News Kashmir Magazine

NEWS KASHMIR EXCLUSIVE

 

Recently, the South Kashmir region witnessed mayhem as about 13 militants , four civilians and three army men died in three encounters with District Shopian bearing worst brunt of the violence . The people of Kashmir  observed a complete shutdown against the killing for four days . Scores of civilians received injuries in these protests with a boy from Kangan getting killed.

During these days to maintain law and order the authorities places strict restriction in parts of Srinagar city including at the Old City. The Mobile internet was also snapped in many part of the valley including in north and south areas of Kashmir, with South witnessing complete lockdown.

This level of mayhem and bloodshed in South Kashmir has pained humane hearts and reduced entire Kashmir to mourning .

While talking to The News Kashmir ‘ ‘Mir Imran, a human Rights Defender stated -” The situation of entire Kashmir is worrisome but it is disastrous in South Kashmir as entire areas of South Kashmir have been marred by bloodshed, killings and blinding. The government and the entire security machinery should try to look to means of having ceasefire with local militants  so that precious lives can be saved .The pain, lava that has now engulfed South Kashmir since many years can burn the entire region down. The heavy bloodshed that took place in South Kashmir on April 1 has rattled entire Kashmir valley and something should be done to break this ugly cycle .”

Many a voices are disappointed that such harsh nature of situation in South Kashmir puts entire 2018 year prospects of being peaceful under huge question marks.

Bilal Bashir Bhat, a Journalist states –

 

“On a larger level March ending pressure boosts the possibility of celebrations of Fool’s day that falls on April 1 as such people play pranks and jokes to breathe a sigh of relief, however, in Kashmir the people on this particular day were busy in counting the dead bodies in South Kashmir causing mayhem in Valley amid high expectations of a sound and prosper Financial year.

March the month of expectations had in Kashmir seen much bloodshed and April the month of hope has started too on a bloody note with the killing of seventeen Kashmiris including thirteen militants and excluding three Army personnel.”

The situation in South Kashmir is definitely a serious cause of concern with more and more youth embracing gun out of box solution is the need of hour.

 

News Kashmir Exclusive

The romance of youth towards gun in valley is the latest worry of distraught parents in Kashmir . A news featured recently in Economic times titled as – Every third day, a youth takes up arms in Kashmir valley. This suggests the grave nature of the problem.
In a worrying development , The son of senior separatist leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai had also joined militancy last Saturday.
Sehrai’s son Junaid Ahmad Sehrai, who had done MBA, had gone missing from the home on Friday and next day his picture with an AK-47 rifle had gone viral on social media. He has joined the biggest militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.
Sehrai is a close aide of senior separatist leader and had recently taken over a chairman of Geelani’s party, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.
Meanwhile, three youth , all hailing from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have gone missing since last week.
According to the voices of sanity, it is a worrying trend that how violence is having glamour power for the youth and also the increased bloodshed is taking the most toll on the youth of Kashmir. The images of youth holding gun and the same appear on the social media and go viral within no time .

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, an eminent political analyst stated – “
The political status quo, militarization of public spaces and institutional denial of justice has driven youth to the wall, with desperation and disillusionment looming large. The state, government along with resistance leadership has failed to inspire them to see beyond vicious cycle of death, violence and martyrdom. Add to it the inspiration of transnational violent movements like Isis and Al Qaeda that have inspired a fringe element of youth towards establishing an idealist concept of an Islamic state. The daily humiliation, state violence, police harassment and denial of dissent are contributing factors that drive youth to take the extreme plunge of taking arms against the state.”
Fathers lifting coffins of their dead sons, mothers world getting destroyed due to death of son in conflict situation and weeping sisters and near, dear ones are the outcome of prolonged violence in Kashmir with these scenes now becoming worryingly a nutshell.
What is needed a proper counseling to youth , end of injustices and atrocities and a dialogue process on all burning issues.

Rameez Makhdoomi

Spring is the season of optimism, freshness and seen everywhere a season that enthuses life in things after a long winter. Many have opined that spring is surely the best season of the year. Most of the people love this season and in Kashmir flowers blossoming, rainfall, snow melting, beautiful gardens represent Spring. It is the favorite season of poets.

Painfully enough, In Kashmir the Spring 2018 has started with death and pain.  As on Sunday night, 4th March the parents were over the moon with joy  that tomorrow their kids will get first day of schooling after long winter break, Kashmir got bruised by a sad news   that during a late night shootout at Shopian in south Kashmir resulted in the killing of two local militants and four civilians travelling in two vehicles. The Army stated  it retaliated after its check post was fired at from a car, in which the Militants and their associates were killed. Their families and local insist that killed civilians were innocents who had nothing to do with Militancy.

