London (IoK News) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday once again raised the Kashmir issue during his address to world leaders at the high-level UN General Assembly session.
“India and Pakistan, after having established their sovereignty and independence 75 years ago, still haven’t established peace and solidarity between one another. This is much unfortunate. We hope and pray that a fair and permanent peace and prosperity will be established in Kashmir,” he said.
In recent years, the Turkish leader has referred to the Kashmir issue in his addresses to world leaders at high-level meetings of the UN General Assembly, which has led to strained relations between India and Turkey.
India has in the past termed his remarks as “totally unacceptable”, saying that Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and think more deeply about its own policies.
Mendhar (IoK News): / Disappointed with the poor road connectivity in different areas of border towns Mendhar, Balakote, and Mankote the residents have urged urgent action.
Dr. Shazad Malik, former Vice-Chancellor of University and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Border Area Development Conference, JK-BADC strongly condemned the government agencies responsible for the construction of these roads.
In a statement issued here, the BADC Chairman has said that during his tour of over 30 Panchayats and hundreds of villages of Mendhar, Balakote, and Mankote in last over a month, one of the main problems apprised to him by the inhabitants of these villages was of poor Road connectivity.
Dr. Shahzad also informed that the people of these areas had complained as there is no coordination between the Department of Rural Development, Public Works Department (Road and Building), and PMGSY.
Therefore it is difficult to fix the responsibility of the concerned department that is responsible for the construction of roads with substandard material as all these departments construct roads in these areas without any coordination and information sharing with each other.
BADC Chairperson also alleged that every year 100s of crores of rupees are provided by the government of India and J & K government under different schemes to these departments for improving road connectivity in border areas but other than paperwork, negligible is done on the ground.
He has urged the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to formulate a coordination committee of heads of these departments to fix responsibility and avoid overlapping of road projects and funds besides conducting a quality audit of road constructions.
The detention of award-winning Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has triggered worldwide criticism.
For a long time now, India has gradually but steadily been quashing dissenting voices in Occupied Kashmir.
Khurram’s imprisonment is considered a part of the larger ongoing crackdown so that no one is able to collect any evidence of the state atrocities in Kashmir or raise a voice against state repression in the valley.
Forty-four-year-old Khurram has long been a leading figure in the field of human rights and civic activism, earning international accolades.
Khurram’s contribution in highlighting the rights abuses in Occupied Kashmir is exceptional which he did along with a small but dedicated team of experts and his organization Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), founded in 2000 – producing a plethora of work on human rights violations, including disappearances, torture and mass graves substantiated by solid evidence and research.
His relentless efforts and work for human rights in Kashmir cost him heavily.
In 2004, he lost his leg to a landmine blast while monitoring elections in northern Kashmir.
In 2016, he was booked under the controversial Public Safety Act, globally known as a black law, for 76 days.
Now, NIA has again put him behind the bars in a terror funding case – most likely a concocted story, in order to prevent him from working on the human rights issues.
His arrest stirred a global outcry. Besides human rights bodies and activists, famous writer Noam Chomsky, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor, Amnesty International – all unanimously condemned his detention and sought his immediate release.
Noam Chomsky
Although India’s human rights record in Kashmir has always been dismal, the frequency and intensity of violent incidents showing human rights abuses have increased manifold over the past few months.
The significant escalation in civilian killings, troops’ reinforcement, and target killings have beaten all past records.
Excessive use of military force seems to be a fundamental ingredient of India’s current approach towards Occupied Kashmir.
Former Indian external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, in a recent interview, substantiated this contention.
He said that the use of brute forces in Kashmir was the new doctrine of the current Indian government.
He also revealed that a high-ranking official confessed to him that New Delhi would no longer engage Kashmiris in talks.
It shows that the idea of initiation of a political process for the restoration of statehood or Article 370 is no longer on Modi’s platter.
Recently, four Kashmiri citizens were killed in Srinagar, two of them labeled as Over Ground Workers (a term coined to describe people who are closely associated with militant outfits) and buried in a far-flung area.
The families of these deceased people staged a protest and vehemently denied the allegation that the assassinated members of their families had any link to the militants.
The victims’ families believed that they were used as a ‘human shield, declaring these custodial killings and cold-blooded murder in broad daylight.
Despite the public reaction, media hype, and the protest of the victims’ families, it took them a long duration of 76 hours to bring back the dead bodies and bury them in the neighborhood.
