CATEGORIES
Gandhi And Kashmir
In order to imagine how Mahatma Gandhi would have responded to Kashmir’s present situation, it is important to understand Gandhi’s long Kashmir story first on his 150th birth anniversary.
LONG WAIT FOR JUSTICE
As the Kashmir lockdown and communication blockade gets into third month, people expect the court interventions may actually offer some relief. In cases challenging the Kashmir reorganization, however, the Supreme Court has posted the hearing for November 14. The judicial interventions have already triggered a quick follow-up in case of detention of minors since August 5, reports Tasavur Mushtaq
‘Out Of Circulation'
Almost 42 days after he was restricted to his Gupkar home, the government finally arrested Dr Farooq Abdullah formally under Public Safety Act. The arrest of five-time Chief Minister and five-time MP is not an ordinary development in Kashmir history,
Revived Letters
After years of huge reliance on the modern tools of communications, Kashmir is gradually returning back to the age-old tradition of letter writing, reports Muhammad AR
Caught In Between?
Coinciding with the 50 days of lockdown, the Kashmir story migrated to America along with the Prime Ministers’ of India and Pakistan. Though the ultimate objective was to deliver speeches to the United Nations General Assembly, the two nuke-owning leaders actually remained busy in wooing the US President Donlad Trump, reports Masood Hussain on basis of the media coverage of the high profile visit of Narendra Modi and Imran Khan
Quite Streets In Kashmir
Five weeks later, ground zero is not offering any indication that would suggest an early turnaround in Kashmir situation, reports Shams Irfan
Ladakh In Action
Unlike Kashmir, the soon-to-be Union Territory of Ladakh is actively working to consolidate the gains that came to the arid region in wake of scrapping of special status and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. It has finally found a way out to protect its land and demography, reports Masood Hussain
Grounded On Water
The abrupt August 4, order asking tourists and pilgrims to leave Kashmir marked the end of a busy tourist season. Shams Irfan met the related professionals to report about the lost of opportunities and jobs
Forced Migration?
Umar Mukhtar in Jammu found that tens of thousands of Kashmiris had already migrated in anticipation of the yearly durbar move
Jail Placid
Authorities set up six special jails in anticipation of the August 5 decesion. One of them is the Centaur Lakeview Hotel on the Srinagar’s famous Boulevard where most of the political class is being held for more than three weeks now, reports Shams Irfan after spending many hours outside the jail interacting with the relatives of the special detainees
Governance - What Next
Post Article-370 scrapping, the Central Government is busy planning big interventions as the Jammu and Kashmir is gradually moving towards becoming the Union Territory (UT)
Hurting Hides
Kashmir’s social work institutions have lost millions of rupees as hides of sacrificial animals exhibited fall in demand and price. Places with a massive reliance on non-vegetarian food will continue to bleed till situation alters on ground. But the crisis can be a historic opportunity,
Breaking Bonds
In good old days matchmakers used to be a key link between a would-be bride and a groom and their families. Now it’s a mobile phone. But too much of communication between the two sides sometimes proves fatal for a relationship. As the phones are switched off, perhaps for a long time, Saima Bhat asks if such break-ups will stop
News Hunger Peaks In Kashmir
As the news hunger peaks in Kashmir, closed for three weeks, the media is consistently exploring options of collecting and disseminating news
Kashmir's First Preacher
In this brief write-up, Dr Darakhshan Abdullah offers an idea about Islam’s emphasis on preaching while offering basic details about Kashmir’s first missionary preacher, Bulbul Shah
Workforce Crisis In Kashmir
Within hours after the government issued marching orders to the tourists and pilgrims ahead of August 5, tens of thousands of the non locals working in Kashmir left leaving behind unfinished works worth crores of rupees
When Kashmir Will Return To Routine
The lockdown, now into fourth week, offers no idea about when Kashmir will return to routine
Lending: Managing Price, Risk
Credit in conflict areas is expensive because it involves risk. But the government can rediscover its subsidies set up and invest a bit of it in offering credit guarantees for making banks comfortable in altering a stunted growth
Killing Time
With communications blocked, the entire population is having a lot of time but not knowing what to do with it. Umar Mukhtar meets the young and elderly to understand how they kill their time
Gulmarg To Geneva
With the rival armies engaged in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation on Kashmir borders, Indian and Pakistani diplomats are busy fighting the ‘war by other means’ between Geneva and New York
1853: A Tourist On Foot
An unknown Englishman has penned in his peculiar language his long trek from Shimla to Srinagar via Tibet on foot in the summer of 1853, years after the notorious Treaty of Amritsar
Workforce Deficit
A mid massive build-up of troops and constant rumours, a government order on August 2, ask ing tourists and Amarnath pilgrims to leave Kashmir immediately, triggered instant panic.
Government Statement
On August 16, 2019, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam addressed a news conference.
Excommunication
Jammu and Kashmir is passing through history’s biggest communication blockade
Digitizing Banking
Information Technology is emerging as a huge change-maker in how people deposit, save, dispense and spend their hard-earned money. It has reduced costs for the banks and made the process automatic, fast and transparent. While J&K is almost inches away from having nearly half of the total transactions through automated systems, the new generation banking may need more people on the street than in a branch