Author: Kashmir Newsline

Lt Gen (retd) Tariq Khan It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. ―Charles Dickens Arshad Sharif has departed; he would have preferred a meaningful death over a meaningless life. I saw him closely under fire, in the field, amongst my troops, in battle, and in difficult circumstances.…

How the horrific terror attacks on the financial capital of India altered the country’s counterterrorism apparatus forever. Shome Basu “Get down, lie on the floor and no flash, please,” yelled a jawan from the Punjab Regiment, sitting atop the Gateway of India, with a sniper rifle aimed at Mumbai’s iconic Taj Mahal Hotel which had come under siege a day before as a result of the 26/11 attacks. This November marks the 14th anniversary of the horrific attacks. Every reporter and photojournalist who was present there with me at the Gateway of India had no idea what was going on but, had it…

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Some of the teams and players have shown that they belong there. Bial Ahsan Dar The T20World Cup 2022 witnessed a sensational takeoff. Associate nation Namibia pulled off a comprehensive victory over Asia Cup 22 winners Sri Lanka. It didn’t stop there. The very next day, another associate member nation Scotland thrashed two-time T20 world cup champions, West Indies, by 42 runs. Four days later Ireland – still a rookie among Test playing nations – celebrated one of their most crucial victories in T20 cricket, storming into the Super-12 round and dumping West Indies out of the world cup. Even…

It is an addiction with far-reaching negative effects. Zia Darakhshan I remember my childhood days when my siblings and I would surround our father in the evenings to listen to folktales that had passed on through generations. It included stories from Wotalhome, a place known for its humour. Other stories included Alif Laila – The Arabian Nights – Kashmiri stories like Haba Khatoon, Heemal Nagrai, Aknandun and fairytales, like Panchtantra stories, Zainul Abideen, Mahadev Bisht etc that besides enthralling us also gave us a sense of belonging to our place. These storytelling sessions developed in us a flavor for literature.…

Shome Basu Exactly a year ago this month, the Narendra Modi government booked certain individuals, especially students, under the anti-terror UAPA law. Their crime was to cheer for the Pakistani team in a T20 match. These people were from Srinagar, Agra and Udaipur. In Kashmir, however, this has always been the practice as the residents of the Himalayan valley mostly cheer for the green shirts. In 1947, as the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan, the sportsmen also saw a division, just like the military, police or janitors. India and Pakistan first played as independent nations in 1952 when…

Investors are invited to buy and sell shares on Diwali. Sajjad Bazaz Ahead of Diwali, markets witnessed a boom as consumers were into shopping sprees to celebrate the auspicious occasion with fervor. Even as  most of the consumers are done with the shopping, a  special window of shopping opens in the stock market where people get  money making opportunities through buying and selling of shares of different companies. The special window is the one-hour Muhurat trading session held in the Indian stock markets on Diwali where investors are given the opportunity to make money by investing and trading. This session…

The autumn in Kashmir is a season of crimson hue – pleasing and aesthetic. It, however, doesn’t last long but allows a preparatory window for the coming winter. The first snowfall was received in the mountains and meadow resorts of Kashmir last week which brought along winter’s cold. So, the winter this year like the last several years, may come sooner than expected. If it hasn’t come already, that is. The winter in Kashmir is not a pleasant experience. It brings along miseries – freezing cold, power outage, extra expenses on warm clothing and heating appliances and illnesses. For the…

Witnessing the killing of a parent is the most traumatic childhood experience. Samreena Nazir Ayat, 8, dedicatedly arranges bottle caps on mud bricks as she plays with neighbourhood girls of her age. She holds close her three-year-old brother Imaad. “Circumstances have made her insecure about Imaad and she doesn’t trust anyone when it comes to him,” says Nasreen, Ayat’s grandmother. “Sometimes she wakes up in the dead of the night and angrily asks about her mother,” she says. “Her mother’s death has snatched the innocence of her childhood.” Two years ago, Ayat’s mother was allegedly set ablaze by her in-laws.…

Experts warn that health and safety measures in clinical laboratories should be of paramount importance, especially in view of the emergence of hepatitis and other communicable diseases. ISRA BHAT With profiteering and overcharging of tests rampant in privately owned diagnostic laboratories across Kashmir, the number of illegal units has mushroomed, making it difficult for the government to keep a check and set a balance. The investigation carried out by Kashmir Newsline revealed that the number of private diagnostic centres and nursing homes has exponentially gone up in all the district headquarters, especially in the central and northern parts of Kashmir.…