Masarat Alam Bhat, Chairman, Muslim League, part of the Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani. He has spent most of the time since 1990 in prison, repeatedly charged with the draconian Public Safety Act. He is described by many as the successor of Syed Ali Geelani in Kashmir’s resistance … Read more →
Remembering Kamil
Majid Maqbool ‘Tikta lagith ta band lifaafa-n manz Be-patah khat chi daak-khana-ikaesi’ (Stamped and sealed in envelopes, We’re a post office’s letters without an address) Celebrated Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali was 18 or younger, most likely a student in the University of Kashmir, when Amin Kamil wrote this famous … Read more →
Deluge, a narrative from Lelhar
Tavseef Mairaj It was the forenoon of Friday, 5 September and the network connectivity stands badly affected for the past couple of days. A text message somehow came through, from my mama. I replied, “Agricultural land is already under water and it is advancing.” This would be the last communication … Read more →
Four Poems by Farah Bashir
A Doppelgänger Then, you helped the lost ones overcome fear of floods urged them to forgive the river. Now, you curse the daffodils their violent scent makes you ache. ‘Who Your Fire Burns’ A neighbor heard you sing to me but you laughed not caring ‘jalte hain jiske liye’ I … Read more →
Journey of an activist in Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Tanveer Ahmed Having spent over 28 years of my life in Britain from the age of 4 as a 3rd generation immigrant, I decided to venture out to my roots at the age of 33 to Pakistani-administered Kashmir (Azad Jammu & Kashmir or AJK for short – described in English as … Read more →
The Cankered Rose
Ghulam Mohammad Khan On a small grassy mound in the midst of the paddy fields, under the deep sky that hung like a large inverted bowl, with stars like a sheet of dazzling diamonds artistically patched over it, we sat hopelessly whispering our distress. It was midnight, the dew had … Read more →