The Sad State of Agrarian Economy in Kashmir

Shafi highlights a major reason for deepening divide between the rich and the poor in Kashmir

(Mr. Mohammad Shafi Ayaz, 47, was born in Anantnag, and continues to live in the same town. He studied in various state schools, colleges and universities. He has completed his MBA, and is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers(CAIIB), and is working on a doctorate thesis on “Non Performing Assets in Indian Banks." He is a banker and presently associated with the Jammu & Kashmir Bank as Senior Executive. Mr. Ayaz has three publications - two in Urdu, one comprising of fictions/short stories titled as “Dard-i-Pinhan” (Hidden Pain), and the third comprising of poetry titled as “Talash-i-Sahar”(In Search of Dawn). He has also published another short book in “Interest Free Banking.” He writes on various topics in the Daily Kashmir Images, Weekly Shuhab and Weekly Sabzar. Earlier he contributed articles to two leading Urdu dailies of the Valley - ‘Aftab’ and ‘Srinagar Times’.)


All is not well!

The Agriculture Sector is backbone of the economy of a state which has more than 70% population directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. It is well admitted that the progress and prosperity of any state is dependent upon the growth of the agriculture and its allied sectors so it is always the priority of every state to treat it as thrust area. As per official figures of our state of Jammu and Kashmir the contribution of the primary sector, which include forestry, livestock and mainly agriculture sector, to the State Domestic Product has witnessed a decline since 2001. The year 2001 saw a contribution of 31.4% by this sector, which declined to 29% in 2007. Officials attribute this decrease to the growing urbanization of J&K. They claim that the actual growth rate of agriculture in the state has shown a constant increase but has lagged behind the national average. Is it really so?

The State of Jammu and Kashmir is also one of such states whose economy is more or less agro based. We have horticulture industry here having APPLE as its main product which fetches a good value for its growers as well as for the state. It is well said that if God has gifted Arab Countries with dollars in the shape of underground petroleum resources, we too have been blessed with dollars growing on trees in the form of apples. The state is gifted with huge agricultural potential. It is not only food grain but other allied activities like Horticulture, Sericulture, Saffron, Bee keeping etc. Often we read in the newspapers and listen from radio that the government.is taking various steps for its improvement and is committed to utilize the vast potential of agro-based activities available in the state to give considerable fillip to State’s economy. Chief Minister of the state in a recently held meeting said that the agriculture is the mainstay of JK economy and that it was need of the hour to make agriculture thrust area. Agriculture Minister of the state is often seen in meetings, seminars, workshops and other programmes related to agriculture and its allied activities and it shows his keen interest in his assignment. Usually a pleasant and a rosy picture is presented in these forums and we feel complacent. Even at national level our work in this sector is reportedly appreciated. Is it really so?

The fact is that barring horticulture all other sectors are showing a declining trend. Horticulture sector being exception on a valid ground. Vast paddy land has been changed by its owners to orchards. Paddy yielders or farmers found that the rice cultivation is no more profitable and as such they have cultivated apple trees resulting in increase of area under horticulture thereby the production of apple in the state increased significantly. This off course has reduced the paddy land area. Thus any other factor is not visibly responsible for increase of apple production. But what about other sectors of agriculture and its allied sectors where this type of transformation has not taken place. The story is quite different.

Saffron is the pride production of the state. Its cultivation faces the threat of extinction as the cultivatable area and production have decreased by half in a decade’s time. The cultivation area of saffron has declined from 5,707 hectares in 1997-98 to 3,030 hectares in 2006-07 as per official figures. The productivity of saffron has decreased from 16 metric tonnes to 8.5 metric tonnes . These figures speak the real story of this pride sector of agriculture.

Sericulture Industry is heritage industry of J&K State and the story of this industry is no more different. The Silk Industry of Kashmir possesses a golden legacy as is revealed from official reports.. The entire Europe was the first continent with which Kashmir had started its silk trade. The reports also show that in the year 1855, Kashmir was in a position to supply 25000 oz of silkworm seeds to Europe. By exporting silkworm seeds to Europe, the Silk Industry of Kashmir gained a pivotal position on the silk route of Europe. But in the past few decades the silk production has diminished by 50% in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

The position of honey production is also no exception. A recent report from Bandipora district which is one of the major honey producing districts has revealed the same story. Honey production of the district has declined by 80% this year .According to official figures the production during 2010 was 400 quintals while as this year it is only 80 quintals. These are only few instances and the stories of other agriculture related activities is somewhat the same.

