Mehbooba Mufti: A Controversial Legacy and the Quest for Redemption in J&K Politics

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Anantnag: The scene was set in Bijbehara, where she campaigned for her daughter Iltija Mufti. A gathering of around 100...

Under Pressure: Omar Abdullah’s Hat-Trick in a Changing Kashmir Political Landscape

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net On September 4, around 2:00 p.m., the National Conference office in Ganderbal reverberated with ‘Zyoon Hoo Zyoon Hoo, Nationalan Zyoon Hoo (we...

Gujjar-Bakerwal Communities: Neglected Voices in Jammu and Kashmir Elections

Kounsar Bashir and Safoora Hilal/TwoCircles.net Srinagar: As Jammu and Kashmir approaches the third and final phase of its Assembly elections — marking the first polls...

Enthusiastic Voting, Creative Floating Polling Stations Mark J&K Elections’ 2nd Phase

As per the Election Commission, the voter turnout stood at 54.11% Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: For 25-year-old Asiya Khursheed, the second phase of ongoing assembly...

Engineer Rasheed’s Rallying Cry: A Fight for ‘Rights’, ‘Dignity’ and a ‘New Political Era’...

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Out on bail and ready to make waves, Engineer Rasheed hit the campaign trail with a powerful rallying cry echoing across the...

‘No One Will Trust Them Anymore’: Jamaat-e-Islami Faces Backlash for Electoral Shift

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was founded in 1941 by Syed Abdul Ala Maududi. Inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, the organisation was...

J&K Elections: How Anti-Delhi Rhetoric Shapes Kashmiri Political Survival Amidst Poll Battles

Aakib Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: In April this year, Syed Altaf Bukhari, a prominent Kashmiri politician, openly aligned himself with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that supporting the central...

Empowering Change: Women Candidates Challenge the Status Quo in J&K Elections

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: As mainstream parties gear up for campaigns ahead of the long-awaited assembly elections in Kashmir that is scheduled to be held from...

From Legacy to Challenge: Iltija Mufti’s Fight to Revive PDP and Retain Bijbehara

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net In 1996, when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed rejoined the Congress, he was assigned the task of fielding candidates for the Jammu...

Kashmir’s Political Shake-Up: From BJP Proxies to NC Resurgence, New Parties Struggle for Relevance

Zaid Bin Shabir, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: On March 8, 2020, more than seven months after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government abrogated Jammu & Kashmir’s special...

Voices From the Void: J&K’s Long-Awaited Assembly Polls Stir Hope and Uncertainty

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a dedicated 65-year-old voter, has always prioritised casting his vote and has never missed an election. However,...

As Kashmir Gears Up for Assembly Elections, What It Means for the Region and...

Aqib Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Mohammad Rizwan, 38, expressed his excitement upon learning that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had finally announced assembly elections for Jammu...

The Last Guardian of Turquoise: Mohammad Hanief’s Struggle to Preserve Kashmir’s Dying Art

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: In the early morning, as the streets of downtown Srinagar — known for its artisans and art forms — begin...

Cafés in Kashmir’s Smaller Towns: Crucial Hubs for Social Interaction and Community Engagement

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: At 3 p.m., a steady stream of young girls begins to filter into Taste of Tibet, a café nestled...

Security Threats Loom Large: Militant Attacks Cast Shadow Over Jammu and Kashmir’s Assembly Elections?

Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: More than a decade since Jammu and Kashmir regained the right to elect its own government, a wave of militant attacks in...

Breaking Boundaries: Gurez Border Youths Master Filmmaking to Share J&K’s Stories with the World

Tauseef Ahmad/ TwoCircles.net  Bandipora: For centuries, women in the border areas of Kashmir Valley have been predominantly confined to household and agricultural roles. However, a remarkable...

Fading Glory: Khrew’s Transformation from Saffron Capital to Sparse Cultivation

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth and Hamaad Habibullah, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Khrew in Kashmir’s Pampore town, which is known for its lush saffron fields, once thrived with abundant...

From Homemaker to Entrepreneur: Asiya Begum’s Inspiring Journey in Indoor Mushroom Cultivation and Rooftop...

