Why Center-Hurriyat Talk is a Must

“Let us never negotiate out of fear; but let us never fear to negotiate”- John F Kennedy

By hinting at extension of ceasefire in Kashmir the center has taken the first step of creating an atmosphere that is conducive for dialogue. The joint resistance leadership (JRL) may have its own reservations on whether the Hurriyat should or shouldn’t start dialogue with the center but if this issue is viewed rationally and not […]

Ideological Obligations versus Individual Rights

Having been an ex-MLA, Hurriyat (G) General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Sumji is well within his rights to ask the state administration to revise his pension and release arrears due to him. However by saying “We are at war with India against its military presence here. But pension and arrears are my right and why should […]

Of ‘Resistance’ and ‘Cruel Jokes’

Two years ago the joint resistance leadership (JRL) of Hurriyat refused to meet an all-party parliamentary delegation without assigning any reasonable explanation and thus missed a golden opportunity to put across their point of view, but we didn’t complain. And neither did we raise any objection when the JRL recently called the center’s Ramadan ceasefire […]

 ‘Killing’ the ‘Self Determination’ Movement

Our leaders may put up a brave front and claim that the struggle for ‘self determination’ in Kashmir is making rapid progress and well on its way to fructification. However, the reality is quite different as despite the humungous loss of human life and countless number of hartals since the nineties, the ‘self determination’ movement […]

Hurriyat and the Ramadan Ceasefire

Ceasefires concern warring factions and thus, when the center announced the Ramadan ceasefire one had expected that it would be the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) which would respond and either accept or reject this proposal. However, while the HM remained silent on this issue, it was the joint resistance leadership (JLR) of the Hurriyat that immediately […]

The Day ‘Kashmiriyat’ Died

A tourist from Chennai being killed by a rock hurled at him by a Kashmiri is something that should have never happened but unfortunately it did. However, those who claim being surprised by this tragic occurrence or saying that they never imagined that a thing like this  could happen are outrightly lying because there were […]

Kashmir Issue- conflict of emotions and rationality

Muhammad Rafi Bhat was an assistant professor working in the Sociology Department of Kashmir University (KU) on contractual basis till Friday after which he went missing. Twenty four hours later his parents learnt that he had joined Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and before this shocking news could sink in he was dead. Bhat was one amongst […]

Malik Sahib, there are alternatives to shutdowns!

  It’s undoubtedly the increasing criticism of the Hurriyat’s over-obsession with shutdowns that provoked Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik to raise this issue while addressing a seminar organised by the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) last month to pay tributes to slain advocate and noted human rights activist Jalil Andrabi. In […]