News Kashmir Magazine

Come the Spring Season In Kashmir and also in some portion of Summer Season, be it Children going to schools, labourers , roadside vendors or any  office-goers  we see many in Kashmir wearing  masks  as it is the peak pollen shedding season for the Russian poplar.These pollens are having adverse impacts on health. Pollen allergies are very commonly caused by pollen grain from poplar trees in Kashmir and despite ban Towards the end of every spring season and by the onset of summers, the poplar trees shed cotton like material carrying pollens and seeds, which according to many health experts are highly allergic and as such harmful to the health of people here. it is learnt that lakhs of Russian poplar  plants are being sold everywhere in Kashmir and it seems that those at helm of affairs have no interest in implementing the ban  or cutting completely these dangerous trees.

Russian Poplars’ have found popularity because its wood is the key component for fruit boxes and also fetches good returns from plywood industry. Thus realities call  fo government to think of effective replacement for hazardous Russian Poplars.

 

 

We need to bear in mind that some Experts also ascribe the growing phenomenon of pollen to the increase in the cultivation of ‘Keekar trees’ (Robina Pspuspudocia) .

 

Masses in unison are calling that   should effectively implement the blanket ban it had imposed on plantation of Russian poplar trees in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir keeping in view the large number of  complaints of allergy being caused by its pollen and its damage to our overall health and environ .

 

We need to promote great benefiting  tees like chinar and with reference to Russian Poplas we need to bear in mind that the time is ripe to nip the evil before it is too little too late for us.

 

With Six moderate Hurriyat constituents — Salvation Movement chairman Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Muslim League chairman Hakeem Abdul Rashid, Kashmir Freedom Front chairman Syed Bashir Andrabi, National Peoples Party chairman Syed Saleem Geelani, Peoples League chief Sheikh Yaqoob and Muslim Khawateen Markaz chairperson Yasmeen Raja deciding to part away from Mirwaiz Umar Farooq lead Hurriyat (M) and thus another spilt has taken place in Hurriyat.

 

As a matter of fact,The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was as  an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations was formed on March 9, 1993 as a pro-freedom political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri sentiment with reference to liberty . This alliance has historically been viewed positively by Pakistan as it contests the claim of the Indian government over the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

However divisions and cracks among this once forceful and strong platform has demoralized many Kashmir as many Hurriyats came out of the single united Platform of Hurriyat The very first Internal fissures within the Hurriyat Conference had culminated in a formal split on September 7, 2003, with at least 12 of its 26 constituents ‘removing’ the then Chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari ‘replacing’ him with Masarat Alam as its interim chief.

As a matter of fact, much to the disappointment of its supporters,  Hurriyat Conference again got split in 2014, moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq faced spilt after four senior leaders raised a banner of revolt against the chairman and other members of the conglomerate. Democratic Freedom Party president Shabir Ahmad Shah, National Front chairman Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mahaz-e-Azadi chief Mohammad Azam Inqlabi and Islamic Political Party Mohommad Yousuf Naqash were up in arms against Mirwaiz after he dashed a letter to convener in Pakistan Administred  Kashmir Mohommad Yousuf Naseem asking him not to entertain the leaders who have left the conglomerate on their own and they formed JK Hurriyat.

Splits and Divisions have certainly not augured well for the health of Hurriyat Conference as a viable pro-freedom political platform.

The splendid nature of God  has conferred   Kashmir with innumerable gifts, its towering snow clad mountains, bubbling streams, transparent and sparkling lakes, flower meadows, colorful orchards and rare fauna have always fascinated many tourists from all corners of the world. The age-old traditional fruit cultivation has plentifully colored the tranquillity and stillness of Kashmir’s landscape. Kashmir, the land of fauna, flora and fruits possesses a rich history of fruit cultivation.

