KASHMIRIS KILLED DEFYING CURFEW

Kashmir Muslims defy India curfew - BBC, 25 August 2008.
5 killed, Demands for separation from India - IHT, 25 August 2008.
UPDATE: Clampdown turns Srinagar into ghost town - HT, 25 August 2008.
UPDATE: Uneasy calm prevails in Kashmir - HT, 26 August 2008.
VIDEO: Srinagar protests turn violent - 25 August 2008.



From the BBC:

Are you in Srinagar? Have you been affected by the curfew? Send us your experiences...Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here.

KASHMIR PHOTOS: OWAIS ZARGAR

Before going to Kashmir last winter I tried to make some on-the-ground contacts, using the internet, so that I could call on an acquaintance in Srinagar. I'm glad I did. It was my first trip to India, one of the most challenging and sensational destinations on earth, and Srinagar was my first step into it beyond the airport.

A visit to Srinagar would completely peg out the sketch-o-meter of an ordinary tourist, and I could see in an instant why the insurance company declined my coverage in Kashmir. It is a fortified city.

Within a few days of arrival my internet friend appeared to visit me where I was holed up at the Grand Hotel. He is Owais Zargar, a photojournalist born, raised, and working in Srinagar. His work captures on the one hand the gravity of street-level skirmishes, and Kashmir's dazzling beauty on the other.
Photo credit: Owais Zargar

Owais Zargar: KASHMIR BLOG
Owais Zargar: KASHMIR PHOTOSTREAM
NOTE: I first saw the term sketch-o-meter in a TGR Forum post about Kashmir.

INDEFINITE CURFEW IMPOSED IN KASHMIR

Curfew in Kashmir city - AJ, 24 August 2008.
Kashmir under indefinite curfew - BBC, 24 August 2008.
Curfew imposed in Kashmir Valley - IHT, 24 August 2008.
Curfew in Kashmir ahead of rally - Reuters, 24 August 2008.
India arrests leaders in Kashmir - BBC, 24 August 2008.
One killed, dozens injured in fresh clashes - Reuters, 24 August 2008.
VIDEO: India imposes curfew in Kashmir - 24 August 2008.

15 KILLED IN KASHMIR LOC CLASH

Army officer among 15 killed in Kashmir - Reuters, 23 August 2008.

PAKISTAN'S MUSHARRAF STEPS DOWN

Pakistan's Musharraf steps down - BBC, 18 August 2008.


VIDEO (26.09.2006): President Pervez Musharraf, Pt. 1


VIDEO (26.09.2006): President Pervez Musharraf, Pt. 2

POLICE SHOOT MOURNERS, RIOT ENSUES

Muslims riot in Kashmir over deaths - Reuters, 14 August 2008.
UPDATE: Police shoot Kashmiri protester - BBC, 14 August 2008.
UPDATE: Toll rises as Muslims protest in Kashmir - Reuters, 15 August 2008.
UPDATE: Police Says Only 21 Died - KO, 14 August 2008.
VIDEO: Violence flares again in Kashmir - BBC, 13 August 2008.
VIDEO: Violence erupts in Kashmir - 14 August 2008.

FIFTEEN KILLED AS KASHMIR PROTESTS BOIL

Fifteen killed as Kashmir land row boils - Reuters, 13 August 2008.
Kashmir mourns deaths in huge protests - Reuters, 13 August 2008.
FACTBOX: The Jammu & Kashmir valley dispute - Reuters.
ANALYSIS: Killings may be Kashmir tipping point - Reuters.
IN PICTURES: Kashmir in turmoil - BBC.
VIDEO: Protesters shot dead in Kashmir - BBC, 12 August 2008.

TRADERS CLASH WITH POLICE ON LOC

Thousands of traders clash with police - Reuters, 11 August 2008.

TENSIONS HIGH IN INDIAN KASHMIR

Tensions high in Indian Kashmir - AJ, 9 August 2008.

DISASTER AT K2

Rarely do climbers enter mainstream consciousness until there is a fatal accident. The release and controversial success of John Krakauer's Into Thin Air, an account of one mean season at Mt. Everest, reinvigorated the climbing disaster genre - publishers now have another mountain tragedy to consider:

"K2 [has] claimed 11 lives, the worst single tragedy in climbing history on the mountain and one of the worst disasters in mountaineering history" - IHT, 5 August 2008.

Final survivor descends K2 - IHT, 5 August 2008.
K2 survivor: Companions all dead - BBC, 5 August 2008.

Friends and clients of Ski Himalaya will remember that Gulmarg '07/08 alumnus Dave Watson is part of the K2 Tall Mountain Expedition that is currently scaling the mountain. Initial reports of the accident this weekend made no mention of Watson or his crew, and until today the expedition blog gave no indication of its status. Happily, this post states the team has moved its base camp (meaning the team is below the "death zone" and the "Bottleneck"), and that Dave is engaged in "putting up fixed rope", presumably as part of rescue support. Dave had originally had planned to attempt the first ski descent of K2 via the West Ridge after summiting. No word as yet if the team will continue for the peak, or if Dave will attempt his descent. Best wishes to everyone at K2, their family and friends.

