is not a mere piece of fabric that flutters about in the breeze. It represents the feelings & ideals of the people for that for which it has been created & thus stands for. The first Kashmir flag was adopted by the first largest political party of J&K Muslims, All J & K Muslim Conference, which was formed in[Read More…]

Acting on the recommendation of Mountbatten, the British Government on 3rd June, 1947, announced its plan of partition of India into two Dominions of India & Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act, 1947 enacted by the British on 18th July 1947 gave legal recognition to the creation of the two Dominions. Under the Act, British suzerainty over the provinces including 584[Read More…]

  Some days, back on social media network Facebook, someone posted a black and white photograph of a handsome turbaned man draped in an up-button black coat. The picture looked straight into the eyes of the surfers telling terrifying tales of suppression of the yester years. It had hundreds of likes and dozens of shares.It generated scores of euphoric and[Read More…]

During the heydays of European colonialism, ‘the beautiful valley of Kashmir inhabited by ugly Kashmiris’ was the standard signature of a European travel narrative about Kashmir. Nevertheless, no European travellers attributed the term ‘hypocrite’ with Kashmiris. One would presumably understand the lack of agency among colonial subjects in imagining their identities. Their stereotyping of Kashmiri people was, therefore, understandable and[Read More…]

(Reportedly, Prime Minister Modi is going to announce the “Final” solution of the Kashmir problem before 2019 elections!) Recently there was a news report that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to announce the “Final” solution of the Kashmir problem very soon. In fact, the Eurasian Times on September 12 carried an item titled, “PM Modi will divide Kashmir in[Read More…]

  Few days back another voluminous biography was added to grand list of biographies on Mahatma Gandhi.Seventy years after the British sailed across the Indian Ocean the stories of the two protagonists of the India’s independence movement Mahatma Gandhi and Quaid Azam  Jinnah continue to engage scholars and biographers. Notwithstanding, the two charismatic leaders of the subcontinent  largely forgotten by[Read More…]

There is a Persian distich “agar kahat ul rijal uftad, azehan uns kamgiri yake  afghan , doyum kamboh, soyam badzaat kashmiri”:   (translation: although there is no dearth of men to be there in the world, yet never cultivate acquaintances with three kinds of people: (1) Afghan, (2) Kamboh & (3) Badzaat Kashmiri) This Persian couplet has, from time immemorial, been associated with the name of[Read More…]

Marriage is a sacred institution in the human societies.Down the passing phases of time,the human beings have tied knots of man and woman in pairs to continue the order of the universe.God created human being in pairs and created humans out of those predecessors.This is even today the order of the nature and will remain so forever. Marriage is a[Read More…]

(Instead of wasting time in mock drills to test the flood preparedness, the government should get down earnestly to implement urgent measures for flood prevention) Recently there was a high level meeting to discuss the flood preparedness and it was decided that mock drills would be conducted to test the flood preparedness. In fact a tented colony to house the[Read More…]

For over 70 years, unarmed Kashmiris, including men, women, school-going boys and girls and aged people have continued to witness mental, psychological as well as physical humiliation and torture. Every day, there are incidents of gashing of eyes, use of ever-new methods of persecution during unending curfews,  torching of their villages along with crops and destruction of their business as[Read More…]

(Lack of accountability, lopsided governance, dishonesty and corruption in every field stem from the basic malaise which is the perennial political uncertainty) During last 70 years or so Kashmir has off and on faced one or the other turmoil. In fact, it has seen four wars between its neighbours. There have been some periods of apparent calm but the uncertainty[Read More…]

This year in June, Sheikh Irfan’s viral video and his outburst against the resistance leadership at a condolence meet of Kaiser Amin evoked more heat than light with regard to the question of resistance and Hurriyat’s role. As soon as the video was shared on social media, Indian ‘nationalist’ media, taking video as a witness, blamed Hurriyat for the colossal[Read More…]

The world of today is altogether in contradiction to the times of the previous ages. Technology has taken the global order by a major revolutionary storm and made the world a knowledge driven global network. Internet forms the mainstay of the current times and is in fact a boon companion of man in the modern times. Internet is the constitutive[Read More…]

The “Carte Blanche” of Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly-Article 35-A was incorporated in the Constitution of India by presidents order in 1954. The president’s order provision is under the Article 370 (1)(d) of Indian constitution. This article allows the president of India to make certain “exceptions and modification” to the constitution for the welfare of residents of Jammu and Kashmir.[Read More…]

For the past seventy years the war of words, on the floor of the United Nation’s Security Council on the Kashmir Dispute, has been a routine with India and Pakistan. It, in fact, began, on 30 December 1947, when New Delhi sent a cable to the Security Council, through its representative at UN. The cable, making a complaint under Article[Read More…]

Is there really no solution to Kashmir problem? Are we all going to face this Democratic Hitlerism for generations? Every morning I wake up I get to know someone has been killed, someone arrested, some innocent school going kids losing their eyesight for something that they don’t even know. I am feared; if I go outside I might not come[Read More…]

Every year tens of thousands of Hindus from the mainland India set off for an arduous pilgrimage to Amarnath Yatra in South Kashmir.  The yatra invented during the Dogra period would witness a limited number of pilgrims and would last for a couple of weeks. It would be a low key affair bereft of political overtones. However, in the course[Read More…]

In all literature; history, memoirs, and travelogues, Kashmir is described as a country.Notwithstanding, being ruled by  Moguls, Durranis, and Sikhs through their governors for exacting taxes to the extent of famishing people, it continued to be known as   a country.It retained, this title even after India and Pakistan were born as an independent dominions.For the first time, it lost this[Read More…]

(The cup of poison called “Hemlock” which Socrates was forced to drink has always turned out to be the cup of the “Water of Life” for the mainstream politicians of Kashmir!) The former Chief Minister after losing the seat of power by sudden and unannounced withdrawal of support by BJP to her coalition government declared that the initial alliance with[Read More…]

A lot has been written about 9/8/1953 removal of Sheikh M. Abdullah (for brevity, SMA) from chair of State PM. In spite of that, more curiosity stills fills many minds among pro-n-anti-SMA to know why he, after helping India, internally as well as externally, in taking JK, was considered threat to India which led to his unceremonious dismissal from PM-ship[Read More…]

Kashmir is a vexed issue of the Asian sub-continent that assumes dynamic dimensions and increases its momentum with the currents of time with a sort of deep permeated growing alienation of the masses and simultaneous floating wave of armed rebellion against the system. It is the problem of multitude and a vendetta which refuses to cow down with the periodic[Read More…]

Unprecedented shutdown against Supreme Court hearing on Article 35-A shows Kashmiris’ concern not only to protect their unique identity but their very existence!  Before one delves on the threat to the existence and the identity, it would be worthwhile to describe the unique Kashmiri identity. There are many theories about the origin of Kashmiris. It is one of the most[Read More…]

  The storyof contemporary Kashmir would have remained under wraps, marked as “classified,” “top secret” never to be toldto the world.But,for some journalist living true to their professional ethics, it was reported.Annie Gowen, graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas recipient of Human Rights Press Award of Special Merit 2018,[Read More…]

