A church established by medical missionaries in Kashmir Valley in 1896 closed during the 1990s armed insurgency against Indian rule when its local staff of Indian Christians fled the region. But now, under the leadership of the tourism department three decades later, the church is being restored and reopened in time for Christmas.
Read MoreThe killing of at least five civilians, five soldiers and two militants in Kashmir over the past several days has plunged India’s Himalayan territory into grief and anger. The violence reminds Kashmiris of the early 1990s, when militants warring against New Delhi’s rule targeted Kashmiri Hindus, prompting 300,000 Hindus to flee the area.
Read MoreAfter fleeing violence 31 years ago, dozens of Kashmiri Hindus returned to the Himalayan valley to see their childhood temple reopened. Their temple and others have been maintained by Muslim neighbors and protected from militant violence and the land mafia. “I believe if I safeguard the temple, God will keep me safe, it’s my duty to do that,” caretaker Mohammed Sideeq said.
Read MoreKashmiris are welcoming the Indian government’s move to restore religious sites, including a Hindu temple, now in a Muslim neighborhood, vacated when Kashmiri Hindus fled the region’s armed rebellion in the 1990’s.
Read MoreTaxi drivers, hotel managers, and a musician working wedding gigs share how the shutdown in Kashmir is affecting their bottom lines.
Read MoreThousands of Kashmiri youth have been arrested on vague charges under a law that allows detentions up to two years before a trial. We spoke to their families.
Read MoreAfter prayers at their mosque, hundreds of Kashmiris shouted slogans for India to leave Kashmir and prevented security forces from entering the area. Security forces responded with tear gas, pellet fire and chili grenades.
Read MoreAfter India’s unilateral decision to rid the Muslim-majority region Kashmir’s special autonomy from the constitution, some are angry and fear a rise in Hindu settlement, while others cheer the move as a way to help Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Kashmir.
Read MoreAs the Indian government’s communication ban reaches two weeks, it announced that 50,000 landline connections have been restored for calls after crowds surged last week to the few phones available from government offices. Internet and mobile networks remain shut.
Read MoreKashmiri classical music, which blends Sufi traditions from Persia with Indian classical music, is facing threat of extinction as fewer students have leisure or funds to study the art form and fewer maestros exist to teach them. Its musicians believe the genre could bring peace to the army-occupied region, following the ways of Sufi mystics who preached peace, tolerance, pluralism and universalism.
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