Opinion

Afghan Tragedy Unfolds in Pakistan

04/12/2023
Asad Mirza The deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan back to Afghanistan, as per a government directive is causing untold suffering and miseries to the Afghans living in Pakistan for the last 20 years or so. It seems that the decision is based on financial woes currently faced by Pakistan yet it involves other elements too. For the last two months the international attention has been focussed on the continuing Gaza crisis, yet in its background another human tragedy has b...

World disability day 3 December 2023

02/12/2023
Javed Ahmad Tak Today is third day of December 2023 and throughout globe the day is celebrated as international day for persons with disabilities, so that they get equal opportunities their rights are safeguarded of rights and full participation in all areas. This year the theme under the UN resolution is “United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by persons with disabilities” The theme is big but disability sector lack basic fa...

Pick and choose in Judicial appointments

30/11/2023
B L Saraf “While hearing a petition alleging delay on the Central Government’s part in clearing names recommended by its collegium for appointment and transfer of judges, on 20th November a bench of the Supreme Court raised the issue of ‘pick and choose’ policy adopted by the Centre in implementing these recommendations. The court observed that of the 11 names of judges recommended by the collegium for transfer only 5 have been transferred. Pain and anguish was palpable when one o...

Islamophobe Greet Wilders, the new Dutch PM?

27/11/2023
Asad Mirza Last week’s elections in Netherlands threw up a rather surprising victory i.e. Greet Wilders, a known rightist and Islamophobe. Perhaps his victory marks the continuing trend of right-wing politicians coming to power in Europe, particularly during the last two years, on the basis of appealing to the masses on populist slogans, but offering nothing concrete. Last week, veteran Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders vowed to be prime minister of the Netherlands eve...

Gaza’s Forgotten Children

25/11/2023
Asad Mirza The World Children’s Day, on 20th November this year, was observed during the Israel’s war on Gaza, in which estimatedly 5,500 children have been killed. International humanitarian agencies are concerned about the unfolding tragedy but it looks as if the international community is sleeping and not bothered about taking any concrete action in this regard. Reportedly the 50 days-old war in Gaza has claimed the lives of 5,500 children, since 7th October, according to a P...

S. African Solidarity With Palestinians

20/11/2023
Asad Mirza The Palestinian conflict has entered its 45th day with rising casualties on the Palestinian side. After the initial death of 1,200 Israelis in the attack by Hamas on 7th October, the numbers of killed on the Palestinian side stands at 11,000. Though many nations have paid lip service to the plight of the Palestinians, only one i.e. South Africa, has clearly taken diplomatic actions against Israel, besides calling for an immediate stop to the Israeli aggression. Afte...

Overloading of passenger Vehicles:A threat to the Road Network and Life of Passengers

18/11/2023
By Devraj Thakur The spate of road accidents in recent weeks has stirred road safety questions among the public and authorities. While members of the public are asking who should be held accountable for accidents resulting from violation of road safety rules, the authorities once again stress that what happens is beyond their control. Among many causes attributed to road accidents, overloading is found to be the major cause. Records show that road accident rates have gone up ove...

When Mufti Sayeed came calling on Kashmiri Pandits

18/11/2023
Dr Ramesh Raina Most of the times human history does not follow a linear path and it seldom unfolds according to a predetermined script.But the before hand manipulation to change its coarse midway tantamount to misrepresent the human history. Its writing or rewriting does not make necessarily anybody feel guilty. But one can be guilty for remaining ignorant and not learning about his own history and then repeating the same mistakes in the future.That’s why history is so important. Th...

Palestine Conflict Overshadows Ukraine War

13/11/2023
Asad Mirza The on-going Palestine-Israel conflict seems to have overtaken the global attention from more than 18 months-old war in Ukraine. It also seems that the U.S. is slowly turning its back on Ukraine, and it is unlikely the Europeans can make up for any foreseeable shortfall by including Ukraine amongst the comity. Ukraine’s ambitions of joining the European Union (EU) received an important boost on Wednesday 8th November, when the bloc’s executive body said detailed n...

Pandit Krishan Joo Razdan: Unsung Divine Saint of Kashmir Valley

29/10/2023
By Sanjay Pandita In the mystical land of Kashmir, where great personalities have adorned the realms of literature, poetry, art, and mysticism, one name remains sadly forgotten, the unsung divine saint - Pandit Krishan Joo Razdan. Amidst the celebrations of renowned literary figures, his name has been left unmentioned, and his day never commemorated. The profound irony lies in the lack of recognition from platforms and cultural academies that are meant to honor and celebrate the contrib...