The agriculture sector of Kashmir, especially its offshoot –“the horticulture industry” in Kashmir has become the bulwark of rural economy in the state. This industry earns revenue of over Rs. 50 crores yearly and provides job facilities to the thousands of people directly and indirectly. But due to coldhearted attitude of masses and government inefficiency we are fast losing our cultivable land to the greed of jungle of constructions .

Sometime back, we came to know that  According to Jammu and Kashmir Statistics and Evaluation Department, the total available area in 1993-94 under ‘permanent pastures and grazing fields’ was 7107 hectares, which has reduced to just 5191 hectares in 2007-2008. The total land available for cultivation of rice in 1996-97 was 17337 hectares in Kupwara, which has been reduced to 15241 hectares. Similarly, the land available for cultivation of vegetables in 1996-97 was 5713 hectares, which has been reduced to just 499 hectares. The available land for cultivation of fodder in 1996-97 was 768 hectares, which has been reduced to just 51 hectares.

But of late as well many voices both in online and offline world are suggesting that whole focus of authorities is on promoting Kashmir tourism sector which has quiet low contribution to economy when compared to contributions of agriculture sector  according to these very voices . So now the question and debate generated in society is that are we ignoring all important agriculture at the cost of tourism.

Intellectual is defined as a person who engages in academic study or critical evaluation of ideas and issues. Intellectuals have always in Human history played a prominent part in taking forward their concerned Society, Nation or Country towards path of development.

But unfortunately in the Valley of Kashmir Intellectual Bankruptcy has eaten into the vitals of Kashmiri society as a result the society of Kashmir is passing through what can be aptly termed as stagnation. A common Kashmiri knows the fact very well that our so called intellectuals write and ponder over serious issues not out of genuine concern, but to remain in limelight and collect awards and in realistic terms do virtually nothing to address the burning issues.

Commenting on serious issues in cozy chambers under all the facilities  has become a habit of our intellectuals. Advocating for revitalization of Kashmiri language on TV studios for the sake of financial gains has become a routine of our literary personalities. Kashmiri nation hopes that  intellectuals to envisage  a  visionary path  and make decisive analysis  on our behalf but our intellectuals are lagging the ample qualification and skills required for leading us into an era of success. Muscle power is more weighed than academic knowledge in making an entry into the corridors of power and decision making by our intellectuals .

One of the biggest problems of Kashmiri society lies in the inability of intellectuals in this part of the world to make up their minds about who they are. Are they dedicated experts and professionals operating within specific market-oriented and technophobic spheres, adapting quickly with the changing economic, social and political situations? Or independent souls whose only commitment is to truth and who add their voices to the public debates conducting on life in Kashmir

Without doubt  the role of intellectuals in any society is indeed one of the elements very much needed for  its development, so it should be hoped that we overcome our intellectual bankruptcy soon.

Internet freedom has become an important subject in the present era with growing number of netizens . Pertinently, the recent Supreme Court judgment rendering a provision of the IT Act as unconstitutional has been welcomed and decried as  a momentous victory for more than 300 million Net users in the country by the Internet and Mobile Association of India .

As a matter of fact, just few days back in a landmark judgement upholding freedom of expression, the apex court  struck down a provision (Section 66A) in the cyber law which provides power to arrest a person for posting allegedly “offensive” content on websites.

 

Few years back in a new report on ‘Freedom of the Net 2011 – A global assessment of Internet and Digital Media’ by the international Freedom House, India had slipped by two points from 34 in 2009 to 36 in the assessment of the constraints placed on the digital media.

 

India stands at the sixth place among 18 countries which have been listed as ‘partly free’.

 

A total of eight countries headed by Estonia and the United States are in the list of ‘free’, while eleven countries figure in the list of ‘not free’. Pakistan is at the bottom of the list of ‘partly free’. China, Cuba, Burma and Iran are at the bottom of the list, in that order.

 

As a matter of fact, the landmark judgment is also going to impact   Kashmiri were  youth have used multidimensional social networking sites like. Facebook and YouTube to report on the events, upload images of the violence, and express their deep anger and resentment over the grave human rights abuses.