The authorities allowed limited family funerals under strict official watch.
In this context, a few observers are expressing fears that Khurram may be implicated in false terrorism-related cases by the Indian authorities and will have to remain in jail for some time.
Therefore, sustained global attention is required to make sure his well-being and immediate release.
The Indian authorities aim to silence his voice and, in the process, also scare other rights groups to work on Kashmir.
Additionally, almost all the major Hurriyat leaders have either been rounded up or are under house arrest.
A large number of pro-freedom activists and any individuals identified as a threat to peace were also swept into preventive custody.
Keep in mind that Kashmir is already not safe and accessible for members of independent human rights organizations.
Independent journalists or media outlets have been compelled either to toe the official line or face the state’s wrath.
Most Kashmiri citizens largely either do not follow the Indian national media or do not trust the narrative promoted by it.
Consequently, it was vital to manage public perception, change the indigenous narrative and develop a state-sponsored information mechanism.
Post-August 5 Kashmir is being completely controlled and managed by New Delhi from New Delhi.
The Indian authorities are also trying hard to tailor public perception and narratives according to their national interest.
These days, only those publications are allowed whose content is in line with the state narrative or close to it. Journalists and editors who crossed red lines had to face consequences such as legal action or harassment.
The rising human rights violations and tension inside Occupied Kashmir or over Kashmir suit the BJP’s political and ideological agenda.
Therefore, it is not willing to adopt an approach that saves innocent lives and brings peace and prosperity to the region.
Majoritarian politics demands that the conflict should remain alive, and it would even be better to make it a Hindu-Muslim clash so that the majority population continues to support the BJP government, particularly in the upcoming state elections.
A few days ago, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said at an event that leadership that had the will to abrogate Article 370 also has the capacity to retrieve ‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir – Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan – from the ‘illegal occupation of Pakistan.
This shows that in the coming days, Kashmiri people will be targeted further, and any chances of India-Pakistan rapprochement are doomed.
I belong to Jammu, the city that was once connected by rail and road with Sialkot.
Some time ago, I learned that Jammu also is the family name, especially in the Sikh community, though rare among numerous Punjabi surnames.
However, I discovered that one of Punjab’s great martyrs, Sardar Udham Singh’s family name, was Jammu.
But he did not carry it as part of the mandate by Guru Gobind Singh to use only Singh as the last name.
My quest was how the few Punjab families acquired their last name Jammu!
Perhaps their ancestors had roots in Jammu. Or someone in the ancestral lineage was inspired by the gallantry of the Dogra community dominating the Jammu region, that Jammu was acquired as part of their last name to infuse with the Punjabi spirit of courage and bravery.
Udham Singh was among India’s independence movement revolutionary heroes who sacrificed their lives to seek justice and freedom.
He avenged the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy by assassinating Lt. governor of Punjab Michael O’Dwyer, who supported the massacre in 1919 under the command of General Reginald Dyer.
He shot dead O’Dwyer in 1940 in a London hall where the governor was about to address two Indian associations.
The great martyr Udham Singh was charged with “murder” and sentenced to death.
These are his final words at the trial: “I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. He was the real culprit. He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I have crushed him. For the full 21 years, I have been trying to wreak vengeance. I am happy that I have done the job. I am not scared of death. I am dying for my country. I have seen my people starving in India under British rule. I have protested against this; it was my duty. What greater honour could be bestowed on me than death for the sake of my motherland”.
Source: Wikipedia
While having some nostalgic feelings about the city of my childhood, I salute the revolutionary spirit of Shaheed Udham Singh “Jammu.”
(Promod Puri resides in Vancouver, Canada. Website: promodpuri.com)
India has unleashed a reign of terror in Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said this in his virtual address at 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in his tweet that he was proud to be under leadership of PM Imran Khan who at UNGA spoke about major global challenges of today.
He further said that PM Khan continues to engage every major platform to bravely share voices of those less fortunate & to highlight key issues that many choose to ignore but that affect us all.
PM Imran Khan said in his address that India’s action in occupied Jammu and Kashmir is against the international human rights and humanitarian laws including the fourth Geneva Convention.
He further said that India’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity .
“This is unfortunate -very unfortunate approach to overlook the violations of human rights. The world has its considerations of commercial interests and major powers overlook the transgressions of India. These are such a double standards.