Although there are various claims from the concerned departments of the state government which apparently seem to show the priority of the government to boost the agriculture and its allied sector in the state but do these claims which are based on announcement and declaration of various measures for promotion of these sectors really work . Government has off course sanctioned Rs.22.00 crore for setting up a Spice Park under the National Saffron Mission at Pampore to ensure quality control and marketing of this most expensive spice. But this project is only on papers as it has been stayed by the court of law. Again the high claims of the government that they are on the way to revive sericulture industry and there is no dearth of funds for supporting the growth of this industry. 2500 hectares of land under Mulberry plantation is proposed to be developed through CDP exclusively for introducing of Bivoltine cocoon production. It seems to be a good decision on the part of government but the ground reality is that the number of mulberry plants is decreasing due to cutting of these trees. Once these trees were seen on the road sides all over in the valley but today hardly any such tree is seen any where on the road side. The position of those who deal with industry is well known to every body. Every now and then we see these people on the media channels expressing their vows. They are fed up with their profession and there are no freshers keen to adopt this business activity as is no more profitable for them. Similar situation is with other sectors of agriculture.

Though it goes without saying that there is a great scope for revival and improving of agriculture and its allied activities in the state, but it needs a pro-active approach and a firm commitment from all the concerned. Despite of tall claims about our progress and achievements in agriculture sector and our agro based economy, it is a hard fact that “ All is not Well” and we should accept it.

The Hope of Kashmir

A feel good story featuring a rising social activist Qurat-ul-ain Masoodi


Qurat to launch, ‘Aash – The Hope of Kashmir'

Srinagar: She walked briskly into the newspaper office and in a jiffy said, “Shall we start the interview.” Qurat-ul-ain-Masoodi is full of raw energy and enthusiasm to do well for the most deprived of her community.

Masoodi (26) left her lucrative engineering field in 2009 and is gearing up for a business, which is often considered murky in a State where everything is viewed with skepticism.

“Working with these children brings a smile on my face. I am satisfied with what I am doing,” says Masoodi, who currently works for a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), which deals in protection of child rights.

Twenty-year-long conflict has given Kashmir many orphanages and plenty of inmates to keep them busy.

Child right protection among these orphanages has often been a subject of discussion, but the matter has largely remained under carpet. The rights violations in these homes could trigger a debate for which Kashmir has no answers yet. Masoodi believes that the matter has to come up and debated among the intellectuals and common masses, so that the vulnerable section of the society is protected. “My aim is to take their case to public and make people aware about children who live in these institutions,” she says.

What happens inside the orphanages of Kashmir has largely remained an unstudied part of conflict and the general thrust has been on their shelter and food.

But this young uptown Srinagar girl wants to make the orphanage caretakers accountable and believes that systematic studies on psychological and behavioral patterns of these children are must. “I don’t care how much money they get. I want to see children living in these institutions being treated well and there is no abuse in any form rendered to them,” she says.

“A wealthy businessman who pays money to an orphanage has to see how it is working. His responsibility doesn’t end with cutting cheque,” says Masoodi as she describes the hygiene condition of few institutions she has visited in her three-month long job with Koshish(NGO).

During her limited work exposure with these institutions, Masoodi has found some orphanages, whose name she did not reveal because it is against her job protocol, in absolute wretchedness. “The sewerage pipe inside the house had a leak and nobody from the governing body was bothered to fix it and children were living in such dismal conditions that I cried,” says Masoodi.

Her greater fear is not of hygiene however, but physical exploitation of these children and their rehabilitation into the society.

“Girls are the most vulnerable among these children and many of them are in their teens. As of now their future and rehabilitation is very uncertain,” she believes.

Masoodi aims to rope intellectuals, bureaucrats and powerful executives to join her mission of rehabilitation. For that, she is going to organize a seminar where all the big names of Kashmir will be participating to discuss mechanisms of rehabilitation of these children.

Most of her family is settled in USA and she was initially asked by her parents to move to States for a better career. She chose to stay in Kashmir to help thousands of orphans living under the shelter of donation and government grants. “It is my childhood dream to help the most deprived of society,” she says being fully aware about the taboos that are associated with social service and NGO business in Kashmir.