But in a series of worrying development it was  learnt that this important tool of freedom of expression is under grave threat and facing repression from the agencies of state. Nevertheless, this landmark judgment augurs well for internet freedom in India.

Suicide is a serious phenomenon that is condemned by every religion and ethic of the world. The definition of suicide, according to the Oxford English dictionary is an intentional act of terminating one’s life due to certain circumstances beyond the normal thinking capacity of a human being.

 

The word suicide comes from two Latin words Sui (of oneself) and Cidium (killing).Suicide cases have become one of the common causes of death in various parts of world. As a matter of fact, the phenomenon of suicide has greatly increased over the past few years in the entire world. Our Kashmir valley, which once had the lowestsuicide rates in the region, has seen manifold increase in the suicide rates in the past two decades on account of turmoil.

 

World Health Organisation (WHO)  data states that approximately one million cases of suicide are recorded annually world over. Every 40 seconds, somebody dies by suicide.

 

 

Pertinently, Kashmir’s suicide rate has increased 40-fold since militancy broke out over two decades ago, many researchers probing psychiatric disorders here have noted this veracity .As a matter of fact, suicide rates in Kashmir  valley were almost zero  before the breakout  of violent conflict since 1989. Since then, there has. As a matter of fact, on the very first day of 2015, when people were busy celebrating , wishing each other happiness and prosperity and on that day  four persons attempted to commit suicide in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Three persons according to hospital sources breathed their last while a girl who also attempted to end her life is in critical condition. Even in last year there has been a very noticeable spurt in suicides contuning the trend of  rising suicides  in the past 22 years.

 

But this abnormal increase in suicide rate has sounded alarm bells among the sane corners of Kashmiri society. Suicides among women are growing at much alarming pace. Some voices blame loss of patience and financial distress being responsible for this spurt in women suicide while others believe brutalities of men towards women and lack of opportunities responsible for increase in suicide among women of Kashmir.

We as a nation of Kashmir need to understand that life is a priceless gift from God.   Even when a human being has no material belongings, life will still be possessed.   In light of these observations, it is very logical and ethical to believe committing suicide is awful because you are always better off than someone else out there. Why would you want to throw your life away?.

All the voices of sanity in Kashmir should engage in brainstorming sessions to put an end to menace of suicides which is harming our national fabric.

Peshawar which recently witnessed a horrific terrorist attack on an Army Public School which killed 131 children is still somber and sadness defines the life of this Pakistani City Known as Flower City. But the will to fight back is there and the signs of all this became clear last Monday when in a big step towards  Limping  normalcy, the army-run Peshawar school which was ravaged by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan nearly three weeks ago resumed its classes with even injured students thronging to schools .

Pertinently, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif personally received the students and met the parents at the school. He also attended a commemorative service held at the school and sung the national anthem in honour of those who lost their lives during the terror attack. The attack on December 16 had claimed 148 lives, including 132 school children.

In another heartening development,  Meanwhile, the structure of the school has been renovated while the cleansing work has also been completed. Vacations in all educational institutions across the country were extended due to security reasons. After enhancement of security measures these educational institutions resumed classes on last Monday.

People of brutalized Peshawar City are showing the will power to fight the carnage of inhuman elements. As the legendary personality of late Nelson Mandela had beautifully stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”More powerful than the terror inflicted by gunshots. More powerful than the fear and darkness which overcame Peshawar on this dark moment in history when it last 131 young children and 15 brave teachers but the city seems to be remembering the importance of education very well.

One hopes that resilience shown by Peshawar will transform the country of Pakistan into a positive country full of peace and prosperity.

