Kashmir Halcyon:

From self-sufficiency to dependency Daanish Bin Nabi Till 1953, Kashmir was self-sufficient and did not import anything apart from salt, tea and clothing. However, the political coup and the subsequent arrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on August 8, 1953 changed the political as well as economic course of Kashmir. In 1947, the import-export ratio of Kashmir’s trade was 1:3, indicating that Kashmir had a surplus trade. But 68 years down the line this ratio has taken a u-turn. Today the trade ratio of import-export of Kashmiri goods stands at 7:1. Kashmir now import goods of worth more than Rs 40,000 crore a year and only export goods worth Rs 7000 crore. There is a deficit of Rs 33,000 crore, which increases every year.  Import and Export of Goods In 1951, a devastating draught hit Kashmir and there was dearth of rice. At that time, council of minster of then Prime Minster Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah suggested that Kashmir should import food grai...

Daanish Bin Nabi Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee walked an extra mile to reach the people of Kashmir as the attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 had driven a wedge between India-Pakistan relations and put to freeze conclusive dialogue and talks on Kashmir. Despite the criticism and annoyance at home, Vajpayee addressed the people of J&K at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in April 2003. For his intent and openness he was well received with slogans of “Na Banduk Se Na Goli Se Baat Banegi Boli Se” (only talks are the way out). In his address, Vajpayee made a reference to the then situation in Iraq and said, “Bloodbath should end in Kashmir because guns and war is no solution to any problem.” Cut to 2015; state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed did everything to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi who reached Srinagar on November 7 and addressed a rally in the same stadium. Tweaking the same slogan, Mufti Sayeed said at the same venue, “Na Grenade Se Na Goli Se Baat B...

International Youth Day Daanish Bin Nabi On 12 August, the Internati onal Youth Day is celebrated all across the globe to discuss issues of the youth. Unfortunately, on this important day the Kashmiri youth seems to have been completely forgotten. World Youth Day has a different connotation for Kashmir for various reasons.  Around the world, the youth are sharing and discussing new ideas. They are talking about new concepts, innovations, development and progress. In Kashmir, the youth is struggling to find a space even for a free exchange of ideas. The space for a youth stands choked and there is such a controlled environment that a Kashmiri youth is not in a position to think of development and socio-economic progress. The Kashmir conflict has claimed thousands of lives and coerced youth in activities which can’t be termed as constructive by any standard. This phenomenon often leads to disastrous results. There is a negative impact of conflict on the youth of...

Kashmiris have always been ready for a result-oriented dialogue with India, but this should come with dignity Daanish Bin Nabi  Dialogue, no doubt, is a part of a freedom struggle. Many conflicts in the world were known to have been resolved only through dialogue, after sustained violent clashes between various groups. The conflict in Northern Ireland was resolved through a proper and sustained conflict resolution process (read dialogue). The Kashmir conflict is no different from any other, and this "dispute" has to be resolved through a process of conflict resolution.  The chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said in an interview that dialogue was the only way forward - a theory with which many of his close aides and associates also agree. On the opposite end of this divide is the lone but upbeat old stalwart of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani. He also says that he is ready for a dialogue with New Delh...

The 23rd March 1987, the day that changed Kashmir as never before Published at 06/08/2015 03:33:50  0 Comment(s) Daanish Bin Nabi Many formidable Indian politicians have said on record that elections for Jammu and Kashmir’s legislative assembly have seldom been free and fair. The alleged widespread rigging in the 1987 elections could well be described as a watershed moment in the Himalayan region’s tumultuous political history, as the then newly formed political alliance of like-minded parties, Muslim United Front (MUF), felt disgruntled after most of its candidates were declared unsuccessful. Did the 1987 elections compel Kashmiris to question a political process controlled and managed by New Delhi and did the ‘rigging’ fuel popular anti-India armed uprising of 1989, Daanish Bin Nabi  tries to ferret out.  In words of Prem Shankar Jha, one of India’s leading journalists and columnists, it was New Delhi which put a question mark on the electoral process...

Published at 27/07/2015 01:05:14   0 Comment(s)   Both parts of Kashmir should merge and have a common mechanism for everything from politics to economy Veteran journalist,  Kuldip Nayar,  is a witness to India’s 68 years of existence. He has seen every facet of India from times of Lord Mountbatten to Narendra Modi. Yet he considers himself a journalist by accident. On the sidelines of Srinagar Media Summit, he talks to  Rising Kashmir’s   Daanish Bin Nabi about India’s policy on Kashmir, the alliance between PDP-BJP, election rigging, and rise of Hindutva groups and their impact. ·           Had raiders not invaded Kashmir, it would have become part of Pakistan ·           It became difficult for Congress to do anything on Kashmir Question after rise of Jan Sangh ·           The only wrong about...