Cairo Peace Summit

24/10/2023
Asad Mirza Egypt hosted the Cairo Peace Summit to express solidarity with the Palestinians in the ongoing conflict in West Asia, and also to strive for to find solutions to the ongoing human crisis in Gaza, but the outcome left much to be desired. The Cairo Peace Summit, hosted by Egypt and held in the New Administrative Capital, east of the Egyptian capital Cairo, was chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. It was attended by virtually every Arab nation and the...

Preserving 5 Gems of Jammu–A KVM Trust Mission to Save the Language

22/10/2023
Oh! temple bells of Jammu pray roll on, And from my feelings echoing, then return. This life is rough and tough and really stern, So for the sake of harassed self toll on - from Kunwar Viyogi's book of Sonnets River Sage A poet so self-aware of his love for Duggar land once lived a life, much engrossed in the synchronised world of his words, oblivious of the fact that one day these very words would inspire many to 'Save the Language' he loved so much. Through the many works - pre...

Mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians imminent: UN, calls for immediate ceasefire

16/10/2023
The attack by Hamas against the Israeli regime ten days has very quickly brought out the villains and subterfuges out in the open, opines Asad Mirza…… The latest offensive against Israel by Hamas on 6th October has outplaced the Russia-Ukraine conflict out of the news cycle and currently occupies the topmost headlines and news updates. It has also brought forth the different dimensions of the issue and the response of various parties to it, and what appals most is that none of the...

‘Bathindi’ Alliance’: New Twist in Jammu’s Political Landscape

11/10/2023
K B Jandial Politics is strange, at times interesting too, as many times unthinkable happens. In the world of politics, alliances and coalitions are not odd and made to have a common strategy to attain power. Ideological affiliations usually serve as the foundation for such partnerships. Like-minded parties come together to expand their voter base. However, recent national-level developments have given rise to a rather perplexing trend where numerous political parties with diverse ideolo...

Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh

02/10/2023
Asad Mirza The latest blitz by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh and the subsequent refugee exodus to Armenia should be termed and condemned, as ethnic cleansing of the conclave and so-called Islamic countries should take the lead for this initiative. Last week’s Azeri blitz against Armenian Christians is the latest chapter in a bitter, decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. War between the two neighbours started during the collapse of the Soviet Union, of which both cou...

India’s South East Asia Policy

25/09/2023
Asad Mirza Earlier this month, the diplomatic bustle at the national level was focussed on G20 Summit. However, in addition to that the prime minister also focussed on India’s Look East policy and participated at ASEAN and East Asia Summit in Indonesia, focussing on ways to counter China’s regional dominance. The G20 New Delhi Summit in early September was in fact a global brand and image making exercise for the Government of India. An exercise in which the Prime Minister Modi...

Fight for equal pay for equal work in Mumbai's BEST bus system

24/09/2023
By Lata Parab BEST has such a history of its own. ‘Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport’ (BEST) is the public transport system of Mumbai. Even if you look at the construction of the BEST administration building in Mumbai, you can see that a lot of effort was taken to build a permanent building so that the people can benefit from these welfare schemes for many years to come. In Mumbai, the financial capital of India, BEST Bus was a tour of Mumbai. Our 'BEST' bus services a...

May the Bigger Mind Win

05/09/2023
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar There lived a Rishi named Atri. He had no children. So, Atri and Anasuya (his consort), adopted Dutta. Dutta means given, taken, or adopted. Duttatreya had a unique way of learning. He observed the whole creation and learned a lesson from everything.It is interesting how he (Duttatreya) looked at a swan and learned something from the swan, learned something from a crow, from the trees, or from an elderly woman. He was so open to receiving the knowledge an...

Deciphering the Fine line between freedom of expression and hate speech

05/09/2023
Asad Mirza The recent incidents of burning copies of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark by the far right elements has forced the two Scandinavian countries, besides several others to introspect their stand on the freedom of expression and hate speeches and crimes. Reportedly the Swedish government is concerned about national security following several incidents involving the burning of the Holy Quran that have provoked demonstrations and outrage from Muslim-majority countries. ...

Raksha Bandhan: a celebration of Shakti, the feminine energy that protects

29/08/2023
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar_ We celebrate Rakshabandhan on the full moon day that falls in the month of Shravan, according to the Hindu calendar. Rakshabandhan epitomizes a bondage that protects you. It is celebrated throughout the country. Hindus, Muslims, Christians – everyone participates in Raksha Bandhan. While today it is a festival for brothers and sisters, it was not always limited to that alone. A rakhi would be tied by anybody including a wife, daughter, or mother as a ...