PM Imran Khan criticised the policies of Indian government that endorses RSS and BJP’s Hindutva strategy that allowed them to get away with human rights abuses.
He mentioned in his speech that renowned Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s funeral was denied to take place according to Islamic tradition and such actions are against basic human rights.
Since 2003, people of Indian Jammu and Kashmir are facing intensified repression that continues to vitiate the environment.
PM Imran Khan reiterated his demands that India should reverse its unilateral and illegal measures instituted since 5th August 2019.
Secondly, India should stop it’s oppression and human rights violations.
Thirdly, India should halt and reverse changes in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir territory to prevent another conflict.
Fourthly, India’s military build-up development of nuclear weapons and acquisition of destabilizing conventional capabilities can erode mutual deterrence between the two countries.
The Kashmiri nation under the banner of National Conference led by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah launched ‘Quit Kashmir’ campaign against Maharaja Hari Singh in mid-May 1946. And 10,000 volunteers of National Conference established Kashmir Militia Force to defend Kashmir against the Pakistani tribal raid on 22nd October 1947.
The Kashmiri nationalists struggled for People’s right of national self-determination under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Plebiscite Front led by Mirza Mohamad Afzal Beigh.
The struggle continued from 9th August1955 onwards and the Kashmiri youth finally started armed struggle against Indian control on 31st July 1988.
The 1980s armed struggle was under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front which was established by Mohamad Maqbool Bhat in1966.
Although, Mohamad Yasin Malik, Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, abandoned the path of violence in1993.
Yet, his political organisation and several other nationalist organisations have continued their peaceful struggle for independence in Kashmir.
The abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir State and downgrading it to a Union Territory by the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre on 5th August 2019, has further alienated the Kashmiri nation from Bharat ruled by the Hindutva forces of the country.
The withdrawal of NATO forces led by United States from Afghanistan and the establishment of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the Taliban Government in the country has again given some hope to the people of Kashmir to achieve victory in their political struggle.
The present paper is an endeavour to discuss the viability of Kashmir as an independent country and the challenges and prospects for realising such a nationalist goal by the people of Kashmir.
A brief account of various dimensions of Kashmiri nationalist struggle is given as under:
Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir:
The Modi Government at New Delhi has downgraded Jammu and Kashmir State to a Union Territory because of a few important reasons.
The main reason behind downgrading the Jammu and Kashmir State is Hindu empowerment in the state.
The Indian National Congress led by Jawaharlal Nehru abolished the Dogra autocracy in the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which led to the political empowerment of Muslims in the Muslim dominated state.
( October 28, 1947 edition of The Hindustan Times | Photo courtesy: Google )
Although, the Jammu based Hindus were not politically marginalised but their century old hegemony was challenged.
To realise the goal of Hindu empowerment in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, the Modi Government established the Delimitation Commission to further increase seven more Legislative Assembly Constituencies in the Union Territory to benefit the Jammu Dogras, Pakistani Hindu refugees, Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes, Kashmiri Pundits and Kashmiri Sikhs so as to neutralise the domination of the Kashmiri Muslims in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The second most important objective of downgrading the state into a union territory was to abolish the decades old institutions of governance in the union territory through direct intervention of the central government, and to bring the administrative apparatus of the union territory under the control of the most preferred bureaucrats to advance the BJP agenda.
The third important objective is to control the militancy in the state without any resistance to anti-people policies by the local politicians and bureaucrats.
The fourth objective was to demoralise the people of Kashmir to break their resolve to demand liberation.
In case the Jammu based BJP is unable to have a Hindu Chief Minister, the next step would be to demand the separation of Jammu Division from Kashmir Division.
The RSS had much earlier proposed the trifurcation of former Jammu and Kashmir State but in Jammu Division the main difficulty for the BJP is that out of 10 districts only Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Udhampur are the Hindu dominated and the Gulabgrah sub-district of Reasi district is Muslim dominated.
So only 4.5 districts are Hindu majority whereas 5.5 districts having common border with Kashmir Division are Muslim dominated.
The BJP is unable to overcome this practical problem in the path of establishing a Hindu dominated Jammu State.
However, the day BJP would succeed in establishing a separate Jammu State the Kashmiri Muslim dominated Kashmir State would automatically come into existence.
For the time being the people of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory are unitedly demanding the restoration of Statehood and State-Subject Laws of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmir based People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration is demanding the restoration of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution as well but without the favourable verdict the of Supreme Court of India, the 4th August 2019-Position of Jammu and Kashmir is not possible in the near future.
