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Faith, Ego, and Governance: Kashmir’s Sacred Spaces and Holidays Hijacked

September 6, 2025 Editor

Hazratbal Controversy & Eid Milad-un-Nabi Dispute – Faith, Ego, and Governance in Kashmir By: Javid Amin | 05 Aug 2025 The Collision of Faith and Power In Kashmir, faith is not abstract—it is woven into daily life, memory, and collective identity. From shrines like Hazratbal, which houses the Moi-e-Muqqadas (a relic of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), to festivals like Eid Milad-un-Nabi, these traditions carry centuries of reverence. But when ego-driven governance collides with sacred space, the result is not just controversy—it is alienation. September 2025 has marked two such flashpoints: the…

Kashmir Flood Alert 2025: Jhelum River Crosses Danger Mark Again — Why 11 Years of Projects Haven’t Secured the Valley

September 4, 2025 Editor

Big Projects, Little Relief: Kashmir’s 7th Close Flood Call Since 2014 By: Javid Amin | 04 Sep 2025 A Valley on Edge — The Seventh Flood Scare Srinagar, September 4, 2025 — As the Jhelum River surged past danger marks at Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh this week, residents of Kashmir held their breath. Sirens blared, mosque loudspeakers echoed warnings, and families in low-lying areas scrambled to move valuables to higher floors. For many, the unfolding crisis felt like déjà vu — the haunting shadow of September 2014 returning once…

J&K Politics Erupts Over ‘Denial of Protocol’ to CM Omar Abdullah During Amit Shah’s Jammu Visit

September 3, 2025 Editor

Denial of Protocol to Omar Abdullah: J&K Parties Slam Amit Shah’s Jammu Visit Optics By: Javid Amin | 03 Sep 2025 Srinagar/Jammu: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to flood-hit areas of Jammu has sparked a political firestorm in Jammu and Kashmir. Viral images from the visit have ignited a heated debate over protocol, respect for institutions, and the balance of power between the Union Government, the Lieutenant Governor’s office, and the elected state leadership. At the center of the controversy is Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who, according to…

JKSSB JE Electrical Exam Cancelled Amid Paper Leak Chaos

August 25, 2025 Editor

Kothibagh Centre Turns Flashpoint as Youth Protest Corruption and Mismanagement By: Javid Amin | 24 Aug 2025 The Exam That Collapsed into Chaos On August 24, 2025, thousands of aspirants gathered with hope and anxiety to appear for the JKSSB Junior Engineer (Electrical) recruitment exam. At the Kothibagh Girls Higher Secondary School in Srinagar, what began as routine preparations soon spiraled into chaos and controversy. Candidates were first handed OMR sheets. Then officials abruptly announced the exam was postponed by an hour due to “rain-related exigencies.” In the confusion, some…

Hydropower Drive Gains Pace in Jammu & Kashmir: Clean Energy, Complex Trade-Offs & the Question of Control

August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 Editor

Power Surge or Power Surrender? Unpacking whether J&K’s hydropower boom empowers the region — or centralizes control By: Javid Amin | 23 Aug 2025 J&K’s New Energy Moment Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has long carried the stigma of being energy-starved despite being water-rich. The region, endowed with some of India’s most powerful rivers — the Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus tributaries — has the natural potential to become a clean energy hub. Yet, for decades, its citizens have suffered chronic electricity shortages, winter blackouts, and costly dependence on external power supplies.…

How Merit in Kashmir is Dying a Silent Death: Reservation Policy, Quotas & The Future of Youth

August 22, 2025 Editor

Merit in Kashmir Under Threat: Is Reservation Policy Killing Hard Work? By: Javid Amin | 21 Aug 2025 The Silent Collapse of Merit in Kashmir In Kashmir today, the death of merit isn’t announced with headlines or slogans. It doesn’t come with the sound of breaking glass or mass protests. Instead, it’s quiet, systemic, and deeply corrosive. Every young student in the valley grows up with one belief drilled into them: study hard, score high, and success will follow. For decades, this has been the lifeline of Kashmiri families. Parents…

Signature Campaign on J&K Statehood: Symbolism, Strategy, or Mere Theatrics?

August 17, 2025August 17, 2025 Editor

Opposition Tears Into Omar Abdullah’s Move, Calling It a Betrayal of Public Trust By: Javid Amin | 16 Aug 2025 A Campaign That Raised More Questions Than Hope On Independence Day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced what he described as a “massive democratic mobilization”—a door-to-door signature campaign across all 90 Assembly constituencies of Jammu & Kashmir. The campaign, planned to run over eight weeks, seeks to gather lakhs of signatures demanding the restoration of J&K’s statehood, a promise that has remained unfulfilled since the abrogation of Article 370 and the…

Omar Abdullah’s Sharp Rebuke to Supreme Court’s Pahalgam Remark: Statehood, Security, and the Battle for J&K’s Future

August 15, 2025 Editor

When Hope Turns to Caution By: Javid Amin | 15 Aug 2025 Just 24 hours before India celebrated Independence Day with patriotic fervor, Omar Abdullah—the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir—was preparing to address his people at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar. Hopes were high. The air was filled with speculation that this might be the year when the Centre finally announced the restoration of Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood—a promise made repeatedly since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. But instead of celebratory announcements, Omar Abdullah’s tone was one of…

J&K Reservation Row: Open Merit Students Slam Government Over Health Department Recruitment | ‘Merit is Being Crushed’

July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Editor

Open Merit Students Protest J&K Health Department Recruitment | Reservation Row in Jammu & Kashmir 2025 By: Javid Amin | Srinagar | 30 July 2025 A New Controversy Erupts in J&K’s Recruitment Landscape The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir finds itself amid another political and social storm—this time over job reservations. The government’s recent advertisement for 621 posts in the Health and Medical Education Department has sparked intense backlash, particularly from the Open Merit Students Association (OMSA). While the notification was part of the administration’s plan to bolster medical…

BJP Hits Back: Omar Abdullah Accused of “Glorifying Rioters” and Undermining Law & Order

July 16, 2025 Editor

Law Vs Legacy: BJP Accuses CM of Undermining Order in J&K By: Javid Amin | Srinagar | 15 July 2025 As Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s July 14 actions and subsequent July 15 speech gained national attention, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wasted no time in mounting an aggressive counteroffensive. Their message: Omar’s defiance wasn’t an act of democratic courage—but political provocation. The Jammu & Kashmir unit of the BJP accused Omar of mocking law enforcement, glorifying historical unrest, and endangering public order by dramatizing the Martyrs’ Day observance. “It was…