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An independent resource on Kashmir for researchers, journalists, academics,
and the curious.
November 2003: jammukashmir.net is back
on-line and will be updated. Apologies for the lapse over the summer.
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Kashmir Links -
with all shades of opinion on the issue available
Kashmir Press & Contacts
Most Kashmiri papers on-line only carry daily editions - which then vanish.
However, thanks to the dedication of the folks at webarchive.com, earlier versions can be
found (as they have been archived off-line). Here is a link to earlier issues of the Kashmir Times
- the same can be done for other papers by inserting the newspaper url in the search line.
E-mail discussion
lists on Kashmir A list of e-mail discussion groups on Kashmir. Most such groups
can end up as little more than slanging matches, as much between rival friends as sincere
and implacable enemies. Inevitably they tend to be dominated by Diaspora political
agendas.
Kashmir Times The Kashmir Times, based in
Jammu, is the leading English-language daily newspaper in Jammu & Kashmir. Founded as
a weekly in 1954, it became a daily in 1964. While it is the subject of some grumbling it
remains the newspaper of record in the state. The grumbling probably proves how good it
is. Edited by Prabodh Janwal.
Kashmir Observer The Kashmir Observer, another English-language daily newspaper published
from Srinagar.
Daily Excelsior The
Daily Excelsior, based in Jammu, is another English-language daily newspaper in Jammu,
which offers a Hindu-centric perspective on current affairs & Kashmir. Edited by
Mr Rohmetra.
Greater Kashmir Greater Kashmir,
which was founded during the current militancy, is an English language daily published out
of Srinagar itself. It offers an editorial slant from a pro-APHC perspective.
Edited by Zahir-u-Din.
The Kashmir Monitor is another on-line
source of daily news from Kashmir.
The Daily Wadi Ki Awaz (Urdu) Srinagar
newspaper.
Daily Afaaq (Urdu) Srinagar
newspaper.
Daily Aftab (Urdu) Srinagar newspaper.
Daily Alsafa (Urdu) Srinagar newspaper.
Daily Uqaab (Urdu) Srinagar newspaper.
Daily Mashrik (Urdu) Srinagar newspaper.
Ahtisab (Urdu). Srinagar newspaper.
Kashmir Images Weekly (now daily?) newspaper, published out of Srinagar, in English,
edited by Bashir Manzar.
Kashmir Herald
(English) Kashmiri Pandit e-zine which claims to be "the voice of Kashmiri
Hindus". Edited by Subodh Atal, Lalit Koul, and Sunil Fotedar. The perspective
is pro-Panun Kashmir.
Yahoo! News Summaries on
Kashmir Very useful - updated in real-time.
Summaries of Indian press on
Kashmir The Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, based in New Delhi, is an
independent Indian defence and security think-tank. While the material it publishes
on Kashmir follows a mainly Indian line, the web-site offers a useful resource, monthly
summaries of Indian press coverage about Kashmir. Hence it is placed in the Press
section.
Kashmir Media Service. A Pakistan-based
press agency, with coverage bending in that direction. Daily news.
The Hindu - with regular reports on Kashmir
(and a good Kashmir correspondent).
Indian Express - with regular reports on
Kashmir (and an equally good man on the ground).
Rediff.com Excellent coverage of Kashmir from this
on-line newspaper.
India Today Kashmir
news site Very useful; with a series of video and audio links.
Kashmir media not yet on-line
Expedition magazine. Launched in 2001, this Srinagar based glossy monthly is full
of useful stories. It is independent and a fully commercial enterprise.
New Hope. Launched in 2000, this magazine covers political, environmental,
economic and historical stories on Kashmir. It is published by Firdous Syed Babar.
South Asia relevant links
Stimson Center The excellent Washington-based
foreign policy and security think-tank. Their SAIF dialogue covers a range of
Kashmir-related issues, and can be read on-line. Michael Krepon is the specialist
most interested in Kashmir.
Brookings Institute The liberal Brookings Institute
is one of the leading Washington DC think-tanks covering South Asia. Professor Steve
Cohen is their South Asia specialist.
Center for Strategic and International Studies The
right-leaning strategic studies centre in Washington DC, which has some helpful
briefs on South Asia and Kashmir. Ambassador Teresita Schaffer directs their South
Asia work.