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: In a region where unemployment among youth is a pressing issue, Asiya Begum, a 29-year-old woman from North Kashmir, has emerged as...

Empowering Taste and Women Entrepreneurs: Doodhpathri’s Culinary Queens in J&K Redefine Tradition

Mehar Zargar, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: Amidst the picturesque scenery of Doodhpathri in Jammu Kashmir’s Budgam district, where lush meadows meet flowing streams, a remarkable story unfolds. Here,...

From Struggles to Success: Inspiring Stories of Kashmir’s NEET Qualifiers

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: The National Testing Agency (NTA) recently announced the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024 for admissions into various...

Where letters still sail: Kashmir’s floating post office bridging tradition and modernity

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: At a time when technology connects people from every corner of the world, the unique floating post office in the serene waters...

From Kairwan’s meadows to poetic pages, how Kashmiri woman attempting to revive native language

Tauseef Ahmad and Nuzhat Masoodi, TwoCircles.net Kupwara: Each sunrise in Lolab, also called Wadi-e-Lolab (the land of love and beauty), gives the valley a golden...

‘Chinar Man’: Transforming Mountains and Minds in Kashmir’s Frontier

Bhat Yasir, Umar Farooq, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Nestled within the rugged terrain of Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara lies a remote village where a...

‘We Can’t Stay Silent’: New Delhi’s Ladakh Policies Fan Flames of Discontent

Zaid Bin Shabir, TwoCircles.net Ladakh: For decades, Buddhists and other non-Muslim communities in Ladakh had desired for the day when they would be constituted as a...

Ramadan Special: Bandipora’s tribal girl promotes cultural heritage during the holy month of fasting

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net   Bandipora: Shabnum Bashir, a 21-year-old tribal girl from Bandipora in Kashmir valley, is reviving a forgotten tradition of breaking fasts in open...

‘God Has Finally Answered Our Prayers’: Fresh Snowfall Revives Dying Business in Kashmir

Irshad Hussain / Mubashir Naik , TwoCircles.net After a months-long dry spell, the Kashmir valley finally received the much-anticipated first snowfall of the season in...

Bakerwal Children Still Struggle for Education

Shaizan Nadaf and Kaisar Ali/ TwoCircles.netAashiq Hussain Chopan, 14, and seven other children in tattered clothes sit on a mat under open...

Meet Saima Noor, a Wheelchair-Bound Woman Artist in a Kashmir Hospital

Ilhak Tantray and Mohsin Mushtaq | Two Circles Network There is a profound sense of melancholy in the dimly lit ward number six of Srinagar's...

Meet the Tribal Girls From Jammu & Kashmir Who Cracked Neet

Tauseef Ahmad | Two Circles.net Several girls from the Bakarwal community, a nomadic ethnic minority in India's Jammu and Kashmir area, recently cleared the National...

‘It Destroyed His Five Years’: Drug Addiction Shatters Dreams of Countless Families in Kashmir

Tauseef Ahmad/ Abdul Basit | Two Circles Five years ago, Hanan Majeed (name changed), 21, a Kashmiri youth from Baramulla district fell victim to addiction...

Meet Wani, the 82-Year-Old Man Who Runs Kashmir’s Last Traditional Oil Mill

Faizan Mir, TwoCircles.net Inside a dimly lit old two-story mud and timber house patched with tin sheets, 82-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Wani guides an old angled...

India’s Lithium Discovery Triggers Worry for People of Jammu

Gafira Qadir | Twocircles.net “We thought it was our chance to become rich, so we celebrated the news but the happiness did not last for...

The Return Of Wild Boars in Kashmir Pose A New Threat To Agriculture And...

In the world's most militarised zone, the Kashmir valley, experts warn of a new threat to the region's already fragile biodiversity: a rising population...

J&K: CPW workers on the verge of committing suicide over delayed and meagre wages

Arjumand Shaheen, TwoCircles.net Srinagar J&K: While the world celebrated the International labourers' day on 1st May, the Contingent paid workers/Sweepers (CPWs) in the department of...

