The home minister, Rajnath Singh, recently appointed Dineshwar Sharma as the centre’s interlocutor for Kashmir. He went on to state that Sharma is free to interact with any group or member of the region, which in his view, is a stake holder. Thus, the restrictions placed by the government of not talking to the Hurriyat, which it considered anti-national and […]
Introduction The Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, announced the recommencement of the dialogue process in Kashmir, with the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma, the former IB Director, as the centre’s interlocutor. Sharma has been given a free hand to interact with any group or member of society, seeking the aspirations of the people, to enable the centre to move forward with a […]
Despite claims of empty seats and invited guests, Adnan Sami’s concert in Srinagar was an indicator that threads of near normalcy are visible in the valley. There were no protests, no objections, no calls for boycott and no heightened militant activity, preceding the concert. The valley had witnessed an unprecedented elimination of militants, over one hundred and seventy, this year. […]
Immense has been written and discussed on the future of Kashmir. There are two broad opinions being projected in social media by those following the current scenario in Kashmir. These can be divided into hard and soft options. The hard option talks of an immediate solution, which includes revoking article 370 (whether it can be, is another issue), creating secure […]
er trained, nor motivated nor even equipped to challenge the might of the army, hence are being eliminated rapidly. If this also has to reduce then the government needs to act. This is the time when the government machinery should have begun to regain control over the districts and towns. Interactions between elected representatives and the public, to explain government […]
Extremism and violence is a latent quality in every individual, which remains subdued, unless ignited by an external force. This force may be an extreme belief in religion or an orator with the ability to mould his audience by the power of his speech or a violent incident which impacts the individual. The most dangerous orator is one who invokes […]
India is celebrating seventy years of its independence. Over the years, state borders have been changed or states carved from larger states as the need arose, to meet the aspirations of the masses. The boundaries of J and K, the most diverse state of the nation, have remained unchanged, though it should ideally have been split into manageable and contiguous […]
Every time a local militant is killed, the valley breaks out in protests. The most violent and prolonged protest in recent times was after the elimination of Burhan Wani, a militant who was more a poster boy, avoiding clashes with security forces. He was eulogised by the separatists, with Geelani announcing that he would be honoured with the “Tangma-e-Azeemat” (medal […]
In recent times, there has been an intense debate on the legality of Article 35 A of the Indian constitution, specifically as it concerns J and K. This article empowers the state legislature to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state, their special rights and privileges. It was added to the constitution through a presidential order of 1954 with the concurrence […]
The NIA’s investigation into hawala transactions involving the separatists and their ilk has entered a decisive phase. A sting operation, in which their members openly boasted of unlimited flow of funds to disrupt normal life and deny children even basic educational facilities by burning schools, opened a Pandora’s box. The trail is now being connected and source of funds being […]