Amid versions and counter versions what was clear that Spring started in Kashmir on deadly note raising fears once again of an unpredictable summer.

 

Bilal Bashir Bhat, a young Journalist stated –

“ Spring is the season of hope and is seen as the season that gives life to everything. Unfortunately on a painful note the Spring in Kashmir has started on a disastrous tone with killings and pain writ large over the situation of Kashmir. Scores of young ones have lost their life at the onset of Spring in Kashmir on account of prevalent volatile situation. The grave nature of situation has ensured that summer season having a peaceful start hopes and vibes have received a setback . Kashmir political dispute should be amicably settled to give masses a healing balm and end this misery .”

Again the hopes were dashed, after the killing of three militants and two among them locals in South Kashmir Encounter on Sunday Night , 11 March , with one of them hailing from Buchpora Ahmednagar area, the soura and its adjoining areas observed shutdown for three days and Kashmir life was brought once again to grinding halt.

The bleak scenario calls on all the stakeholders to ensure that issues of Kashmir are solved in an amicable manner so that Kashmir does not see further pain and death, and all forms of destruction comes to an end.

News Kashmir Analysis

Moral values are the core component of a healthy society and more stronger the moral fabric the more vibrant is a society. Unfortunately with the turmoil stretching for over three decades now in Kashmir the morality has taken a hit.

Moral Bankruptcy, Moral Degradation have achieved peak as a result crime rate has gone up and the crimes previously unheard in the valley of Kashmir are taking place with regularity. All this has left the voices of sanity rattled .

In the recent times, Newborns  left over by parents is another gruesome  crime defining our moral decay as very recently a new born was left  to dogs in Lal Ded Hospital garbage dumping site.

In a heart-wrenching incident recently , a newborn baby wrapped in a plastic bag was dumped at a garbage site at Srinagar’s Lal Ded Hospital. This was the third baby abandoned in the recent times in the valley of Kashmir .

Drug menace has been growing at an alarming pace in the valley of Kashmir. Increasing drug addiction among youth, browsing the  cyber world for negative things is another height of immorality that Kashmir is moving towards. On the other hand , the instances of domestic violence against women have increased and sexual crimes against children are also on rise.

 

Sheikh Sameer, a research scholar said –“ Moral Bankruptcy can have disastrous consequences on a society. The moral decay of the Kashmiri society is evident. Heinous crimes taking place on regular basis and surfacing of rancorous scams and scandals has come to define what one call the speedy moral decay of the society. We cannot just talk conflict and conflict or politics and ignore the burning issues hampering our society. Moral decay on overall paradigms is a very serious issue and concern that should be fought before it destroys the entire fabric of our society.”

One thing linked with the moral bankruptcy is the intellectual bankruptcy of the Kashmir .  The growing pulse among many  a common Kashmiris is that our intellectuals write and ponder over burning  issues not out of genuine concern, but to remain in limelight and collect awards and in realistic terms do in reality  nothing to address the burning issues.

 

Commenting on serious issues in cozy chambers under all the facilities  has become a habit of our intellectuals and no ground work on same is compounding matters .

The need of the hour is to weed out the vices and take it priority number one as society to fix moral bankruptcy.

News Kashmir Analysis

 

Dialogue is an important instrument to solve tough issues. We are very well aware that due to very less dialogue between conflicting ideologies Kashmir dispute has taken its deadly toll on progress of South Asia with Kashmir bearing the worst brunt.

Many have opined that Kashmir is heading to disaster if no dialogue takes place and it seems that the prominent political forces have   realized the need and importance to restore links and path of dialogue to give some relief to the pain hit masses of Kashmir.

PDP Leader and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, has urged dialogue with Pakistan is must. Mufti, who runs  the state government in alliance with the  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently said that there was no other option to stop the “bloodshed” in the  region in the wake of a deadly  attack on an army base in Jammu city.

“We have fought three wars (in 1947, 1965 and 1971) and have won all of them, even the [1999] Kargil war. But our basic problem has not been resolved. There is no alternative to talks,” Mufti told the state assembly.

Senior  BJP leader Ashok Koul recently while talking to a daily newspaper once again reaffirmed need for dialogue he was making comments over statement of Public Works Minister Naeem Akther in which he said that China was now a “major factor” in Kashmir issue. The senior BJP leader said, “People should not be taken for a ride by giving such statements.”

