Articles Archives | Page 30 of 51

Silencing phones to stifle protests: A recipe for disaster

July 17, 2016 Editor

Shafaq Shah The government decision to block mobile services in Kashmir has added to the miseries of people with the families of injured persons, undergoing treatment in hospitals, being the worst hit. Cellphone services, barring the postpaid network of government-owned BSNL, remained suspended for second consecutive day Saturday, much to the inconvenience of the people. Khateeja Bano was one of the many such frantic people who were left stranded in the wake of the communication blockade. A woman in her early 50s, Khateeja had come from Kupwara in a load…

Streetside Plebiscite – A young militant is killed, In death, he becomes an icon, And the streets speak freedom

July 16, 2016July 16, 2016 Editor

Kashmir is back to its ominous normal. The Valley is on the boil after the killing of young and charismatic militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani by police on July 8. The spontaneous, leaderless outbursts of anger and grief have caught everyone by surprise and, not confined to Burhan’s native Tral town in the south, have spread far and wide across the Valley. It’s a dramatic replay of the 2008 and 2010 agitations: people defying curfew, braving bullets, taking to the streets in overwhelming numbers. Their demand: azadi, or freedom from…

What exactly does azadi mean to Kashmiris? Why can’t it be discussed? Since when have maps been sacrosanct?

July 16, 2016July 16, 2016 Editor

Azadi What exactly does azadi mean to Kashmiris? Why can’t it be discussed? Since when have maps been sacrosanct? Arundhati Roy The people of Kashmir have made it clear once again, as they have done year upon year, decade upon decade, grave upon grave, that what they want is azadi. (The “people”, by the way, does not mean those who win elections conducted in the rifle sights of the army. It does not mean leaders who have to hide in their homes and not venture out in times like these.)…

Kashmiri’s voice muzzled – Both Offline and Online

July 15, 2016 Editor

As it cracks down on dissent in Kashmir, India has gone far beyond its previous record of gagging voices in the valley. Internet and cellular services have been suspended as hundreds of thousands of Indian soldiers patrol Kashmiri streets, shelling protesters with tear gas and pellets. Some 40 people have been killed and over 1,600 wounded in the unrest that began six days ago in response to the killing of 21-year-old rebel leader Burhan Wani. Due to its reputation for skewed and slanted reporting, suspicion against Indian media runs deep…

Ghar Wapsi vs Zakir Naik

July 13, 2016 Editor

Paying for the blunders of their leaders under the shadow of a leaderless community. M. J. Aslam Under the colour of free secular democracy, the private Indian satellite TV channels are nowadays airing their true hidden colours of Hindu zealots. Following Kautilya’s Arthasastras on governance, they are “spreading disinformation & sowing the seeds of disharmony” among the people and doing great disservice to their professional duties of telling the truth &, in the long run, it will prove fatal for India & its image as secular democracy in the world.…

Kashmir: Trouble in Paradise

July 13, 2016 Editor

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai July 13, 2016 So much for Ban Ki-moon’s heart and possibly even more so his soul. One can only recall the quote in Matthew and the betrayal of Jesus, “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” The United Nations has walked away from the slaughter in Kashmir and washed its hands of it, and…

Kashmir to Dhaka to Istanbul: The world is burning and we don’t have answers

July 12, 2016 Editor

The world needs leadership. And hashtags are no substitute for the real hard work of leadership across the world. Istanbul, Dhaka, Baghdad, Medina have been prominent in the litany of recent terror around the world and noticeably the world didn’t respond in large numbers to any of these or other gruesome episodes of terror with the #jesuisistanbul #jesuisdhaka #jesuisbaghdad #jesuismedina or #jesuisanyplaceelse. Before the birth of #jesuis, with the attack on Charlie Hebdo, no other massacres had invited such an outpouring of social media oneness in the world. #jesuischarliehebdo spawned…

The Tipping Point: New Delhi now faces not Terrorists, but the young Kashmiri Masses

July 11, 2016 Editor

SEEMA MUSTAFA The death of 22 year old Burhan Wani in an encounter is the tipping point for Kashmir. The thousands who walked miles to attend his funeral at Tral are testimony to the shift, as mobs after 20 years attacked government vehicles and installations in what constituted large scale violence for a Valley under curfew and strict restrictions. What started in 2010 has blown into open defiance and alienation that will not take a step back. The windows have been shut, the doors bolted and secured by the Kashmiris…

The Burhan Tsunami!

July 11, 2016 Editor

Right now entire Kashmir is virtually burning. According to reports, over a dozen and a half youth have been shot dead and there are hundreds of persons with bullet injuries in different hospitals all over Kashmir. The Divisional Commissioner has declared that the curfew in entire valley will continue for the time being. In spite of curfew and deployment of additional forces, the situation does not seem to be cooling down. The young Burhan represented a phenomenon which by his killing instead of dying down, may grow geometrically. The phenomenon…

The Kashmir manifesto: Delhi’s policy playbook in the Valley

July 11, 2016 Editor

The Kashmir manifesto: Delhi’s policy playbook in the Valley Sushil Aaron, Hindustan Times India’s political class operates with a flawed policy playbook in the Valley which inevitably stokes unrest The popular 22-year old Kashmiri militant leader Burhan Wani was killed by security forces on Friday. Thousands gathered for memorial prayers across Kashmir. Protesters clashed with security forces who shot 17 civilians dead. The reaction has been on expected lines. Kashmir is in deep distress. The national media’s coverage is frenzied and often lacks balance. Hardline nationalists on Twitter are blaming…