Qadri was born in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. He gave his first freelance assignment in 2001, after that he joined as a staff photographer for a local newspaper. In 2003, he joined the "European Pressphoto Agency", for which he provided extensive coverage of the Kashmir conflict before joining The Associated Press in 2008.
His picture of Kashmir village children playing cricket gave him the First prize in Sports Action and Feature category in the ‘India Press Photo 2006 by The Indian Express Ramnath Goenka Foundation.
2007: Special Jury Prize (with seven others), Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards, for a picture story about the conflict in Kashmir, Kashmir: Paradise in Pain.
First Prize in "One Weeks Work" category by Pictures of the Year International (POYi) 2007.
