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...

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...

Kashmir’s journalist body resolves to withstand ‘policing and intimidation’

TCN News Srinagar: Condemning the ongoing offensive against journalists launched by J&K Police, the Kashmir Working Journalists Association (KWJA) Wednesday said that journalists in Kashmir...

“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"...

‘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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

Freedom on a Leash: Sikander Malik’s Journey Through Politics and Surveillance in Kashmir

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: In the heart of Kashmir’s evolving political landscape, Hafiz Mohammad Sikander Malik stood out not just as a candidate, but as a...

Fear Grips Kashmir: Surge in Militancy Threatens Stability After Elections

Tauseef Ahmad, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: Following the landmark, peaceful elections held in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time in six years since the revocation of its...

‘How Will We Support Our Family?’: Tourism Collapses Overnight After Deadly Pahalgam Attack

Sadaf Shabir and Fahim Mattoo/TwoCircles.net Lal Bazar (Srinagar): Grief erupted through the quiet streets of Lal Bazar on April 23 morning. A young man, Mazoor,...

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...

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...

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...

‘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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

“They are using humans as shields”: LoC villagers appeal for ceasefire

TCN Reporter, TwoCircles.net Kupwara: Watching the debris of his house that he had made over years of hard work along with his three sons, Mohammad...

Amid lockdown, this Sikh youth is enthralling Kashmiris through music

By Zahoor Hussain As most parts of the world are locked down to contain spread of the deadly Novel Coronavirus, Harkrishan Singh Sanam, a 25-year-old...
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...

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...

“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...

Kashmir’s ‘Sahar Khans’: The Timeless Drummers Keeping Ramadan Tradition Alive in the Digital Age

Tauseef Ahmad, Sajid Raina/TwoCircles.net Srinagar: As Kashmir valley sleeps beneath a blanket of stillness, a steady rhythm begins to echo through the streets in the...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

“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...

‘No Grass, No Growth, No Eid’: Stuck in Lowlands Since Pahalgam Attack, Bakarwal Herders...

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir): Altaf Ahmed Khan and his family begin their seasonal journey every year in April into the...

“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...

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...

Hundreds of academicians, journalists appeal UN Special Rapporteur to stop intimidation of Kashmiri journalists

TCN News Members of the Kashmir Scholars Consultative Action Network have written to Prof David Kaye, United Nations Special Rapporteur on promotion and protection of...

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...

‘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 |...

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,...

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...

“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...

“We have been in lockdown since we were born,” Kashmir’s transgender community face neglect,...

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: Anjali remembers the day before Kashmir was put under a military and communications lockdown on August 5 last year. It...

Home Demolitions, Mass Detentions Spark Fear in Kashmir After Pahalgam Attack

TCN Correspondent Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): "Even if my brother was involved in the attack, what has our family got to do with it?" asks Aisha...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

‘State wants to control media’: Journalists in Kashmir brace for worse

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: The Union Territory administration seems to have started a “war” against the Journalists working in the valley as coronavirus...

Structural Barriers to Media Openness in Kashmir

By Tanveer Ahmad Khan and Wasia Hamid The modern age is one of global interactions wherein local happenings are shaped by the events taking place miles away...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

Small Acts, Big Rewards: Kifayatullah Malik’s Quest to Empower Underprivileged

TCN News Bandipora, Kashmir: Growing up in Lawaypora, a small village in bandipora, Kifayatullah was the first child in his family to attend school. His...

Kashmir University student booked under UAPA, family, friends say detained for activism at varsity

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Srinagar, July 27: The family of a Kashmiri student, who was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) claim...

‘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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Release all political prisoners, end curbs on freedom of expression in Kashmir: Amnesty India

TCN News Amnesty International India on Thursday called for the immediate release of all political prisoners marking the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370...

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...

‘Unlike Other Days, Tourists Were More in Number’: Deadliest Civilian Attack Since 2003 Shakes...

TCN Correspondent Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): When Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy and split it...

