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Facebook journalism in Kashmir

October 9, 2017October 9, 2017 Editor

It is total chaos. Rumors push the panic button and we end up buying these fake stories from their stores. Neither they are professional nor reasonable, yet we trust them blindly. We blame them for sprouting the seeds of rumours, equally are we responsible for sharing it too. The micro-blogging site Facebook is turning out to be the headache in Kashmir. Everyone is reporting from so called ground zero. Some report from their cozy rooms and those who really are at the right place act brutally wrong. Now-a-days Kashmir is…

Braid Chopping: A political ploy

September 29, 2017 Editor

In past few weeks, strange and shocking incidents of chopping the braids of women have been reported in south Kashmir. Till date, more than 17 of these tragic incidents are said to have occurred at many places across south Kashmir, particularly in district Kulgam. Although, these tragedies remained a mystery at first, with passage of time, the mystery appears resolved. A few of the persons behind this shameful act are said to have been caught by the public on spot and quite surprisingly it is the army men who…

Earthquake threat in Kashmir is Real

September 25, 2017 Editor

Whenever a major earthquake hits any part of the planet Earth it always sends panic waves, and this has been going on for centuries. Jammu and Kashmir is one of the tectonic hotspots that has always been in news. The cause of earthquakes in this region is primarily because Indian plate is continuously trying to push harder to dive under the Eurasian plate, and in doing so it often breaks via earthquakes. Since the tectonic plates are solid and thus one cannot simply expect a solid to make a smooth…

The demon called Ikhwan

September 14, 2017 Editor

Writhing in pain he shouted for help but none dared to turn up Brothers form a close knit bond. Brothers share unrequited affection. Brothers love beyond imagination. I lost my brother. We struggle to live and ultimately die. The grief pooling after the natural death dies down. But the separation by the bloody gun prolongs the trauma. Gun rattling is a routine in this besieged paradise. It digests humans. Gun has turned Kashmir a graveyard. Gun does not discriminate. Gun knows no relation. It is devoid of human feelings. Ajas…

Songs of the wounded

August 24, 2017 Editor

Twenty five years of terror, alienation, exile. Kashmir’s art echoes the rage. And is now demanding a stage to vent it. The Srinagar Biennale will be a first step. Come butcher, sing me a song For I am waiting for sleep to come Weave me a lullaby” Ten sheep skins on the wall instead of a blackboard. On the school chair, an oxygen mask. Underneath, an oxygen cylinder. Ice, and a notebook. Shoe moulds on another wall. A childhood in a lost place. A memoir of extremes. Made in 2013,…

Why BJP’s opposition to Article 35A has merit

August 18, 2017 Editor

With the Supreme Court indicating that the constitutionality of Article 35A would be examined by a constitution bench of five judges, it provides an opportunity to approach this issue, as also Article 370, from a legal perspective, removed from the political and at times passionate discussion which have been the norm in this regard. Any discussion about Article 35A is incomplete without going back in time by almost a century to 1927 when Hari Singh, then ruler of the Jammu and Kashmir passed an order which provided that state subjects…

Geelani down but not out

August 11, 2017August 11, 2017 Editor

Since last year, journalists – locals as well as from mainland India – have tried their luck to get an interview of Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani as the state has made it impossible for the journalists to meet him. Not everyone is lucky to get into the heavily monitored residence-cum-office of ailing senior Hurriyat leader. On the pleasant morning of August 10, 2017 (Thursday), I was one of the few lucky journalists who was able to sneak through the heavy contingent of state police and paramilitary personnel, after…

Kashmir’s Job Market

August 3, 2017August 3, 2017 Editor

The outside workers in Kashmir both skilled and unskilled result in an outflow of over Rupees 40 crores everyday which could be easily earned by the locals if they were motivated and trained in various jobs! Mohammad Ashraf Kashmir is facing a typical dichotomy in relation to employment of the local youth. According to reports almost a million youth are without any employment. A large number of these are highly “educated” or in other words possess umpteen degrees but no skills! In fact, acquiring degrees has become an obsession in Kashmir these days!…

Recession in Kashmir

August 1, 2017 Editor

Ejaz Ayoub Economic activity in Kashmir is facing a serious slump which is reflected in all forms of manufacturing, commerce and trade. Indicators like GSDP growth, unemployment rate and credit off take are touching new lows. Despite the fact that state has been going through a continuous low intensity war since last three decades, most of the businesses in Kashmir have mastered the tactics of surviving the tides of unrest. However, the ongoing slump faced by the businesses in Kashmir is taking a colossal form never witnessed before. The prevailing…

Kashmiris do not need to prove their humanity, India needs to prove its own

July 13, 2017 Editor

Hafsa Kanjwal In her July 10 Post commentary, “Why a terrorist attack on Hindu pilgrims could change everything for Kashmir,” Indian journalist Barkha Dutt patronizingly let the people of Kashmir — who have been struggling for their right to self-determination for nearly 70 years — know that their “cause” has lost its “moral compass.” She referred to an attack on Hindu pilgrims, or yatris, during Kashmir’s annual Amarnath pilgrimage on Monday, which tragically killed seven pilgrims and injured 19. She claimed that “armed, jihadist terrorists” targeted innocent civilians. Pointing to…