Srinagar, Feb. 1 -- In Kashmir, existence is often a pause. Not a pause of rest or reflection, but a pause of waiting-waiting for clarity, waiting for continuity, and waiting for the assurance that the day will pass as planned. Before venturing out into the day, one pauses. One checks the weather, the news, the mobile signal, and sometimes just the atmosphere. It is only after this that one chooses to proceed or to wait. This pause has silently become a lifestyle. For the average Kashmiri, uncertainty is not something that happens from time to time-it's always there. It informs how families think about their future, how students think about education, how businesses are conducted, and how people think about hope. While the headlines are a...