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Life in Kashmir at a halt

Kashmir has been described as a paradise on earth for its stunning natural beauty. But the region has also been racked by a bloody separatist insurgency. The latest upheaval is the removal of Kashmir's special autonomy by the Indian government. The Straits Times travelled for four days through the Kashmir region for a reading of the ground.

Soldiers standing guard on the streets of Srinagar. New Delhi sent in more than 25,000 troops when it revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. Kashmiris busy on their cellphones after the Indian authorities lifted a ban on postpaid
Street vendors in Srinagar, Kashmir, have resumed trading but shops are still closed following the Indian government’s decision to revoke the region’s seven decades of constitutional autonomy. PHOTO: BILAL FATIMA
Street vendors in Srinagar, Kashmir, have resumed trading but shops are still closed following the Indian government's decision to revoke the region's seven decades of constitutional autonomy.
Soldiers standing guard on the streets of Srinagar. New Delhi sent in more than 25,000 troops when it revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. PHOTO: BILAL FATIMA
Soldiers standing guard on the streets of Srinagar. New Delhi sent in more than 25,000 troops when it revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. Kashmiris busy on their cellphones after the Indian authorities lifted a ban on postpaid
Kashmiris busy on their cellphones after the Indian authorities lifted a ban on postpaid mobile services in Kashmir on Oct 14, following the abrogation of Article 370 which accorded special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. PHOTO: BILAL FATIMA
Soldiers standing guard on the streets of Srinagar. New Delhi sent in more than 25,000 troops when it revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. Kashmiris busy on their cellphones after the Indian authorities lifted a ban on postpaid
Kashmiris busy on their cellphones after the Indian authorities lifted a ban on postpaid mobile services in Kashmir on Oct 14, following the abrogation of Article 370 which accorded special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Soldiers standing guard on the streets of Srinagar. New Delhi sent in more than 25,000 troops when it revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. Kashmiris busy on their cellphones after the Indian authorities lifted a ban on postpaid
Security personnel at a road block in Srinagar during the lockdown imposed by the Indian government on Kashmir last month. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Nirmala Ganapathy India Bureau Chief  In Srinagar (Kashmir)
Updated
Oct 23, 2019, 06:25 PM
Published
Oct 22, 2019, 05:00 AM
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Kashmiri schoolgirl Tanab Mehraj, 17, has stayed away from school for more than two months.

Like other students, she has gone to the school only to pick up study materials after the state announced that the annual examinations will be held on Oct 30.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 22, 2019, with the headline Life in Kashmir at a halt. Subscribe

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MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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