WRITE-UPS

Shabir Ali It has been 218 days since the tragic capsizing of a boat in the swollen waters of the Jhelum River claimed the life of 38-year-old Showkat Ahmad Sheikh, leaving his family in anguish. Today, as the river runs almost dry and the water levels have receded, the memories of that fateful day remain frozen in time for Saja Begum, his grieving mother. Every day since April, Saja Begum has returned to the riverbank, her frail figure silhouetted against the now-placid waters. With tears streaming down her face, she pleads with the river to return her son's body. “The river has given me nothing but sorrow. Every morning, I come here hoping it will show mercy and give back my son,” she whispers, clutching a fading photo of Showkat. For Saja, the river is no longer a source ...

Shah Basit/ Meer Irfan In the Hydergund area of Shopian, Abdul Gaffar Khan gazes over his apple orchard, noting the reduced yield this season. “We desperately need a good snowfall this winter,” he says. “Without it, our orchards and livelihoods won’t survive another year like this.” This sentiment echoes across Kashmir, where farming and horticulture depend heavily on a consistent winter snowfall to rejuvenate water resources and ensure agricultural sustainability. Agriculture and horticulture are pillars of the Kashmir Valley's economy, employing 70 per cent of its population directly or indirectly. Apple farming alone contributes about ₹10,000 crores annually, accounting for nearly 8 per cent of the region’s GDP. The sector supports approximately 3.5 million people, providing...

Danishwar Hameed Kashmir is suddenly awakened to the urgent need to safeguard minors and children after a tragic road accident in the Natipora area of Srinagar, where two young boys lost their lives when their Thar vehicle collided with a tipper. In recent days, traffic police, government officials, and citizens alike have raised alarms about the increasing number of accidents, particularly those involving minors. However, this incident is far from isolated. A growing and concerning trend has emerged, marked by the glorification of road rage, off beat racing, and stunt biking. What we are witnessing is not the beginning of a crisis, but potentially its devastating culmination. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, Jammu Kashmir (J&K) has witnessed a staggering 8,914 road acc...

Syed Hammad Bukhari On January 4, 1964, at 5:30 p.m. the holy relic of Hazratbal Shrine which is a strand from the bread of Prophet Muhammad was found again after being missing from 8 days which led to a social unrest in the state of Jammu Kashmir. This soon took a Political turn later causing G.M. Sadiq to be elected as Prime Minister replacing Shamsuddin. Since arrest of Sheikh Abdullah in 1953, many provisions of the autonomy of J-K had been revoked with time, however, this move by Sadiq was seen as last nail to the coffin. This changed the position of Jammu Kashmir from Self-determination to the level of autonomy it would receive with accession to the Union of India. However, under Sadiq’s rule, initiatives were taken for Sheikh Abdullah’s release. On April 5, 1964, Sadiq is...

The Jammu Massacre, in the aftermath of partition of India and Pakistan, is one of the most gruesome episode of human history. In this long piece, we explore the incidents of the day through prominent historian M.Y. Saraf's book. Following the March 1947 rioting in Punjab Rawalpindi, Attock, Murree, Bannu, and Hazara, the first trickle of refugees arrived in Jammu in April. The daily flood peaked in late 1947, when an estimated 160,000 Hindus and Sikhs came from Pakistan’s western provinces. (January 26, 1947, The Times, London) During the partition-related unrest, the majority of  Sialkot’s non-Muslim population had fled to Jammu. Sialkot and Jammu were essentially twin cities. The Dogras were the primary people of Sialkot’s north-eastern region. They were culturally and lingu...

The BJP’s attempt to consolidate power in Jammu Kashmir has met fierce resistance in the 2024 assembly elections, as voters overwhelmingly rallied behind candidates opposing the central government’s hardline approach since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, Zahir and Zamir Abdullah, the sons of Omar Abdullah have said. In their opinion piece, written for the Indian Express, the grand-children of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah have argued that with key figures detained and harsh laws enforced, the people’s choice reflects a powerful message: a demand for justice, democratic freedoms, and the end of what many view as repressive measures aimed at silencing dissent in the region. The article written by the siblings, Zamir and Zahir Abdullah dives deeply into the BJP's approach to governance i...

Danishwar Hameed Chowdhary Zahid Parwaz was visiting a remote area in the Tral region of south Kashmir on Wednesday morning to address a demarcation issue by the Forest Department regarding land held by a local forest dweller for several decades. During his visit, Zahid received a WhatsApp notification on his phone. With excitement, he exclaimed upon reading the headline: "Jammu Kashmir Assembly Passes Resolution Seeking Special Status for the Region." Amid tremendous opposition from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the Jammu Kashmir government tabled a bill seeking the restoration of special status of Jammu Kashmir, which was unilaterally abrogated on August 5, 2019. Despite the chaos, the bill was passed by an overwhelming majority with 61 members supporting the bill in a house of ...

Rayees Shah In the contemporary world, environmental issues such as pollution, global warming, deforestation, and the depletion of natural resources pose significant threats to the sustainability of life on Earth. However, the solutions to these problems are not new; our religious traditions, in particular, offer time-tested guidance on how to live harmoniously with nature. In Islam, for example, the relationship between humans and the environment is seen as one of care, responsibility, and stewardship. The Quran reminds us: “Verily, all things have We created by measure” (Quran, Surah 54:49), and “We have produced therein everything in balance” (Quran, Surah 55:7). These verses highlight the importance of maintaining equilibrium in nature. In Kashmir, this spiritual and ecolog...

Bhat Yasir Tragedy struck the twin villages of Bernate and Nowshera in Boniyar tehsil, as two local men were among the victims of a militant attack that claimed the lives of five people, including three army personnel. The attack took place on Thursday evening in the Botapathri area of Gulmarg, where militants targeted an army vehicle, killing two porters working with the Indian Army alongside the soldiers. Three army men were also killed in the attack. A senior police said that militants opened fire on a Rashtriya Rifles vehicle near Botapathri, Gulmarg, on Thursday evening. The vehicle was part of a convoy moving through the Nagin area, close to the Line of Control, about six kilometers from Gulmarg:s Botapathri. The attack in Gulmarg is the fourth such incident since Abdu...

Shivani Singh Recent data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune has revealed that stubble burning by farmers contributes just 1.3% to Delhi's air pollution, contradicting a long-standing narrative that has placed much of the blame on agricultural practices in neighboring states. Despite the relatively small contribution of stubble burning to the capital's toxic air, farmers have faced years of scrutiny, criticism, and dehumanization—a campaign rooted more in classism than in environmental facts. The numbers paint a clear picture. On October 19, 2024, stubble burning accounted for only a fraction of the city's overall pollution. In contrast, vehicular emissions—largely from private cars, which are concentrated in more affluent sections of society—contr...