Daily Diary (DD) - Day 47 of 2026

2306hrs:

An 0800hrs start it was, though posting at this late stage is dangerous, even if it is in the wake of a funeral of a writer. A rare commodity in AJK.

Quayyum Raja on the death of Younus Taryaby, who died yesterday afternoon in Mirpur city (Sunday 15 February 2026):  

A gentle giant with a clean heart. 

Ideologically and actively committed to the very end. 

May the Lord bless his soul and enable our co-citizens to ensure all his written work is archived and publicly available. 

Writers are rare in our society. 

They need to be celebrated. 

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #E223016022026

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 46 of 2026

2019hrs:

It was a deliberately languid day today. I didn't worry about what time I woke up, with the thinking that this may help me concentrate on improving my performance over the coming week.

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 45 of 2026

1033hrs:

A slight reverse once again! Got up at 0800hrs and didn't leave for my morning walk till c. 0845hrs. It was another slip up at night whereby I didn't get to sleep till beyond 0200hrs. I cannot afford to sound like a broken record.

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 44 of 2026

0856hrs:

Swinging it back in the right direction. Woke at 0700hrs having got to sleep at 2300hrs last night. In normal circumstances that doesn't seem bad but for the standards I have set for myself, my performance remains disappointing.

2000hrs (8pm) to 0300hrs (3am) is still the ultimate target.

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Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

539

Cash in Hand: 48,130

Cash Deposits: 2,62,180

Immediate Debts: 0 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 43 of 2026

1045hrs:

Another lapse today, though it wasn't as severe as it could have been. I woke at 0700hrs but then retreated back to bed after about 20 minutes till 0900hrs. I am still way off target, despite my efforts beginning soon after my 20th anniversary of returning to my motherland in April 2025.

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Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

539

Cash in Hand: 48,780

Cash Deposits: 2,61,603

Immediate Debts: 0 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 42 of 2026

0713hrs:

Slept at 2300hrs last night but managed to wake up at 0524hrs this morning, just 2 hours & 24 minutes behind my ideal start every day. I've already completed my hour's walk first thing in the morning and already completed some daily tasks before writing today's blog entry. I now have the grounding to get that daily routine into inch perfect shape.

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2207hrs - Views on other blogger platforms:

1) 35,229 - Personal Portfolio (for the record)

2) 10,849 - The Road to Delhi (Doing my bit for the region)

3) 12,802 - CHANGE (You can't change a nation until it wants to change itself)

4) 38,814 - media.uk.net (Think different)

5) 27,849 - Hindustaan (An alternative to the 2 nation theory)

6) 60,091 - Civil Society Forum - AJK (Setting the ground for modern governance)

7) 18,163 - KASHMIR JUSTICE FORUM (Enabling transparency to deliver)

8) 49,585 - Kashmir - One Secretariat (Be relevant to the world you live in)

9)  2,318 - A 21st century politician's blog (The only constant is change)

10) 6,832 - Kotli to Rajouri OBM (Ownership Building in action) 

11) 5,841 - water (The more precious, the more contested)

12)30,557 - Maloomaat (Making Information work)

Total Aggregate Views = 298,930 (c.f. this blog stands at 937,397)

22:59hrs - end of browse and minor edits after more than a year at least!

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Today will always be remembered as the Day of Maqbool Bhat, from his hanging on this day (42) 42 years ago in Tihar Jail, Delhi. For family compulsions, I could not attend the commemoration of this historic figure - beyond parallel in many respects - despite being at district courts of Mirpur, a few footsteps away from Chowk Shaheedan, in a city often frequented by that rebel of 2 neighbouring countries, born out of the British Raj.

23:12hrs - time to sleep and sign off from 11 February 2026. An even year, even more even than the previous even years of the past 2 decades.

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Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

539

Cash in Hand: 49,840

Cash Deposits: 2,62,077

Immediate Debts: 0 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 41 of 2026

1306hrs:

Amazingly, I am inputting today's diary at exactly the same time as yesterday, even though yesterday was spent in a totally different manner from today. Last night's rain continued this morning and although I did get up at 0800hrs I did wander back to sleep until just about half an hour or so ago. My daily routine alignment is so out of sync that it has almost become unmeasurable.

I admit that I am taking liberty with time and thus life. I cannot and could not afford to do this, even from 2017, post Citizen Public Opinion Survey Report AJK - 1.0, when clarity was established over the direction that governance in the territory should take.

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Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

539

Cash in Hand: 50,200

Cash Deposits: 2,62,228

Immediate Debts: 0 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 40 of 2026

1306hrs:

A 0700hrs start is almost a given - irrespective of what time I get to sleep at night - but it is still 4 hours later than necessary.

Another trip to Mirpur is warranted. 

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Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

539

Cash in Hand: 50,950

Cash Deposits: 2,62,778

Immediate Debts: 0 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 39 of 2026

1206hrs:

Interestingly - despite being a relative day off - I got up at 0700hrs having slept at 0100hrs.

I hope this sets a good omen for the coming days, weeks & months.

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Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

537

Cash in Hand: 41,450

Cash Deposits: 2,60,833

Immediate Debts: 0 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 38 of 2026

1330hrs:

A languid start to the day given my first night at home in dhok: Kokoi moza: Gurutta, after 4 days & nights in Mirpur. 2300hrs seems an inevitable time to retire and thus although I did get up at 0800hrs, I retreated back to sleep after about an hour before re-awaking at midday.

A lot of soul-searching is due.

.... 

Public Finance Update:

Number of co-citizens who have paid their share (over 20 years): 

16

Number of co-citizens who have paid a portion to date, since direct public funding began in 2012:

208

Number of co-citizens who have promised to pay:

86

Number of co-citizens I have directly contacted since the 9th of October 2025 (of total 5,000):

537

Cash in Hand: 43,950

Cash Deposits: 2,61,630

Immediate Debts: 0 

....