TCN Statement on the Arrest of Journalist Irfan Mehraj

TCN has learned that one of our editorial contributors Mr. Irfan Mehraj has been arrested by India's National Intelligence Agency on March 20th, 2023...

JKSSB exams postponed, aspirants approach SC over hiring of blacklisted agency to conduct tests

The postponement has come amid growing protests by aspirants over the administration’s decision to hire tainted Aptech Limited to conduct the exams.  Ubair ul...

Shock, anger in Kashmir after brutal murder of young woman

In a case of unprecedented brutality in Kashmir, a 45-year-old man killed a 30-year-old woman in Budgam by chopping off her head, slicing...

‘Justice half-done,’ say families of three youth killed in Kashmir fake encounter

An Army court on Monday sentenced an Army captain to life imprisonment for his involvement in a staged gunfight in Shopian in 2020.  Auqib...

‘Govt doesn’t care about religious minorities in Kashmir:’ Kashmiri Pandit leader after fresh killing 

In the latest attack, a Kashmiri Pandit man was shot dead by suspected militants in the Pulwama district on Sunday.  Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR...

Property tax in J&K from April; political leaders oppose move

The Jammu and Kashmir administration ordered on Tuesday the imposition of property tax in municipal areas of the Union Territory from April 1.  Afnan...

Supreme Court dismisses plea challenging delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir

On March 6, 2020, the Centre constituted a three-member delimitation commission headed by former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Ranjana Desai to redraw the...

Widespread anxiety in J&K amid intensified anti-encroachment drive

The administration has recovered thousands of acres of state land throughout the Union Territory, and hundreds of structures erected on the encroached territory...

‘No transparency in anti-encroachment drive:’ Kashmir traders’ body as govt intensifies ‘state land’ retrieval...

Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCC&I) held an urgent press conference today and urged the government to bring a formal order in...

“Was greeted with hearts full of love, not grenades,” Rahul Gandhi on concluding Bharat...

Gandhi said he did not take this Yatra for Congress or himself but for the country's people.  Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net SRINAGAR (JAMMU & KASHMIR) — Amid heavy...

Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi hoists national flag at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk

The Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra started from the southern tip of the country on September 7 and will culminate today in Srinagar after...

Explained: Why is resentment growing in Ladakh three years after UT status?

Leaders from two regions of Ladakh - Kargil and Leh, have put forth four agenda points for the Centre to fulfill.  TCN Staff Correspondent  SRINAGAR...

10 facts about Rehman Rahi, Kashmir’s greatest 20th century poet

Rehman Rahi's death on January 9 was mourned across Kashmir.  Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR (JAMMU AND KASHMIR) — Professor Abdul Rehman Rahi, a well-known Kashmiri...

Celebrated Kashmiri poet Rehman Rahi dies at 98

Rehman Rahi has profoundly impacted Kashmiri culture and literature as a respected poet, forward-thinking critic, and literary theorist. Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR (JAMMU AND...

After backlash, AMU withdraws order seeking profiling of J&K students

The circular dated December 27 had caused fear among J&K students as the collected information had to be provided to the Aligarh Superintendent...

J&K: Day after attack left 4 dead, explosion kills minor boy in Rajouri

The attack against civilians on Sunday triggered protests in the area, with a complete shutdown observed today against the killings.  Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR...

Year 2022: Over 180 militants killed in J&K, notable drop in recruitment

In 2022, Kashmir witnessed a spate of targeted killings, leaving scores of civilians, including Kashmiri Pandits and migrant labourers, dead. Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR...

Watch: Srinagar’s Heritage House connects youth with Kashmir’s past

Located in Srinagar’s old city, a century-old building is now a heritage museum. Known as Baitul Meeras (Heritage House), the museum was opened...

Explainer: Why next assembly elections will be significant for Jammu and Kashmir?

The next elections will be significant as the BJP-led government has made several constitutional changes in the region. Auqib Javeed | TwoCircles SRINAGAR (JAMMU AND...