Co-Written by Ashish Kumar Singh & Dr. Wakar Amin Being ranked as the fourth-worst country for religious intolerance out of 198 nations in April 2017, it is high time that the claims of “unity of diversity” are crosschecked in every nook and corner of India. This ranking was done a Pew Research Canter’s study. The state of Kashmir has been affected[Read More…]

The worst calamities for Kashmir apart from natural disasters are the adulteration in food products and the sale of fake medicine! Kashmiris have now become used to both natural and man-made disasters striking one after the other. In fact, Nature has been rather very kind and it is the fellow human beings whose material greed has turned into the instruments[Read More…]

  On a couple of times, I noticed a man wearing grief on his face as withering leaves on   hackberries on graveyards strolling on dusty lawns of the Srinagar court. At some other times, I had spotted him silently sittingin  corners of the  canopies erected by the human rights activists or the resistance leadership to mark  the world human rights[Read More…]

During a study tour on 31 August 2000, when some teachers and students of Degree College Sopore discovered a fossil of a mammoth at Pampore, 15 kms south of Srinagar, geologists in Kashmir were excited. The find, comprising a skull with complete lower and upper jaws, a broken tusk and a vertebra, was highlighted as ‘the largest ever unearthed in[Read More…]

The first batch of 820 (Haj-1439) pilgrims left Srinagar by air on 14 July 2018. In all, about 10,196 pilgrims from Jammu & Kashmir will perform Haj this year through the State Haj Committee. Of these, 8450 are from Kashmir. The last flight will take off from Srinagar on 25 July. The return flights commencing on 25 August will conclude[Read More…]

The rising anger against age old State atrocities & injustices, augmented by the news of sacrilegious acts by non-Muslims pouring in from some Jammu areas, caused outright outrage among the Muslims of Kashmir. (Disputed Legacy, Alastar Lamb, pages 89-90) It was in 1931 when the growing dissatisfaction of the Kashmiri people burst into flame. (Danger in Kashmir, Josef Korbel, page[Read More…]

  The date 6 August 2018, has been hanging like the sword of Damocles on the heads of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, across the religious, regional, ethnic and linguistic divide. On this date, the Supreme Court of India is to hear Public Interest Litigations on the Article 35A dealing with permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2014,[Read More…]

(In spite of the fact that one and all claim Tourism to be back bone of Kashmir’s economy, yet the government does not seem to accord it the priority it deserves!) Almost all the governments have been declaring from various pulpits that the Tourism is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. Unfortunately, so far there is neither an approved “Policy of[Read More…]

India is a land of diversity where people from different regions merge in a single Union. Jammu and Kashmir is the only northern state of India dogged with an overridden unhealthy political atmosphere which augurs ill to the tenets of democracy itself. The Political equations in the state have undergone a comprehensive transformation down the passing times. The PDP-BJP coalition[Read More…]

Nature has indeed endowed the valley of Kashmir & the neighbouring mountains with an abundance of fine springs including the one named “Kounsar Nag”. (The ancient geography of ancient Kashmir (1899) by M A Stein, pages 32, 72) It is a two miles long & ½ mile wide beautiful lake lying above Kongwattan village in Pir Panchal mountainous range of[Read More…]

My take on the book, ‘Kashmir Glimpse of History and Story of Struggle’ by Saifuddin Soz the past week in this column kick-started an important debate on the social media. Minus, some unsavoury remarks by some friends on the book and the scholarship of the author, the debate generated was important in as much as, it raised some important questions[Read More…]

The cynical break-up of the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir by BJP without prior notice in Jammu and Kashmir is a clear evidence of its plans to continue with the policy of “no dialogue” and harsh suppression of all forms of protest. The policy that Modi government has been following is a combination of (a) harsh crackdowns on[Read More…]

(The most destructive element in every sphere of Kashmir Society is the widespread nepotism! For any real progress it has not only to be opposed but eradicated) Most of the ills in Kashmir in every sphere of the society emanate from extensive nepotism. It would be interesting to study the rise of nepotism and its prevalence in our parts. The[Read More…]

Three civilians including a teenage girl were killed allegedly in government forces action during clashes in Redwani area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday. A senior police officer told news agency GNS that army’s patrolling party opened fire upon a group of youth after they pelted stones on them in Hawoora area of Khudwani near Redwani area. The deceased[Read More…]

The solution lies in a tripartite dialogue or in implementation of UN-Resolutions   In 1947, with the passing of the Independence act by the British,two separate countries become a political reality in South Asia. Here were princely states and Kashmir being one among them witnessed terrific political changes. No one may have ever thought that Partition would divide Kashmir too.[Read More…]

  (The trauma caused by the disastrous flood of 2014 makes living in Srinagar’s low lying colonies virtually a continuous nightmare, especially during the rainy days!) The recent flood caused by just a couple of days of continuous rain created a wave of panic among the people living in different parts of Srinagar especially those in the low lying areas[Read More…]

(The Kashmir Society has become so corrupt that one feels the corruption has gone into the blood stream of the people!) There was a time when word “corruption” would give a scary feeling. In fact, calling somebody corrupt was probably the worst abuse. Not now! It has become a word of daily usage to which all of us seem to[Read More…]

SRINAGAR: Ali masjid which is the second largest mosque in the state after Jamia Masjid was constructed during 600 AD, reason why it is entitled as haunted mosque because people believe that it was surrounded by Jins ( haunted ghosts), initially this mosque had hardly any locality around during the late 90s and the mosque had a water canal starting[Read More…]

  The withdrawal of Bhartiya Janata Party’s support from its ally the People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir has plunged the state into a quandary. The Governor’s rule and the promulgation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) have pushed the state into uncertainties. Where do we go from here is story for another day to tell here[Read More…]

Walking through the roads of Shopian, as I proceed towards the main market of Shopian, the great and significant Jamia Masjid grasps my eyes, amid all the hustle bustle of the main chowk where occupants mostly come putting up their stalls, it’s historic prominence and beautiful architecture makes me contemplate over and over again, how beautifully the architecture is carved.[Read More…]

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) politics has once again entered a cycle of uncertainty following BJP’s decision to pull out of the coalition with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) formed three years ago. It eventually led to the resignation of its chief minister Mehbooba Mufti whose decision to join hands with the BJP had, in fact, raised many eyebrows even at[Read More…]

The BJP yesterday pulled out of the Jammu and Kashmir government headed by People’s Democratic Party leader Ms Mehbooba Mufti. Speaking to the media in Delhi, the party in charge of J & K Mr Ram Madhav said that this alliance had become untenable as the situation in the valley was worsening every day. According to Madhav that ceasefire was[Read More…]

The regulation of street vending act 2014 is not extended to Jammu and Kashmir the reason is best known to the legislators, however, Minister of State for Housing & Urban Development, Ms. AsieaNaqash promised that her government will enact the ‘J&K Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2016’ on the pattern of ‘Street Vendors (Protection[Read More…]

Young boys are joining the rebel groups consistently that signifies the complete failure of Hurriyat’s policies of leading the conflict to its logical conclusion. No one seems obedient to adhere their thoughts on the peaceful demonstration that could secede Kashmir from the clutches of India. Kashmiris are trying to convince two nations to enter into dialogue and resolve the protracted[Read More…]

