Z. G. Muhammad   Most of the prying eyes in Jammu and Kashmir are fixed on the year 2014.  For both intelligentsia and common people there are two obvious reasons for the curiosity.  One, how the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, to be completed by the end 2014 is going to influence relations between India and Pakistan and  if the spillover from the troubled country is going  to have any impact on Jammu and Kashmir – and what kind of impact that could be.   Two, how 2014 assembly elections were going to shape the future political discourse and dispensation in the state. For some recent happenings in the state, the primary concern of this column will be examining the coming assembly elections and their implications for the larger narrative. Nevertheless, … Read entire article »

  Z. G. MUHAMMAD         To debate if India starts believing in multiplication of states for ensuring equitable growth and development and becomes two hundred states or it revives all the five hundred sixty states as existed before 1947, is not my cup of tea.  Equally, it is beyond my purview to comment on the Congress and the UPA coalition unanimously endorsing creation of a separate Telengana state out of Andhra Pradesh. Nevertheless, what piqued me was scion of the Abdullah family drawing a parallel between Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Commenting on the creation of the Telengana state in line with meeting almost fifty seven year old  demand  of 3.5 Crore people of the new state comprising mostly the areas  of princely Nazim state  the youngest Abdullah  said that “agitation for … Read entire article »

  Z.G. MUHAMMAD       Kashmir for past three years has not been grabbing the   international headlines but that never suggests it is in a ‘sleep-mode’.  Since 1947, it has been making banner headlines across the globe at regular intervals. In the recent past for three summers 2008, 2009 and 2010 it remained in the headlines for months together, caused hundreds of editorials, articles and columns. Many important newspapers compared the massive protests to Palestinian intifidia.   A New York Times writer Lydia Polygreen wrote about 2010 protests:  ‘an intifada-like popular revolt against the Indian military presence that includes not just stone-throwing young men but their sisters, mothers, uncles and grandparents.’ Notwithstanding Kashmir not talked about in the international or India-Pakistan press for past three years in details, but for its geo-strategic importance it continues to … Read entire article »

  Z.G. MUHAMMAD       Has 2014 – the year when US and NATO troops will withdraw from Afghanistan –  any surprises in stock for us? The answer could be could both `yes’ and `no’. Looking for an answer to the question, there is need for understanding   relevance of Kashmir for South Asian region and importance of Pakistan for the world and more particularly for peace and stability in the region after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In the post 9/11 situation, after the US ousted Taliban   a major geo-strategic shift occurred in the region. In this, shift Kashmir also got catapulted to the centre stage of the regional politics. Moreover, keeping in view history of the dispute, its centrality   during the cold war and having emerged as nuclear flashpoint its resolution cannot be … Read entire article »