By Nusrat Ara Some months ago, lawmakers in Kashmir secretly got the new legislative building exorcised after chief minister Omar Abdullah nearly lost his chair on the second day of the session. In 2008, former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had to resign on the first day of the first … Read more →

Shopian Rape Case Conundrum By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal Two women went to their orchard in the evening of May 29 last year in Shopian, Kashmir and went missing. They never returned. Their family and police personnel searched for them till the dead of the night along the trickle of a … Read more →

By Fatima Sultan Syed I grew up in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, in a small town adjacent to Dal Lake. If mythology were to be my source, I would tell you that life itself emanated from this lake and that monsters and demons hid deep in its waters. But … Read more →

By Javeed Ahmad Mir Concluding her speech at U.S.-India Business Council’s 34th Anniversary ‘Synergies Summit’ just before her India visit, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said, Sixty years ago this October, then-Prime Minister Nehru told a joint session of the United States Congress that, quote, Progress cannot go far … Read more →

By Nyla Ali Khan I belong to Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a highly volatile South Asian region with rich reservoirs of cultural, social and human wealth. I was raised in the splendid Kashmir Valley located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The charm, splendor and heterogeneity of the Valley … Read more →

By Seema Kazi The unexpectedly high voter turnout in the Valley during Kashmir’s recent assembly elections evoked considerable debate and analysis. A number of commentators both in Kashmir and elsewhere noted that the elections reflected citizens’ expectation and demand for good governance and development; they did not represent a mandate … Read more →

By Jehangir Rashid Kashmir valley has been a witness to the conflict over the past couple of decades and estimates put the number of casualties at one hundred thousand. Thousands of women have been widowed and almost one lakh children have turned out to be orphans. In addition to the … Read more →

by Afsana Rashid Absence of proof of death makes life miserable for half – widows, women whose husbands are missing in a conflict situation in Kashmir. That is the irony they are faced with and continue to live with uncertain hopes. Waiting for twelve years (after the disappearance of her … Read more →

By David Lepeska They came from Bandipore and Baramulla, Pampore, Rajbagh, Sonmarg, and Uri, three to a scooter, 60 to an overloaded minibus, on foot, by bicycle, truck, rickshaw and horse-pulled tonga. Swinging placards and posters, hoisting banners and waving flags, miles-long convoys coursed through the streets of Srinagar as … Read more →

S Zafar Mehdi Safvi The horrible fears have after all come true. Alas! MK Gandhi’s ‘glimmer of hope’ was not to last any longer. It’s Jammu vs. Kashmir no-holds-barred showdown. Regional and religious sentiments, coupled with parochial and chauvinistic interests rule the roast currently, while the grand old edifice of … Read more →

By Afsana Rashid Absence of social support network for special children in Indian administered Kashmir for the last 18 years of conflict has witnessed number of special homes emerge, with no rules to govern them. Though special homes are not considered an ultimate answer to increasing number of special children … Read more →

By Dr. Shaleen Kumar Singh Diaspora Literature involves an idea of a homeland, a place from where the displacement occurs and narratives of harsh journeys undertaken on account of economic compulsions. Basically Diaspora is a minority community living in exile. The Oxford English Dictionary 1989 Edition (second) traces the etymology … Read more →

Nyla Ali Khan In an attempt to create a congenial atmosphere for rational dialog, the globally known non-profit organization Pugwash organized a two day seminar on the Kashmir conflict held in the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad on 29-30 March, 2008. The purpose of the Pugwash conference was to facilitate … Read more →

Saiba Varma When I say mental hospital, the auto-rickshaw driver looks at me and, to my surprise, nods with recognition. I climb in. The formalized name of Srinagar’s mental hospital is the Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital. The hospital is located on the margins of the city of Srinagar, in an … Read more →