Autonomous Status for Jammu and Kashmir State:
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have stated inside as well as outside the Indian Parliament that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir would be restored at its appropriate time without spelling out the actual definition of appropriate time.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory also believe that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir would be restored back before or after the elections are held in the state.
So in order to address the Kashmir issue, the restoration of statehood is not any solution for the decades old political problem.
The Kashmir based Indian mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir such as National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, People’s Conference and several other smaller parties have promised the people of Kashmir to restore the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir State.
Restoration of the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir State is the question of political existence for the Kashmir based Indian mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani addresses a news conference in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, on December 3, 2011. Geelani presented a list of nearly 30 Kashmiris who are in Indian jails and was demanding an immediate release of the detainees despite their alleged acquittal by the courts . AFP PHOTO/ Rouf BHAT (Photo credit should read ROUF BHAT/AFP via Getty Images)
So sooner or later the Government of India has to restore the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir to remain politically relevant in Kashmir, because coercion cannot prove to be a sustainable strategy to win the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir.
Sovereign Status for Jammu and Kashmir:
The restoration of autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir would not prove to be a permanent solution of the Kashmir issue because of a number of reasons.
Firstly, Kashmir has a very long history as a sovereign country from times immemorial to its takeover by the Mughal Army in 1586 A.D.
So it is very difficult to subdue the history conscious Kashmiri nation.
Secondly, the Islamisation of Kashmir by the Central Asian and Persian Sufi Syeds as well as the Persio-Arabic civilizational influences on Kashmir from fourteenth century onwards has made the region a part of the Muslim Civilizational realm rather than the Indic realm.
So the emotional attachment of the Kashmiri Muslims with Urdu region, Persian region, Turkic region and Arabic region is quite natural.
Thirdly, the Indian troops have killed one lakh freedom fighters in Kashmir over the past 34 years, whose graves are in every village of Kashmir and almost every family has been negatively impacted by the on-going liberation struggle in Kashmir.
It is very difficult to make the Kashmiri nation to forget about the sacrifices of its people during the present freedom struggle.
Fourthly, a huge number of Kashmiri diaspora from both sides of Line of Control is living in the democratic countries of the World, especially in Europe, North America and Australia, who are pro-active in demanding the right of national self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Fifthly, the Kashmir Question is still pending for its resolution in the official files of the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Military Observation Group is still stationed at Srinagar and Rawalpindi to monitor the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sixthly, Pakistan is a party to the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, so unless its concerns are addressed, it will continue to raise the Kashmir issue in every bilateral, multilateral and international forum.
Seventhly, the political future of the four million people living in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is directly linked to the future of Jammu and Kashmir, so their role in the liberation struggle in Kashmir can’t be undermined.
Rightly, the emotional bond of the Muslim World with the Kashmiri Muslims makes the Muslim leaders like Mahatir Muhammad, Rajab Tayyib Urdgan and several others to express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
Ninthly, the democratic world values very much the people’s right of self-determination for the state-less nations of the world, so the justice loving people of the world irrespective of their religion, region, ethnicity, language and culture support the people’s right of national self-determination.
So in the age of globalisation the people of Kashmir will continue to get the moral support of the democratic world in their struggle for right of national self-determination.
Lastly, the non-state actors pursuing national and supra-national political goals in the Muslim World in general and Af-Pak region in particular will continue to change the status quo in Kashmir.
So the cumulative impact of the above mentioned factors would be that the Government of India would be compelled by the circumstances to resolve the Kashmir issue permanently.
It is therefore, in the interest of both India and the people of Kashmir if the Government of India declares the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as a sovereign country.
The sovereign state of Jammu and Kashmir can sign a Comprehensive Security Treaty with India to defend itself from any external aggression.
In case Pakistan and India agree to demilitarise Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory respectively, the demilitarised territory can be unified to establish the sovereign, secular and democratic Republic of Jammu and Kashmir as a buffer state between India and Pakistan.
Even if India is reluctant to demilitarise the Hindu majority districts of Jammu region, still then the Muslim dominated 15.5 districts of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory would be a significant geographical area necessary for the establishment of an independent country.
The 10 districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir when added to the Muslim dominated territory will enhance further the geographical and demographic size of the sovereign Republic of Kashmir.