“I know people have used and abused NGOs names for their pity gains. Social activism is no longer an easy field to create respect, but there are good people working in this sector who inspire me,” says Masoodi as she talks the phenomenon of mushroom growth of NGOs in Kashmir where many are being viewed with suspicion.

In Jammu and Kashmir, there are over 3500 NGOs and dozens of orphanages registered with government. “Many people here are doing an amazing job at these institutions, though some are under scanner. Orientation and broad analysis will help us to integrate children back into the system, and build an atmosphere of trust among masses for social activists,” says Masoodi as she left the newspaper office with a smile before heading to meet sponsors for her first event that will be held on 2nd of December and will also mark the launch of her NGO, Aash – The hope of Kashmir.

State Women's Commission (SWC) Rescues Failing Marriages

Ms. Shameema Firdous says demand for dowry is a major family issue in the valley

Conflict Taking Toll on Valley Women

Abid Bashir (Rising Kashmir)

Srinagar: The turmoil has taken a serious toll on womenfolk in Kashmir with post-marital feuds resulting in divorces and break-ups showing a tremendous surge.

Reason: misunderstandings, less tolerance and money matters between the couples.

According to figures available with State Women’s Commission (SWC), the domestic and post martial feuds in Kashmir are witnessing an alarming surge.

“Of the 1820 cases registered with the commission since last few years, 1333 were from Kashmir and just 487 from Jammu region,” SWC chairperson, Shameema Firdous told Rising Kashmir.

She said the figures are really alarming. “Huge influx of cases has put the commission on toes.”

“Although the offices have shifted to Jammu as part of half-yearly durbar move, the commission hears at least 20 cases a day in its Srinagar office,” she said

Shameema said the nature of cases is shocking —misunderstanding over small things proves fatal. “It leads to divorce. We try our best to persuade the couple to reconcile,” she said.

“No divorce is done in the commission. We put in our efforts to keep the relationship intact. In the current year alone, some 300 cases were registered with the commission. Some cases even go to courts. This happens when two sides fail to reconcile after lot of efforts from our side,” she said.

Expressing her anguish over the deteriorating social fabric of the women folk, the SWC chairperson said the rate of divorce and post-marital disputes is high in lower income groups. “Though we have some cases of high profile people including some NRIs as well, but the rate is high within low income groups,” she said.

She termed the money matters especially dowry demands as major cause of post-marital disputes. “The demand for money or dowry causes tension between the families. Husbands are involved in physical and mental torture of their wives and this continuous harassment leads to suicides,” she said.
Shameema, however, said coercion by in-laws has shown a decreasing trend. “There used to be cases where pressure especially torture by in-laws would become major reason for feud. But this thing has shown a decreasing trend. We have registered very few cases where in-laws were the cause of tension,” she said.

She said the situation in Kashmir during past two decades has made male and female folk less tolerant.

SWC chairperson said each case is heard at least four times. “We try to settle the cases as soon as possible. The commission has managed to settle over 600 cases. It means that we have managed to persuade two sides to start afresh leaving behind all bitterness,” she said.

“Since SWC is not that old, many women are still unaware about it. There needs to be a massive awareness campaign so that women could know their rights could be protected by somebody,” she added.

Bribing Public to Prevent a Disaster

Government is forced to take action as gender ratio in Jammu and Kashmir drops to 859 girls to 1000 boys


Cash Rewards to Stop Female Foeticide in Kashmir

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Government announced cash rewards for residents who provide information about those carrying out pre-natal sex determination tests in an effort to stem a sharp rise in female foeticide.

“Every whistle blower will be given a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and his name would be kept secret,” Sham Lal Sharma, the state’s health minister said in a statement.

He said the step will help send a message “among the public and more people will come forward to provide information about those carrying out such tests”. Sharma’s department in India’s only Muslim-majority state has been seizing ultrasound scanners and enlisting religious leaders to save unborn girls.

The issue has united politicians, clerics and social activists in Jammu and Kashmir, a state best known for the deep, blood-stained divides caused by a 20-year-old Muslim separatist insurgency against Indian rule.

Provisional 2011 census data released at the end of March painted a bleak picture of India’s gender imbalance, with a national child sex ratio of just 914 females to 1,000 males, the lowest figure since independence in 1947. By far the most dramatic decline was in Jammu and Kashmir, where the ratio plunged to 859 girls for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group, down by 82 points from 10 years ago.