US State Department on Kashmir The US State Department,
like the British Foreign Office, has desks that cover individual countries. There is
also a research and analysis department, which contains regional specialists who work on
South Asia over a longer period.
- Misc Kashmir sites
United
Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan – their official web-site.
Formed in 1951, UNMOGIP monitors the ceasefire line between India and Pakistan in Jammu
& Kashmir. Relatively run down since 1971, when India withdrew support for the group,
the 40-50 strong team is now attracting a lot of attention because of summer 1999 clashes
along the Line of Control. Dr Pauline Dawson has written a helpful history of
UNMOGIP.
UN Security
Resolutions on Kashmir Link to details.
- Kashmir Study Group An American-led
think-tank on Kashmir, the KSG has published two important reports. There are some
incredibly useful maps and breakdowns here of J&K. Farooq Kathwari, a
Kashmiri-American, leads the KSG. The KSG itself consists of an impressive array of
specialists on Kashmir.
The University of
Kashmir, Srinagar. A good university, with committed staff, finally on-line in
2001.
GMC, Srinagar A new site put up by
students from the college.
- Academic Kashmir page an
international relations site based on Kashmir.
Kashmiri language
resources (Peter Hook)
Kashmiri language course (Prof Braj B. Katru)
This full course is on-line - a very useful resource.
- Kashmir books (Amazon.com) The famous Amazon
dispenses its Kashmir list.
Contemporary
South Asia A leading journal on South Asia, with good Kashmir articles.Jammu City (information & links) Information on the
beautiful city of Jammu (which really is worth a visit, as it has an extraordinary range
of temples, excellent restaurants and genuinely warm inhabitants. It’s not fair that
Srinagar gets all the acclaim, and far too many Western visitors pass through Jammu at
speed or by-pass it altogether.
Kashmir photos A
selection of Kashmir photographs.
Kash Photographer who has some
good shots of Kashmir under militancy on-line.
Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences
(official site)
- Kashnet is a leading Kashmir discussion site. Can be inundated
with polemic. (Link currently broken).
Kashmir book list
List of Kashmir-related books.
Mughal's Kashmir
site
Kashmir maps
(University of Texas library) Useful maps.
Pathfinder maps of Kashmir Less useful
maps.
Stratmag A South Asia security site, run
from India.
A feminist analysis of Lalla, by
Jaishree Kak Odin, a professor
at the University of Hawaii.
Kashmir.net Provides listings of diaspora
Kashmiris.
Kashmir.ca A new Canadian site for diaspora
Kashmiris. Contains a listing of Canada-based Kashmiris, photos, and a message
board.
-
- Kashmir sites - broadly pro-India or Pandit Jammu & Kashmir State Government The
official site of the state government. Informative, but not often updated.
The Prime Minister's Office, India One
centre of Kashmir policy in India, driven by Vajpayee and Brajesh Mishra.
Indian Ministry of Home Affairs The other
centre of Kashmir policy in India, led by L.K.Advani.
Delhi Policy Group A major Indian security think-tank, which appears
to have lost its web-site.
Profile of Jammu & Kashmir state
The Jammu & Kashmir State Bank
Jammu & Kashmir State Financial Corporation
Jammu & Kashmir forest department
Peace Initiatives An
Indian journal that covers Kashmir regularly.
- Indo-American Kashmir Forum Pandit
lobbying organisation in the United States. Dr Vijay Sazawal is the president.
Indo-European Kashmir Forum Currently
down, but coming back up soon. Pandit site. The IEKF held some conferences
in the UK, and push a similar agenda to Panun Kashmir (see below).
- Listing of Kashmiri Pandit
organisations Names and addresses of different KP organisations.
- Panun Kashmir A Kashmiri Pandit site,
promoting the views of the Panun Kashmir political party. It reflects a new strand
in Pandit politics since 1990, when many Pandits fled the Valley. Information on
human rights, Kashmiri history and politics, but very much from a Pandit perspective. (*
there used to be longer comments about PK here. Some visitors asked us to remove
them - or comment equally on all the links. Fair point. So the comments have
been removed. Feedback does make a difference - and the point that consistency
matters is accepted.)