The writer can be accessed via the email address ghathar@yahoo.co.in
The day Taliban took over the government in Afghanistan – Speculations were always there that what would be the next move of Taliban for relations with neighbouring countries – especially with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan .
ISI Chief in Kabul
But all myths were destroyed when Zabihullah Mujahid (Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) in his press conference on September 01 , 2021 praised the role of government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan for establishing peace in the Afghanistan and hosting Afghan Refuges since decades.
Secondly , While Talking at Pak-Afghan youth forum’s International conference on ” Rebuilding Afghanistan together” he clearly stated that there would be no threats to the state of Pakistan or Pakistanis from the soil of Afghanistan.
He also hinted that addition of Afghanistan to the CPEC (Flagship project of BRI) would be a great idea and it’s important for them as well .
India , who was major partner of USA during the war against Taliban in Afghanistan ,is now feeling the heat and expecting that India have to suffer after take over of Taliban over democratic government of Afghanistan.
India feels that Taliban could do Anti-India activities to support the Muslims of Occupied Kashmir as Taliban official Suhail Shaheen said clearly ” We have every right to raise voice for the Muslims all over the World – Including Kashmir ” (Hindustan Times ).
Expectations were there that Russia , China and Pakistan would show positive response to the newly built Taliban Regime – support comes in United Nations session when Pakistan’s U.N. ambassador Munir Akram told Foreign Policy that “Sanctions is a blunt tool that mostly hasn’t worked. Neither It was a solution in Iran, nor in North Korea – it’s not going to be a solution in Afghanistan too,”.
The Chinese diplomat while talking to United Nations security council said that it was high time for the world ask the questions to USA and its allies for the crimes they did in Afghanistan on the name of war on terror.
As expected , Same response was from Russia – Diplomat from Russia expressed his views that USA must held accountable for the “Brain Drain” from the Afghanistan as masses feeling unsafe there and USA left them on their own after using them against Taliban.
The need of the hour is to provide Afghanistan and People of Afghanistan ” Peace” in the country for peaceful south Asia and peace around the globe .
The country needs help and support for the economy, livelihood, and humanitarian needs in order to help the new authority. Support is also required to maintain the normal operations of governing institutions, maintain public order and stability, curb currency depreciation and price increase, and embark on the path of peaceful reconstruction as soon as possible.”
Some action is better than no action. But this action was a big one, shaking the very status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir under India’s control.
The dillydallying over the Kashmir problem for over 70 years got some kick from the government of India with the announcement two years ago when Article 370 was removed from the Constitution.
This very article gave special status within the union of India. This special status meant significant autonomy to J and K, which no other state in India has.
Besides the abrogation of Article 370, the Indian government also bifurcated the state into two central-controlled Union Territories.
One is the Jammu-Kashmir region, and the other is Ladakh.
Was Article 370 ever helped the people of the state in terms of socio-economic conditions?
Or did it ever give some autonomy to Jammu and Ladakh regions within the state?
Did Article 370 help in resolving the Kashmir problem. The one answer to all these questions is NO.
Not because anything was wrong with the article, rather I support it. Even to the extent that this kind of provision should be granted to every state in India.
Autonomy is the key that can guarantee the unity of India by respecting its linguistic and cultural diversities.
The special status under Article 370, instead of honouring its intents, was underhandedly and even unethically exploited by the Kashmiri leadership, more precisely by the Valley politicians.
And over the years the Kashmir Problem has become a full-fledged industry controlled by the few families of the Valley and terrorists within the state and across from Pakistan.
Will all the removal of Article 370 solve the perennial Kashmir Problem? The answer is no.
Because Jammu and Kashmir are two separate identities. Keeping them together without giving regional autonomy to the Jammu region will keep the frustrations of this region alive.
Jammu could be the clue to the Kashmir tangle if it gets a fair share of the power within the state.
And then there is the “Azad Kashmir” factor also, which is still legally part of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
( Promod Puri resides in Vancouver, Canada, originally from Jammu. He is a journalist, writer and author of Hinduism beyond rituals, customs and traditions. Websites: promodpuri.com and progressivehindudialogue.com)
Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented constitutional, political and socio-economic engineering since the nullification of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution, bifurcation of the state and its conversion to a Union Territory.
The implementation of the BJP’s ideological and civilizational agenda towards Kashmir was expedited after the abrogation of Article 370.