The figures shocked the authorities in the scenic region. The global sex ratio is 984 girls to every 1,000 boys, according to United Nations population data.

Married women in India face huge pressure to produce male children, who are seen as breadwinners while girls are often viewed as a financial burden as they require hefty dowries to be married off. The first reaction of the Kashmir authorities to the census figures was a crackdown on the unlicensed use of ultrasound scanners.

Determining the sex of a foetus is illegal in India, but many clinics offer the service for a small fee, fuelling the demand for sex-selective abortions. Lightweight, portable ultrasound machines mean tests can be carried out even in the most remote villages.

The health minister appealed to people “to share such information with the competent authority in the directorate of health services to stop the crime”.

He also rewarded a person at a special ceremony in winter capital Jammu on Friday who had provided information and even helped the authorities in arresting a person who had conducted a sex-determination test. The sharpest declines in the ratio were in the towns of the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, heartland of the armed insurgency, which began in 1989. afp

Ministerial Duplicity

The Minister of Animal Husbandry wants cattle and sheep raring to create jobs in the valley; but how can that happen if you sign a "blank check" to import all the mutton the valley consumes?


15 Lakh Goats, Sheep Imported into J&K Every Year for Mutton

Nearly 15 lakh sheep and goats are imported into Jammu and Kashmir every year for mutton at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore, a state minister has said.

Sheep and Animal Husbandry Minister Ruhullah Mehdi yesterday said 14 to 15 lakh sheep and goats are imported annually to the state for mutton consumption.

Addressing a gathering of sheep farmers at his residence, he said the import of sheep and goats from other parts of the country costs the state economy Rs 1,500 crore annually.

The minister said that cattle and sheep-rearing have ample potential to boost the economy and generate employment opportunities for the people, particularly unemployed youth.

The Politics of MFN

Zafar hopes that Pakistan keeps its promise of granting MFN to India as the region is desperate for peace and tranquility

(Mr. Zafar Choudhary, 35, was born in Rehan village of Rajouri district. He received his post graduate degree in Journalism from the University of Jammu. Mr. Choudhary is a Journalist and Policy Analyst based at Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir, India). He is founder Editor of Epilogue Magazine and Honorary Director of Indus Research Foundation (IRF), a think tank, research and resource centre on issues of historical and contemporary importance within and around the region of Jammu and Kashmir. A non-political, non-governmental Trust, IRF promotes the entire region of undivided Jammu and Kashmir as a bridge between India and Pakistan and essential link between Central and South Asia. Zafar is regularly engaged in tracks of peace processes on Kashmir and he writes a popular weekly column known as 'This, That & The Other' appearing every Friday in Srinagar based English daily 'Rising Kashmir'.)

Don’t Let the ‘Favour’ Go

With India-Pakistan relations rooted in history of drama and theatrics, the Islamabad tantrum over the much delayed Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India is hardly surprising. Two extreme developments within 24 hours are depressing and disappointing but the fact that Pakistan reached close to looking at India as a neighbour and partner in progress offers much convincing hope.

On Wednesday, Islamabad surprised the political, diplomatic and business community in India by announcing that the federal cabinet has granted India the MFN status, something awaited since 1996. The announcement evinced gratefully positive response from India with Commerce Minister Anand Sharma saying “we deeply appreciate this positive gesture that Pakistan has taken”. Sharma and his Pakistan counterpart Makhdoom Mohammad Ameen Faheem have been piloting a new wave of economic relations between both countries since early this year. The Pakistan Commerce Ministry statement quoting Cabinet decision was placed on the government’s Press Information Department’s website only to be removed Thursday morning when the Foreign Office in Islamabad burst the euphoric bubble. The Foreign Office spokesperson said that the Cabinet has approved a Commerce Ministry proposal of normalisation of trade ties with India. On being insisted by the reporters at her Press Conference the spokesperson said that normalisation of ties of would culminate in MFN status –a deepening ambiguity. The Ministers and Secretaries in the Commerce Ministry of both countries have been hammering out obstacles for long and this year alone it appeared twice happening sooner than later.

With Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani slated to meet in Maldives on November 11-12 during the SAARC summit, it was widely expected that Pakistan take step forward toward further normalisation of ties. MFN status could have been an indicator of such intentions. Even as the Pakistan Peoples’ Party government is getting reconciliatory and pragmatic towards bilateral ties with India despite the Kashmir bone in their neck, the opposition parties and other radical groups don’t want any bilateral progress while Kashmir being on the burner. The newly emerging India-Pakistan spirit of accommodation that is seen anchored in pragmatism is being scuttled by Pakistani opposition parties and the radical groups wanting their country to look towards India in context of Kashmir only. Knee jerk on long pending MFN status to India is the latest case in point. Opposition wants government to link it up with Kashmir. Well, progress on Kashmir is important but a level of comfort between India and Pakistan is much more important for achieving the desired progress. Good business relations could be a password to friendly political and diplomatic ties. Pakistan, like any other country, can’t live in isolation and India certainly wants a healthy neighbour around. Progress on bilateral ties like MFN status could be seen as reflection of the courage, will and ability of both countries and sorting out their issues at their own and the same time progressing into the future with shared benefits for each other.

Recent Background

The back-foot after Wednesday’s announcement of Cabinet decision on MFN status disappoints in more ways than one given the stupendous progress made in past few months. In a bilateral meeting held in Islamabad ending April this year, the Commerce Secretaries of India and Pakistan, Rahul Khullar and Zafar Mehmood agreed to take on board each other's concerns regarding the trade regimes in either country and explore new avenues for bilateral trade while side-stepping the ‘so-called' ticklish issues that dominate mainstream discourse. A joint statement issued at the end of their meeting set a timeline for addressing the identified doables including Pakistan granting the MFN status to India and moving to a negative list approach in tariff lines, and New Delhi amenable to addressing Islamabad's concerns regarding Non-Tariff Barriers that restrict the flow of Pakistani goods into India. Following months saw much progress in both countries achieving a level of political and diplomatic comfort. Visit of Foreign Minister Hinna Rabbani Khari to New Delhi in July further cemented the ties.

After a meeting of Commerce Ministers in New Delhi on September 28, Pakistan agreed to operationalise MFN treatment to India. A joint statement issued at the conclusion of talks between India’s commerce minister Anand Sharma and his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Muhammad Ameen Faheem gave enough indications to this effect. The joint statement said the two ministers mandated their commerce secretaries to “pursue with vigour” the task of fully normalising bilateral trade relations. They agreed that their countries would cooperate for a high ambition of preferential trade relations under the framework of South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). This was interpreted by in India as amounting to Pakistan agreeing to operationalise MFN status and trade experts saw it as a major breakthrough in bilateral economic relations. Faheem had said on September 28 “we have agreed to actively pursue MFN to India”. Things are moving forward according to plan. We are looking forward to achieve the target". The joint statement further said “they (the two countries) agreed that all mutual obligations contracted under SAFTA would be implemented with full sincerety.” The major mutual obligation contracted under SAFTA is to provide MFN status by all member countries to each other to facilitate free trade in the South Asian region. Pakistan is the only country which has not granted MFN status so far to India. All other countries have granted MFN status to each other in the region.

Kashmir: Hope, not obstacle

However, as the day came closer to operationalise the MFN status, the Pakistani opposition parties started raising stumbling blocks. The main opposition party PML (N), a bipartisan parliamentary panel on Kashmir and pro-establishment political outfits opposed the decision in unison as they felt it might hamper stand on Kashmir. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar informed the National Assembly a fortnight ago that the government had, in principle, decided to give India MFN status and a formal announcement was likely any time. The loudest opposition to the plan comes from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which said it did not want war with India but had ‘serious concerns’ on giving New Delhi the MFN, a privilege through which one country gives trade concessions to the other. A parliament’s special committee on Kashmir, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam- Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also joined the chorus against what is seen as a big leap forward to normalise relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals. This attitude of the opposition parties is too disappointing and regressive. However, the hope of India and Pakistan moving forward as friends and partners in progress can be traced in the statement of Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, who, while announcing the Cabinet ‘decision’, said, “the two parts of Kashmir are already trading across the Line of Control (LoC), bus services were operational, and that the Kashmiri leadership had been engaged on the issue (of MFN)”. The trade across the Line of Control in Kashmir, though on life support system since birth, should be guidebook for India-Pakistan trade ties. The opposition parties must relent allowing Islamabad to move forward with Delhi.