- Kashmir Overseas Association. Another Pandit site.
It’s very clear that Pandit sites, like their Islamist counterparts, link only
to each other.
Indo-Canadian Kashmir Forum.
Another diaspora Pandit organisation. This is a holding site; their old site has
vanished. Hindunet Kashmir site
Self-explanatory.
Jammu & Kashmir 'The Facts'.
Hindu site on Kashmir.
The Jammu &
Kashmir Light Infantry
Army in Kashmir (defunct from late 1998 to
early 1999, but sometimes running today). The Indian Army site for Kashmir, with
daily military updates. There's a funny tale behind this site. Set up to pitch an
Indian army perspective on Kashmir, it contains daily briefings from the Army and a
comments book. The comments book was soon signed by Hurriyat leaders, disputing the
Indian Army version of events. The site was later hacked into and changed
completely, and this is probably why it was off-line for a while.
The Indian Armed Forces (not working) a variant on the above, which
gives some idea on how the Indian armed forces are organised. Useful if you map it onto
the different units in Jammu & Kashmir.
Jammu-Kashmir.com Another large site. No
information is given as to who backs this site.
Kashmir and India maps
Kashmir site (Gulrukh Ahanger)
The India Tourism site for Jammu & Kashmir There’s
nothing going on in Kashmir but developing tourism, beautiful lakes, mystical temples
…… or so this site would suggest. It is a useful source of information for the
potential visitor.
South Asia Terrorism Portal A useful Indian
site providing articles from Faultlines, a robust journal. There are also
some useful statistical graphics on Kashmir.
- Kashmir Information A big site on
Kashmir, probably run by Pandits. Unreliable statistics on refugee numbers, and very
pitched from a Kashmiri Pandit perspective. But that aside there are useful bits and
pieces.
-
- Kashmir sites - broadly pro-unification with Pakistan or pro-independence
All
Parties Hurriyat Conference - It once had a web-site, until it was banned by the
Indians. Inoperative site, but may be worth checking from time to time. A
useful (and impartial) profile
of the APHC is on the Indian Express web-site.
Government of Pakistan – the official
government site. With considerable material on Kashmir.
Kashmir Liberation Cell. A semi-governmental
organisation supported by the Government of Pakistan, which advocates the official
Pakistani line on Kashmir. The KLC has offices across Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, and
claims to have branches in the Europe, North America and the Middle-East.
Interesting video links.
Islamabad Policy Research Institute Relatively new
think-tank in Pakistan.
Institute for Regional Studies, Pakistan Some (good)
work has been done here on Kashmir.
Kashmir Watch From the Institute of
Kashmir Studies, AJK.
- Kashmir.co.uk appears to represent an
anti-militancy, pro-independence view.
Mirpur
web-site The Mirpur web-site (relatively new)
Azad Kashmir Details on AJK.
Kashmir burns A Kashmiri site, with
very little content.
The Azad
Kashmir Regiment Basic details.
- Kashmir Research and Record Cell, Mirpur Useful
NGO, set up in 1990.
Kashmir as a disputed
territory
Jamaat-i-Islami (Pakistan) Jamaat takes an active
interest in Kashmir, and is widely held to be closely linked to certain Kashmiri militant
groups.
Kashmir Education Foundation.
Pakistani NGO.
Ummah.org (Islamist Kashmir site) You won't
get coverage of important Kashmiri issues like the Pandits here, but you do get
information about human rights abuses and the politics of Kashmir from a Muslim
perspective. Many of the comments about the early 1990s here are valid, but once again,
exaggerations and links only to likeminded sites dominate.
- Hizbul Mujahadeen - This site did offer a one-page HM outlet. The
site has been suspended due to non-payment. Syed Salahuddin is the HM leader; Salim Hashmi
their spokesman.
Declared a terrorist organisation and banned by Pakistan on
12 January 2002: LeT site below not presently working (Dec 26, 2001) - has
the LeT been excised from the web? Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT) The LeT are one of the major militant groups fighting in Kashmir.
