Shams Irfan
A journalist with seven years of working experience in Kashmir.
Women: Shrinking role
Findings of two censuses, 1981 and 2001, show how women in Kashmir are being limited to home primarily by the thick presence of troops. Hamidullah Dar reports.
Permanent deployment of forces for counter insurgency is not only about occupation of space – agriculture lands, public utilities and orchards, it essentially leads to greater contact with the civilian population resulting in friction that slowly and steadily takes its toll one way or the other. The hitherto unreported impact of this condition is reflected by rise in the number of female non-workers in Kashmir.
By working alongside men in fields and orchards, women have traditionally remained viably active in economic pursuits in Kashmir’s social set up. Besides managing almost half of the burden of activities in agriculture and horticulture sectors, women would collect fire-wood, medicinal plants and other produce from forests to add to the meagre resources at home. But all these activities now stand curtailed due to many factors, chief among them being the thick presence of forces.
Obama’s oratory: Deeds will have to follow words
Tarique A Bhat
Opening with the greetings of “Shukran” and “As-salaam-alaikum,” his speech was filled with appreciation for Muslim
Has the Governor rule ended?
SHahnawaz Khan
Tell me. Has the Governor rule ended? In January they told me it has. I breathed a sigh of relief. I told my friends, it is over. The six month tenure of the down to earth gentleman governor which saw death of more than fifty civilians, most of them unarmed protestors chanting slogans of freedom, or protesting against an economic blockade of the Valley by Hindu zealots of Jammu.
Tell me. Has the Governor rule ended? In January they told me it has. I breathed a sigh of relief. I told my friends, it is over. The six month tenure of the down to earth gentleman governor which saw death of more than fifty civilians, most of them unarmed protestors chanting slogans of freedom, or protesting against an economic blockade of the Valley by Hindu zealots of Jammu.
The illusive road
Deesa Kapran road can not only connect Doda with Kashmir Valley and trigger development in remote areas, it can also provide an alternate link...
Politics over Shopian
Across the political divide, politicians harped on the alleged rape and murder case to bring their parties to life. Few, however, found people responding to their calls. Shahnawaz Khan reports.
As the death of two young women under mysterious circumstances in Bongam Shopian stirred unrest across Kashmir Valley, politicians from different parties and groups also jumped in the fray with their political stunts.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Mehbooba Mufti first appeared in Lal Chowk with her legislators and party supporters protesting against the alleged rape and murder. Accusing government of covering up, she tried to lead her supporters to Maisuma and interior localities of Lal Chowk, but she could not find sympathies from the stone pelting protestors unimpressed by her stunt.
How they feel?
The alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian has shocked one and all in the Valley. Shazia Khan talks to a few women to see how they react to the incident.
Shayna Shah,
Student, Disaster Management
It is not first time when such an incident has occurred in valley. Over the past many years, we have witnessed scores of similar incidents. All these incidents have weakened our self esteem. We are living under constant fear and are not able to move freely.
If India is claiming Kashmir as its part, why such atrocities against us? Don’t we deserve to live our lives on our own conditions and terms? They have created situation here that is more like a war. Our voices are crushed by bullets and teargases. No women, no human being deserves such a treatment. Let us know how long we need to be subjected to this situation. We want a change to our situation. We don’t need anybody’s handout.
Shayna Shah,
Student, Disaster Management
It is not first time when such an incident has occurred in valley. Over the past many years, we have witnessed scores of similar incidents. All these incidents have weakened our self esteem. We are living under constant fear and are not able to move freely.
If India is claiming Kashmir as its part, why such atrocities against us? Don’t we deserve to live our lives on our own conditions and terms? They have created situation here that is more like a war. Our voices are crushed by bullets and teargases. No women, no human being deserves such a treatment. Let us know how long we need to be subjected to this situation. We want a change to our situation. We don’t need anybody’s handout.
The old man and the bulbul
Octogenarian Muhammad Akram writes poetry inspired by a pair of birds, who he says have been visiting him for the last 50 years. Akram...
Newsmakers
BANNED: After garlic and ginger, authorities have banned ‘export’ of coconuts and cardamom through the twin trading windows on LoC. The directions were implemented...
Vege-trouble
Vegetable belts of Budgam produce 1,20,000 metric tonnes of vegetables out of which 54,000 metric tonnes are exported. But a host of reasons are...
Restore hope to the future
Tarique A Bhat
The debate on crime, social evils and moral values in our society has been in public discourse
The debate on crime, social evils and moral values in our society has been in public discourse
A river chronicled
Jhelum has remained central to the identity of Kashmir, even worshipped at times. While chroniclers and hagiographers produced accounts of dynasties and warlords, the...
Beautifying Jhelum
R S GulFor a little over three km stretch in the heart of Srinagar, the meandering Jhelum looks a bit pampered, especially when compared...
Banyaari: A cut off world
Profiling a village that finds connectivity with the rest of the world only through a boat, Haroon Mirani reports the apathy of government towards...
Revenue generation: Trade suggests how
As Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather prepares to draft the budget 2009, he has been interacting with trade and industry chieftains for inputs. Kashmir...
What I want in budget
Sanjay Puri
A joint study by CII with Luthra & Luthra Charted Accountants concluded that Entry Tax impacts the competitiveness of the industry without any corresponding significant benefit to the states’ revenue. It found the tax restricts free flow of trade, mars potential employment generation, increases administrative costs for the industry, and leads to double taxation thus making products expensive for end user.
Perhaps that is why Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had done away with it. In northern region, UP levies entry tax between 1 to 5 percent, Punjab between 2 to 4 percent, Haryana between 2 to 12 percent and J&K levies tax between 4 to 12 percent.
J&K imposes double tax on manufacturing sector - toll tax first on inbound goods and again on outbound goods. One way toll tax will enable the manufacturers to expand their businesses with the neighboring states, thus increasing the quantum of inward goods and leading to higher collection of toll tax. We want this to be reviewed.
