SOPORE

On January 6, 1993, the apple town of Sopore resembled a war-zone as BSF personnel resorted to widespread arson and killed fifty-five civilians. Exactly 25 years later, when Sopore town was shut to mourn the massacre, a powerful IED ripped parts of Chotta Bazar, killing four policemen instantly. The gruesome images of the aftermath shocked Kashmir, as IED’s were long forgotten. A dangerous turn in Kashmir’s re-kindled militancy, this IED has left entire security grid in a fix. Is the timing of this blast a mere coincidence or a plan, only time will tell!

NOWPORA

It was a moment of joy and pride for the entire medical fraternity in Kashmir when Dr Syed Asrar, performed rare heart surgeries at Khyber Medical Institute, Srinagar. The patients, identified by the institute were, Abdul Aziz, 47, from Handwara and Mohammad Amin, 48, from Rajouri, who were operated for Cornonary Artilary Bypass Surgery (CABG) and CABG + ABR, valve replacement surgery. This was first of its kind surgery done in Kashmir by a native doctor.

BURZAHAMA

Indian astrophysicists have found a 5,000-year-old rock carving, oldest supernova, the earliest form of human expression, in Burzahama region in Kashmir. It has been found on an irregular stone slab, sized about 48 cm by 27 cm. The figure shows two bright objects in the sky, with rays of light coming out of them, and a hunter spearing an animal below the first object. Would state government finally take Burzahama site serious and do efforts to protect it?

GULMARG

Come January 20, 2018, and Kashmir will see its first female driver competing in ‘Frozen Rush 2’ – a snow auto cross race held in Gulmarg. Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, 40, a doctor, who has a driving experience of over 20 years, will be part of this two-day rally. For Nizami, getting behind the wheel gives her thrills.

DELHI

Almost 18-years after the Red Fort attack in 2000, Bilal Ahmad Kawa, a Srinagar resident was arrested from New Delhi airport for his alleged role in the attack. He was accused of helping the Lashkar-e-Toiba militants who stormed the Red Fort, killing two policemen and one civilian. While Delhi and Gujarat police claimed Kawa’s arrest a big catch, his family in Srinagar said he was a frequent flier and is innocent.

SADHNA TOP

The death of eleven people in a snow avalanche that hit two vehicles and some pedestrians on Kupwara-Tangdhar road at Sadhna Top, once again reminded locals of their fragile existence. Located at an altitude of 3000 meters, Sadhana Top is the only connection that Karnah has with the Kashmir valley. For six-months, divided by dangerous mountains, around 60 thousand people remain virtually caged and cut-off from rest of the world. After the unfortunate accident, which was not the first of its kind, locals gave government two options: either build a tunnel to bypass Sadhana Top, or open Muzaffarabad road.

KASHMIR

On April 20, 2017, while covering students protests, when Dar Yasin, a photojournalist working with Associated Press (AP), saw an 18-year-old girl hit on the head, he kept his camera aside and rushed in to help her. A fellow journalist captures this moment and the images of Yasin, rushing the injured girl to safety, instantly won hearts across the world. Recently, Yasin was honored with prestigious NPPA Humanitarian Award. This award values media professionals that have had a key role in helping others. Earlier his photo won him prestigious Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar Award as well.

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