He said that role of Pakistan in Kashmir has been established time and again. “Talks with Pakistan are the only option and China should not be made another party,” Koul added.

Mushtaq ul Haq Sikandar, a political analyst states –

“Dialogue is the civilized away to solve the issues. We have seen worst times and often painful episodes due to absence of structured dialogue. The institution of dialogue is the only way to settle the vexed issue of Kashmir. Renewed call for dialogue from different quarters is a step in right direction and we hope it is given practical shape soon.”

 

 

 

 

Farzana Mumtaz

With the closure of strategic Jammu- Srinagar National Highway it has been a trend that airfares escalate and currently also due to closed highway due to snow fall and landslides we are  witnessing huge increase in airfare giving much trouble to commuters. A few years back, with the ease of airfare the travel to and from Kashmir for travelers had become affordable. But now since sometime, especially during the tourist season, closed road connectivity  the airfare skyrockets and as a result the different sectors of Kashmir especially tourism are hit hard

Kashmir is known globally as an acclaimed tourist destination. People from all over the world crave to have a glimpse of the natural beauty of Kashmir. The connectivity of Kashmir on account of tough geographical terrain gets in winters marred by the often road disruptions on account of bad weather which causes landslides and road blocks.   With train connectivity to Kashmir from Jammu still incomplete, air travel assumes that extra importance with reference to the tourists visiting Kashmir and also for travelers from Kashmir wishing to visit outside Kashmir for varied reasons.

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Bilal Bashir Bhat, Journalist states – “To boost the tourism where we see many significant decisions by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department like conducting of winter festival at summer destination Pahalgam, the state seems unaware of the fact that the air ticket prizes are becoming a major cause for the tourists to choose another place for outing.

The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department which is conducting several road shows, symposiums and seminars in different states of India aimed to boost the tourism sector in Kashmir which lost its sheen particularly after 2014 devastating floods following by the 2016 public uprising has yet failed to address the major issue of the unprecedented airfares particularly at a time of long intervals of road closing due to snowing which is considered main attraction of the tourists.”

Pertinently, all the voices are outraged at abnormal spike in airfare that takes place when highway gets closed. Junaid Azam Mattu, youth leader of National Conference tweeted to Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha – “Fare from Delhi to Srinagar more expensive than round-trip tickets to Dubai from Delhi. I thought @jayantsinha said it’s cheaper to fly than to take an auto rickshaw? Airlines can’t fleece people because we had two inches of snow in the Valley. Highway robbery as usual.”

Without doubt the pulse is that the huge spike in airfare every time national highway gets closed is throttling Kashmir and it needs to be checked .

 

News Kashmir

 

The attacks on the students of Jammu and Kashmir outside the state are continuing unabated without any headway seen in this regard. Even the year 2018 has started with attacks on students from the state especially the Kashmir valley in different parts of India .

 

Just few days back a student hailing from North  Kashmir’s Sopore area was allegedly beaten up by some fellow students near the campus of a private university in Haryana’s Ambala district, police stated . The latest unfortunate incident came close on the heels of a similar incident in which two university students, residents of Jammu and Kashmir, were allegedly beaten up by some people in Haryana’s Mahendragarh.

During the current Assembly session the issue of beating up of Kashmiri students has taken centerstage in the discussions.

Raising the issue in a strong tone,  Senior National Conference leader and MLA Khanyar Ali Mohammad Sagar has expressed deep concern over the continuous attacks on Kashmiris especially  students at places outside the state.

Ali Mohammad Sagar stated – “We have made it clear to the government that continuous attacks on Kashmiri students the recent example being attack at Ambala is having negative impacts on the overall situation and further vitiating the atmosphere and alienating the youth. Despite repeated assurances by the government that we are taking up the matter of security of Kashmiri students with home ministry and concerned Chief Ministers nothing concrete has happened as attacks are continuing”

Ali Mohammad Sagar also made it clear that a statement by Parliament member of BJP asking Muslims to go to Pakistan is of serious concern and we wanted debate on it but speaker disallowed so we walked out.

Syed Tajamul Imran, founder AJKSU and a youth activist stated – “ The series of constant attacks on the Kashmiri students outside the state has been a burning issue since many years now with students from Kashmir always at the receiving end. It is high time for the state and central governments to match their lofty words with some concrete actions in this regard. Assurances have been given every time without any follow up on them. Time has come to devise a concrete strategy to solve this serious issue hampering our youth . “

The saner pulse on the ground is that hooligan elements harming the Kashmiri students should be curbed and a clear cut vision displayed by the respective governments to solve this issue once for all.