In ancient Kashmir there existed “several market places and bazaars in the city of Srinagar”, while the first “wholesale market” of Kashmir, Maharaj Gunj, was “lately constructed”.  (Gazetteer of Kashmir (1890), 772). Sir W R Lawrence writes: “In Kashmir there are certain depots of trade, the chief being Srinagar, Baramula, Islamabad, Shupiyon, and Bandipur. Latterly Panjabi traders have opened business[Read More…]

  (We have literally eaten away most of our water bodies after first polluting these beyond redemption) As the legend describes it, Kashmir Valley was a huge lake.  Kalhana, the author of the earliest recoded history of Kashmir, Rajtarangni, states that the valley of Kashmir was a huge lake called Satisar. The Lake was drained through the Varmul gorge by[Read More…]

There is no history of a dialogue between Srinagar and New Delhi for the resolution of the “Kashmir Dispute.”If a dialogue takes place now, it will be making history. Moreover, the leader from New Delhi, who initiates talks for deciding the future of the state, the cause of wars and skirmishes between India and Pakistan and a nuclear flash point[Read More…]

(Kashmir has been described as a land-locked country but with the advent of civil aviation it became quite accessible. However, some parts still continue to be remote especially in winter!) Historically, Kashmir has always been known as a land-locked country in the high Himalayan Mountains. In the earliest Chinese records Kashmir is described as, “a country enveloped on all sides[Read More…]

  Sometimes a new book for its contested contents makes one dust the archives and look for answers and explanations for the controversies raised in it. In a situation like that of our where peopleare caught up in a morass of political uncertaintyandare struggling for ending it many times, books are sponsored by the establishment to cloud the historical realities. [Read More…]

A youth was crushed to death by a speeding paramilitary CRPF vehicle near Jamia Masjid, Srinagar on Friday. Kaiser Bhat, 21, of Fateh-a- Kadal has been identified as the dead person. Another youth also sustained injuries after being run over by the vehicle. The deceased youth is survived by two teenage sisters and had recently started Kashmir art business. He[Read More…]

(Linking cessation of military operations against militants with the holy month of Ramadan amounts to communalizing the move which should normally have no connection with religion) The Central Government recently announced the cessation of cordon and search operations by the Army during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to give peace a chance. The announcement was made on the request[Read More…]

Kashmiri Dictionary defines the word “Khokh” as “an effigy used to scare away birds from fields of crop”. Its English equivalent is “scarecrow” which is used by peasants during harvest season in their farmlands to keep away the pesky birds from damaging the crop. That said, we know that this word was used by Kashmiri parents, usually mothers, till very[Read More…]

(Going by International Civil Aviation Standards, the Civil Airport at Srinagar does not, in reality, function as an International Airport) For a change, let us see how the airport is described in the famous online encyclopedia, Wikepedia. It says, “Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport (IATA: SXR, ICAO: VISR) also known as Srinagar Airport is an international airport that serves Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is[Read More…]

No other right has been so dear to humans as the right to freedom. Freedom has been the bedrock of whole humanity. Then clearly stated the history of all human societies has been the history of struggle for freedom. The very creation of the humans has been justified by the free will granted to them. So it is freedom that[Read More…]

  The recent announcement by New Delhi to halt its military operations in Kashmir that seek to kill nominally trained and armed militants and the youth that lead agitations during the military operations is a welcome move. After two years of relentless and wanton violence, mostly provoked by the illogical military response to a struggle that is primarily based on[Read More…]

Prefatory:   Notwithstanding that the printing press was invented in mid 15th century, the initial newspapers in the world started their publication in Germany, England & other European countries only in 17th & 18th centuries. During 20th century, radio & television were invented, & the journalists used them to disseminate information among public on matters related to society, politics, culture,[Read More…]

Mohodai Sena Pati Ji: Namashkar Ever since you assumed the top position within the Indian army, Kashmiris have been following your statements with quite an interest. This is because they are unique despite now being too many – from outright threats to elderly counsels, and prophecies to the ones that clearly show that you are as clueless as the rest[Read More…]

(“The country of Kashmir may be conquered by the force of spiritual merit, but not by the force of soldiers!” Kalhana) Recently the Army Chief challenged Kashmiri militants saying that they cannot get Azaadi as they cannot fight his Army. “I want to tell Kashmiri youth that Azaadi isn’t possible. It won’t happen. Why are you picking up weapons? We will always[Read More…]

Seventy-one years on we have become so used to the ‘hegemonic discourses’ that once a new one is churned out; people laugh it out.  Many an important political scientist like Antonio Gramsci have dwelled upon the subject ‘hegemonic discourse’ in great detail and come up with scholarly treatises on the subject. Instead of getting lost in the academic jargons in[Read More…]

(The present blood bath in Kashmir can only be stopped by revoking AFSPA which is virtually a license to kill and destroy without any accountability whatsoever!)  In the famous Ian Fleming’s series, James Bond, an operative of the Her Majesty’s Secret Service, had a code name“007”. The 00 suffix according to intelligence parlance stands for the “License to kill”! James[Read More…]

On 16-03-1846, the British Rulers of India sold the territory of Kashmir with its all dependencies for 75 Lakh Nanak Shahi rupees to Maharja Gulab Singh Dogra of Jammu vide infamous Treaty of Amritsar. Considering the total population at that time of “all the hilly or mountainous country”, every living human soul of Kashmir was sold vide the said sale[Read More…]

Every day our youth lay down their lives. Every day the monster of violence and destruction, wreak havoc in the valley of flowers. Every day devil enters paradise to commit sins. Every day we carry the bullet-ridden bodies of our budding flowers and bury them, express anguish and shed tears. We mourn, and then there is a sort of truce[Read More…]

The story of Kashmir continues to remain a story of betrayals. This history of betrayals dates back to the year 1586 when Akbar enticed Yousuf Shah Chak to Delhi for negotiations and then imprisoned him there, thus, paving the way for independent Kashmir’s annexation in 1589. This was the point when Kashmir first lost its independent identity and nationhood as[Read More…]

The Blue Gate, leading to a magnificent two-story white building with blue windows on the foothills of the Mount Solomon, Srinagar has been central to the post-1947 Kashmir narrative. In 1964, when topmost United Nations official Ralph Bunch arrived in Kashmir, the then premier students’ organization, the Jammu and Kashmir Students and Youth League organized a march to the white[Read More…]

                      Students have an important role in every society and state. Not only in social and educational affairs but also in the political arena, students have always played a part of paramount significance. A look at the revolutionary movements of the world gives us ample sense about the immense role that students played in shaping the destiny of various nations.[Read More…]

  On 15 March 1929, Sir Albino Banerjee, a Bengali Christen, who for two years had been  Foreign and Political Minister of   Maharaja Hari Singh had observed that the rulers had been treating “Mohammadan population” worst than “cattle.”  Ninety years later, when the idea of governance in the world has undergone a sea change,andcolonialism has crashed themindset of those in[Read More…]

Dear Narendra, Who do I mean by a common Indian? And why did I choose to write to you? I am writing this to anyone among 1,35,06,87,984 Indians who were alive till Saturday. Among this vast dizzying number of names, among Rams and Shyams, I chose a name for you – Narendra, a name, a phenomenon, you identify most with.[Read More…]

Sometimes, some news stories published on the inner pages because of their imminent political fallout are more significant than those that for their immediate news value make the lead stories. On Saturday, a four column news story published on page seven of the newspaper caught my attention more than the two BJP ministers resigning at the insistence of the party[Read More…]

Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in his autobiography “Blazing Chinar” ( 2016 edition, Gulshan Books Srinagar) in chapter 36 titled “Medley of Internal Troubles” has in a real medley of things connected “accession” & “sending of Indian troops” to Kashmir to the “Tribal Raid” of 23rd October, 1947. However, he openly admits that it was only at his repeated “request” & after[Read More…]

In Voltaire‘s novel, the title character, Candide, on board, asks another character, an old sage, Martin: “Do you believe that men have always massacred one another as they do today..?” Martin tacitly concurring with Candide, says: “Do you believe that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them?” ”Without doubt,” said Candide. Without doubt, on fateful day of[Read More…]

(The recent security forces anti-insurgency operations appear like the biblical giant Goliath chasing the miniscule David with lot of collateral damage) The “Bloody Sunday” which resulted in the death of 20 persons (militants, soldiers and civilians) and injuries to over 150 persons including pellet injuries in the eyes to over 40 persons has been the worst episode of all round[Read More…]

The past Monday, when my column, ‘Geelani Release- A Way Forward,’ appeared in this newspaper, I felt remorseful of having written something outlandish- far fetched from the ground reality.It was flagrantly in contradiction with the black bordered banner lead stories, ‘Bloody Sunday: 20 Killed’ in all the newspapers.The blood curdlingdetails of blood bath enacted in wee morning hours of Sunday[Read More…]

No historian on Kashmir has ever used the term “Kashmiriyat” in his reference to its socio-cultural values. There are, however, some “assumptions” about its genesis, all converging on a single point that it was brainchild of NC. Many say it has its origin to post-1947 political developments of JK when NC founder under the influence of his countable number of[Read More…]

Another year started with gory scenes when Kashmir is engulfed with deadly silence, with tangled concertina wires blocking maximum towns of South Kashmir and parts of Srinagar city. Nervy Indian troops occupying lanes and bi-lanes. The only voices you can hear are from police gypsies, armored vehicles and the sirens of ambulances. This year the uprising started with Killing on[Read More…]

(Tourism Department needs to direct increased marketing efforts on South India and South East Asia which are emerging as potential Tourism markets for Kashmir) The 64th Convention of the Travel agents Association of India has just concluded in Srinagar. The Convention was attended by over 600 delegates from all over the country. The Convention was held in Srinagar after 31[Read More…]

  There is an anonymous saying, you don’t know what is in the people’s hearts, inhistory,and you go by records. The records reveal that the mayhem of April 04 1979 was an expression of mature tendencies in National Conference against any sort of political dissent. Seven decades ago, in the streets of Amira Kadal area of Srinagar city, Sheikh Abdullah[Read More…]

Digging wells when house is in flames cannot save it. We have tendency of doing things that way. We voice concern on facing a situation and keep stiff upper lip when it passes, until it approaches again. Crying for the damages caused is futile, shrewdness would be, planning for unforeseen and learn from mistakes made in the past, that is[Read More…]

Following the  carnage and heart wrenching killing of young boys on Sunday, the 1st April 2018, Kashmir Centre for Social & Development studies (KCSDS ), a prominent civil society group of Kashmir,in an emergency meeting,  expressed extreme disgust and outrage at the human and moral depravity demonstrated by   Mehbooba led govt  in brutally killing   boys in their teens and twenties.[Read More…]

On First April, in many societies & Western countries, lies are spread in the shape of jokes, hoax & pranks by people on their friends, relatives, neighbours & colleagues which put the latter to great embarrassment & sometimes to harassment or actual harm. It is a custom called April Fools’ Day which actually calls upon people to concoct a special[Read More…]

    Indian Home Minister’s recent say; ‘Kashmir is, was, and will always be ours’ is not any different or new statement to the ears of Kashmiris. Since Indian forces landed on this territory in 1947, Kashmiris are used to such versions. Crown of India, Integral part are few more phrases that are most often used for erstwhile princely state[Read More…]

The Kashmiri word “Pheran” is contraction of the Persian word “pairahan” which literally means garment & which clearly shows its origin to the time of Mughal rulers who had Persian descent; notwithstanding, some Kashmiri Pandits in recent times have tried to connect its origin to the Greek word “Apron” & even the Tajik word “Peraband. But both these words are[Read More…]

In 2015, one Deepak Sharma a RTI activist from Jammu filed an application with General Administration Department/GAD of the State Government seeking details about who had conferred sobriquet of “Shere e Kashmir” on Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah / SMA. GAD in reply said that there was not any official record conferring or confirming that the sobriquet was ever officially bestowed upon[Read More…]

(The holding of the 64th Convention and Exhibition by the Travel Agents Association of India in Srinagar is expected to send positive signals for Kashmir in different travel markets) After thirty years, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is holding its 64th Annual Convention in Srinagar. This is the apex body of Travel Agents throughout India and holding of[Read More…]

  Some days back, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, decided to step aside and passed on the baton of the Tahreek Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir to his second in command Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai.  On the expected lines, the decision taken at a Shoora meeting of the Tahreek Hurriyat made it to headlines in the newspapers across the sub-continent. The decision caused[Read More…]

Homer is the name ascribed to one or more men, presumed to have lived between 700-800 BC, among Greek . Homer is credited with writing of two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which hold central position in Greek mythology & Western literature. The Iliad is the sequel to the Odyssey. Both are classic poetry that will hold sway[Read More…]

(To elaborate the political nature of Kashmir problem, one needs to examine the historical perspective of the land and its people) Recently Kashmir’s Finance Minister lost his job for saying that Kashmir is not a political problem. Apart from that he had denigrated the political leadership of Kashmir standing for its total freedom. He had stated that they were barking[Read More…]

At times some words or phrases or idioms, more particularly those maliciously spoken to demean a nations pride get badly stuck up in one’s mind. Like witches, they haunt even in the bed.  These cannot be jettisoned from the mind unless talked about boldly and candidly. For couple of days,an idiom ‘barking up the wrong tree’ has been bothering my[Read More…]

Nicknaming people, places & things is an old practice among all communities usually to express affection, but in Kashmir certain nicknames in vogue till now, while some others handed-down the memory lane by elders for posterity carry ridicule with them. To start with, if you think the underlying purport of the nicknames “Nabdhi” , “Ikhwani” or “renegade” or “betrayer” &[Read More…]

The 16th of March is the blackest day for all Kashmiris. On this day in 1846, an inhuman sale of Kashmir and Kashmiris was made with a person (Gulab Singh) whom Lord Hardinge called ‘the greatest rascal of Asia’ by a nation (Britain) to which Napoleon called ‘the country of shopkeepers’. Ironically, this sordid sale of the transaction was erroneously[Read More…]

As Shakespeare has said, “A rose is a rose by whatever name you call it” Similarly, Kashmir is a serious problem whether you name it Social or Political that is presently irrelevant! Haseeb Drabu, lost his job by merely stating that Kashmir is a Social Issue and not a Political Issue. Incidentally, he is one of the architects of the[Read More…]

    Being from Hajan and waking up to the azaan being played to a familiar beat of bullets, to a familiar anguish and desperation in the family, to the fear of a stray bullet smashing your window anytime and hitting you in the bed, to a strange discomfort to hear the gun shots off and join the unruly crowd[Read More…]