The Better Half

Roshan Ara reminds us that women are playing a pivotal nation building role all around the world

(Ms. Roshan Ara, 45, was born in Warihama, in Budgam district. She attended the Government High School Aripanthan, and the Government Higher Secondary School Beeru. She graduated from the Government Womens College (GWC) Srinagar, University of Kashmir, and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. Ms. Roshan Ara has degrees in B.Com, M.Com, M.A. Economics, B.Ed, M.Phil, Diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development, and Ph.D. work underway titled 'Managing Work and Family Roles: A Study of White Collar Working Women in Kashmir.' Until her teaching position is made permanent, Ms. Ara moves from assignment to assignment. She was previously a Lecturer in Commerce, Department of School Education, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar. Presently she is a Senior Lecturer in Commerce, Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Amirakadal, Srinagar. During leisure time she enjoys reading newspapers & journals, staying engaged on Women's Issues, and writing articles for newspapers & journals.)


World is Not Just Men

Since United Nation’s declaration of the ‘Decade of Women’ in 1975, attention and action on women’s concerns have steadily increased. Due to education, emancipation, women’s movements, globalization and industrialization, women have been able to break the glass ceilings and enter into the world of men. Now women are getting organized at the national as well as international level to fight back and bring an end to the domination of men. Thus, women’s movements and emancipation have been indicators of social change.

Women have to be made equal partners of economic development and welfare. The earliest models of economic growth focused mainly on increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) so that it could help in curbing poverty. The economy was a gender blind economy as its concentration was towards men-folk only and women were ignored in the process of development. Backwardness of women folk in any country is the indication of its being poor and underdeveloped .This view of economic growth was re-defined because of many years dismal experience of developing countries.

Women are the dynamic promoters of social transformation. Their participation and influence in governments, families, communities and economy, and the provision of employment is a common good. It will lead to equitable development, stronger families, better services and better child health care and in holistic human development. There will be decrease in maternal deaths, child marriages and improved nutrition and population control. Discrimination in any form reduces efficiency and slows down economic growth. Gender discrimination affects 50% of our population. Being only 50% of population, women contribute to 75% of the development of the country while men contribute only 25%. Unfortunately, women’s vulnerable but laudable roles which cannot be substituted by men or machines have been neglected all together.

The role of women in the process of development has been changing over the years. It is now realized that empowering women for development is a pre-requisite for increased output, greater equality and social progress. Women play a crucial role in the socio-economic development of a country. For a marked social and political change, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia granted their women the right to vote and also permitted them to take part in coming municipal elections. There are few women involved in the political processes throughout the world. Therefore, it is important to examine and understand the gender differences in power within the government and policy making institutions.

The United Nations Atlas of Women in Politics (2000) shows that women comprise only 13.4% of parliament members throughout the world. In the context of Indian Parliament, few women in Lok Sabha mean minimal contribution of women in decision making. A greater number of women in parliament will automatically have a greater say on issues concerning women – gender justice, human rights and other issues on which women on an average have always been more sensitive than men. Women need to be viewed as targets of welfare policies in the social sector. The researchers and activists have put forth their views for forcing women’s perspectives into national politics. The provision for giving women 33% reservation in Parliament is a step towards making women more powerful. Thus political empowerment of women is an attempt not only to make women empowered but also to make them aware and effective as agents of social change.

In industrially developed countries as well as in developing ones, women are still burdened with cumulative inequalities due to discriminatory practices. They play an active but invisible role in the economy of the country by maintaining a family, taking care of future workers, collecting the produce by providing a free labour without any payment. They cook, wash and process the items of consumption by saving and investing family resources. In addition to an individual woman’s autonomy, dignity and equity, there is a need for support structure by creating alternative options for them. The status of women, their opportunity to employment, their illiteracy and subjugation to men are a negation of the promise of equality. She is still a victim of rape, dowry, trafficking, eve teasing and many other crimes. Women have been suppressed for ages through social sanctions. In all the societies, men were considered primary income earners, enjoying a priority over women in allocation of opportunities for productive work and remunerative jobs. But men were unaware of this fact that their paid work is often the result of joint production, much of which may not be possible if women didn’t stay at home looking after the home affairs and caring for children. Thus women can become more powerful through collective reflection and decision making, building a positive self image and developing ability to think critically. They can foster decision making and action and ensure equal participation in the process of bringing about a social change.

Gender equality should not be misunderstood as a fight between men and women but cooperation and mutual understanding between the two sexes. An equal amount of authority and power between men and women will irradiate imbalance in the society and lead to a parallel and balanced society.