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...

“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,...

“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...

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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

“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...

‘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...

BJP’s Bid for Control Fails: Saffron Party Faces Setbacks in Historic J&K Elections

Tauseef Ahmed and Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Gurez: Celebrations erupted outside the residence of National Conference (NC) candidate Nizar Ahmed Khan, who triumphed over Faqeer...

Kashmiri independent journalist Ahmer Khan, team earn Emmy nomination for film on rise of...

By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: A Kashmiri independent multimedia journalist Ahmer Khan, and his team’s film has been nominated for Emmy. Their film, ‘India Burning’...

“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...

‘Cat-and-Mouse’ Chase in Kashmir Woods: Pahalgam Attackers Elude Forces Despite Four Close Calls

TCN News Desk New Delhi: A tense pursuit has been unfolding in the dense and treacherous forests of South Kashmir over the past five days....

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...

‘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...

‘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...

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....

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,...

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...

‘Kashmir is graveyard of probes, not expecting justice from courts,’ says family of slain...

Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net Budgam: Kashmir has the distinction of being known as as the graveyard for inquiries and probes of civilian killings at the hands of...

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...

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...

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...

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...

‘They Shelled Our Dreams, Not Just Our Homes’: Kashmir’s Border Residents Recount Horror Unleashed...

Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina/ TwoCircles.net Uri (Baramulla): “War should never be rejoiced. When the shells hit, they don’t ask your identity,” said Farooq Ahmad,...

Economic and ecological disaster predicted as 16 million poplar trees are ordered to be...

Auqib Javeed,TwoCircles.net Srinagar: The Union Territory Administration in Kashmir has started a massive axing and looping programme of Russian female poplar trees locally know as...

Kashmir’s cartoonists depict rot behind gory images of Kashmiri child atop his dead grandfather

Majid Maqbool, TwoCircles.net The flurry of gory images of a three-year-old child atop his dead grandfather, his arms stretched backwards, after losing his life during...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

“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...

“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...

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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

UN experts call for urgent action on “alarming” human rights situation in Jammu and...

TCN News Geneva: As India marks one year of abrogation of Article 370, United Nations (UN) Human Rights Special Rapporteurs have called on the international...

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...

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...

“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...

Encounters leave trail of destruction for Kashmiri families, scores of homes turn to rubble

By TCN Correspondent  Pehley yeh ghar meray liye bas ik makaan tha Ab yeh jagah meray liye ik aastan hai  It used to just be a house...

As J&K Elections Conclude, Kulgam Confronts a Crucial Test of Development and Promised Change

Mubashir Naik, TwoCircles.net Kulgam (Kashmir): Following the conclusion of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the political landscape in Kulgam, South Kashmir, is undergoing a significant transformation....

“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...

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...

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...

How Indian society has been desensitized to the plight of Kashmir

By Nazma Parveen, TwoCircles.net  Kolkata: August 2020 marks one year to the dilution of Article 370 in Kashmir, which stripped it of its statehood by...

New J&K Media Policy 2020 is ‘Orwellian’ and ‘Kafkaesque’

By Gowhar Geelani, TwoCircles.net Though the influential Srinagar-based Kashmir Editors Guild and other major journalist bodies and unions are strangely mum on J&K government’s new...

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 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...

‘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...

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...

A year after abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir is tragedy in making

By Firdous Khan The first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 is around the corner in Jammu and Kashmir. It was on August 5...

Only way to lift India’s poor out of backwardness is to make good quality...

By Maariyah Siddique, TwoCircles.net Hailing from the eastern Indian state of Odisha, Basant Kumar Rath is the 2000-batch IPS officer who gained immense popularity and...

Kashmir Reading Room releases report marking one year of abrogation of Article 370

TCN News Kashmir: Kashmir Reading Room has released a report marking one year of the de-operationalization of Article 370, and unilateral revocation of Kashmir’s special...

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...

‘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...

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...
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