WRITE-UPS

Muzammil Bashir/ Zafar Dar On the 5th day of August 2019, an announcement sent shockwaves across Jammu Kashmir that the Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian constitution had been abrogated. The articles provided a semi-autonomous status to Jammu Kashmir. At the dark of the night around 1 am, on 6 August, the government forces, in huge numbers, knocked heavily at the door of a house in the Bolsu area of Kulgam district. "Can you accompany us to the next house?", the forces asked Tasleema Banoo's two sons. Nadeem, her elder son looked back at his mother and saw tears in her eyes. And it has been 20 months since then. Nadeem Ashraf (21), was busy scribbling on his notebook like any other day. He was preparing for the fourth paper of his B.A.1 exams, when heavy knocking was heard at th...

Qazi Shibli "We could see green flags atop the willows, chinars and the electric polls; women and men rallying with green flags, singing folktales for their brave candidates, 'Islam will win' was the word of every tongue," Reyaz Ahmed, a resident of Shangus, who campaigned for Muslim United Front in the year 1987 remembers. The year 1987 marked a watershed in Kashmiri politics. The Muslim United Front (MUF), a broader coalition of socio-religious groups within the Kashmir valley joined hands to fight the National Conference-Congress alliance. It enjoyed huge public support within Kashmir. However, it was defeated by dubious means. Those who supported the MUF were convinced that the establishment of a MUF government would achieve the wipe-out of corruption, nepotism, and misgoverna...

Mohsina Malik Maharaj Gunj Bazar is located on the banks of Jehlum in Aali Kadal area of downtown, Srinagar. The market starts from Aali Kadal and ends at Old Zaina Kadal. Downtown or “Shehr-e-Khaas” is the old city of Srinagar having historical and heritage buildings, houses and markets. There are seven old bridges or “ Kadals” in Srinagar — Amira Kadal (Omra Kadal/Womra Kadal/Amiran Kadal), Zaina Kadal/Zaein Kadal, Aali Kadal/Aael Kadal, Safa Kadal (Saifa Kadal/Saf Kadal/Safr Kadal), Habba Kadal/ Habb’e Kadal, Fateh Kadal and Nawa Kadal/ Naw Kadal. Each bridge or Kadal have its own significance. Historical texts find its origin in the mid 19th century and state that the market was established by Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh. Presently, the market is known as Maharaj Gunj, e...

Meher Qadri “They are the images or words or ideas that drop like trapdoors beneath us, throwing us out of our safe, sane world into a place much more dark and less welcoming. The past is not dead, triggers have been waiting there in the darkness, working out, practicing their most vicious blows, their sharp hard thoughtless punches into the gut, killing time until we come back that way” - Neil Gaiman The sequelae of violence against women are far broader than its immediate impact on the survivor, and it progresses to affect their intimate and immediate relationships. In cases of intimate partner violence, there is increasing evidence of the negative impact on the children who have been exposed to violence in the family. “More than the honour of the victim, it is the perceived hon...

Meer Irfan Raining tears down her cheeks, Munaza, the 11-year-old daughter of Gulzar Ahmed Ganie, who is a resident of Chitragam Kalan in anticipation of her brother's return had been waiting near the door of her house in this Shopian area in South Kashmir. Faisal Ahmed Ganie aged 14 left his home on Tuesday around 11 AM to play in the neighbourhood and did not return later, which got the family terrified. "His phone number was switched off, we tried to ring him several times," his father told The Kashmiriyat. A student of class 9th in a nearby school, Faisal Ahmed Ganie's absence made his family ran from pillar to post to search for him, but they did not get a clue of his whereabouts until on Saturday evening when the phone rang. It was Faisal on the phone. In his sally voice over t...

Waris Shah Making Friday one of the deadliest days in 2021, Seven recruits of Militant outfits, Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind and Hizb ul Mujahideen were killed during two different operations in South Kashmir's Shopian and Pulwama districts. One among the slain according to the Jammu Kashmir Police was the chief of Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind identified as Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah. The Inspector-General of Jammu Kashmir Police said that Imtiyaz had various cases registered against him, which included attacks on Government Forces. A resident of the Rathsuna area in Tral, Imtiyaz was active since 2019. One among the seven slain was identified as the 19-year-old Kashif Ahmed Mir son of Bashir Ahmed Mir, a resident of the Dadasara area of Tral in South Kashmir. "Kashif had gone missing from his home som...

Irshad Hussain "I'm not sure if he was a predator or a human being, he was sitting at the back seat and ogling at me constantly, had there been no passengers in the bus, he would have jumped on my body, I felt." Nighat Banoo (name changed ), 23, a graduate student from Srinagar, was about to fall from an overcrowded bus when a 41 years old man was touching her behind inappropriately. "He put his hands on my hands, then moved them towards my arms, then shoulders, I was helpless and unable to do anything. So, I took out my phone from my purse and called my sister, she encouraged me to raise my voice. But I was trembling," she said. This did not stop here, the person followed her constantly for the next few days, chased her almost everywhere. She says that the person resorting to touche...

Mohsina Malik On Saturday, a video clip took the internet by storm. The video was widely circulated on social networking sites which was uploaded by a resident of Hyderpora, Srinagar namely Aalia Wahid. In this distress video, she is heard saying, “ My name is Aalia Wahid, I am the resident of Hyderpora, this is the common road shared by us and other residents of the area, we have a stay order on the road, we even have a case registered in the court for more than a half year against the person who has been harassing us for past one year, the person namely Mukhtar Ahmad Shah is illegally installing a gate on the road, and have brought both male and female police officials with him. The female police have harassed my mother, grandmother, and me, please help us, there are more than 60 p...