Srinagar, Sept. 29 -- By Mohammad Ilyas Bhat

The marriage had lasted about fifteen days when the woman returned to her parents.

She had married a man who had already been through a divorce. According to his account, he learned after the wedding that some personal circumstances had never been disclosed to him. He also believed that his wife had expected a different financial life and felt disappointed after learning what he could actually afford.

The wedding gifts and her mehr went with her, he said.

The marriage itself had barely begun. The arguments that followed would last considerably longer.

I have heard several such stories in Kashmir in recent years. The details differ, and so do the accounts given by husbands, wives and their ...