Something unusual is happening inside the National Conference. Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi is no longer behaving like a mildly disgruntled parliamentarian who occasionally disagrees with his leadership. He is challenging...

There is perhaps no political party in India that has spoken about the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits as consistently, emotionally and emphatically as the Bharatiya Janata Party. For decades, the...

There is something almost insulting about the political conversation in Kashmir today. People want Kashmir discussed. Its politicians are discussing themselves. Who said what about whom? Who challenged whom? Who...

There was a time when carrying the Tiranga openly in large parts of Kashmir could invite a stare, a threat, perhaps worse. Today, the same Valley produces kilometre-long Tiranga processions,...

There was a time when seeing the Deputy Commissioner of a district meant something. The DC arrived when there was a major government programme, a crisis, an important public meeting,...

Thirty-six years. For a human being, it is almost half a lifetime. For a child, it is enough time to be born, go to school, graduate, marry and become the...

 Dear Prime Minister, India is preparing to celebrate another Independence Day. The Tricolour will rise. The anthem will play. Speeches will invoke sacrifice, sovereignty, freedom and the extraordinary journey of...

In most places, an armed policeman walking beside someone indicates danger. In Kashmir, he can also indicate status. A politician may lose an election, surrender his office, disappear from public...

In India, when a public project succeeds, an officer’s name is prominently displayed. There are press conferences, social-media posts, glowing profiles, awards, appreciation letters and carefully photographed inauguration ceremonies. The...

There is something impressive about a chief minister who wins an election and then spends the remainder of his term explaining why winning it was practically useless. Omar Abdullah is...