"Even our apple is political" - From Indo-US trade deals, climate disasters to conflict, Kashmir’s apple industry is facing a perfect storm. Latest for @thewire_in on how global policy hits local farmers. Insights from @MirAijaz89 @afaq1612 thewire.in/agriculture/even-…

Very poor cartoon. The best cartoons don't need labels. They show, not tell. The artist should have avoided the text. The label-Weight of Political Influence- shows that the artist doesn't trust his own visual. The text shows insecurity of the cartoonist.

Seats in PoK Assembly, but voters in mainland Pakistan. My explainer on why the 12 'refugee seats' in PoK are a key trigger for clashes on other side of LoC. Few in J&K know that Maharaja Hari Singh-era State Subject certificate is still mandatory to contest elections for PoK Assembly , and that the legal framework for return of refugees to J&K was scrapped in 2019. Read: thewire.in/south-asia/explai…

UNSEEN IN J&K: PDP, NC, BJP leaders planting paddy TOGETHER to protest farmer evictions. Party lines erased in the mud. Message to Govt: Don’t uproot our farmers.

The RTI Online website of the J&K Government is user-friendly. In response to my RTI application, I automatically received details of the application and details of the CPIO of the Mining department. When I called the CPIO, he said that he had been transferred from the department. The government needs to update the details of CPIOs, especially phone numbers.

greaterkashmir.com/politics/… "The issue is not only about her visit to AIIMS Awantipora but also raises a question on the functioning of the executive in J&K and adds a “third layer” to J&K’s already muddied “dual governance structure"- @GreaterKashmir

Few dimwits are saying Mehbooba Mufti had the right to “review” AIIMS because there is a “governance vacuum” or because @OmarAbdullah made certain remarks on the feasibility of the AIIMS site. Are they not justifying the disempowerment of 2019 and also keeping J&K without an elected government from 2018 to 2024? Didn't the Governor give concurrence on behalf of the Government of J&K for the August 05, 2019 changes in the absence of an elected government? August 05, 2019 would have been impossible had there been an elected government. I don't see much difference between the August 5, 2019 actions and Mehbooba Mufti's review of AIIMS. By saying an unelected person can summon officials and conduct reviews, they are saying your vote doesn’t matter. They are saying the MLAs you elected in 2024 are useless. They are saying unelected BJP/RSS leaders have the right to interfere in governance. AIIMS was announced on 28 February 2015. The PDP-BJP government was in power for 3 years and 3 months. Then Central Rule continued till October 2024. Everyone had time. Everyone is responsible for the delay. So don’t fall for it. Blaming Omar Abdullah today is just an attempt to shield Mehbooba Mufti from questions. She has no right to hold official reviews. She is a citizen like us. She can question AIIMS functioning through the media or file an RTI, but she cannot undertake a review.

Q1. Why did it take four years to lay the foundation stone for the AIIMS project? On February 28, 2015, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his budget speech for 2015–16, announced the setting up of AIIMS-like institutions in different states, including the three northern states of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. While the foundation stones for AIIMS in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh were laid on November 25, 2016, and October 3, 2017, respectively, the foundation stone for AIIMS Awantipora was laid only on February 3, 2019. Why did it take almost four years to lay the foundation stone for a project announced in 2015? It took 1437 days to lay the foundation stone for the project. The PDP–BJP government was in place from March 1, 2015, to June 20, 2018, excluding the brief period after the demise of your grandfather. Out of those 1437 days wasted, your government was in power in Jammu & Kashmir for 1120 days. The people of Kashmir deserve answers: why did it take four years to lay the foundation stone for both AIIMS projects? Why didn’t your “double-engine” government get it done quickly? Q2. Is Omar Abdullah also responsible for six years of Central rule? Was not Jammu & Kashmir under central rule for more than six years between June 2018 and October 2024? You could have impressed upon New Delhi as well as its administration in Jammu & Kashmir to expedite the work during those six years. Is Omar Abdullah also responsible for that period? I kn Q3. Omar Abdullah’s government can only be held responsible if they had delayed land acquisition, shifting of utilities, or providing electricity and drinking water facilities to AIIMS during their 19-month tenure. Q4. Site feasibility concerns Omar Abdullah is rightly pointing out that the site chosen was not feasible for setting up an AIIMS-like institution in Jammu. AIIMS should have been established at a centrally located place, which would have been more accessible for people from North Kashmir, Central Kashmir, and South Kashmir. Q5. Objections from non-civilian authorities. Is it not a fact that there were reservations from a non-civilian authority regarding the construction of AIIMS Awantipora ? Their objections confirmed that the site was not feasible for such a major institution. Q6. Location choice Is it correct to establish a Rs 2000 crore health institution on a hillock? Q7. Review of the AIIMS project Last evening you claimed that Omar Abdullah did not review the AIIMS project in the past two years. Did Omar Abdullah not review the project on September 8, 2025? On August 20, 2025, CM Omar Abdullah called for expediting the pace of work to ensure that the institute is completed at the earliest.

J&K is effectively under 3 power centers.

Joint Awami Action Committee, which demanded scrapping of 12 J&K migrant seats in PoK Assembly, has been banned by the PoK govt. JAAC alleged Pakistan's ruling parties use these seats to rig mandate of PoK. Similar symbolic reservation also exists for PoK in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act- 2019. As many as 24 seats are kept vacant in J&K Assembly for PoK residents.