India Narrative

Amreen Bhat (35), Kashmir’s first entertainment Vlogger and YouTuber, shot dead in terrorist violence at her home in Budgam’s Chadoora area on Wednesday, 25 May, has left behind big shadows of fear. In the last 24 hours, at least 6 female singers and artists made frantic phone calls to a senior television and theatre producer, whispering to him that they were all frightened after Amreen’s brutal assassination. They were advised to be ‘calm’. Married in 2012 and divorced in just two months, Amreen discovered a small livelihood in her petty performances in some songs and drama serials at Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar. Soon she quit television and explored better opportunities in social media—Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. As her followers and subscribers multiplied on all platforms, she became the sole bread-earner for her small family—an elderly father, Khizar Mohammad Bhat, and sister Razia who lives at the same parental house with her husband and 11-year-old son Farhan, at

Kashmir’s top business leaders on Tuesday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir on April 24. This is for the first time during the BJP’s second term that the valley-based business leaders have had an extensive interaction with the Prime Minister who is planning his first  visit to Jammu and Kashmir after withdrawal of the erstwhile State’s special status in August 2019. After August 2019, when J&K was reorganised into the Union Territory, PM Modi visited Jammu’s Rajouri district, only to celebrate Diwali with jawans and officers of the Indian Army on 27 October 2019 and 4 November 2021. Now on 24 April, he is scheduled to address public meetings, hold meetings with the Lieutenant Governor’s bureaucracy and administration, apart from Police and security forces. The Prime Minister’s visit is expected to give a boost to the UT’s Industrial Development Policy. According to highly placed bureaucratic sources, a number of foundation stone

  With the arrest of two youths in their mid-20s, the Police in Srinagar have cracked a grenade attack that had left two civilians dead and 36 others injured in the evening on Sunday, 6 March. Of the 38 injured, Mohammad Aslam Makhdoomi (70) and Rafiya Nazir (19) had later died at hospital. Sources associated with the investigation revealed to India Narrative that neither of the two detained youths had a history of involvement with any unlawful, subversive or terrorist activity. As such, they did not figure in the lists of the wanted militants or subversive elements in possession of the Police, security and intelligence agencies. Sources identified the duo as Mohammad Bariq and Fazil Nabi, both 24-25 years of age and both residents of Koolipora, Khanyar, in downtown Srinagar. According to these sources the detainees disclosed during their preliminary interrogation that they had remained in touch with Shahid Shafi Mir of Khanyar and Zahid Farooq Khan of Nowhatta, both before and after t

  In his first interview to a television channel during the current campaigning for the Assembly elections in 5 States, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah revealed to News18 on Monday, 21 February, that the President’s rule could end in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “in 6-8 months after completion of the delimitation process”. “The delimitation exercise is about to get over. After this, whatever will be the reasonable timeframe – about six-eight months – the elections will be held. There should be no confusion about that”, Shah said in reply to a question. The question of when exactly would the Election Commission of India (ECI) hold the next Assembly elections—the first after creation of the UT in August 2019—looms large in every conversation about the erstwhile State. Also Read:  Jammu and Kashmir joins National Single Window System to lure investors and entrepreneurs Even in the last two years, Shah has invariably asserted that the Assembly elections in J&K would be co

  When results of the class 12th exam in Kashmir were declared by the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (BOSE) on Tuesday, February 8, there was unexpected jubilation, particularly among the female students and their families, across the valley. Most of the top merit positions had been grabbed by the girls. While the girls outclassed the boys in all streams of Science, Commerce and Arts, they grabbed the lion’s share of the first 20 positions as well as the overall distinction categories. Among the girls, 78 percent passed the exam—27,104/34,879. Among the boys, not more than 72 pc—26,971/37,301—qualified. Arusa Parvaiz Shah (17), the daughter of an ordinary shopkeeper and a student of Kashmir Harvard Naseembagh, secured the first position of merit among all streams. She obtained 499 out of 500 marks i.e. 98.8 pc. On Saturday, 12 February, Srinagar’s Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Aijaz Assad draped Arusa with the State honours. She revealed her ambition of taking admissi

  Over two years after its transformation from a State to a Union Territory (UT), Jammu and Kashmir is getting back a commission of the empowerment and protection of women. The UT administration on Tuesday approved the constitution of “Jammu and Kashmir Commission for Women” for which a chairperson and four members would be appointed shortly. According to the Government Order issued by Sheetal Nanda, Commissioner-Secretary Social Welfare, JKCW would have powers to investigate and examine all matters related to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws. It would also review extant provisions of the Constitution and take suo motu cognizance of various issues related to women’s rights. The Commission would be headed by a female chairperson committed to the cause of fair sex. It would have five government nominee members, each having not less than 10 years of experience in the field of women welfare, administration, economic development, health, education or s

Jammu and Kashmir is the first among all States and Union Territories across the country to be integrated with the National Single Window Clearance System (NSWS). The country’s youngest but largest UT achieved this pioneering distinction when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched the Jammu and Kashmir Single Window Clearance System through the cyber domain www.singlewindow.jk.gov.in at Raj Bhawan in Jammu on Monday. The NSWS is linked with India Industrial Land Bank (IILB) which hosts 45 industrial parks of Jammu and Kashmir. This will help investors to discover available land parcels in the UT. A 2020 budgetary announcement of the Government of India, NSWS is a digital platform that serves as a guide for investors to identify and to apply for approvals as per their business requirements. The platform was soft launched in September 2021 by the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal. This integration will el