Fear among Kashmiri Pandits in valley after fresh militant threat

BJP’s spokesperson (J&K), Altaf Thakur, has urged the police to investigate how the list was leaked and has urged the administration to ensure...

To fight harsh winters, doctors in Srinagar launch ‘Apparel for Poor’ for underprivileged

Dr Mohammad Salim Khan and a group of medical students collect warm clothing at their department to assist underprivileged families.  Afnan Habib | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR...

Why are tribals from Jammu and Kashmir protesting inclusion of Paharis in ST list?

Members of the Gujjar Bakarwal community in Jammu and Kashmir are on a protest march from Kupwara to Jammu against the government of India's...

‘80% pellet gun victims in Kashmir suffer from partial vision loss’, claims study

The study examined 777 patients diagnosed with pellet gun-related injuries admitted to the tertiary hospital in Srinagar, between July and November 2016.  Auqib Javeed...

Jailed Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Altaf Shah dies of cancer at AIIMS

Altaf Shah, the son-in-law of late Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was a prominent member of the separatist group Tehreek e Hurriyat. Afnan...

Who is Gulam Ali Khatana, BJP’s Rajya Sabha nominee from J&K?

51-year-old Ghulam Ali Khatana from Jammu has worked with the RSS affiliated Muslim Rashtriya Manch and has held several positions within the BJP.  Ubair Ul...

Why were prominent clerics in Kashmir arrested under stringent PSA?

Jammu and Kashmir Additional Director General of Police said the clerics were found involved in “instigating” youth, which was rejected by the region's religious...

Fresh killing renews fear among Kashmir’s minority Hindu community

The killing of a Kashmiri Pandit man in Shopian district of Kashmir last week evoked a sharp condemnation from the Union Territory administration and...

Political row in Kashmir as non-locals get voter rights

Any Indian citizen, including non-locals who live or work in Jammu and Kashmir, will be eligible to register to vote and participate in the...

‘Inside the heart of the conflict’, a new book on Bastar & Kashmir challenges...

A new book ‘Flaming Forest, Wounded Valley: Stories From Bastar and Kashmir’ by author and journalist Freny Manecksha investigates how places can be drastically...

‘My journalism seems to be the reason for these travel restrictions’: journalist Aakash Hassan...

Independent journalist Aakash Hassan from Kashmir writes for The Guardian and has covered human rights and politics from the region for reputed media outlets...

Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik sentenced to life imprisonment; shutdown, clashes in Srinagar parts

Ahead of the sentencing of Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik in a 'terror-funding' case, spontaneous shutdown was witnessed in Kashmir parts, with clashes, sloganeering...

In Kashmir, women diagnosed with PCOS face trauma, infertility

The latest Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS), published in December 2020,  found that at least 60% of Kashmiri married women report one or...

Social divide widens in J&K’s Pir Panjal amidst ST reservation politics

Gujjar-Bakarwals and Paharis, the two distinct ethnic groups of Jammu and Kashmir are at loggerheads with each other due to the changing political dynamics...

Anger, protests in Kashmir after killing of migrant Kashmiri Pandit

Killing of a Kashmiri Pandit in Kashmir valley has evoked sharp reactions in the Pandit community with several calling for the mass resignation of...

Why Delimitation Commission’s report to redraw electoral boundaries in J&K is ruffling feathers??

Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have said that the recommendations by the Commission will disempower the erstwhile state while the political observers believe...

Explained: Why is Kashmir’s historic grand mosque frequently shut down by authorities?

Kashmir valley's grand mosque of Jamia Masjid in Srinagar was shut for congregational prayers on the Muslim festival of Eid on May 3. In...

Controversy in Kashmir after Army-run school asks staff to ‘avoid Hijab’

The Dagger Parivaar School, which is run by the Army in collaboration with an NGO, said the move was aimed to help disabled students...

Kashmir marred by series of attacks ahead of PM Modi’s visit

This will be the prime minister's first visit to the newly carved Union Territory (UT) post abrogation of Article 370—which granted special status to...

Why are three Kashmiri students in jail after court granted them bail?

On March 30, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to all three students who were booked for sedition. They are still behind bars as...

