Z.G. MUHAMMAD Just one and a half month from now, 2014 with all its politics will be relegated to the pages of history. Three years back Washington had announced that from July 2011 NATO and U S troops will start withdrawing from Afghanistan and by December 2014 the withdrawal would be complete. From the security point, the decision being significant the wait for the lost contingent of US troops departing from Kabul started in South Asia in general and India and Pakistan in particular started from 2014. The announcement had generated lots of debates across the world. Many experts looked at withdrawal announcement with a ‘deep sense of pessimism’ and expressed their anxiety at the decision- the worry was more perceptible in the neighbouring countries particularly India, Pakistan and Iran. The … Read entire article »

Floods Should Make Us Think Institutions are subservient to human needs, not the reverse Z. G. MUHAMMAD     It will be unfair, unjust and unrealistic.   Yes! Holing elections in mid-winter when mercury drops to sub-zero in the state more particularly in Kashmir and some worst hit areas of Jammu will not be a fair game. It will make life of the multitudes, suffering the after-flood blues and struggling for survival more miserable.  Elections in the near future certainly are going to deflect the attention of the administration from ravages of floods and human sufferings to the maintenance of law and order. True, holding “elections” for the State Assembly before January is a ‘constitutional’ requirement but in extraordinary situation- a human crisis, as has been obtaining in the state after the September 7 deluge such a … Read entire article »

  Z. G. MUHAMMAD     It is not being impolite.  My considered view is, whatever their façade mostly they are on assignment in Kashmir. Few weeks back, when more than half of Srinagar city was still submerged in ice cold waters, thousands marooned in their houses were waiting for crumbs of relief and were on a lookout for brave hearts to rescue them. Thousands others were suffering ordeals in temporary shelters and relief camps some activists from New Delhi arrived in Srinagar. Ostensibly, to express solidarity with the deluged multitudes, assess magnitude of the losses, severity of the situation and to advocate adequate funds for rehabilitation of people and reconstruction of the state. These activist, otherwise having a friendly profile in Kashmir invited a select group of scribes, civil society members and business … Read entire article »

Diaspora, Donors and Reconstruction Why dovetail reconstruction of the State with politics PUNCHLINE Z. G. MUHAMMAD Smaller Default Larger   Ahmed 5, the naughtiest grandchild in our family is fond of toy cars and toy images of cartoon characters Spiderman, He-Man, Batman, Ironman and many others. He had quite good collection of toy cars- and was passionately possessive of them. The flood waters washed away all his toys except his cherry red BMW.  His seven year sister, who also had lost all her dolls and toys to the deluge consoled him – ‘grandee will get new ones for us’. But, when Daneen 6, his cousin sister, thousands of miles away in Almaty heard the sad news, she told her father ‘pack all my toys and send them to Ahmed- lest he weeps’. Concern shown by innocent … Read entire article »