Firdous Qadri In the Check Dhara belt of Harwan, where paddy once glistened under Kashmir’s midsummer sun, the land today lies cracked and thirsty. The familiar rhythm of water flowing through the gullies is gone. What remains is silence, heat, and the anxious footsteps of farmers chasing what little water they can find. “We are helpless,” said Bashir Ahmad Reshi, a farmer with rough palms and a weary gaze. “The deadline has passed, and we are still waiting for water.” He referred to June 21—the customary end of the paddy transplantation season in Kashmir. This year, that date came and went like a taunt. Reshi, like many in his village, told The Kashmiriyat that the fields had gone dry earlier than ever. The mountain springs—lifelines for irrigation—began to retreat weeks ago, rob...

Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema Jammu & Kashmir, on the directions of its patron Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq, convened an important meeting of the Shia-Sunni Coordination Committee at Mirwaiz Manzil, Rajouri Kadal. According to a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the meeting witnessed the participation of a large number of prominent religious scholars, spiritual leaders, intellectuals, and notable personalities from society, representing leading religious organizations. The session was presided over by senior religious scholar Agha Syed Muhammad Hadi Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi. During the meeting, scholars and representatives from both sects emphasized that, at a time when the overall situation of Muslims — locally, nationally, and global...

Two Members of Parliament from Jammu Kashmir—Mian Altaf and Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi—have separately called on the central government to ensure urgent medical treatment and consider the release of jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, who is reportedly suffering from multiple serious health conditions, including prostate cancer. Speaking to the media, Mian Altaf, MP from Anantnag, revealed that he had received letters both from Shah’s family and the ailing leader himself, raising alarms over his deteriorating health. “Given his age and medical condition, there appears to be no justification for his continued detention. If he cannot be shifted to Kashmir, at the very least, he should be allowed to be with his family in Delhi,” Altaf said. He stressed that concerns over Shah’s condit...

Multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements have been put in place for the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra to ensure a safe and smooth pilgrimage, Kashmir Police chief V K Birdi said on Wednesday. “The Shri Amarnath Yatra this year is starting next week. Jammu-Kashmir Police and other security forces have made all security arrangements for the yatra. Compared to last year, this time there are multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so as to make the yatra safe and smooth,” Birdi, Inspector General of Kashmir Police, told reporters in Anantnag. He visited the Nunwan base camp of the yatra along the Pahalgam axis to personally review the preparedness ahead of the pilgrimage, which begins on July 3. The 2025 Amarnath Yatra will be held from July 3 to around August 8 or 9...

In a dramatic rescue operation on Wednesday morning, nine individuals trapped in the Tawi River in Jammu were saved after a sudden rise in water level caused by intense overnight rainfall across the region. The rescue, carried out jointly by the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local volunteers, took place near the Jewel Chowk bridge. Among those rescued was 52-year-old labourer Madan Lal, who had been extracting sand from the river when the water surged around 8:45 am. He remained stranded for nearly two hours before SDRF teams used a ladder to safely bring him out. As per Daily Excelsior, Eight others, including individuals performing religious rituals at the riverbank, were also pulled to safety in the coordinated operation. Several horses caught in the rising wat...

A 14‑year‑old boy succumbed to injuries following a scooter accident in Solina Bund on Tuesday late night. A police official told news agency JKNS that, the boy identified as Muneef Ahmad,a resident of Rambagh, Srinagar, lost control of his scooter and collided with a wall. He was rushed to SMHS Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, he said. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and started further proceedings, official added. (JKNS)

Amid the relentless summer heat, the residents of multiple areas across north Kashmir including Sopore, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts, staged protests on Monday against the acute water shortage, accusing the administration of negligence and broken promises. As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the protests erupted in Khanpora Baramulla, Watlab Sopore, Ghaziriyal Kupwara and Chogul Handwara, with the residents claiming that they have been suffering without drinking water for months despite repeated assurances from the authorities. In Khanpora locality of Baramulla, dozens of residents took to the streets, accusing the Jal Shakti Department of abandoning their responsibilities. “We have been suffering for the past several months. Every time we raise our voice, the ...