Sharp rise in rape cases

29/08/2023
By Farheen wani "Girls are pearls, ladies are rubies, mothers are moulders, and women are wonderful.” ― Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha The girl kid is a forerunner of today's happiness and success, but she is also delicate and prone to injury like a flower. They need to be properly fostered while being protected from malice and abuse. They are mothers who will raise the future generation, as well as a vital component in the development of tomorrow.. The entire scenario again raises some imp...

BRICS Marching Ahead

28/08/2023
Asad Mirza The 15th BRICS summit comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was held at Johannesburg, S. Africa. This year’s annual summit was majorly focussed on two issues; first, admitting new members to the 5-nation organisation and boosting trade using the local currency of the member nations. Reportedly, encouraged by BRICS success on the economic and geopolitical fronts, a growing number of countries in the Global South consider it as an attractive agent of mul...

Saudi-Iran Ties on Mend

22/08/2023
Asad Mirza Iran and Saudi Arab have started a new chapter of cautious and incremental diplomatic exchanges to revive the strained bilateral ties, which broke down in 2016. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) met Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, last week on 18th August, Riyadh. The meeting was the first in a series of high-level talks since both countries reconciled in March this year, after years of bitter rivalry that destabilised the region, in a...

Challenging the Stereotypes

08/08/2023
Asad Mirza Unstereotype Alliance; an initiative of the UN Women is an effort to bring together the advertising doyens and corporate world to create campaigns, which are able to change the stereotypical images of women, racial and physical profiles, besides helping in creating a more equal world for She and He. We often hear complaints of objectifying and sexualising women in the advertising world. However, though the advertising world propagates or translates its ideas into t...

Befriend yourself!

05/08/2023
By Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar There is a global epidemic of loneliness today. So many people feel unloved. But you must know for sure that you are loved very much. You are held closely by the earth, this air. The earth loves you; that’s why it is holding you upright. The love of the earth is its gravitational force. The Divine loves you so dearly. Once you realize this, you will never feel lonely. Divine is the biggest victim of one sided love. He loves you so much and you don’t even r...

"Safeguarding the soul of Kashmir:Karnah's Prized Forests"

02/08/2023
Suman lone In the northernmost region of India lies a mesmerizing land of unparalleled beauty - Kashmir. Adorned with snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, and pristine lakes, this heavenly abode has earned the title of "Paradise on Earth." Among the gems of Kashmir is a quaint and picturesque district called Karnah, where nature flourishes in all its splendor, thanks to the relentless efforts of the forest officials who diligently protect its green treasure. Karnah, nestled...

The resurgence of jihad in Kashmir: An unforgiving analysis

31/07/2023
K N Pandita Traditional infiltration routes through the Line of Control (LoC) have shifted, with some suggesting the use of alternative routes through the Nepal and Bangladesh borders. This presents a new challenge for security forces in preventing militant infiltration across the LoC. The traditional routes have been plugged resulting in a sharp decline in infiltration attempts. However, the vulnerable crossing points like Krishna Ghati in the Poonch sector or Machail in the Tangda...

Increased Terror Threat to India

31/07/2023
Asad Mirza A recent UN report has identified India, as one of the peripheral countries where terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda, ISIS and ISKP are planning to increase their presence. A recent UN Report on global operations of Al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council says that Al Qaeda is regrouping in Taliban-led Afghanistan. But what is more worrying is that around 200 fighters o...

Vladimir Putin Facing Tough Times Ahead

24/07/2023
Asad Mirza The Russian President’s decision not to attend the BRICS Summit in August at Johannesburg has showed chinks in his armour, which has already suffered many blows during 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been forced to cancel plans to attend BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, next month, due to fears over war crimes arrest. Moscow feared that Putin might be arrested in South Africa for war crimes if he attends the annual event in Johannesburg. The International Crim...

Where is Shiva?

21/07/2023
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar In this vast universe, Shiva, the timeless and boundless energy, permeates through every aspect of creation. It transcends time and space, encompassing the beginning, the end, and every moment in between. Shiva is all-inclusive Often, we are condescending towards those younger or less knowledgeable than us. Similarly, we dismiss the wisdom of the elderly, considering them outdated and ignorant. But we need to recognize that divinity resides wi...