menu_open Columnists
Irshad Mushtaq

Irshad Mushtaq

Greater Kashmir

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Kashmir Is Living on Budshah’s Savings

Kashmir Is Living on Budshah’s Savings

Kashmir’s fame never rested only on snow and scenery. This valley built its name on work.  Nearly six centuries ago, two men planted the economic...

01.03.2026 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Kashmir’s 2026-27 Budget Brings Big Relief Now & Big Questions Later

The Jammu and Kashmir budget for 2026-27, presented on February 6, reads like a direct response to everyday pressures.  It promises better roads,...

08.02.2026 20

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

How Global Turmoil Reached Kashmir’s Gold Markets

Gold prices climbed sharply across the world for months. Fears about inflation, wars, and weak currencies pushed people toward safe options, and gold...

04.02.2026 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

What the 2026 Budget Reveals About Kashmir’s Finances

The 2026 Union Budget keeps public services and projects moving in Jammu and Kashmir, while highlighting a long-standing imbalance between spending...

02.02.2026 20

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

How Kashmir Lost Its Cottage Industry

Kashmir’s craft economies once sustained communities through harsh winters, with snow climbing three or four feet high and activity outside slowing...

01.02.2026 9

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Savings Up in Smoke: How Cigarettes Burn Through Kashmiri Homes

Every morning in Kashmir, cigarettes are lit on homes, shopfronts, and street corners. The habit offers a brief sense of relief while reducing health...

25.01.2026 30

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Elders First: Reclaiming Respect and Responsibility in Kashmir

Kashmir’s landscapes tell stories of endurance and care, just like the elders in our homes.  They have built families with love and sacrifice, but...

12.01.2026 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Kashmir’s Next Chapter: Learning, Acting, Growing

Kashmir is a land of breathtaking beauty and layered challenges. Its landscape speak of strength, while its people face social and economic hurdles...

07.12.2025 9

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Brokers, Mafia, and Forged Documents: Kashmir’s Land Market Exposed

Buying land in Kashmir can feel like walking into a trap you don’t see until it snaps shut.  Ali, Muzamil, Ahmad, and Nazir thought they were...

01.12.2025 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Why Slow and Steady Still Works in Kashmiri Real Estate

Warren Buffett never bought land in Kashmir. But many smart investors here unknowingly follow his approach. They study plots for years. They ignore...

23.11.2025 20

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Why Kashmir Still Trusts Gold More Than Banks

People of Kashmir have relied on gold for generations, trusting it to keep their wealth safe when times get uncertain. Markets may fluctuate, money...

06.10.2025 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

What the Dogras Knew About the Jhelum That Kashmir Has Forgotten

When the Dogra rulers governed Kashmir in the nineteenth century, they grasped one truth that remains unchanged: the Jhelum cannot be controlled, only...

05.09.2025 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Kashmir’s Ancient Crafts Hold the Key to Its Future

Long before machines and screens, Kashmiris lived by trust and shared purpose.  Communities thrived because honesty was an everyday practice, and...

17.08.2025 20

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Why Kashmir’s Next Boom Starts with a Toolbox

Walk through any market in Kashmir today and you’ll notice the silence first. Not the peaceful kind, but the uneasy one.  Shopkeepers sit idle....

24.05.2025 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq

Threads of Identity: Why Kashmiri Craft Needs Revival Now

I grew up hearing stories of our great-grandfathers, the Kalakars whose hands turned wood into poetry. Their carvings adorned homes across Srinagar,...

09.05.2025 10

Kashmir Observer

Irshad Mushtaq