‘What good will the film do for us?’ several Kashmiri Pandits question The Kashmir...

For several displaced Kashmiri Pandits, the film’s depiction of Kashmiri Muslims as villains is untrue and will not help the battered community in their...

‘Film on Kashmiri Pandits has further widened the wedge between two communities,’ says top...

A prominent Kashmiri Pandit leader Sanjay Tickoo in an interview with TwoCircles.net castigates the hate generated by the film The Kashmir Files.  Auqib Javeed |...

Opinion: Kashmir Files weaponizes grief for propaganda

The gut-wrenching story of Kashmiri Pandits should not be weaponized for stoking anti-Muslim violence. Alishan Jafri | TwoCircles.net  After a friend shared Chetan Bhagat's recent op-ed in the Times...

Texas doctor demands “retribution” after Kashmir Files film

The film has incited widespread calls for anti-Muslim violence. Pieter Friedrich | TwoCircles.net UNITED STATES — “Retribution,” declared Rajiv Pandit, a doctor based in Dallas, TX,...

Journalists in Kashmir anxious after admin’s “militant sympathizers” remarks

The remarks made by the region’s top administrator in a fact-finding report by Press Council of India (PCI) has caused worry among the journalists...

This super teacher is on a mission to transform the lives of children in...

Kanchan Sharma, a retired lecturer, has been running a school for the slum children for over a decade now.  Mubashir Naik and Irshad Hussain |...

Against all odds, this tribal boy from Srinagar cracks one of India’s toughest exams

Tufail Ahmad constantly struggled to get good internet connectivity and worked as a laborer to arrange funds for books. Auqib Javid | TwoCircles.net SRINAGAR — Tufail...

Meet the college dropout who runs a news portal in J&K

The portal is getting recognised for reporting on issues in Chenab valley which are overlooked by the mainstream media. Shadab Farooq | TwoCircles.net JAMMU — When 22-year-old...

Kashmir residents upset over closure of Valley’s biggest mosque for 26 weeks

The year 2021 witnessed the highest number of restrictions on Friday prayers at Jamia mosque in Srinagar. The mosque remained shut for at...

Meet Shariya Manzoor: The boxer girl from Kashmir

Twenty-year-old Shariya Manzoor from a restive region in Kashmir is a boxer whose passion for combat sports has earned her laurels. Her dream is...

“We have lost our livelihood,” How closure of Kashmir Press Club rendered four men...

For these four individuals—who are not professional journalists—the closure of Kashmir Press Club (KPC) was felt the hardest and directly impacted their livelihood.  Auqib...

Kashmiri journalists ‘deprived’ of interactive space, protection as authorities shut valley’s only Press Club

The journalists from Kashmir valley lamented that they have lost a rare institution that stood by them, talked about journalistic rights, and called...

Outrage in Kashmir after govt circular orders colleges to do ‘Surya Namaskar’ on...

A few days ago, the Jammu and Kashmir government directed the higher education department to organize a large scale virtual Surya Namaskar on...

“We have been rendered homeless,” Muslim tribals in Jammu raise questions over ‘selective’ eviction...

After over a dozen homes of Muslims tribals (Gujjar-Bakerwals) were demolished in an eviction drive by the administration in Jammu—the Hindu-dominated winter capital...

“Arsalan is innocent,” family of 19-year-old Srinagar youth arrested by NIA demand his release

After a 19-year-old youth from Srinagar was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) under militancy charges, his family has been left distraught. They claim...

Kashmir: Claims of probe on Hyderpora encounter leave police, families of slain, political parties...

The claims of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Jammu Kashmir Police ordered to probe the controversial Hyderpora encounter, have been dismissed by...

“Aim to disempower Kashmir,” Why Delimitation Commission’s draft report stirs controversy in restive region

The political parties under the banner of People Alliance for Gupkar declaration (PAGD) expressed their dismay over the draft report of the commission...

Do renewed attacks on police, increase in civilian killings belie govt claims of ‘all...

For the citizens of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding the perception of an increase or decrease in violence, the situation has...