Mainly Punjabi, they are strongly Islamist. MUJAHIDEEN LASHKAR-E-TAIBA,
P.O.Box 259-flat no.9 1st floor, Trade Centre, 180 Multan Road, Lahore - , Pakistan
Tel: (92-42) 741-2565, Mobile: (92-300) 470690, Fax: (92-42) 741-1242 Their
spokesman is Yahya Mujahid.
Weekly Jehad Times (linked to the LeT). This has vanished in January
2002 - let's see if it reappears.
Radio Al Jehad
(linked to the LeT)
Jehad-e-Kashmir Militant
magazine on-line (in Urdu). Mailing address: Al-Ikram
Building Murree Raod Rawalpindi Ph: 0092-051-5554637-5552849
University of Azad
Kashmir Founded in 1980, this is the higher education institution in AJK.
Jammu & Kashmir People's League Led by
Mohd. Farooq Rehmani, this party is linked to the Al Fatah Force militant group. Post Box No.: 111, Shaigan, Islamabad, Pakistan. Tel:
+ 92 - 51 - 4445315 / 4442356 E-mail: jkpl@kashmiris.org
Dharb-e-Mumin Pro-militant magazine.
The publicity wing of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group.
United Jihad Council (Muttahida Jihad Council) As yet, the UJC/MJC
does not appear to have a web-site. It is the co-ordinating body for most of the
militant groups fighting in Kashmir. Its chairman is Syed Salahuddin; its
vice-chairman is Mohammad Usman.
Kashmir sites - broadly pro-Independence
JKLF (Amanullah Khan) Jammu Kashmir
Liberation Front (Amanullah Khan). Represents a faction of the JKLF, based mainly in
Pakistan.
JKDLP Jammu Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party
(JKDLP). Pro-independence group based in Pakistan, but headquartered in Srinagar.
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (Yasin
Malik, who is the JKLF leader based in the Kashmir Valley).
Kashmir 290 The Jammu Kashmir
Democratic Freedom Party site.
Further Kashmir links
BBC
News on Kashmir. The very latest BBC stories on Kashmir.
Hazratbal Mosque A new site from
Srinagar's famous mosque and shrine.
New! Karan Singh The son of the last Maharaja of
Kashmir, Dr Karan Singh is a prolific author. This is his web-site.
Mission Kashmir This
Bollywood movie, released in 2000, was filmed in Srinagar and Bombay. It even uses
the house in which Ashok Jaitley, chief secretary in Kashmir, lives as a set. It is
a lively film with good music, but whether it tells much about Kashmir remains to be seen,
as it is very much a good guys/bad guys film. The guest militant in it is a sheer
caricature.
The International Journal
of Tantric Studies - a refereed journal, it occasionally has Kashmir-relevant pieces.
- Butt Houseboats
Perhaps the most exclusive houseboats in Kashmir, the Butt Clermont Houseboats at Naseem
Bagh have seen a steady stream of famous visitors and journalists. This site gives a
good idea as to what the 1930s chintz world of houseboats is like.
Shabnam Houseboats Another example.
I cannot endorse either of these two houseboat firms, as I haven't stayed with
either.
Kashmir Sapphires More
gems.
Trekking in Kashmir
Useful amateur site.
Kashmir Fabrics An example of some of the
handicrafts of Kashmir.
A Kashmiri
solution for Kashmir, by Eqbal Ahmed
An interesting, pessimistic perspective that suggests that India and Pakistan have done
little to solve the Kashmir dispute.
The KashmirKlub. Completely irrelevant,
but the source of a good anecdote. This live music club in central London was
founded by Tony Moore, the former keyboard player in the Cutting Crew, a 1980s pop
band. It's called the KashmirKlub because 'it means nothing at all', according to
Tony. This does say something about the relative obscurity of the Kashmir dispute in
the West, even today. (By the way, it has excellent live music in the evenings,
much of which is web-cast.)
Other media links
The site owner accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of information
contained across these sites. I also wish to disassociate myself from any site
calling for or supporting political violence. The advice is - treat all with great
suspicion. Just because a 'fact' is repeated across a range of web-sites does not
make it true.
This site is not funded by any party to the Kashmir conflict, nor
does it solicit such funds.
All comments and contributions welcome.
Editor: Jeffrey Kile. Last updated:
November 16, 2003. |