Lest we repent!
Hamidullah DarSlowly and steadily, Kashmiri language is losing its ground in the very land that happens to share its name. Although dozens of the...
Be Fair
In J&K, regional discrimination is an old issue. Political forces in Jammu have used it for creating and consolidating their influences.
The gulf between regions...
Flux of the Flu
Arshid MalikThe Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, made a specific reference in a broken accent to the slow paced...
Come Clean On Shopian
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has admitted that the government made mistakes in the handling of Shopian twin rape and murder case. It is welcome...
Embargoed future
Public memory is said to be short. Seemingly, the issue of economic blockade that threatened the existence of the state a year ago is all but forgotten.
Break the ice
Hamidullah Dar
Intentionally or otherwise, Kashmiris are being pushed into a situation where people from Jammu region, or more accurately minority community, are all set to rule them for a long time. Not to speak of Kashmir Administrative Service which has become an elusive dream for most of the deserving candidates from Kashmir valley, the tentacles of patronage of a particular community have spread to other services as well.
In the recently declared short listing of Junior Health Inspectors specific for Kashmir division, only one among the 80 is a Kashmiri while as 79 are from Jammu division. This is the crass injustice to a division which already suffers for its meagre share in bureaucracy and other departments. Had this been done with Jammu division, whole of the Jammu region spearheaded by their politicians, would have cried hoarse blurting unfounded allegations on the hapless Kashmiris.
Intentionally or otherwise, Kashmiris are being pushed into a situation where people from Jammu region, or more accurately minority community, are all set to rule them for a long time. Not to speak of Kashmir Administrative Service which has become an elusive dream for most of the deserving candidates from Kashmir valley, the tentacles of patronage of a particular community have spread to other services as well.
In the recently declared short listing of Junior Health Inspectors specific for Kashmir division, only one among the 80 is a Kashmiri while as 79 are from Jammu division. This is the crass injustice to a division which already suffers for its meagre share in bureaucracy and other departments. Had this been done with Jammu division, whole of the Jammu region spearheaded by their politicians, would have cried hoarse blurting unfounded allegations on the hapless Kashmiris.
Moral of the allegation
The moment the allegation was levied, it was not the moral self of Kashmir that was lost; it was the ethical self. It is not a personal cleansing which is required, but a political one.
Violence against women in Kashmir
Dr. Bashir A. Dabla
It is generally believed that the traditional society of Kashmir about 60 years back was absolutely crime-free. The dominant majority of population had neither witnessed nor heard of any major crimes committed by its members. But, today, the same society stands at its opposite extreme. We all are first-hand witness to the emergence of minor and major crimes, especially violence against women, in Kashmiri society. This has happened in a brief period of three to four decades in a particular social context with specific factors contributing to its dynamics and continuity.
Broadly speaking, this alarming situation has emerged in the valley in the background of two distinctive processes of modernization and militancy-militarization. The first set of factors are directly related to the process of modernization, particularly urbanization, industrialization, cultural-media exposure, migration, education, secularization, materialistic orientation, value-free environment, moral degradation and so on.
It is generally believed that the traditional society of Kashmir about 60 years back was absolutely crime-free. The dominant majority of population had neither witnessed nor heard of any major crimes committed by its members. But, today, the same society stands at its opposite extreme. We all are first-hand witness to the emergence of minor and major crimes, especially violence against women, in Kashmiri society. This has happened in a brief period of three to four decades in a particular social context with specific factors contributing to its dynamics and continuity.
Broadly speaking, this alarming situation has emerged in the valley in the background of two distinctive processes of modernization and militancy-militarization. The first set of factors are directly related to the process of modernization, particularly urbanization, industrialization, cultural-media exposure, migration, education, secularization, materialistic orientation, value-free environment, moral degradation and so on.
Arid intolerance
Irrespective of their faiths, cultures and ethnicities, people living in length and breadth of J&K have a right to a dignified life. They must have equal access to all the resources in knowledge and prosperity; freedom of speech and right to protest and complain.
Refocusing Peace Process
Prof Gull Muhammad Wani
One of the architects of Kashmir accord of 1975, G Parthasarthi, used to describe India Pakistan relations as sibling rivalry and constant allergy of one to the other. It is a known fact that Indo-Pak relationship has been accident prone and largely influenced by geo-strategic forces.
It was after lot of soul searching and some indirect US facilitation that the peace process between India and Pakistan started with eight point composite dialogue process as the accepted framework. The external dimension of the peace process between Delhi and Islamabad did yield certain positive results. Though the internal dimension of the peace process remained connected to the external track, it was equally driven by fair amount of optimism and expectations of the people of J&K. After 2004, the internal track of the peace process saw certain important developments like opening of roads, people to people contact and also slow and mild trans-LoC trade.
Right mix, will it blend?
Omar Abdullah has finally come in to his own. The composition of his cabinet and the allocation of portfolios is by far his most significant political move after having come to power.
Introspect before it is late
Hamidullah Dar
The recent spurt of gory incidents reflects the criminalisation of our society to an extent where even beasts hate to stand a comparison. It is not that there have not been such occurrences in the past but the way these got publicity by protests and stone pelting incidents, brought them to the notice of all and sundry. It happens only in Kashmir that a Juliet (girl) is sitting in the amicable ambience of her drawing room in Delhi and two Kashmiri Romeos are mad after her; mad enough that one friend hacks another to death. Going by the very logic of romance, an unseen woman is not worth life of a handsome teenage lad; that too when Kashmiri youth know that there are other unseen hands ready to snatch their lives and reduce their numbers. But then those who could tell them have themselves gone astray. Parents are in the delusion of the uprightness of their children till they (children) turn to be otherwise. Teachers (though a small number) have started dating their minor students and even some dastardly incidents have occurred in this regard. In Qazigund area, a high school student was found pregnant and four teachers were accused of being responsible for this heinous crime on the student- teacher relation. The reports from many educational institutions are not encouraging.
Reduce Numbers
If there is one lesson that has come through in the last 20 years of militancy it is that the gun is not solution – be it in the hands of the army or the militants. If this is the basic premise, then a decisive move has to be made to reduce not only the physical presence of the armed forces
A brief analysis of Kashmiri angst
Arshid Malik
“Terrible are the wounds of a broken dream”, wrote Jiri Wolker. Beyond doubt every dream that Kashmiri people have dared to dream - be it of peace, stability or security - has been fractured halfway and the wounds are so terrible that perhaps we might never ever dare to dream again. It is known that when the tendency of a people to dream is contained it generates tremendous angst. This is the very characteristic angst that boils in the streets of Kashmir today. Our dreams have been snatched away from us, somewhere in the shape of our sons and sisters and elsewhere as pure hopes to lead a secure life.
All attempts made at measuring or molding this breed of angst by “standard” means and measures only aggravates the situation, and that is just what has been happening around here in the past one year. The present governing r?gime led by a young Chief Minister has been incessantly attempting to comprehend and judge the present scenario in Kashmir from a fixed, traditional and immobile point of view.
Over powering
It is only a 12 MW power project. To put it in perspective, this is 0.0005 percent of the hydropower potential of the state. So why make such a big deal about it, one may legitimately ask. The reason is neither the size of the project