Neelum Valley:  The main source of livelihood of some local farmers residing in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is under threat due to a surge in the import of Chinese walnuts, placing the lives of 30,000 families at stake. There is strong competition for organic Kashmiri walnuts in the market with the arrival of Chinese walnuts. Although walnuts coming from China have soft shells and white kernels, Pok walnuts are organic and better in taste. Unfortunately, they are outnumbered by the Chinese nuts in volume. Writing for the Dawn newspaper, Pakistani Prof Sajid Mir said growing organic walnuts at home provided easy seasonal income for villagers in PoK. However, climate change and lack of government attention are turning opportunities into a challenge. According to Mir, there is a general downturn in the walnut business due to several reasons including the unusual phenomenon of rains over the last decade. This has led to drop in dry fruit rates to a quarter of their price over the last

  India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier this week arrested an Islamic State operative in Karnataka , who had also travelled to Kashmir to deepen the ISIS roots.   Working in coordination with the Karnataka Police, the anti-terror agency arrested Mundadiguttu Sadananda Marla Deepthi Marlah following her suspected ISIS links. Marlah alias Maryam is the wife of Anas Abdul Rahiman, a resident of Mangalore and daughter-in-law of B M Basha, son of late B M Idinabba, the three-time Congress MLA from the Ullal constituency. NIA said that, during the investigation, it has been revealed that after the decline of ISIS Caliphate in Syria/Iraq, Maryam and Mohammad Ameen, who was arrested in March 2021 by the agency, had visited Kashmir in January and March 2020 for Hijrah (religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts and supporting the activities of ISIS. Investigation has also revealed that Marlah or Deepthi Marlah was the kingpin of the instant ISIS conspiracy alo

  Peoples’ clashes with the Police and security forces, marked by heavy stone pelting and violent demonstrators, which were a routine in Kashmir from 2015 to August 2019, have subsided after withdrawal of the erstwhile State’s special constitutional status. There has been no major news of what a section of the media and politicians used to call ‘agitational terrorism’. The Union Territory’s summer capital of Srinagar has, however, witnessed around 18 encounters between the militants and security forces since January 2020. Besides, around 20 civilians and unarmed Policemen have been killed in Srinagar in different terror strikes. They include one CID Inspector, one probationary Sub Inspector and two constables who were all attacked from behind and shot dead. They also include popular chemist Makhan Lal Bindroo, two non-Muslim teachers and two golgappa vendors who killed selectively. Some of these attacks were captured live on CCTV cameras; some by the assassins’ bodycams, which were su

  In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have initiated verification and fresh registration of around 6,000 non-governmental agencies after a case of human trafficking surfaced in the valley. At least two Covid orphans were found to have been ‘sold’ by an NGO, leading to registration of FIR against the group and arrest of two persons allegedly involved in the human trafficking. Officials said that an investigation was launched by the Police, one FIR registered and two persons of Sambora, Pampore, arrested after it was reported in the national media that some individuals had indulged in offering young Covid orphans for adoption against monetary considerations by some individuals outside Jammu and Kashmir. A collective of clergymen issued an appeal for a “sustained campaign” against trafficking of the young Kashmiri children whose parents had died due to the pandemic in the last 20 months. According to the officials, the Police Station of Pampore received a written app

  After reaching out to the much depressed entrepreneurs in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has learned that the valley has suffered a cumulative loss between Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore due to the prolonged shutdowns in the last over one year. Kashmir news At his maiden interaction with a 16-member delegation of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which included its President Sheikh Ashiq Hussain and representatives from over a dozen of traders and industrialists, Sinha was apprised how unemployment in Kashmir had grown up to menacing proportions and how the industry has been grounded to a halt due to prolonged shutdowns after August 2019. Senior government functionaries, including Advisor industries K.K. Sharma, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, other top bureaucrats and heads of departments attended the meeting at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar on Monday. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar (IANS)

  Food is our common ground, a universal experience – James Beard, American Chef The valley is often termed as a land of abundance. The breathtaking views, with nature at its very best often leave the mind enthralled and spellbound. One may get easily hypnotized by the majestic snow-capped mountains, glass like lakes and gushing waterfalls. On first look, the sumptuous natural beauty of Kashmir often overshadows its vibrant culture, exuberant hospitality and an inherent culinary affinity. The transfixing complexion of Kashmir, augmented by the zeal of locals towards culinary proficiency makes Kashmir easy, both on the eyes and the palate. All these factors together make Kashmir, a gourmand’s fantasy. Kashmir News Wazwan- the highlight of Kashmiri cuisine is a must at all major celebrations in the valley. It is joked that the availability of a  Vasta waza , the master chef supervising the banquet, often decides the dates of marriages in Kashmir. The Wazwan is a meat feast governed by it

  The cloths of Rifleman Shakir Manzoor , an abducted Army soldier, were found in an apple orchard in south Kashmir. He was reportedly abducted by terrorists on Monday. After his cloths were found, the security forces have intensified their search operation. Shakir Manzoor was abducted when he was on his way back to join duty after spending Eid with his family. The cloths of Rifleman Shakir Manzoor, an abducted Army soldier, were found in an apple orchard in south Kashmir. He was reportedly abducted by terrorists on Monday. After his cloths were found, the security forces have intensified their search operation. Kashmir News Shakir Manzoor was abducted when he was on his way back to join duty after spending Eid with his family. Sources said the clothes of the abducted soldier were found in an orchard in Landoora village of Shopian today after which a massive search operation was launched in the area to trace the missing soldier. So far, no militant group has owned responsibility for th