UPDATE: Chaos, death: World's most dangerous mountain - IHT, 6 August 2008.
UPDATE: State climbers OK on K2 - NT, 11 August 2008.
UPDATE: Was the K2 Accident Inevitable? - Outside, 11 August 2008.
UPDATE: Americans still hoping to launch summit push - K2C, 12 August 2008.
VIDEO: How A K2 Mountain Climb Turned Tragic - 6 July 2008.

ECONOMY WORSENS IN KASHMIR

Kashmir short of essentials after blockade - Reuters, 5 August 2008.
Blockade of Kashmir Valley To Continue - KO, 4 August 2008.
Carpet, Shawl Industry In Deep Slump - KO, 31 July 2008.
UPDATE: J&K industry may lose 15 billion rupees - Reuters, 13 August 2008.

It wasn't all that great to begin with, the economy it is.

THREE KILLED IN KASHMIR PROTESTS

Three killed in Kashmir protests - BBC, 4 August 2008.
UPDATE: 15 Year Old Killed in Srinagar Clashes - KO, 4 August 2008.
UPDATE: Protester dies in Kashmir clash - BBC, 5 August 2008.
UPDATE: Second day of protests in Kashmir - AJ, 5 August 2008.
UPDATE: Kashmir Valley Shuts Down Again - KO, 5 August 2008.
UPDATE: PM calls meeting to end Kashmir protests - Reuters, 6 August 2008.
UPDATE: Indian PM in urgent Kashmir talks - BBC, 6 August 2008.

UPDATE: Indian army shoots Hindu protesters - AJ, 6 August 2008.

UPDATE: Tension in Srinagar as Yasin's Condition Worsens - KO, 7 August 2008.
UPDATE: Indian Kashmir protests continue - AJ, 8 August 2008.
UPDATE: Kashmir separatist leaders: House arrest - Reuters, 8 August 2008.

JAMMU-SRINAGAR HIGHWAY IMPERILED

Kashmir Blockade Comes Into Effect - KO, 29 July 2008.
Fanatic Mobs Rule Highway - KO, 31 July 2008.
Drivers Caught Amid Goons & Partisan Police - KO, 2 August 2008.
Army called to Jammu: Mobs attack property - KO, 2 August 2008.
NH handed over to Army - KO, 2 August 2008.
UPDATE: Highway Of Terror: Drivers Bring Tales Of Horror - KO, 6 August 2008.

There is now a super-abundance of anecdotal evidence on the unreliability of this land route to Kashmir. The national highway linking Srinagar and Jammu is the only road linking Kashmir to the rest of India, and for a variety of reasons - landslides, snow blizzards, political and religious interference - it is too often closed. Tourists ought to fly into Srinagar, rather than risk having their journey involuntarily becalmed. I met two individuals in Gulmarg last winter who were stranded on this highway for several days with nearly a dozen people and no food in a 4-5 passenger jeep. Thrilling. Read a post from my blog last winter: National Highway Shuts Down, Re-Opens

PAKISTAN LINKED TO INDIAN EMBASSY BLAST IN KABUL

The 7 July 2008 attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul [Suicide Car Blast Kills 41 in Afghan Capital - NYT] went unreported in this blog for it was not evidently related to Gulmarg or Kashmir, nor was this author seeking to unearth a story link to this terrifying event.

Suspicion fell immediately upon Pakistan's spy agency, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for participating in the attack on the Indian Embassy. If true, relations between India and Pakistan, already strained by resurgent violence in Kashmir, would become exponentially tense. This situation bodes ill for Kashmiris for their land has often been the place where these national tensions are violently expressed.

Violence in Kashmir is often attributed to the Pakistan's ISI, regardless of its cause, and this bias is well-known to Hindu nationalists. It is widely believed in Kashmir that some acts of violence attributed to Muslim separatists are actually triggered by Hindu nationalists that can rely on the cover of anti-Pakistan bias. It gets pretty confusing; reports that India's own intelligence services have fomented violence in Kashmir meant to be attributed to Muslim separatists only muddy the waters further.

Suffice to say I did not report the 7 July Kabul bombing in this blog as it appeared unrelated to Kashmir, but my opinion has changed. New reports from US intelligence services conclude that:
Pakistanis Aided Attack in Kabul - NYT, 1 August 2008.
UPDATE: Pakistan Denies Report It Planned Kabul Blast - TO, 2 August 2008.
UPDATE: Indian official: Sinking relations with Pakistan - IHT, 2 August 2008.
UPDATE: Indo-Pak rancour overshadows talks - AJ, 3 August 2008.
UPDATE: Pakistan: Indian bombing allegations unfounded - IHT, 3 August 2008.