A Retrospection

Isaar addresses the moral degradation that is an outcome of undesirable changes in the society

(Mr. Isaar Kashmiri, 43, was born and raised in Tral, district Pulwama J&K. He completed his matriculation from a local High School, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the Government Degree College Anantnag. He completed post graduation in English and received a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed) from the University of Kashmir Srinagar. He is presently working as a school teacher in the Education Department of J&K Government. He writes columns both in Urdu and English for local dailies. In leisure time, he writes short stories in Urdu and a book of short stories is in the process of publication.)

The Cancer of Copying

Well examinations have once again commenced. Once again the reliability of our future is being tested. Once again it is being ascertained as to how much have we invested for our better tomorrow. It is in this backdrop that there is a hustle and bustle at the examination centers. However, the scene at the examination centers both inside and outside is beyond belief.

It has been quite a while since the examinations were considered a holy practice. I still remember those days when we used to take our annual examinations with great sanctity and seriousness. We always counted the days of examinations as the most valued one. The date sheet was just like a Ramzan chart for us and we hardly thought of any entertainment until the examination was over. The day, we were done with the examination, was no less than The Eid for us. The examination hall was like a place of worship and we would enter here with high deal of admiration and reverence. ‘Copying’ or use of unfair means was something we were not familiar with. There was no concept of private coaching either and we exclusively depended upon the classroom labor. Our parents hardly had to do anything for us except routine parental care. Alas! That is history now.

We enroll our young ones in various schools to make them proud citizens. The schools are supposed to serve this cause without fail. The soothing touch of a teacher within the four walls of school makes miracles happen. The authorities, the parents and the teacher all the three play their respective roles, seemingly, with a great deal of zest. However, one fails to understand as to what goes wrong in the end.

When it comes to annual examinations, everyone shrugs his shoulders making examinations a mess. The authorities issue a few statutory warnings and courtesy appeals to the public through the print or electronic media and relax. Pro-copying attitude of parents is quite shocking. The teacher just forgets his fundamental role and makes a giant mistake of compromising his status. There can be no results without a test. Nevertheless nobody seems matured enough to realize the significance of fair exams primarily for the under developed nations like us. Once the examinations start, the parents launch a campaign for their children to help them pass the exams by any means just like elections where there are no quality criteria for winning. However, there are a few exceptions.

Basically our main concerns are corruption. The ways and means to address these concerns obviously can never be legal. We have changed our convictions. We have shifted our focus from soul to matter. We worship money, we are agitated; we want money, we turn out to be unfair; we love money, we forget values; we tolerate bribe, we are moral bankrupts; we live for money, our sense of right and wrong is no longer alive. We run after short-term benefits at the cost of our future. That is not the end; we consume our intellectual as well as substantial vigour to devise new techniques to do all that is no way based on reason.

The situation demands that we must put our heads together to find out a long-lasting solution to the problem of copying or use of various kinds of unfair means. The authorities have to take the initiative. It is quite disgusting as to why a particular group of people is asked to supervise the examinations, the most sensitive part of schooling, every now and then? How credible these examinations are which are mostly being conducted by those distrustful guys who, once upon a time, had been debarred for conducting any kind of examination by the board authorities. However, the teacher has a vital role to play in this behalf. He has to become the flagship of the caravan of the reformers. His commitment and self-sacrificing service can certainly help us to swim against the tide. The nation cannot afford his give and take policy in the current scenario. For the sake of the budding flowers of humankind he has to divorce the mesmerizing life style. This, of course is an uphill task but the teacher is all worthy to do what a common man cannot. The parents come next; however, their role cannot be undervalued. It is not end of the journey yet.

Let us not wait for the day when we would become handicapped to do good to ourselves. Let us not wait to face the dire consequences of overseeing the conduct of unfair examinations. Come let’s pledge to shun and put an end to the use of unfair means or mass copying in all its forms. This will guarantee us a decent reservoir of human resources.

Death of Innocence

Jawad narrates a sad tale of the Pampore Tragedy where a child was killed by a local

(Mr. Jawad Hussain Reshi, 56, was born in Kralteng, Anantnag. He went to local government schools for his early education, and received his B.Sc. and LL.B (Hons) degrees from the University of Kashmir. He is a practicing lawyer at the J&K High Court in Srinagar. He is a political activist and may join a political party. He is also a freelance journalists writing on international topics from time to time.)


