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...

“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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

‘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...

“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...

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...

‘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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...
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...

“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...

When the Waters Came: Inside the Flood Havoc Across Jammu and Kashmir

By Arsheed Ahmad, twoCircles.net Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir — The floodwaters crept in silently, under the cover of night. No sirens, no alerts — only the...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

Kashmiris face police brutality in COVID-19 lockdown

By Abid Hussain, TwoCircles.net Irfan Ali, a research scholar studying at JNU, left his home in central Kashmir’s Budgam district to self-report at the local...

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...

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,...

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...

‘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...

“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"...

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...

‘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...

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...

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...

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...

‘Broken Promises’, ‘Shifting Stances’: NC’s Handling of Article 370 Issue Left Many Feeling ‘Betrayed’

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly convened for a four-day session on November 4, marking its first meeting in nearly six...

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...

‘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...

Pahalgam Aftermath: Collective Punishment? Military Demolitions Leave Families of Militants Homeless

Arsheed Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Following a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead, the Army launched a series of...

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...

Behind Closed Doors: Kashmiri Women Battle the Silent Burden of PCOS

Shah Khursheed, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Bareera, 24, a postgraduate student from Pulwama, remembers the first signs of something being wrong with unsettling clarity. In Class 11,...

Kunan Poshpora: The Silent Night That Still Echoes Cries for Justice

Raqif Makhdoomi, TwoCircles.net Kunan Poshpora, a village in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, carries a story that continues to haunt its people even after 35 years....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Bride Still Wore Henna, Mother Awaited Medicine – Police Brought Home a Young Man’s...

Arsheed Ahmad, TwoCircles.net Srinagar:Mohammad Parvez, a 22-year-old from the tribal Gujjar community of Surat Chak in Jammu, had stepped out of his home in the...

‘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....

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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

Amid Power Offtake to Other States, Electricity Price Has Become the Cost of Life...

Hana Vahab, TwoCircles.net In the remote village of Hundi in Kupwara, the northernmost district of Kashmir, 15-year-old Wajid dreams of clearing prestigious Union Public Service...

‘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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

‘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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

‘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...

“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...

‘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...

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...

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...

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...

Members of Kashmiri Hindu, Sikh minorities reject Domicile law, say ‘law brought without consent...

Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: Stating that the new Domicile law is not only a threat to Kashmir Muslims but for the minorities of the erstwhile...

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....

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...

A year after scrapping of Article 370, Jammuites question move as new Domicile Law...

By Ayushi Malik, TwoCircles.net Jammu: A year after Government of India abrogated Article 370 and touted it as a step towards “full integration” of the...

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...

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...

‘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...

As world fights coronavirus, Kashmir struggles for information and education

By Sajid Bukhari Government of a country whose constitution has promised ‘Right to Equality’ under Article 14 even to foreigners, has segregated 1.25 crore residents...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Won’t plead for justice anymore: Kashmir’s ‘Mass Rape’ survivors on 29th anniversary

Auqib Javeed , TwoCircles.net Kupwara: “We were not heard then and we aren’t being heard now,” says 75-years old Mohammad Amin, whose wife(name withheld) was...

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...

‘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,...

Un-ending Tragedies IV: To meet her jailed son, this Kashmiri mother is begging door...

By TCN Correspondent SRINAGAR: This year marks a new beginning for 42-years-old Zamrooda. A resident of Batamaloo area of Srinagar and originally a homemaker, now has...

“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...

“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...

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’...

Ramadan sees increased violence in Kashmir, reveals data

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net  The holy month of Ramadan all over the world witnesses’ festivities and joy among Muslims. For Muslim majority Kashmir, the month...

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...

‘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...

‘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,...

“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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

Questions rise on Tosa Maidan sanitization as Kashmir teenager battles for life

By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net  Srinagar: Although the shrapnel lodged inside his brain was removed by doctors, the 15-year old Asif Wani might soon “close his...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

New domicile certificates amplify anxieties about demographics in Kashmir

Gowhar Geelani, TwoCircles.net On July 5, the Jammu & Kashmir administration declared that over 6,600 applicants — an overwhelming majority of them retired soldiers and...

This hilly region in Kashmir is prospective front for gateway to Central Asia

By Rahmat Bhat, TwoCircles.net Like a jewel in the crown of a king, sits the beautiful valley of Karnah at Shamsbari range in north-west Kashmir....

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....

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...

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,...

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,...

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...

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 |...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...
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