International Human Rights Day: Khurram Parvez’s arrest casts shadow over human rights work in...

The arrest of prominent human rights defender Khurram Parvez under UAPA has brought to halt the human rights work in Kashmir. Auqib Javeed |...

“Land is our only source of income,” Kashmir village erupts against land transfer to...

On November 29, scores of villagers from Pulwama assembled in Press Enclave Srinagar and protested against the "allotment of their agricultural land to CRPF"...

Reports of rights violations in J&K, arrest of prominent Kashmiri activist by NIA concerning:...

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) President Syed Sadatullah in a statement said that the affairs of Jammu and Kashmir must be resolved by talks, consultation and...

TCN interview: “Number of bunkers in Srinagar has remained same, if not reduced,” says...

To understand the current security scenario in Kashmir, the deployment of additional troops, hybrid militancy and the challenges forces face to deal with it,...

Outrage in Kashmir after killing of 2 ‘civilians’, who police claim were working with...

Following the killing of two civilians in an encounter at the Hyderpora area of Srinagar, the family members of the slain duo have rubbished...

Meet Shiekh Asif from Kashmir, a tech entrepreneur who believes an idea can change...

Twenty-eight-year-old Sheikh Asif from Kashmir’s capital Srinagar never thought that "an idea" will change his life and he will become an owner of a...

“Not able to attend online classes,” students, businessmen in Kashmir decry new ‘unscheduled, unannounced’...

The unscheduled internet shutdowns in different parts of Kashmir, especially capital Srinagar, have hit the students and businesses hard.  Auqib Javeed | TwoCircles.net  SRINAGAR - For...

“We are begging govt to release our kin,” say families of Kashmiri students held...

After cases were filed against Kashmiri students for allegedly cheering for Pakistan in different parts of the country, their families back home are in...

“Srinagar has become an open-air prison,” restrictions back to Kashmir capital after decades

After the spate of civilian killings in Kashmir, especially of members of the Kashmiri Pandit community and non-locals, the government has beefed security in...

“Falsely booked,” claims family of Malik Noor Fayaz of Doda in prison for ‘killing...

The family of 51-year-old Malik Noor Mohammad Fayyaz, who is currently in prison for the killing of a BJP member and his brother in...

Top Muslim religious clerks, civil society members condemn killings of non-Muslims in Kashmir, call...

Following a spree of targeted civilian killings in Kashmir, especially of non-Muslims, in the last few weeks, the members of the Muslim majority community...

“Senseless violence in Kashmir should stop,” targeted killings create wave of fear, migration

The killings of civilians in Kashmir, especially of non-Muslims, has created fear among the minority community. According to reports, many Kashmiri Pandit families have...

“Being a lawyer in Kashmir is walking on two-edged sword,” journey of a lawyer...

Working as a lawyer is not easy in a region like Kashmir, where multiple levels of threat not only impede justice but restrict the...

“We celebrated abrogation of Article 370 but we didn’t know Jammu will be its...

Two years after the BJP government abrogated Article 370 of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the region where it promised the abrogation...

“We are still begging for meals 30 years after migration,” Why are Kashmiri Pandits...

On September 18, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits held a protest demonstration at Jagti township in the outskirts of Jammu city against the delay in the payment...

In Pictures: Kashmir under strict lockdown after top separatist leader’s death

Following the death of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Wednesday night, the entire Kashmir valley was shut and phones and internet...

Devotees slam authorities in Kashmir for not allowing prayers in major mosques, shrines

The predominantly Muslim region has been under an unprecedented lockdown following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020. While the lockdown restrictions have gradually...

Families of Kashmiri ‘militants’ killed in encounters with forces demand probe, insist their kin...

In recent months, at least three Kashmiri families have demanded probes into the killing of their slain kin who are accused to be 'alleged...

“This is sheer injustice,” say sacked JK govt employees accused of ‘anti-national’ links

After the government in Jammu and Kashmir terminated 11 of its employees on July 9 accusing them of 'anti-national' activities, the order has left...

