Boycott and curbs subdue India’s election in disputed Kashmir
At least 86 percent of eligible voters in the Kashmir valley abstained from voting, although in the southern Jammu belt, where Muslims and a sizeable Hindu population doesn’t shy away from casting votes, a 70 percent turnout was recorded. BABA UMAR 22 APR 2019 India-administered Kashmir –– As the morning sun shone over Ganderbal’s mustard fields and […]
2018 is disputed Kashmir’s ‘deadliest year’ in a decade
At least 600 people in India-administered Kashmir, which includes Indian soldiers, local police and 160 civilians, lost their lives to violence. BABA UMAR 28 DEC 2018 An eight-month-old baby Nitin Kumar, a senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari, an alleged police informer Shameema Akhtar, a Class 7 student Andleeb Jan, a 14-year-old rebel fighter Mudasir Ahmad Parrey, and […]
Kashmir’s unnamed epidemic – suicide
It is now the second-largest cause of unnatural death in the troubled region, but there is still no word for suicide in the local language. Words by Baba Umar / Photos by Abid Bhat December 2013 Thirty-one-year-old Adil Ahmad reflects on the seven times he attempted to take his own life. Sleeping pills were his […]
Kashmir’s dark heart
Words by Baba Umar \ Photos by Abid Bhat June 2015 India-administered Kashmir As the summer sun prepares to hide behind the verdant peaks of Khokher Mohalla – a sleepy village in the southern portion of Indian-administered Kashmir – Fazul-ud-Deen stands outside his house pounding a section of Deodar stump with a machete. In just a […]
Why do Kashmiris oppose a Bavarian concert?
Some in this restive region view the event as a propaganda tool for India to whitewash alleged abuses. Baba Umar 7 Sept 2013 A Bavarian State Orchestra concert in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir has met with strong opposition ever since it was announced a month ago. The news of the concert was greeted by a […]
India planning a ‘separation wall’ in Kashmir
India plans to build a separation wall in the Himalayan region, but rebels have warned against such a move. Baba Umar 21 Dec 2013 Taking a cue from Israel’s proposed separation wall along the Jordanian border, India plans to build a similar but higher 179km long wall in the Indian-administered Kashmir to separate the southwestern […]
Flood-affected Kashmiris lament lost cattle
Livestock are major source of income in India-administered region, where people are waiting for compensation. Baba Umar 5 Nov 2014 Beighpora, Indian-administered Kashmir – As the noon autumn sun brightens the azure sky of Beighpora, every inbound vehicle brings a sign of hope to the destitute villagers whose properties and livestock were swept away by flooding […]
Revoke controversial law in disputed Kashmir – Amnesty
Rights group says special law continues to feed a cycle of impunity for human rights violations in region. by Baba Umar 1 Jul 2015 Local rights activists like Parveena Ahanger says that the Indian military courts are “unreliable” and “dishonest” [Baba Umar/Al Jazeera] Human Rights group says special law in the region continues to […]
Hundreds arrested in Kashmir ahead of Modi visit
Crackdown in India-administered Kashmir in bid to prevent ‘Million March’ called to protest weekend visit by Indian PM. Baba Umar 4 Nov 2015 Authorities in India-administered Kashmir have cracked down on hundreds of political activists and pro-independence leaders ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the region. Modi will hold a public rally […]
The dilemma of Kashmir’s half-widows
Decades of conflict have produced many ‘half-widows’ whose husbands have disappeared but are not declared deceased. Baba Umar 12 Oct 2013 14:44 Decked by thick deodar forests, terraced corn fields, apple orchards and jagged mountains, the hamlet of Dardpora tucked in the northern rim of Indian-administered Kashmir looks idyllic. But scratch a little deeper and […]