          Marriage (Nikah) is highly recommended and much encouraged in the religion of Islam. Teacher of humankind Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) explicitly stated the importance of marriage in many hadith and even said ‘‘Marriage is my Sunnah; whosoever keeps away from it has nothing to do with us” (Ibn-majah). Marriage is described as the legal contract between[Read More…]

(In view of the failure of the government to implement various flood prevention measures especially dredging and strengthening of river banks, someone has to become a Hakeem Suyya to save Srinagar!) The popular minister of the famous Kashmiri King Avanti Varman, Hakeem Suyya, is still remembered everywhere as a Messiah who saved Kashmir from the ravages of flooded Jhelum and[Read More…]

Any argument against Article 35-A of the Constitution of India in isolation from the political and social conditions in which partition of India, accession of JK with India took place and in which Orders and Notifications of 1927 and 1932 were issued by the then Ruler of JK Maharaja Hari Singh is patently bound to lead to wrong conclusions about[Read More…]

Instead of making Srinagar, the city of the Sun into a “Smart” city, it has been turned into a virtual prison! Sometime back there was talk of declaring some cities all over the country as “Smart” cities for proper development on modern lines. Srinagar was also included in the list of these cities. Incidentally, Srinagar, the City of the Sunis[Read More…]

It presages something cataclysmic is in the offing that has the potential of tearing apart the social and political fabric of the state beyond repair. It should send alarm bells ringing across the divide. Moreover, it calls for serious attention, far beyond a tweet or a post on the social media or a statement in the newspaper. In fact, the[Read More…]

 “We know about every massacre that has taken place close to the present, but the ones in the distant past are like trees falling in the forest with no one to hear them.”Steven Pinker. Hiagam a small hamlet, barely 20 kilometres from the District Headquarters Baramulla,  is world famous for the wetland Rakh-i-Hiagam . This village still struggles  with the[Read More…]

                  Once the synonym of paradise, Kashmir is no longer so. Now often described as the valley of grief and mourning, the Kashmir hardly witnesses a single day of respite from bloodshed. Grief-struck population especially youth yearn to have peaceful survival. To escape the situation and environment, where irrespective of their age, social status, and occupation etc their life is[Read More…]

Within the span of not more than ten days there have been two incidents of Kashmiris being beaten up in Haryana. The first news came from Mahendergarh around the last weekend, and the second just a couple of days back from Mullana in Ambala district. In 2016 there were similar reports of Kashmiri youth being beaten up in a private[Read More…]

Co-Written By: Zeeshan Rasool Khan& Eram Hameed Khan Wilhelm von Humboldt aptly said: “Absolutely nothing is as important for nation’s culture as its language”. Culture and language have the deep-rooted relationship with language constituting an indispensable element of culture. The latter is key component involved in nation building and can be termed as oil that keeps nation and society functional.[Read More…]

Kashmir stirs emotion, debate, politics, sense of rights, legal and geopolitical questions, terrible memories and sad stories, sense of urgency, demands, activism, pains, poems and songs, allurement, greed, mobility, hatred, plans, killings, conspiracies, skirmishes and war. A major part of political psyche in and around the region has been anchored in Kashmir. Most of the mainstream media reports focus on[Read More…]

Dehradun is one of the safest cities in India. It is considered as an educational hub, with students from every nook and corner of India – especially from Kashmir valley – coming here for schooling as well as for higher education. Making life easy especially for those who have come travelling from distances away from home with academic objectives, crimes[Read More…]

Dear Minister, The number of disasters over the world is increasing year by year. These disasters include both natural calamities as well as human-made conflicts that take millions of lives every year and cause huge damage to property and livelihood. The deaths occur predominantlyin the poor countries. Jammu and Kashmir state, due to its geographical locations and formations is a[Read More…]

(The most important flood prevention measure of dredging the river Jhelum and the Spill over Channel seems illusive as ever as one does not see any physical progress on the ground!) After the disastrous flood of 2014, the most important task of the government was to initiate immediate flood prevention measures. The top most measure was the dredging of the[Read More…]

The aftermath of partition of India had varied consequences; some were short term while others were long term. The unresolved long term consequence was and is the Kashmir dispute. Jammu and Kashmir was India’s largest princely state in 1947, with both an area of 84,471 sq. miles and international boundaries with China and Afghanistan. In 1945–46, the J&K regime collected[Read More…]

I am a wanderer and an explorer, I will travel to any corner of this planet if it intrigues me or catches my fancy. Somewhere in 2017, I decided that I must travel to Kashmir, maybe I was attracted to the place as it was a boiling cauldron of careless politics and tragic lives. It is strange to think about[Read More…]

On Saturday, while India was scrambling out of the hangover of celebration of its 69th Republic Day, its Army was creating mayhem in a small village called Ganowpora in South Kashmir’s Shopian district as 3 teenagers were shot dead from point blank range and dozens of others critically injured. It all happened when a small crowd of young men began[Read More…]

(The people seem to be socially disconnected physically from each other due to the events of last couple of decades. This in turn has resulted in many psychological problems!) In 2015, Medicines Sans Frontier conducted a survey in Kashmir about the mental health of the people. “Nearly 1 in 5 adults (19%) in the Kashmir Valley is living with significant[Read More…]

(As always, people from every side are trying to “manage” the problem in Kashmir rather than resolve it once for and all!) The authorities in Delhi and Kashmir are these days announcing a number of measures to somehow engage the “rebellious” youth all over Kashmir. Firstly, harsh measures are being taken to trace and liquidate militants. In fact, the Army[Read More…]

(Any initiative in reviving and expanding the agricultural base of Kashmir which has been the backbone of our economy is most welcome) A columnist friend Arjimand Hussain Talib has recently launched Ziraat Times both a print publication and an online portal to fully revive and promote the dwindling agricultural economy of the State. The focus of the bi-lingual print publication[Read More…]

(The operation of a private helicopter service is welcome but it needs full government backing from the State and the Centre to succeed) Recently the announcement about the formation of a private limited company, Kashmir Air Services was made by some local entrepreneurs known as Dar brothers. They have been operating a reputed timber company known as Dar Timber Company.[Read More…]

(Some politicians have been virtually acting as leeches,stuck to the body of “Kashmir”, sucking every drop of its blood and attaching to it again and again even when thrown away!) “Mainstream” is a very commonly used word in Kashmir these days. It is generally applied to the politicians advocating and supporting Kashmir’s relationship with India. When one talks of streams,[Read More…]

The resistance in Kashmir has seen many peaks and troughs in the recent years. The persistent arts have become a tool of the powerful to let oppressed in false sense of hope. The introduction of perverted Sufism and Sufi traditions, the unusual hype by the corporate media houses to divert the attention of commoners, unavailability of promotion platforms of admirable[Read More…]

Dear Veeru (Virendra Sehwag); yesterday as I came back from my work and was checking pictures of my younger brother, a known cricketer of south Kashmir who is currently behind the bars, I came through a news from  different news portals  that “Sehwag Hails Security Forces for Eliminating over 200 Terrorists This Year, Congratulates Them On A ‘Double Century’.” Let me[Read More…]

(Recalling youth from violence through confidence building measures is good but the question is why did the youth take to violence in the first place?) The Chief Minister has announced amnesty for the first time stone pelters. The cases against these would be reviewed and withdrawn. The initiative is supposed to have been taken on the advice of the new[Read More…]