“Will affect livelihood,” Kashmir photographers unhappy with new order banning drones

On July 4, a week after the Jammu drone attack, which was the first of its kind in Jammu and Kashmir, the district administration...

“Jailed but innocent,” acquittal of Kashmiri man after 11 years in false case puts...

On June 22, a 44-year-old Kashmiri man Bashir Ahmad Baba reunited with his family 11 years after he was “framed” in a case in Gujarat and jailed...

Mental health experts sound alarm as suicide cases rise in Kashmir amid pandemic

Several cases of suicides in Kashmir in the past month and with the pandemic year recording the highest cases of suicides in Kashmir in...

Life after Article 370: Kashmiri farmers decry not getting benefits from progressive central laws...

Following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian government in August, 2019, a total of 165 laws of the erstwhile state of Jammu...

Part II: Gujjar-Bakerwal community in Jammu and Kashmir face depleted livelihood, exclusion, fear of...

The Gujjar-Bakarwal community live in the hilly areas of the Indian subcontinent, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Pakistan, and Tibet. In...

Gujjar Lung or Covid-19: Explaining cause of deaths in Gujjar-Bakarwal community in Jammu and...

The Gujjar-Bakarwal live in the hilly areas of the Indian subcontinent, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Pakistan, Tibet. The nomadic community...

The story behind the controversial Palestinian mural in Kashmir

On the occasion of Eid, a protest against the recent Israeli actions in Palestine took place in an area in Srinagar, the summer capital...

“They are our hope,” Local community and relief orgs’ in Kashmir answer SOS calls...

Amid the present Covid-19 crisis, over two dozen NGO’s in J&K, especially in Kashmir valley, are working in the region by providing medicines, oxygen,...

“To whom should we plead?,” families of Kashmiri prisoners lodged in jails across India...

The demand for the release of Kashmiri prisoners lodged in different jails across India was raised after a Hurriyat leader Shahid-ul-Islam tested positive in...

Book Review: Connecting Kashmir’s past with the present

The book Kashmir: Looking Back in Time-Politics, Culture, History by Khalid Bashir Ahmad is an attempt at connecting Kashmir’s past and present. The book...

“If we don’t click pictures, what will we earn?” Kashmir’s photojournalists rue new police...

After Kashmir Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar issued directions to media on April 7 to “not come close to encounter sites and cases...

Understanding LOC ceasefire and reorganization

The US influence cannot be the only reason for this change. In its current political construct, India needs some solid reasons to go forward...
Rohingya

“Move to detain us aimed to please Hindutva vote bank in Jammu,” say fear-stricken...

At-least 168 Rohingya refugees living in Narwal area of Jammu in India were taken to detention centres on March 6. The move whipped up...

“We are worst victims of cross-border shelling,” LOC residents express mixed feelings on latest...

On February 25, the two nuclear armed rivals India and Pakistan agreed for a ceasefire along the highly volatile Line of Control (LOC), that...

Meet Sobia Mushtaq, a self-taught calligrapher from Kashmir

During Sultan Husain Shah’s reign, Mir Ali Haft Qalam came to Kashmir from Iran. He was a noted calligrapher. Bestowed with the title of...

“It is suffocating in Kashmir,” Pak-origin wives of Kashmiri ex-militants stuck in ‘stateless limbo’,...

Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Forty-three-year-old Saira Javid is living the life of a prisoner. Not a single day passes when she doesn’t think of her...

Is PAGD in Kashmir a Plebiscite Front 2.0 in making?

The trajectory of the People’s Alliance in J&K is somewhat similar to that of the Plebiscite Front in terms of the circumstances in which...

“We demand dead body of our kin,” families of 3 slain Kashmiri youth deny...

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: "We just need the dead body of our kin. We aren’t demanding anything,” says 50 year old Sara Bano at her...

“They slaughtered our trees like goats,” Kashmir’s farmers, forest dwellers fear losing livelihood, homes

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Budgam: Abdul Rasheed Wagay, 57, is looking with teary eyes towards the chopped apple trees at his orchard, in Kanidajan area...

“Our men are innocent, have no connection with militancy,” families of 3 Kashmiri men...