Beyond the international eye, New Delhi has silently enforced a process of political, constitutional, cultural and economic disempowerment to ultimately turn Kashmir into a Hindu majority state.
Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an All-Party meeting with the unionist leaders of Occupied Kashmir aimed to spread the narrative of normalization across the world and seek the APC participants’ collaboration to implement the delimitation of the assembly constituencies without making any reconciliatory gestures or announcing fresh confidence-building measures.
It is widely believed in Occupied Kashmir that the insistence on the delimitation is meant to increase non-Muslims seats in the assembly so that a Hindu chief minister can be installed which has been an ideological dream of the BJP for a long time.
Conversely, the restoration of full statehood with the same constitutional and administrative powers is an overwhelming demand by the pro-Indian parties including Congress, ahead of the state election.
The BJP seems willing to revive the statehood, provided all major administrative powers such as maintaining law and order, and financial authority are vested in New Delhi with a powerful lieutenant governor, instead of the elected chief executive, after completing the delimitation exercise. It seems like this proposition has no attraction for the pro-India Kashmiri politicians.
New Delhi was expecting that direct rule over Kashmir would open up new economic and political opportunities for the local citizens, and the prevailing Kashmir conflict-centric narrative and identity would gradually vanish. On the contrary, the people of Ladakh and even Jammu are echoing Kashmiris’ demands for the restoration of full statehood.
A sizable number of Hindu and Buddhist leaders and civil activists also insist on the revival of Articles 370 and 35A, considering it a means to protect local inhabitants’ identity, jobs security and land rights.
Indian Occupied Kashmir went through massive economic losses due to the lockdown, suspension of the internet and political turmoil followed by the Covid-19 pandemic since the abrogation of Article 370.
A Srinagar based business organization Kashmir Economic Alliance reveals that business activities remained closed for 11 months during the last two years which caused a loss of approximately Rs70,000 crore to the local entrepreneurs. Given the expected fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, further economic losses are imminent.
On the other hand, India has not gained much by revoking Article 370 as it has remained unable to muster political and public support for its action so far. It has not only lost credibility, reputation and prestige in the eyes of the Kashmiris but has also politically marginalized its allies in Occupied Kashmir with a single stroke.
For instance, in the last month, the Concerned Citizens’ Group, a leading Indian civil society initiative visited Occupied Kashmir and had in-depth conversations with representatives from all walks of life. The group observed: “It seems that the people of Kashmir Valley now have virtually no expectation either from the people of India or from the state machinery in Delhi and Srinagar”.
It further noted that “the people’s mood was marked by lack of expectations from the state, a pervasive sense of hopelessness not witnessed by this Group earlier and deep-seated despondency in the youth. They have come to believe that there is no political space left for them, their rights have been taken away and that no one is inclined to listen to them”.
The thaw which led to the resumption of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021 has not stopped or slowed down the sustained process of complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri Muslim community initiated by New Delhi. The ceasefire had stirred hope that concrete steps may follow to ensure stability inside Kashmir by reducing curbs on political activities, releasing Kashmiri prisoners and halting military operations signifying the massive human rights violation as well as the devastation of citizen properties which is labelled as collateral damage – but no tangible forward movement in this regard has been recorded.
Although the relationship between India and Pakistan reached its lowest ebb during the last two years, the back-channel contacts turned into a ceasefire along the LoC which is still in place despite a few violations.
Pakistani authorities made several positive gestures to pull India into the dialogue process. Even Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa went the extra mile, offering to bury the past and write a new chapter in bilateral relations.
No reciprocal gesture was shown from New Delhi. Neither did human rights conditions improve in Kashmir nor were over 4000 Kashmiri dissidents and pro-freedom leaders released.
Consequently, the window of opportunity ceased to exist to great extent. Recently, Dr Moeed Yusuf, National Security Advisor, lamented while talking to several media outlets that New Delhi has not taken the required steps to create an environment conducive for dialogue. He confirmed that back-channel contacts are no longer in place.
It is time to realize that no unilateral solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue is possible nor is the present status quo maintainable. Resumption of dialogue and involvement of all Kashmiri stakeholders in the dialogue process is imperative to find a lasting solution.
The last two years show that the people of Kashmir seek peace and support the normalization of India and Pakistan relations but with dignity, and are not willing to compromise on their fundamental position on the Kashmir issue which is based on the right to choose their destiny in a free and impartial manner.
Insight on Kashmir 