Killing Kaleem Sends Shivers Down The Spine

Everyone knows death is a real and a natural phenomenon but yet at times it is so horrifying that one regrets as to why one was born in the first place.
Murder of a teenage boy Kaleem at Pampore is one such incident. It has not only shocked his relatives, friends but even the strangers who had never met or seen him in life time were devastated to hear about his untimely death. It had even more devastating effect on everyone’s heart and mind just because the way he was killed by him own friends in a cold blooded way that too in a broad day light and only a little away from his home town.

It shocked his parents and his two sisters most. But the kind of solidarity and sympathy shown by people must have given them a bit of relief at this hour of an unprecedented grief and crisis. He was only at the very threshold of his life and had not seen much of it as yet. He deserved a better deal apart from being around when it would be his turn to come forward and take care and charge of his parents. A budding youth who had in him a promise of becoming a hero of a sort for his family. No one had any right to cut short his life and shatter his dreams or that of his parents

We cannot say that this is the first incident of its kind because in last twenty years we have witnessed a large scale destruction and killings which Kashmiris were not used to or had ever witnessed or tasted before. But this particular death has raised innumerable questions which need to be answered by all of us. Apart from widespread condemnation of this heinous act we need a deeper retrospection to find out as to what has gone wrong with us. Why is it that we have become so wild, callous and stone hearted that we can kill each other even without any reason or guilt particularly as innocent and kind hearted kid as Kaleem was reported to be. One does not wonder what kind of harm he would not have meant nor done harm to any one whatsoever in his short life of 19 years. We as a society shall have to deliberate this issue and do whatever we can do to set right the social order and pattern of lives we want to leave for our next generation to breathe and live in. All our political leaders, social activists and religious leaders need to come together and make a joint effort to retrieve the values and principles our predecessors had left behind for us keep and follow.

There are different versions doing round right now regarding this incident but the real truth has yet to come to the surface and may take a little longer than expected. However a duty is however cast on the investigating agencies to investigate the matter in a fairest way and manner so that the real story is revealed and those guilty of this heinous crime are brought to the book and punished in accordance with law as soon as possible so that some of the wounds of the bereaved family are healed at the earliest.

The Green Warrior

The heart warming story of Sonaullah Parray

Green Warrior Protects Deodar Forests

Khag: Sonaullah Parray, 50, keeps vigil through the night in the the Khag-Tangmarg region of Kashmir protecting the forests from timber smugglers. Gangs of brutal armed timber smugglers run through the Deodar forestline without any officials manning the area.

Parray keeps vigil, watching out for furtive smugglers who drive logs out on horseback. Part-force, and part-motivation, Parray and his team of a dozen youth, have successfully kept the jungle thieves at bay.

Sonaullah Parray said, "30 youth and I have ensured that felling has stopped. We have seized timber worth crores and confiscated hundreds of horses and handed it over to the government."

Parray turned an eco-warrior 20 years back, when he saw a man-made nursery disappearing overnight in Rajasthan. He then swore that there won't be a repeat in his village - where wanton tree-felling and and organised smuggling cartels were happening under the garb of militancy.

"People don't know how big the losses can get. We are losing wildlife and we barely get any snowfall here now," he said.

In an area where massive tree felling has been taking place and where timber smugglers in nexus with forest officials have dug deep roots, Parray and his team's vigilantism has been able to defeat the eco-terrorists.

Parray operates not just in the dangerous Khag-Tangmarg rim but further down to Arizal and Khan Sahib of the mighty Pir Panjal where smugglers have hacked three whistleblowers to death. He, however, is unfazed. In fact, the state has encouraged him to form a village forest committee to patrol some sensitive areas not in government control.

Tangmarg Divisional Forest Officer Saleem Geelani said, "We have already booked 10 persons under the PSA and identified 161 forest smugglers. We will bring all culprits to book."

The forest vigilante-cum-good Samaritan, Parray, is trying to promote tourism in the area to wean the illiterate villagers away from smuggling.

Mohideen Bhat, a villager, said, "Our youngsters need options. If tourists come to this area, we will earn some money to support our families."

In a place where standing between forests and timber smugglers can get risky, Parray is willing to live on the edge even if it means saving a single tree.

(CNN-IBN)