Opinion

Mohammad Muslim For tourists, saffron is one of the wonders of autumn in Kashmir; endless purple fields, fragrance of the spice in the air, and Saffron Festival in Pampore each year attracting people to witness the harvest and…

Alaf Khan   Why do we suffer from collective amnesia when it comes to recognising the contribution of retired public servants? We have a habit of making hay while the sun shines. Why not recall the services of those who retire…

Mir Nuzhath Fatima There are crimes that injure the body, and there are crimes that leave a wound on the conscience of an entire society. Sexual violence belongs to the second category. It is not merely an attack on an…

Firdous Ahmad Najar One morning, a news report appeared in the newspaper: “Muhammad Sadiq, a senior teacher at Government Middle School Sadiqabad, selected for the National Best Teacher Award.” For the people of Sadiqabad, it was…

Usuf Mir Fayaz was a construction labourer. He was quite skilled at plastering and finishing the inner walls of houses. He usually found work in his own village, but whenever work was scarce, he would travel to nearby villages in…

S Ahmad India’s agricultural story is often told through the numbers of production. A record harvest is celebrated as a sign of progress, food security and the strength of the country’s farmers. But there is another question…

Sajid Illahi Ganai The region's recent history — premature victory claims after the Iraq war, the false dawn of the Arab uprisings, the presumed permanence of the 2015 nuclear deal — counsels against betting too heavily on…

Shabeer Ahmad Lone  “Where shall wisdom be found?” asks Job (28:12), evoking humanity’s timeless quest. The Qur’an answers: “He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever is granted wisdom is given much good” (2:269). Wisdom, then,…

Khalid Rasool Afghanistan has spent centuries at the crossroads of empires. Its greatest diplomatic achievement yet may be to become something altogether different: not the prize of competing powers, but the partner of all of them;…

Danish Khan A gift may last for a day. A cake may be eaten in minutes. A photograph may eventually disappear from our phones. But what a teacher places in a student's mind can remain for a lifetime. That is the respect every…