News Kashmir Exclusive

 

 

The  lack of hope is all time high in the state of Jammu and Kashmir especially in the valley of Kashmir .Worsening situation with reference to escalating killings, very less growth in private sector , declining agriculture sector , downslide in tourism sector are defining the life of Kashmir these days and with these factors weighing heavily the youth are worst hit.

Reflecting on this lack of hope of people in Kashmir both expert voices as well as the common masses are  expressing deep anguish and calling upon all the stakeholders, leadership, authorities to engage in brainstorming sessions so as to develop effective policy that can bring back hope in the pain hit valley of Kashmir.

Young Journalist Bilal Bashir Bhat states –‘’ There is an absolute lack  of hope in our society. Recently When whole of the world was busy in  making certain resolutions on the arrival of New Year 2018, the downtrodden people of Kashmir are focusing, praying for long lasting peace and prosperity. The annual gory statistics based on annihilation, pain, tragedies, anger, suffocation and fear psychosis has become a routine which needs to be ended, dreams every Kashmir cutting across the political ideologies. With PDP BJP government taking the reins of power the hope has been dashed to large extent further as situation with every week is going from bad to worse . It was unfortunate to note that like last several years, the images emanating from Kashmir in 2017 were not of its picturesque resorts but wailing Kashmiris mourning the death of around 400 precious human lives, including those of over 200 militants. One hopes this current atmosphere of absolute hopelessness is put to end .”

Even in the year 2018 when the entire world is thinking of making new discoveries or undertaking some more leaps towards the scientific and technological advancements the Kashmir is  mourning and drenched in tears of blood .South Kashmir has emerged as synonym of pain and grief ,with relentless protests and bearing the worst brunt of atrocities perpetrated by all the sides .

The pulse on the ground zero is that there are not many lucrative opportunities for the youth to engage themselves  meaningfully “ We believe that this and all the former governments have not been able to create good number of employments opportunities and the worst impacted are we the unemployed youth of Kashmir. Uncertain , violent situation of Kashmir  and chronic unemployment is killing the hope of youth,” stated Manzoor Ahmad, a youth.

Realities are calling upon the state government to speed up the efforts to ensure hope is restored in Kashmir and smile is returned back to sad faces.

 

 

News Kashmir Desk

In a move that is drawing widespread condemnation and outrage, The JK government recently has added a sub-rule in the Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees Conduct rules which states that no government employee shall engage in any criminal, dishonest, immoral or notoriously disgraceful conduct on social media which may be prejudicial to the government.

 

“They shall also not use their personal social media accounts for any political activity or endorse the posts or tweets or blogs of any political figure,” the rule states. The employees shall also not use their accounts in a manner that could reasonably be construed to imply that the government endorses or sanctions their personal activities in any manner whatsoever, it said. The order said that the employees shall also not post inflammatory, extraneous messages in an online community with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response.

Kashmir and restrictions on social media are nothing new as internet services being snapped on several occasions to curb unrest has been a common feature . During the month of May the state government directed internet service providers to block 22 social networking platforms to clamp down on tensions spurring clashes between security forces and civilians.

Both on online and real world outrage against the order was witnessed. Shafat Farooq, a journalist wrote ”

Dear Netizens, in view of this recent government gag order for its employees, please brace up for more Angel Priya, Charming princess accounts. Remember: any Dady’s princess account could be Gafoor Bhai in real. Thanks”

Shah Faesal , the famed IAS officer in a comic tone criticized the order in comic tone on facebook articulating his feelings in critical  language  -”

“Heard that government employees will be subjected to foot whipping for operating Facebook (account). From now on I will use coded language to update,” Faesal, the first Kashmiri to top the civil services examination in 2009, wrote on his Facebook page, hours after the government issued the gag order

An employee pleading anonymity stated – ”The order of the government curbing our freedom of speech is an onslaught on democracy. It is  a bizarre 16-page order titled “Social Media Usage Policy for Government Employees” issued by the state’s general administration department on Tuesday, which invokes new ‘guidelines’ having been made into law by Governor NN Vohra, specifying how over we the more than 4.8 lakh government employees in the state must behave on social media. This is clear violation of democracy and killing freedom of speech.”

The  move to regulate Social Media activity of the government employees is drawing flak from every quarter.