RUINED BY STATECRAFT

It's a bleak Christmas as Trump's tariffs take a toll on Kashmir's handicrafts exports sector. Artisans see business plunging by two-thirds in peak season

- By Kaleem Geelani

IT'S NOT JUST A SNOW-WHITE LANDSCAPE that joins Kashmir with countries in the northern latitudes during Christmas season. There's always been a buzzing trail of commerce—conveying sledfuls of Kashmiri handicrafts to Christmas markets out West. But this centuries-old romance has hit its bleakest chapter this year. As festive demand peaks across the US and Europe, that flow of goodies—from tiny papier-mâché trinkets to exquisite carpets and pashmina—has slowed to a trickle.

The culprit? Think of an antonym for Santa Claus, the giver of gifts. Yes, it's Donald Trump and his 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, which compounded the damage already inflicted by the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars. For Kashmir's artisans, the twin shocks amount to what one craftsman calls “a doomsday scenario”.