Relatives tell of 1,000km bus journeys to Agra where prisoners are held after Modi crackdown A reporter in Srinagar, and Ahmer Khan and Rebecca Ratcliffe in Agra The last time he saw her, Mehraj-ud-din Wani assured his wife that he would soon be a free man. Wani was speaking to his wife, Gulshan, from behind

People take part in a rally to express solidarity with Indian Kashmiris, in Lahore, Pakistan, on Oct. 6. (K.M. Chaudary/AP) By Editorial Board WHEN INDIA’S Parliament abruptly stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy on Aug. 5, the government of Narendra Modi claimed it was a prelude to a new era of

Amit Chaudhuri Modi’s vision for the country is one that stifles dissent and difference, in defiance of its people’s history Four months have passed since Narendra Modi and the BJP came back to power in India, and more seems to have happened there than in the last 40 years. The sense of severance that many

By The Editorial Board As India cracks down on a long-disputed region, two nuclear powers face off. Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, was a man on a mission at the United Nations, imploring members last week to persuade India to lift its siege of Kashmir, a longtime flash point between the two nations, which both

The conflict turns messier, and everyday life suffers, as the disputed territory remains on lock down. Here are images from the front lines of the Kashmir crisis. Photographs by Atul Loke Written by Jeffrey Gettleman For nearly two months, the flash-point region of Kashmir has been locked down. The Indian government has flooded it with

Pakistan PM says he has tried to tell world leaders of growing risk of conflict with India over disputed region Julian Borger in New York and Azhar Farooq in Srinagar Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, has said he has been trying to raise the alarm at the United Nations this week about the danger of

Lawyers go on strike after security forces arrest senior advocates amid unprecedented lockdown imposed on August 5. By Menaka Rao & Anumeha Yadav For nearly a month, Shafia Ganai, a softly-spoken 19-year-old undergraduate student of sociology in northern Kashmir’s Bandipora, has visited the police station every day. “The security forces took my brother Mohsin, a

Hilal Mir and Muhammad Raafi In video recorded interviews, the victims allege that the Indian army subjected them to immense physical pain and psychological pressure. “What if they circulate the video and the video goes viral?” This fear often drives Abid Khan to suicidal thoughts, and for a month now, he has been resisting his

India’s communications blackout ‘felt like an assault on your dignity’ Amy Kazmin When my mobile phone rang with an unknown number, I expected it to be a marketing pitch. But it wasn’t. “Amy. This is Siddiq Wahid,” a voice said, as my brain froze. It was a Harvard-educated academic from Kashmir, the volatile region of

Okus-Bokus, by two female authors, comes as fears grow over loss of identity amid perceived attempts to erase culture. By Sonia Sarkar Naen, or granny, explains Kashmiri culture to her grandchildren from A to Z in Okus-Bokus [Courtesy: Onaiza Drabu, Ghazal] Granny takes little Billa and Munni for a walk in Srinagar, and stops by the