Kashmir’s Dual Crisis: Apple Orchards Rotting & A Generation’s Values Eroding | Expert Analysis By: Javid Amin | 17 September 2025 A Season of Ruin in the Valley of Plenty The scent of decay hangs heavy in the crisp autumn air of Kashmir. It’s a poignant, sweet-sour smell that speaks of loss. In orchards that stretch across the valley floor and climb the gentle Himalayan slopes, a bounty is turning to mush. Piles of once-prime apples—the iconic Trew, American, and Maharaji varieties—lie discarded, their vibrant reds and greens fading into a uniform, melancholic brown.…
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Srinagar Conference Signals Stability: ED Declares J&K Safe Post-Pahalgam
Srinagar ED Conference Signals Stability: A Post-Pahalgam Turning Point for Jammu & Kashmir By: Javid Amin | 16 September 2025 A Symbolic Gathering in the Valley Srinagar wore a look of quiet determination as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) held its 32nd quarterly conference of zonal officers on September 12–13, 2025. On the surface, it was just another bureaucratic exercise—an internal meeting to deliberate on matters related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). But in Kashmir, symbols matter as much as substance. The very fact that this high-profile event…
Read MoreKashmiri Apples Grapple for Survival as Highway Closure Cripples Trade
Highways Blocked, Hopes Bruised: Kashmir’s Apple Lifeline Withers Under Political Heat and Rotting Reality By: Javid Amin | 16 September 2025 Kashmir’s celebrated apple harvest, the backbone of its rural economy, is rotting on the roadside as the prolonged closure of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway (NH-44) paralyzes trade. What began as a logistical disruption has now snowballed into an economic catastrophe and political storm, with accusations of negligence, discrimination, and even conspiracy echoing across the Valley. Highway Blockade Sparks Economic and Political Uproar The NH-44, Kashmir’s sole all-weather road link…
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