  With the end of British paramountcy on 15th August 1947 India’s towering leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, famously declared India’s ‘tryst with destiny’. What followed the aspirational beginning of a new India was light years away from Nehru’s democratic socialism or secularism . Hundreds & thousands of Muslim refugees were killed, if not with the consent of Nehru, but at least[Read More…]

(People allege that the governance is missing in Kashmir but in reality, the State has been put on an “Auto-Pilot” like an aircraft taking a long range flight!) It is usual practice with the flight crew of a long range passenger aircraft goingon long flights usually inter-continental ones, to put the aircraft on “Auto-Pilot”. The “Auto-Pilot” controls all functions of[Read More…]

(The present condition of the flood spill over channel is such that even a small flood can turn into a disaster!) For last three years various engineering departments have been inspecting, debating and discussing flood prevention measures to prevent any disastrous floods in future. The 2014 flood which was the most disastrous to have occurred in a century, has not[Read More…]

After another Uprising Indian Government resorted to its last  option ‘dialogue’ to bring back ‘normalcy’ in Kashmir. Since July 8 2016, when famous militant commander Burhan Wani got killed in an alleged encounter by Indian security forces, it has been a tough time for state as well as central government to settle down the nerves. It has  been a norm for Government[Read More…]

(For any dialogue to succeed the primary requirement is a conducive environment. One cannot ask somebody to talk by holding a gun to his temple!) It is a very welcome initiative from Government of India to hold talks with all stake holders in Kashmir to resolve the basic problem and bring peace to the area. Kashmir problem has been hanging[Read More…]

Her name was Yasmeen which in Persian is the name of a famous flower known for its beauty and fragrance. She indeed was beautiful or maybe still is; her long dark hair as smooth as a heavenly fabric, her eyes beautifully dark and her face as fair as Jasmine which her name alluded to. And she was just a twenty[Read More…]

(The all-out assault launched by the Hindutva forces in completely wiping out the Kashmiri identity necessitates an equally united front from the entire State to defend and safeguard it) The first question is what is “Kashmiri” identity? Kashmiris constitute a nation which is thousands of years old. In fact, a written record of Kashmiri nation penned down by an illustrious[Read More…]

It was one of those early autumn days in the Valley, when the early sunshine appears to have a squabble of sorts with a bit of haze, lending a blurry touch to an otherwise cerulean vision. But as the day progresses, the sunshine becomes more palpable, overcoming the temporary snag created by the haze. However, in this small township of[Read More…]

  Kashmir center for social & Development studies(KCSDS) submitted a memorandum to congress delegation headed by former Prime Minster, Sh. Manmohan Singh,visiting J&K on 16th-17th September 2017. KCSDS is an Advocacy Centre and the largest civil society formation in the state. It highlights and carries out advocacy on all issues of economic, social, cultural, environmental and political nature It also[Read More…]

(The bits and pieces of the incomplete flyover of Srinagar in fact reflect the true state of Kashmir’s development in almost all sectors!) The most appropriate word to describe the state of developmental activities in Kashmir in any field is “adhocism”! Everything is done on the whims and fancies of the rulers always given to flattery from one and all![Read More…]

Kashmir continues to withstand turmoil & turbulence and rein of terror from it’s counter establishment. Enough blood had been spilled in the name of freeing Kashmir from contractors of bloodshed from India, but nothing substantial has happened so far in releasing this state from the scotches of galloping ghost. The bloodshed in Kashmir continues unabated without any regional or international[Read More…]

  Former GOC of India’s Srinagar based 15 Corps, Ata Hasnain has written an article in praise of  Rashtriya Rifles (RR) which  appeared first  in South Asia Defence & Strategic Review, and was later reproduced  by Swarajya Magzine The article  is available at https://swarajyamag.com/defence/rashtriya-rifles-the-story-of-independent-indias-finest-military-experiment . Sh. Hasnain, now associated with Vivekanand International Foundation and the Institute of Peace and Conflict[Read More…]

Co-Authored by:- Ayaz Nabi Malik/ Muhammad Asif Shah The normal life in Kashmir has always remained an unfulfilled desire as it continues to be threatened by the two Asian nuclear giants- India and Pakistan- who claim it as their territory. With the result, concepts like peace and normalcy became far-fetched notions here as our routine existence continues to be haunted[Read More…]

(There seems to be a deliberate hype for retaining the so called “Special Status” in order to dilute the universal demand for total freedom called “Azadi”!) Some people have opined that the Central Government has deliberately shifted the focus of Kashmir agitation from “Azadi” to “Special Status”. Almost all so called mainstream political parties are totally worked up by the[Read More…]

India wants to reap the benefits of Islamophobia from which the world is suffering…. the Indian government has to reconcile its own people to body bags coming from Kashmir…. If the Indian people were told the truth that Kashmiris don’t want to be with India, and the struggle here is sustained by them primarily…. the public opinion in India too[Read More…]

(The outside workers in Kashmir both skilled and non-skilled result in an outflow of over Rupees 40 crores everyday which could be easily earned by the locals if they were motivated and trained in various jobs!) Kashmir is facing a typical dichotomy in relation to employment of the local youth. According to reports almost a million youth are without any[Read More…]

Regarding the newly found Al-Qaeda and Daesh fantasy of some “charged up” Kashmiris, it is important for Kashmiris to know that aligning with groups like these is to essentially do what their oppressors have been wanting them to do rather failingly–to deny and malign the primacy of their historical struggle and sacrifices which date back to several centuries. These groups[Read More…]

Helicopter service to Kargil has been overdue but the real requirement is a regular civilian air connection to the area pending for decades which could put it on the World Tourism Map! It was a pleasant surprise to see a video of the dramatic Nun-Kun peaks in the Suru Valleyof Kargil on the Facebook taken from a helicopter of Pawan[Read More…]

As Narendra Modi led BJP government completed its three years in the office, among many of its shenanigans, what mostly comes to fore, is its handling or rather gross mishandling of the sensitive political issue of Jammu and Kashmir and by consequence, an appalling treatment of Kashmiris. The Sangh Parivar has permeated the issue of Jammu and Kashmir with its[Read More…]

  Goods & services tax Act has finally been applied on the State of Jammu & Kahmir . After receiving concurrence from the State Govt., the president of India  has issued an order under section 370(1)   – The constitutional(Application to J&K) Amendment  order 2017—which paves way for application of GST to State The application of GST Act was preceded by[Read More…]

The Union Home Minister has declared that there will soon be a “Permanent Solution” for the Kashmir problem. The declaration appears more scary than comforting! Kashmir problem has been hanging fire since the partition of the sub-continent. In fact, the creation of the two countries itself created the problem! Kashmir as an independent sovereign country has a history of more[Read More…]

(The two words which describe the present Kashmir situation appropriately!) The Cambridge dictionary defines “Anarchy” as “a situation in which there is no organisation and control, especially in society, because there is no effective government”. The word “impotence” is defined as, “lack of power to change or improve a situation”. In almost every front whether civil society, or the government[Read More…]

In a recent article in The Wire, Partha Chaterjee had referred to the use of human shield in Kashmir, and its justification by the military and political establishment as Kashmir’s General Dyer moment. Vivek Katju has launched a spirited counter-attack to this claim of Partha Chaterjee. Katju states that, “It is one matter for an army to handle the breakdown[Read More…]

(UN showing Kashmir as a separate country confirms the historical fact known right from the ancient times!) There was recently a news item about the UN showing Kashmir as a separate country in some of its documents. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) have depicted Jammu & Kashmir as a “separate country”. In the “Advanced search[Read More…]

“Not war against our own citizens, but dialogue with all stakeholders in Kashmir, including emerging youth leadership, is the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue.” – This was a common view expressed by all the speakers at a lecture programme on ‘Kashmiriyonka Najariya :Vastavaur Mithak’ (Kashmiri Peoples’ Perspective : Myth & Reality’) held on 3rd June 2017 at Shramik Patrakar Bhavan, Pune.

