Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog
Vijay K. Sazawal, Ph.D.
I launched the website and the Blog after undertaking a thorough search of literature dealing with Kashmir. Finding existing choices that varied from harsh zealotry as expressed by multiple political antagonists and religious bigots, I undertook multiple visits to the valley to make a first hand assessment of the situation as well as seek input from those on the ground – common people, civic and academic leaders of both genders, minorities, and bureaucrats both in Srinagar and New Delhi. After having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents, it became clear to me that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of prior-
-ities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity to all the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir. Above all, it is incomprehensive how violence can lead to any political closure or human justice when it simply impedes any healing, development or normalcy.
We encourage hearing from the disfranchised “silent majority” in Jammu and Kashmir. Please send your comments by contacting us. Thank you.
Why is Glass Always Half-full for Kashmiris?
Kashmir is the capital of global conspiracies, and while the world is watching the particle beam experiment near Geneva with fascination, in Kashmir it is producing a different kind of anxietyKashmir panicky over Big Bang experiment: Weatherman dispels rumors of...
When is Large not Large Enough!
When it involves two contradictory stories on tourist traffic in the valleyFollowing land transfer row staff retrenchment takes place in tourism sector - Tourist traders not able to pay salaries to employeesAfsana Rashid (Daily Khidmat)Srinagar:Once upon a time the...
Recalling a great Kashmiri Saint
The amazing life of a saint revered by both Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits and called Padshah by his followersRishi Peer PadshahDr. B. N. ShargaKashmir has been regarded as the land of gods and goddesses from times immemorial. Its rich natural resources of flora and...
Keeping the Kashmiri Nation in the Dark
Afsana's investigative report is interesting and yet not surprising(Ms. Afsana Rashid, 29, was born and raised in Srinagar and attended the Minto Circle High School. She graduated from the Government College for Women with a Bachelor's degree in science, and completed...
APHC needs wisdom more than crowd
A thought provoking commentary, but in all honesty can these leaders escape from their own spin!(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in...
Governor Vohra’s Personal Agony
In a private conversation with the author on September 4, Governor Vohra laments about the disruption in academic career of students because of lengthy shutdowns in J&KDisturbed academic calendar leaves students in lurchMehboob Jeelani (Rising Kashmir)Srinagar,...
Is Development a Process of Expanding Freedoms?
An Editorial in the Kashmir Images argues that Freedom and Development are two sides of the same coinWhat is FreedomHistorically speaking, economics, a science inherently smitten by the desire to quantify, has often been too narrow in its approach to development. An...
Without Self-Sufficiency Independence is Only a Dream
The author presents a strong argument why Kashmiris must earn the respect of the world before anyone takes them seriouslyTOWARDS INDEPENDENCEShahid–ul-IslamIn The Dance of Wounded Souls, Robert Burney says that a dysfunctional civilization predisposes us to look...
A Kashmiri Perspective of Terrorism in India
Dr. Pandit lays out an argument forgetting that India is a civilizational society where culture, more than religion, plays a decisive role in defining public and private livesChanging the mindsetDr Altaf PanditOn 26th July, at least seventeen blasts, within a short...
Kashmir Economic Front: The Editorial in the Rising Kashmir Raises Eyebrows
An Editorial in the Rising Kashmir discusses the new organization, but also raises the possibility that financial loss figures being announced by traders recently are inflated and untrue.Economic FrontThe setting up of Kashmir Economic Front , a joint forum of various...