07.04.06
Sex scandal in Srinagar
The Kashmir Valley, particular Srinagar, is burning over a social issue – prostitution, which started with the Indian Express publishing a news report revealing that the J&K police is investigating a sex racket that included top politicians, police and security force officers. According to the news story, girls, including minors, were coerced into prostitution, blackmailed and supplied to top police officials, bureaucrats, politicians, and surrendered militants. Ever since there have been hartals, processions and demonstrations by various social, and political groups, with even some militant groups lending their support.
Clearly three issues are involved in this crisis. First, the social dimension relating to prostitution and why girls are being forced into it in J&K; seconds – the governance issue, relating to failure of administrative machinery to realise the urgency of the matter; and third – a political issue relating to various groups politicising the scandal for narrow gains. An analysis of these issues is needed. Read the rest of this entry »
07.03.06
The purported tomb of Jesus in Srinagar
Yuz Asaf (or Yus Asaph, or Shahzada Nabi Hazrat Yura Asaf) is believed, to be the name adopted by Jesus after he survived the crucifixion and subsequently migrated to Kashmir.
History
Yuz Asaf was revered as a prophet (by Ahmadi Muslims) and a holy man (by Hindus and Buddhists).
The tomb of Yuz Asaf is Roza Bal shrine, located in the Khanyar district of Srinagar, Kashmir. This is claimed to be the tomb of a man who was both a prince and a prophet and is claimed to date to about AD 100. Until the arrival of Islam in Kashmir, the tomb was maintained by Buddhists and Hindus who claim descent from Yuz Asaf. Read the rest of this entry »
Meadow of flowers…….
Gulmarg is a hill station in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The town had witnessed militancy in the 1990s, but after a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in 2003, the town is now peaceful. The town, nestled in the Himalayas, and very close to the Line of Control receives heavy snowfall in winters and is a popular ski resort.
