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Kashmir after nine months lockdown

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 Editor

Prof Upendra Kaul It is nine months since the demotion of Jammu and Kashmir to a union territory. This population has always been better than the national average in terms of education, employment, and wealth. A review of this period and the achievements by a frequent visitor could make a meaningful analysis. It all began from 1st August when I, along with a team went to the valley to conduct a medical camp organized through the local authorities in Kangan, a picturesque township with a mixed ethnic population on way…

What GOI achieved in last 9 months, post scraping of J&K’s special status?

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 Editor

Taking the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A to be a fait accompli – since it may be a vain expectation that the Supreme Court will, at any time in the future, restore what the government has scrapped – the question that may now be asked is: nine months down the road, what has this revocation delivered? Politically, of course, the Hindutva right wing has succeeded in realising its long-standing “nationalist” agenda. It has stamped and sealed a message to Kashmiri Muslims that their decision to throw their lot in with a…

Are gulf ties being jeopardised by Hindutva hatred?

April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 Editor

In his six years as prime minister, Narendra Modi has expended more time, effort and commitment to cultivating ties with the Gulf region than any of his predecessors, and India’s initiatives have been fully reciprocated by his regional counterparts. These interactions have been assiduously promoted with frequent exchanges of visits, warm expressions of personal goodwill, even affection and several agreements to impart substance to the relationship in political, energy and economic areas. Now, when the world is grappling with the extraordinary challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic, relations shaped, elevated…

Fasting during Ramadan can boost your immunity

April 25, 2020April 25, 2020 Editor

Dr Amir Khan This year, the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan will be like no other; it will occur in the middle of a global pandemic. Ramadan, which began on the evening of April 23, will see a month-long period of fasting, worship and devotion to Allah. It commemorates the Quran being first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims who are fit enough to do so are expected to fast (not eat or drink fluids at all) between the hours of sunrise and sunset for four weeks. As well as…

You say you understand the pain of Kashmiri’s now that you are in lock-down. Do you really?

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020 Editor

An open letter to fellow Indians.By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal Dear fellow citizens, Presuming that you are all English speaking, reasonably well-off or better and, like me, safely ensconced in your homes with enough provisions to last as the lockdown has been further extended, let me begin by dispelling all your romantic notions about the great leveler that this pandemic is and about the virtues of humanism and compassion it can kindle within our souls. Amidst this nationwide lockdown as you find yourself trapped in your homes, you may all be trying…

India’s new Kashmir domicile law mirrors Israel’s settler-colonial blueprint

April 15, 2020April 15, 2020 Editor

As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic amid a global race to stop its spread, India has passed a new law in Kashmir which residents fear will change the demographic status of the Muslim-majority territory. The new domicile law announced by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs on 1 April grants permanent residency rights, which entails owning and buying property and access to government jobs, for anyone who has resided in Indian-administered Kashmir for a period of 15 years. The move has sparked anger in the contested region, with civilians from a range of political opinions questioning…

‘Third world region of a Third world country’: How Kashmir struggles with the Coronavirus

April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 Editor

While a lockdown is nothing new, a healthcare system in shambles and a sluggish internet make Kashmir particularly suited for the virus to spread as India looks away. Soon after the first patient of COVID-19 – a 67-year-old woman who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia — tested positive on March 18, a team of health professionals and volunteers were sent to Khanyar to sanitise the area. They were also tasked with tracing the people the woman may have had contact with. Meanwhile, police personnel began patrolling in their jeeps. With…

Should U.S. Take ‘NO’ of India as an Answer?

July 31, 2019July 31, 2019 Editor

“I would like to categorically state that no such request (mediation on Kashmir) has been made by the Prime Minister (Modi) to the US President,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs told the Indian Parliament on July 23, 2019. He added that “Shimla and Lahore accords provide the basis for resolution of all issues bilaterally.” Why India stresses Lahore Declaration and Simla Agreement and not the United Nations resolutions, which were adopted only after the consent of both India and Pakistan was sought at the Security Council.? There is a…

History lessons for Amit Shah on Kashmir that he should have studied in school

July 22, 2019July 22, 2019 Editor

Amit Shah must know that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is the reason why two-third of Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India today Seventy-two years after the state of Jammu & Kashmir acceded to India, questions are still being asked why India accepted a ceasefire and why its Army was not allowed to evict Pakistani raiders from the other side of LoC, which since has become the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan. The latest to raise the question is Union Home Minister Amit Shah who on the…

Marriage and Culture: Two sides of the same coin

July 20, 2019July 20, 2019 Editor

Human beings transcended barriers of barbarism and jungle life in quick succession and modified the way they lived to evolve a life worth living. It is this space of contextual dimension where the law arose to place of prominence to satisfy the test of time. Ancient societies thrived on saga of ‘Mine and Thine’ despite relying on coordinated efforts in a specific community. This rhetoric changed its fate for better and more organized space of thinking in what at present is called as ‘Rule 0f Law ‘over rule of power.…