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: “I fear that the fate of my husband should not be like those Kashmiris who were implicated in fabricated cases...

800 days in prison: Incarcerated journalist Aasif Sultan’s family cling onto memories, hope

Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan has spent more than 800 days in prison under ‘terror’ charges, which his family and media bodies have categorically dismissed....

This Kashmiri woman distributes sanitary napkins for free

Asma Hafiz, Twocircles.net Irfana Zargar was settling in after a long day at work when she received a desperate call from a woman asking for...

Recurrent lockdowns in Kashmir see surge in domestic abuse

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net In August 2019, Insha (name changed) lay dying in her husband’s house after he locked her in a room for seven...

Media has collectively failed in Jammu and Kashmir: Anuradha Bhasin in exclusive interview

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net On October 4, Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, the executive editor of Kashmir Times, a daily English newspaper published from Jammu, alleged that...

Internet shutdowns, poor speed adding to students worry in Kashmir

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Waseem (name changed) had prepared for his viva exam scheduled for the next day. However, in the morning when he...

“Won’t rest till killers of our children are punished,” say Rajouri families on receiving...

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net Baramulla: The bodies of the three missing Rajouri labourers killed in a ‘staged encounter’ in Shopian on July 18 have been...

“Modi talks about self-sufficient India but in Kashmir, they are doing opposite,” 15000 engineers...

By Shakir Mir Srinagar: Hilal Rasool (now 45) was a young engineering graduate in 2003 when Kashmir was starting to emerge out of a decade...

“No one would question innocence of our kids now,” says family, after Army admits...

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net Jammu: Reacting to the Army’s statement on Friday that they had found ‘prima facie’ evidence that its armed forces exceeded their...

Two students help underprivileged children in Kashmir get smartphones for online classes

Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: After being shut for six months due to an unprecedented military clampdown last year in August, schools in Kashmir closed again...

Using pellets, force on Shia mourner’s points to declining religious freedom in Kashmir

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Muharram processions in Kashmir this year became sites of protests in which over 200 people...

“We demand DNA results to be out soon or whole village will protest,” say...

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net  Rajouri: It has been three weeks since the DNA samples of the families of three missing labourers from Rajouri were taken...

“Black year for Kashmir Tourism Industry,” Kashmiri houseboat owners decry lack of govt support...

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Bilal Ahmed recalls the day before India revoked Kashmir’s special status on August 5 2019, followed by unprecedented security and...

Groping in the Dark: Kashmir’s pellet victims battle deteriorating mental health amid COVID-19 lockdown

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net  It was the raging summer of 2016. Kashmir was witnessing one of its massive public upsurges. Thirteen-year-old Ifra Shakoor was preparing...

“How could Imtiaz be a militant, when he had dreams of joining Army,” says...

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net  Editor’s note: The story is the final story in a three-part series on the three youth from Rajouri district of Jammu...

400+ international civil rights advocates, organizations demand immediate release of Kashmir journalist Aasif Sultan

TCN News The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) together with over 400 civil society activists and organizations has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to...

Rights body calls internet siege in Kashmir as ‘digital apartheid’, urges international community to...

By Gowhar Geelani, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Society (JKCCS) in its exhaustive report has described the frequent internet shutdowns and communication...

“We have no will to live now,” family of slain Rajouri youth Abrar share...

In this three-part series, TwoCircles.net profiles the three youth from Rajouri who were killed in an alleged ‘fake encounter’ in Shopian district of Kashmir...

‘We want to know why they were killed’: Families of 3 Rajouri labourers killed...

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net Rajouri: Family members of three missing labourers from Rajouri district of Jammu, who were killed in an alleged 'fake encounter' in...

23-year-old Kashmiri girl becomes first from her village to crack civil services

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: Twenty-three-year-old Nadia Beigh hailing from Punzwa village in Kupwara district of North Kashmir is the first girl from her village...

“Journalists coming on media tour no different than tourists,” Kashmir media reacts to govt’s...

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: On the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, two images stood out in Kashmir. One was of an Indian...
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