 

As the winters dawn in Kashmir we have always witnessed long spells of load shedding hitting the Valley of Kashmir impacting the daily  chorus of masses and adversely effecting the industrial, business progress and study schedule of students. Long hours without electricity not only haunt masses but life without electricity is full of depression. The menace of electricity has plagued the majority of areas of Kashmir since very long and every government that has come in power has had no effective answers or policy mechanisms to deal with this problem. One effective answer to the electricity problem could be to tap the enormous hydro-electricity potential of Jammu & Kashmir especially Kashmir Valley  and utilize this potential in right direction.

All throughout the history, the hydroelectricity potential of our state Jammu& Kashmir  especially the water rich Kashmir Valley is a well known fact. Power Development in Jammu and Kashmir has a long and illustrious history. 9MW Mohra Hydro-electric Plant, among the first of its kind in the subcontinent, was developed as early as 1905. The estimated hydel potential is about 20,000 MW.

The Jammu& Kashmir State Power Development Corporation presently has 20 hydroelectric projects with installed capacity of 758.70MW located in various districts of Jammu & Kashmir including 450MW BHEP. .

We have a very huge hydroelectricity potential which if properly tapped can end the problem of power cuts in Kashmir .Although,  there is a difference of opinion on the total hydroelectric power potential of the J&K State with JKSPDC putting it at about 20,000 Mw’s. But on the other hand independent assessment has revealed that Jammu and Kashmir’s hydropower potential is 25,000 megawatts, much higher than the state government’s estimated figure of 16000 to 20,000 megawatts. But from all estimates the hydroelectricity potential of Kashmir is huge.

To ensure continuous electricity supply we should also cut down transmission- distribution losses. Pertinently, the power sector faces in the state is the transmission and distribution losses which are more than 63 per cent of the total electricity generation of the state. According to a  report released few years back , the transmission and distribution losses are about 50 per cent, while the rest 13 per cent are collection losses, making it an aggregate of 63 per cent. Another disturbing factor revealed by the survey is that the state with such a huge hydropower potential had to purchase 90 per cent of the total electricity consumed in the state in 2006-07 from central power agencies.

In addition to tapping the hydroelectricity potential of Jammu & Kashmir Curbing of the  theft of electricity, ensuring the efficient metering system could go long way in solving the grave issue of power crisis in Kashmir.

With the elections round the corner and very few months left before a new state government can take over the reins of power in Jammu & Kashmir the masses are pinning the hopes that the new State Government after assuming the office should tackle the issue of electricity failure in Kashmir especially during winters.

 

 

 

 

It is well known fact that a strong  Civil Society plays a dynamic  role in informing  and adding new lease of charm  and new lease of life to a modern society and is considered among the most needed institutions in a civilized society especially when a society is faced with adverse scenarios .Undoubtedly, Non Governmental Organizations also commonly known as NGOs play pivotal  role in forming a vibrant and active civil society in any part of the planet earth.

 

Importantly the recent devastating floods in Kashmir have reinforced the role of having an effective and vibrant Civil Society. Society Experts have time and again started that Post-conflict situations call for effective efforts from Civil Society to come out of traumatic experiences .  The importance of efforts to rebuild civil society by the constructive role of NGOS and establishment of the rule of law, tackling natural disasters, stimulation of political dialogue and public participation, which is essentially made possible by a vibrant civil society  must not be under-estimated, as they provide both formal and informal institutions for reconstruction in post-conflict situations. Therefore, efforts to strengthen civil society is a necessity that can be facilitated by NGOs, both local and otherwise, in a number of ways – by assisting local communities and individuals in the design of programmes, providing capacity building services, access to financing, and establishment of legal entities like cooperatives.

But on ground zero the Civil Society component of Kashmir offers a mixed picture. Pragmatically on ground the desired coordination between civil society was lacking if we take the recent floods as example but on the otherhand we also some vibrant NGOs rendering valuable efforts in rescue, relief and rehabilitation which has helped in easing the sufferings of masses. With more positive approaches applied the Civil Society in Kashmir can do wonders in changing the overall  situation towards betterment.