Author: Web Desk

Dr Touseef Bhatt Water is not merely a natural resource. It is the foundation of life, public health, food security, livelihoods and civilization itself. Yet in India, something that should be treated as a fundamental necessity is increasingly becoming a scarce and unequal commodity. The warning signs are no longer distant. India continues to face severe challenges related to water quality, groundwater depletion, pollution and unequal access. Millions live under significant water stress, while unsafe drinking water continues to contribute to disease and preventable deaths. If present patterns of consumption, pollution and mismanagement continue, the gap between what we need…

Umair Ashraf Every day, millions of people understand something that could completely change their lives, yet only a handful are transformed by that understanding. A student knows that disciplined study shapes tomorrow’s opportunities. A smoker understands the dangers of tobacco. Someone living with obsessive thoughts recognizes that the fear is irrational. A person recovering from trauma knows the danger has passed. Patients often leave psychologists’ offices with greater clarity than when they entered, and psychiatrists help many regain emotional balance through treatment. Yet, days or weeks later, countless people quietly return to the very patterns they were determined to leave…

Advocate Syed Shabir Bukhari A Legal Practitioner The filing of a charge-sheet, nearly sixteen years after the registration of FIR No. 27/2010 at Police Station Maisuma, Srinagar, against senior advocates associated with the J&K High Court Bar Association has once again brought an important question before public discussion. What is the place of a lawyer in a democratic society, and what constitutional and international protections are available to a lawyer when he disagrees with the State? According to the prosecution, on 29 March 2010, a group of advocates proceeded from the District Court Complex towards LalChowk despite prohibitory orders issued…

Ayoub Javid Priority shifts in human society to meet developing trends are natural, but preserving the resources essential for our core survival must always remain a non-negotiable precondition. There was a time when deplorable financial conditions forced earlier generations to migrate to Punjab and Delhi, earning their livelihood through gruellinglabour like pulling cycle rickshaws or working as coolies. Back then, daily needs were minimal and inexpensive. Today, we live in an era of rapid economic growth and affluence, where household and personal demands have skyrocketed. Yet, this prosperity has brought a strange paradox: our youth are increasingly unwilling to undertake…

Manzoor Akash Some short stories are meant to be read and forgotten; others must be slowly chewed and digested. Bashir Aarif’s recently released Kashmiri short story collection, Myani Vachik Kotar, which has left an indelible imprint upon readers, decisively belongs to the latter category. Written in accessible language, this volume is published by Meezan Publishers, Srinagar, and dedicated by the author to his wife and three beloved daughters. Rooted in local reality, this treasure trove offers socially conscious narratives that echo the deep relevance of a writer who has experienced life in all its dimensions. Aarif writes with great care…

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT | THE TROJAN PLOUGH SRINAGAR — For generations, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) proudly guarded its status as the “Grand Old Party” of the Valley. Its red flag, bearing the iconic plough symbol, represented a rigid, tightly controlled cadre fiercely loyal to the Abdullah dynasty. But an extensive, data-driven political audit by The Times Link reveals that the National Conference has been structurally re-engineered from within. A highly coordinated influx of 13 top-tier powerbrokers and foundational architects from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has effectively taken over the ruling party’s legislative and key district organisational…

The strategic tunnel achieved a major construction milestone with a final breakthrough blast in June 2026. The project is currently on track for its operational inauguration and commissioning to the public in February 2028. The Zojila Pass, located at an altitude of approximately 11,500 feet in the Himalayas, is strategically one of the most vital road links to strengthen the national security in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The rising border tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control remains a huge concern and the seamless mobility on this world’s most dangerous mountain pass is…

The Battle of Zojila shaped the geography of India. At 11,500 feet, the strategic importance of Zojila Pass on the narrow and treacherous road between Srinagar and Leh cannot be overstated. The pass is often battered by heavy winds and snow. In the aftermath of Partition, Pakistan was formed, and each princely state was left to decide whether to accede to India or Pakistan or remain independent. The ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, delayed his decision. However, Pakistan wanted Kashmir to be part of its territory because of its natural resources, particularly water. Rivers flowing from Kashmir…

The Government of India has given a big push to road infrastructure, after earmarking an expenditure of Rs 1 lakh crore to build highways and tunnels in Jammu and Kashmir. The most outstanding projects have been Z-Morh tunnel and Zojila tunnel plans. There is a popular saying: ‘Time is money’. Everything revolves around time. Those who make best use of time, emerge as successful in the journey of life. And those who don’t show respect to time are lost in oblivion. When we look at the relation of time with the people of our region (Jammu & Kashmir), particularly Kashmir,…

Road and tunnel projects worth about 18,000 crore are under implementation between Kargil and Leh-Ladakh. Highway projects worth approximately 1.35 lakh crore, comprising completed, ongoing and upcoming works, are being implemented across Jammu & Kashmir Government of India has contemplated an extensive plan to strengthen the connectivity in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh through extensive road-building projects and tunnels. Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari gave extensive details of these projects planned in the Union Territory of Ladakh and stated that road and tunnel projects worth about 18,000 crore are under implementation between Kargil and Leh-Ladakh. Among the important…