(The photograph of human shield and the subsequent award to the perpetrator of human rights violation have put the Army as well as the country in a very poor light!) A photograph of Farooq Ahmad Dar, a weaver from a village in Badgam Kashmir, tied to the front of an Army jeep and paraded through 30 odd villages during the[Read More…]

  This write-up is in response to the interview of veteran congressman, Mani Shankar Aiyar, published in daily  Rising Kashmir of 24th May 2017. Let me say at the outset that I hold Aiyar in highest esteem for his unwavering commitment to secularism. Sticking to  secular views against heavy odds  and  even after his party and its mandarins adopted ‘soft[Read More…]

(Kashmir’s new revolution is following an idea and not any particular leaders!) Recently, there was a sting operation conducted by a TV network regarding money being received by some of the leaders of the present movement for “Azadi”. In fact, the discovery was proclaimed all over the country like the discovery of the principle of floatation by Archimedes who ran[Read More…]

Tahir Ahmad Mir, a student of Journalism of Kashmir university is a criminal in the opinion of the police because of his alleged involvement of pro-freedom activities and is behind the bars for the   last long six months. Tahir was arrested in November allegedly for having involvement in pro-freedom activities during the peak of 2016 uprising. A resident of Kashmir’s[Read More…]

Kashmir is said to be paradise on earth. However when India started implementing its policy of ” Kashmir baharat ka atoot ang hai  ( Kashmir is a integral part of India ) ”  , Kashmir once the valley of red apples became the valley of blood. Successive Indian governments couldn’t resolve the problem and  Kashmiris kept the pot boiling. There[Read More…]

The best possible option with the clueless state government would be to call a spade a spade and stop this provocative Net banning ritual. Instead the Centre should start the institution of “unconditional dialogue” with all concerned stakeholders to put out this long-burning fire. There is no point in trying to divert the focus from the core to its surface.

(Recently a number of retired Generals of the Army including a former Army Chief have opined that Kashmir needs a political solution rather than a military one!) In a recent interview, the former Chief of the Army Staff General Ved Prakash Malik said that Kashmir needs a political solution and bringing peace is not solely the task of the Indian[Read More…]

Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered suspension of internet services in the trouble-hit valley for a period of one month or till further orders. In an order, the Home Department has said that internet services in Kashmir valley shall not be transmitted for a period of one month or till further orders. The state home department invoked powers conferred on[Read More…]

http://www.amazon.in/Scattered-Souls-Shahnaz-Bashir/dp/9352641248 I recently finished reading Shahnaz Bashir’s “Scattered Souls”, which is a collection of powerful short stories depicting the price that ordinary citizens living in Kashmir are paying because of excessive militarization. The Indian Government may justify this as much needed policing against the Kashmiri insurgents, to maintain internal security. But with all due to respect to the National Security[Read More…]

As colleges opened on Monday in Kashmir after five days, students of Shri Pratap Higher Secondary school clashed with police in Srinagar. Students held a march from the school premises and marched towards MA road, making their way by breaking the gate of school. The students later blocked road that was followed by clashes between forces and the students. Meanwhile,[Read More…]

In the totalitarian times that we are living in currently, one is constantly reminded of George Orwell’s prophetic lines: “Poetry might survive in a totalitarian age, and certain arts or half-arts, such as architecture, might even find tyranny beneficial, but the prose writer would have no choice between silence or death.” Nobody is fond of painting a dystopian imagery on[Read More…]

There has been no transparency in discussions arising from bilateral talks on Kashmir. From the last few years, calling off the Kashmir dispute has been the favourite argument arising out of Indian media commentators and political leaders. It is because of existing narration of implanting fervent Indian nationalism inside Kashmir valley. Economic development, financial incentives and being part of India’s[Read More…]

Student of Nawa Kadal College Srinagar, Iqra, who was injured during the student protests on Monday is stable and recovering in hospital. A resident of Rajouri Kadal, Iqra, was seriously injured after a paramilitary CRPF trooper used his catapult to target her. She was hit by a stone on the left side of her head, caused a concussion and fracture.[Read More…]

  The worst crimes against humanity committed by India in Kashmir are going unchallenged. The absence of  any censure or reprimand by the international community particularly UN, is taken  as a  license or tacit  permission by India to continue with its dastardly & grotesque  action  of annihilating the natives of the place, physically, socially & economically. And while as the[Read More…]

(Srinagar has once again passed through a nightmarish situation due to a sudden flood in River Jhelum. It is nature’s warning for a big one which may hit us soon unless preventive measures are taken on a war footing!) Just two days of incessant heavy rain swelled River Jhelum to dangerous flood level. There was panic all over and many[Read More…]

              The recent video clip of a civilian strapped to the front of an army vehicle deployed in internal security (IS) operations in Kashmir has made headlines. Many army veterans are defending it as a tactical means to avoid stone-pelting and thus permit operations with minimal bloodshed of protestors and army personnel alike. Some journalists aver that this tactic[Read More…]

Dear all I am a Kashmiri student of psychology. While studying the topic of resistance to persuasion, I came across this: “Few of us like orders or being told what to do. We all have probably experienced advertisers, politicians or individuals pressurising us to change our attitude about some issue.  In all such cases if we feel like our personal[Read More…]

Protests against the Pulwama raids by police have escalated to other towns outside Srinagar. While Srinagar police is battling students in SP College, reports about similar protests came from Shopian, Sopore, Pattan, Gaderbal and now from Kashmir University. Police reportedly used force at almost all places. The students of various colleges boycotted their classes and staged protests inside their college[Read More…]

Kashmir is undoubtedly the human rights hell of the world . The tale of human misfortune in Kashmir is of unprecedented nature. Every form of brutal human rights violations and tactics of suppression have been committed against the masses of Kashmir to quell their sentiments of solution and right to self determination . Most of the voices of conscience in[Read More…]

What is the meaning of victory of Farooq Abdullah from the Srinagar constituency where not even 7% votes polled. In many of the booths merely 2% votes were polled. I know there are past precedences of such a situation in at least three Indian states when people boycotted and government determinedly went for polls and were ‘able’ to form governments.[Read More…]

A Kashmiri civilian is tied to an Indian army jeep as a human shield in Beerwa, Budgam area of Kashmir. The Indian army personnel on the top of the jeep is warning local Kashmiris of same fate if they pelt stones. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah has tweeted a photograph and a video, showing a Kashmiri youth tied by Indian[Read More…]

  (Total boycott accompanied by gruesome mayhem clearly shows the oft bandied “Balloon” of elections has been fully deflated!) George Bernard Shaw had said “Democracy is a balloon filled with hot air. Fools watch it when it rises and the clever pick their pockets”! This has been happening in Kashmir from the very start. The best excuse oft used by[Read More…]

The recent deaths of eight young civilians on the polling day once again underscores the need move beyond the sovereignty versus azaadi debate or even the embittered dynamics of the neighbourhood territorial dispute and mend fences closer home, before the embers of dissatisfaction spill over the streets again.The narrative should shift stance on justice dispensation, a crucial facet, which is often ignored by the political class and state institutions alike.

