Javaid Beigh

DDC Elections: My experience as a contestant

DDC Elections: My experience as a contestant

Kashmir valley has always been a very challenging place for electoral politics. For most of its historic existence, Kashmir has been governed under monarchial system led by both native and outside elite just like most parts of the world and South Asia. However, unlike other regions, the peculiar post-colonial modern history of Kashmir valley has […]

 Javaid Beigh

Grassroots democracy and Kashmir’s political elite

Grassroots democracy and Kashmir’s political elite

To be fair to all players, Kashmir is one of the trickiest places in the world for political operations. Given the modern history of Kashmir and the evolution of mainstream politics in Kashmir valley, it is not easy to maneuver mainstream politics here in the wake of contradictory aspirations of the people of various constituents […]

 Javaid Beigh

KASHMIRI YOUTH & DDC ELECTIONS

KASHMIRI YOUTH & DDC ELECTIONS

Kashmir valley is the most youthful administrative units of India, wherein according to the last census, 63% of population is under the age of 30 years and nearly 70% is under the age of 35 years, a staggering number, which gives a prominent role to this segment of Kashmiri society to make any dramatic changes […]

 Javaid Beigh

THE ENIGMA OF GILGIT BALTISTAN

THE ENIGMA OF GILGIT BALTISTAN

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi’s recent declaration of making Gilgit Baltistan as Pakistan’s “provisional” province has once again brought global attention to this mysterious region. While we Kashmiri people have detailed knowledge about Jammu region, Ladakh and Mirpur-Muzaffarabad (erstwhile constituents of the princely state of J&K), not much is known about Gilgit Baltistan in […]

 Javaid Beigh

DDC ELECTIONS: A step towards grassroot democracy

DDC ELECTIONS: A step towards grassroot democracy

There is much noise emanating from Kashmir centric mainstream political parties criticizing the implementation of amended Panchayat Raj Act that is to create the third tier of grassroot governance in the form of the establishment of District Development Council (DDC) at district level for which there will be direct elections in the UT of Jammu […]

 Javaid Beigh

Shattered Dreams of Sir Syed and Ataturk

Shattered Dreams of Sir Syed and Ataturk

South Asian countries recently observed birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, legendary 19th century Muslim social reformer of British India. But unfortunately, the present generation of Muslim men and women in South Asian region including Kashmir valley know little about the difficult conditions under which Sir Syed Ahmed Khan initiated his path breaking social […]

 Javaid Beigh

Dilemma of being a policeman

Dilemma of being a policeman

Recently an unusual phenomenon occurred in Kashmir valley when thousands of Kashmiri Muslims, most of whom were from Sunni Sect turned at the funeral event of a slain Shia Muslim policeman in downtown Srinagar, who died on duty while protecting a Kashmiri Muslim political leader associated with a national party with Hindu ideology. This was […]

 Javaid Beigh

HARI-PARBAT – KOH-E-MARAN: KASHMIR’S HISTORIC SUFI TRAIL OF KASHMIRYAT

HARI-PARBAT – KOH-E-MARAN: KASHMIR’S HISTORIC SUFI TRAIL OF KASHMIRYAT

 Kashmir is one of the rare places on the earth, which is associated with nearly all major faiths of the world in some form or the other. The valley of Kashmir and its people have been linked with not only ancient Zoroastrian, Rig Vedic faith and pre-biblical Judaism but also older Shaivite Hinduism  and Buddhism […]

 Javaid Beigh

Babar Qadri’s murder raises questions

Babar Qadri’s murder raises questions

In one of the recent TV debates, a Pakistani Punjabi female news anchor asked Babar Qadri, a well-known Kashmiri TV commentator, a heavily loaded question about the condition of “oppressed Muslims” of Kashmir valley post abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A of Indian constitution on August 5, 2019. Babar Qadri very politely reminded her that […]

 Javaid Beigh

PAKISTAN’S SHIA PROBLEM!

PAKISTAN’S SHIA PROBLEM!

In 2015, Fatima Bhutto niece of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto wrote that in a predominantly Muslim country (of Pakistan), it is no longer Hindus or Christians who face the largest threat of violence from orthodox and radicalized groups but Shias. Her prophetic words became once again true, when recently, a large crowd of […]