REPLUG | Operation Gulmarg, and other tales from Jammu and Kashmir
The Federal revisits some of its exclusive ground reports, opinion pieces and special series on the region ahead of the SC verdict on abrogation of Article 370
On August 5, 2019, the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to J&K. The state was bifurcated into the two Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Four years later, on December 11 (Monday), the Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the Centre's decision to scrap Article 370.
The four years since the abrogation of Article 370 have been a tumultuous period for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. For months together there was no internet. Then came the COVID pandemic and the associated lockdowns, which only added to the woes of the region. There has been violence across the years, and the two UTs have continued to be under President's rule even amid growing demand for an Assembly election in J&K.
But then, J&K has never had a peaceful past. Since Partition, when Kashmir was the biggest bone of contention between Pakistan and India, the region has seen constant unrest and bloodshed.
The Federal has captured the turmoil through various ground reports and exclusive series. Ahead of the SC verdict, we revisit some of the best.
Series | Operation Gulmarg: The Story of Kashmir’s integration with India
The six-part series, published in October-November 2020, recalled the tales around how Kashmir was integrated with India despite Muhammad Ali Jinnah's efforts to take it to Pakistan. The stories in this series:
In autumn of life, 1947, Jinnah’s Eid dreams
A Bridge Too Far: Lust for loot, denies Pakistanis Eid in Srinagar
The saviours of Kashmir and the butchers of Baramulla
A series of murders and tragedies in Lahore shape Kashmir’s destiny
Kashmir for sale after a queen’s quest for revenge
Maharaja Hari Singh saves himself and Kashmir from Pakistani raiders
Feature stories by leading authors caught aspects of life in J&K that the news columns tend to miss. Some of the recent ones:
Why axing Agha Shahid Ali’s poems from Kashmir varsities won’t erase his literary legacy
Debasmita Dasgupta’s graphic novel Terminal 3 strikes a note of hope for Kashmiris
She writes love songs to Kashmir, croons its unheard melodies through folk fusion
Kashmir’s last santoor-maker reflects on his legacy, as it withers away
The Federal Premium: The Eighth Column
The Eighth Column looks at stories from a 360-degree perspective, bringing to fore the voices of all stakeholders. On Jammu & Kashmir, it means talking about women fighting the odds, lives lost, businesses that are shining and those that aren't, the musicians, the bat-makers and more. Here's a select list:
Unplugged from the world, Kashmir still awaits normalcy
How Kashmir’s Baba Wayil village has kept dowry, gold, expensive wazwan out of wedding menus
Kashmiri bats make it to ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. How the boom came about
Kashmir’s matrimonial maze: The story of one woman and her 27 husbands
Why Kashmir’s walnut trees are yielding peanuts
One nose at a time: Rebuilding lost confidence in Kashmir
How lockdowns forced Kashmir’s transgenders into a life sans dignity
The shock, awe — and sound of jackboots marching in Kashmir
The Federal's Opinion column has some excellent pieces on the terror-torn region. Here's a sample:
BJP dumps Article 370 and political niceties; portends ominous possibilities
Kashmir Files straddles fact and fiction to present a polarising narrative
Kashmir: The sting in the mountains
Kashmir, Hong Kong seem similar, but in reality are different
