Category: Community

Rape and murder of Asifa Bano has shaken conscience of Kashmiris: Geelani

Editor

Saying that the “rape” and murder of a minor girl in Kathua has shaken the conscience of Kashmiris, Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Tuesday condemned the arrest of a Gujjar leader protesting against the ‘gruesome’ incident. In a statement, Geelani said that the instead of arresting the culprits, the government arrested the Gujjar leader Talib Hussain. While expressing sympathies with the family of the minor, Geelani termed police action on the mourners as ‘unjustified’. Geelani in his statement also questioned silence of some electronic channels over the…

Read More

Apprehending fidayeen attacks, coaching centers closed till January 27

Editor

Amid looming threats of fidayeen attacks by militants ahead of Republic Day, the J&K Government has shut private coaching centers in Srinagar. “We have been asked to stay closed till January 27,” said an employee of a private coaching centre at Parraypora in Srinagar. He said the coaching center administration had asked the authorities to allow them to run the classes for pre-medical National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and engineering entrance examinations but to no avail. “Engineering examinations are scheduled in March and NEET is scheduled in May. It is unfortunate…

Read More

Famed Kashmir’s traditional wicker craft struggles to survive

Editor

Passionate about music, 26-year-old Shabir Ahmad Bhat of Kanil Mohalla, Chrar-e-Sharief always wanted to become a singer. But “fate did not support” him for that. Soon after completing his secondary education, Shabir has to leave his studies and start traditional family profession of kanil kaem (wickerwork) to provide some help to his economically distressed family. Now for more than 10 years into the profession, Shabir says, the demand for wicker craft has so much dwindled that he is hardly able to make his ends meet. A master craftsman, Shabir not…

Read More

Kangris still first choice to keep Kashmir warm

Editor

With electricity supply erratic this winter, kangri — the traditional earthen firepot woven in wicker — has emerged as an useful means to fight subzero temperatures in Kashmir. Sales of kangri have almost doubled this winter compared to last year, people associated with this trade claimed and attributed it mainly to the erratic power supply. The capping of subsidised LPG cylinders per household over the years and soaring prices of wood were listed as other factors that have forced the people to revert to use of kangris to keep themselves…

Read More

A film from Kashmir after 45 years but unfortunately, it won’t release in the Valley itself

Editor

Film aficionados in Kashmir won’t be able to watch it since no cinema in the Valley has been functional for close to two decades. On January 4, for the first time in 45 years, a Kashmiri feature film shot and produced entirely in the Valley was released in cinemas outside Kashmir. Directed by actor and filmmaker, Hussein Khan, the plot of Kashmir Daily explores the themes of drug addiction and unemployment through the eyes of an investigative reporter, played by Mir Sarwar. Most of the film has been shot in…

Read More

At Vaishno Devi, Floral offerings to be turned into incense

Editor

Offering flowers at shrines is a religious ritual as they are considered a symbol of devotion and reverence. To respect their sanctity, flowers are mostly discarded in rivers, thus causing a devastating effect on the ecosystem of water bodies. Keeping this in mind, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has begun a start-up to recycle flowers offered at the shrine and turn them into incense sticks. Additional Chief Executive Officer, shrine board, Anshul Garg said the board was working on innovative clean technologies to save the environment by effective…

Read More

Mirwaiz urges India, Pakistan to stop bloodshed on LoC

Editor

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday urged India and Pakistan to stop “senseless killings” on the Line of Control (LoC), saying that soldiers were becoming “cannon fodder” for hate. Mirwaiz, while addressing a weekly congregation at the Jamia Masjid here, expressed concern and distress over the killing of civilians and soldiers in ceasefire violations along the LoC. “Each day civilians, including children, on both sides of the LoC are getting killed and becoming the target of the unresolved Kashmir conflict, which is very sad and painful,” he said. “Soldiers…

Read More

NHAI says ‘No to private negotiation’ for land acquisition for semi-ring road

Editor

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) which is acquiring around 6000 kanals of land through state government for construction of 62 km long alternate highway (semi ring road) connecting Pampore with Ganderbal via Budgam has told Deputy Commissioner Budgam in its official communication that NHAI is not ready for private negotiation with farmers and affected people, sources said. Sources told Kashmir Post that Government is putting a pressure on farmers to give away their land on very low price. Given this, it is for the first time that the farmers…

Read More

Swedish skier killed in avalanche at Gulmarg, another rescued

Editor

A Swedish tourist was killed Thursday when an avalanche tore through a Himalayan resort in Indian Kashmir popular with skiers, police said. The 25-year-old victim was skiing with a fellow Swede in Gulmarg, a hill resort in Indian-administered Kashmir frequented by families and winter adventurers alike, when the avalanche barrelled down the slopes. Rescuers found one of them alive and “safe” in the snow but his fellow skier was killed in the deluge, said local police superintendent Imtiyaz Hussain. Hussain said an avalanche warning had been sounded the day before…

Read More

Winter losing its bite over the years

Editor

The winter in Kashmir is synonymous with snow, freezing cold, dearth of essentials and disruption in connectivity. Elders, however, believe that winter has lost its intensity over the decades due to low levels of snow. The landlocked Valley continues to rely on the snow reserves on high mountains which act as a source of water for drinking and irrigation during the summer months. Though the winter has lost its severity, people in Kashmir have learned to fight the weather vagaries with modern gadgets. Apart from the commonly used ‘kangri’, ‘hamams’,…

Read More