Srinagar, July 30 -- By Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili

Dr. Iftikhar checked his watch, walked into the marriage hall at exactly 2 p.m., and found almost nobody there.

The invitation had promised lunch "sharp 2:00 p.m." Steaming copper vessels of wazwan sat ready, saffron and mutton filling the room, but five or six guests occupied a hall built for hundreds.

The doctor checked the digital invitation on WhatsApp again, wondering if he had mistaken the date. He hadn't.

He had only mistaken the printed time for a promise.

Over the next hour, guests trickled in two by two, a slow procession Kashmiris know by heart. Only when organizers judged the crowd "respectable" did the tasht-e-naer, the basin and jug passed around for handwashing, finally m...