Jaibans Singh The unfortunate death of two young boys in Kashmir has opened yet another very sad chapter in the turbulent history of the land. Irfan Nabi Ganaie, a student of class 12 died of gunshot wounds during an anti-terrorist operation launched by the security forces at about 0300 hours on Sunday, June, 30, 2013, in the vicinity of his village, Markundal, in north … [Read more...] about Managing turmoil: The acid test for the Kashmiri leadership
Separatists
Prevent radicalisation and sectarian violence in Kashmir
S Ranjan There is a religious churning of sorts taking place in the Kashmir valley that is going largely unnoticed in the cacophony of voices being raised to given vent to a plethora of irrelevant political issues. Reports suggest that posters signed by a group that calls itself ‘Navjawan-e-Millat’ were found pasted at various places in Kupwara town and specifically in a … [Read more...] about Prevent radicalisation and sectarian violence in Kashmir
Hartals and Bandhs have lost their relevance
Prabhakar Gupta As the Kashmir valley braces itself for the much awaited tourist season and a steady flow of tourists has taken off, the business community, right from the biggest trader to the smallest daily wager has a single worry to contend with – will the separatists disrupt this period of prime economic activity with their famous Hartal and Bandh calendars? The … [Read more...] about Hartals and Bandhs have lost their relevance
Politics of the dumb and the visionless
Simrit Kahlon The Indian Parliament is celebrating sixty years of its coming into being. On the occasion, the country’s parliamentarians are reiterating their faith in democracy, not to speak of having evolved into the largest democracy of the world. At the same time, there are those with a strong sense of propriety who admit to ideological lapses and shortcomings. All in all, … [Read more...] about Politics of the dumb and the visionless
AFSPA: A tool for political populism
Simrit Kahlon The last year passed off relatively peacefully in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly so, in the valley of Kashmir. For quite some time now, terrorist strikes have gone down, separatist leaders have been exposed for the pretenders that they are, tourists are back and business is thriving. The Union Home Minister, Mr. P.C. Chidambaram recently visited the state to … [Read more...] about AFSPA: A tool for political populism