Internet services in three districts falling under the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency, going to polls tomorrow, will be shut down from midnight as a precautionary measure to prevent floating of rumours by anti- national elements. Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, which form part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, will have no Internet connections amid reports that Pakistan-based groups were engaged in[Read More…]

Due to continuous rain and snow, two passengers went missing after a cab plunged into river in Dandipora Kokernag area of Islamabad district of Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday afternoon. The vehicle in which eight passengers were travelling from Kokernag to Larnoo, plunged into Nalla Brangi, said SHO Larnoo, while talking with Counter currents. Six people were rescued with the[Read More…]

Former Chief Minister and Supremo of National Conference (NC) Dr Farooq Abdullah, on Wednesday come out in support of stone pelters in Kashmir and lashed out at the Modi government. Former CM , Farooq Abdullah Who is also contesting the by-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition National Conference and Congress. While reacting to Prime[Read More…]

  “Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.” – Office Of High Commissioner, Human Rights  Referring to the definition given above,[Read More…]

Reacting to the recent statement of PM Narendra Modi where-in he asked the Kashmiri youth to choose between terrorism and tourism, the APHC in a statement said , ” Kashmiris were not against the tourism, neither were they supporters of terrorism” . Stating that the Kashmiris were not against the development and progress, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference ( APHC)[Read More…]

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed no thaw in the militant activities, killings, fresh recruitments and infiltration attempts even after the September 29, 2016 surgical strike claim across the line of control (LOC) of the central government. On 29 September, 2016 i.e. eleven days after the Uri attack, the Indian army said it had conducted surgical strikes against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered[Read More…]

One policeman named Shamin Ahmad was killed while around a dozen injured after unidentified gunmen lobbed a grenade at a joint party of police and paramilitary CRPF in Nowhatta area of Srinagar downtown Sunday evening. “Constable Shamim Ahmad was killed in the grenade attack,” Police said. The police constable and other injured policemen were rushed to hospital for treatment but[Read More…]

Udhampur: Amid high alert and multi-tiered security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, India’s longest road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway today, making it operational for traffic. Multi-tier security was put in place ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit amid alert along the border and high degree of vigilance in Jammu and Kashmir. However reports suggest that there[Read More…]

The each death on the streets of Kashmir resonate the belief that Kashmir once called paradise on earth has become a lost paradise on earth. The streets are witness to blood oozing out from warm bodies.The place of encounter sites reiterates the support and desire to live in a peaceful Kashmir. The brutal killings of innocent people on the streets[Read More…]

Believe it or not but Jammu and Kashmir has become second state in the country which has issued highest number of Gun Licenses in the country. J&K is second only after the country’s most populous state in the country, Uttar Pradesh where Deputy Commissioner’s have issued more than 3 lakh gun licenses. In Utter Pradesh, more than 1277914 persons have[Read More…]

Primarily Indians and Pakistanis are the same people; similar cuisine, customs,languages etc. They divided their country on the basis of religion courtesy the two nation theory. And the division was not a peaceful one. In fact it saw one of the worst human atrocities ever. A million or so souls were lost. Thousands and thousands of women were raped and[Read More…]

(China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which includes Gilgit-Baltistan area of the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir can revive historical connection of Kashmir with China)  Presently, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is the hot news. The project is being implemented by China and Pakistan at an accelerated pace. Work in full swing started on it in 2015 after an agreement[Read More…]

Kashmir over the years has been presented as an internal issue to the international forums by Indian state or merely a “law and order” situation. Historically whenever people in Kashmir have demanded their rights, the state has responded by trampling more rights. The latest developing trend is that the pop-up war rooms, The big Indian media houses, their paid analysts[Read More…]

(The National Highway presently connecting Kashmir Valley to the outside world is in the throes of death and there is urgent need to find an alternative) Kashmir valley remained cut off during the current winter a number of times. This was due to the closure of the National Highway connecting it with Jammu, the only land route presently available during[Read More…]

Kashmir mysteriously became a part of the newly created state of Jammu and Kashmir through the so-called ‘Treaty of Amritsar’ on 16th March 1846, signed between the British and Dogra Raja Gulab Singh. The whole valley and its two million souls were sold in lieu of a paltry sum of 75 lakh rupees (nanakshahi). Strangely enough, the wholesale sordid transaction[Read More…]

The way the authorities are destroying the flood channel with peoples’ connivance gives one the feeling that the most destructive flood of the century has been totally forgotten both by the authorities as well as the people!  The other day late in the night there was movement of road clearing machinery in Jawahar Nagar. On being asked what was happening[Read More…]

  The wall of special status accorded to State of J&K is being demolished brick by brick. The latest in the series of  New-Delhi’s demolition drives is to amend Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 (hereinafter referred to as Central Act )so as to apply it to  the State of  Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Cabinet has already approved the  proposal[Read More…]

Many things have been said and done about Kashmir. Its political situation is over exploited by all sides to utilize its name elsewhere. Kashmir is a victim of constant sufferings, unrest, human rights violations, violence and also has been made as a tool to ‘curse’. India and Pakistan, since their separation in 1947 are still in conflict with each other[Read More…]

The Vale of Kashmir division, as the professional geographers mention, owes its political and linguistic unity to its isolation, due to its peculiar geographical position in the subcontinent.The narratives of chroniclers, though tell us a lot of its pleasant topo-geography-which resembles too much with that of Central Asia seen in the past. But having said that, with the passage of[Read More…]

Travesty of justicle scaled up the heights. It hurts, deeply. Pellets. Serious crimes. killings. Allegations. I wonder if we’ll ever live without this sense of fear – the fear that you or your loved one will never return as they step out of the house. There have been times when I’ve been struck by this anxiety and seized by apprehension.[Read More…]

(In spite of a lull after the last year’s upheaval, the whole of Kashmir seems to be simmering like a volcano waiting to eruptanytime without any warning!) Kashmir has witnessed a number of upheavals spearheaded by the youth in the recent years starting from the Amarnath land row of 2008. However, the “Burhan Tsunami” of last July was the most[Read More…]

My name is Zubair Ahmad Khanday. I am now a resident of the immortal world. In the mortal world, my address happened to be Kulpora, Kulgam, in the now fermented South Kashmir. I was the first among many other Kashmiris to be killed in the immediate uprising that erupted in the aftermath of Burhan’s killing. Only two hours separated my[Read More…]

 The excessive security measures have forced Kashmiris, historically reputed to be very sociable people, to live in cocoons with only interactions through social networking sites on the internet! The events of the nineties of the last century when armed militancy erupted in the state forced Kashmiris to mostly confine to their homes. There was violence all around with encounters, clashes,[Read More…]