KASHMIR LOCKDOWN: NOT A CONSEQUENCE OF CORONA | BY ZAIN UL ABEDEN
*All views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the writer, and do not reflect the position of Etc. Magazine or Taylor’s University.
Illustrated by @chokoilatte @bin_cts
Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad addressed the ill treatment of the people of Kashmir in an event ‘Hari Solidariti Untuk Kashmir (Solidarity Day for Kashmir)’ held in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month. “I offer no apology for what I had said though I am sorry that it had affected our palm oil export to India. I don’t know if that is a high price to pay for speaking out against such injustices,” said the former Prime Minister at the event regarding the “mild and to a certain degree, restrained” statements he made last year at the UN General Assembly about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), to which India responded by banning the importation of palm oil from Malaysia.
“Now that I am no more the Prime Minister, I take it that I can now speak without restrain and address the Kashmir issue without threats of boycotts and such.” said Dr. Mahathir, as he spoke in great detail about the year-long lockdown in J&K, which he said “should be described as a siege”.
You may be asking, what is the conflict in Kashmir? Was the issue worth hurting Malaysia’s relations with India? First off, let’s dig our favourite History textbooks out to understand the problem better.
To say that Kashmir has had a rough history would be an understatement. Circa 1947, when Pakistan and India decided to call it quits, Kashmir was caught in a crossfire. Being a Muslim-majority state, it was expected of them to join Pakistan. However, Kashmir opted to be an independent state. Pakistan tried to invade Kashmir and succeeded in doing so, albeit not the entire region. Upon Kashmir’s plea, India swooped in with a deal to salvage their people but only if they agreed to become part of India. Kashmir then signed the Instrument of Accession (legal document that allowed accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Dominion of India) and was later given a special status of being a semi-autonomous state in the Indian Constitution under Article 370. What was handed was a feeble thread of independence with their wavering flag and constitution, but the absence of foreign affairs, communications and defence were the real hindrance in administering a peacefully run state.
Source: Euronews
On the 5th of August 2019, Article 370 of Indian Constitution was unilaterally revoked by India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and his currently governing Indian party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They had promised the revocation of Article 370 in their election campaigns and election manifestos, and they delivered. BJP believes stripping J&K of its special status will allow better integration of the state with other Indian states and allow for development of the region, as Indians from other states can now buy land or property there.
There was already a conflict over the administration of Kashmir as separatists as well as the pro-Pakistani Kashmiris protested against the Indian rule for years and demanded “Azadi” (freedom) and/or unification with Pakistan. BJP stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy was certainly adding fuel to fire and the Indian government knew that and placed a lockdown prior to the revocation to deal with the consequences.
Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest in Srinagar, India - NST
Kashmiris have been in lockdown for more than a year now, even before COVID-19 happened. Tourists were asked to leave and numerous political state leaders were arrested and many placed under house arrest. It was a lockdown with total unprecedented communications blackout, which was "eased" to a 2G network, after 7 months, in the world of 5G. 8,000 troops were deployed on the streets, adding to the 36,000 that were already there. The troops that have blinded hundreds of protestors as well as non-protestors with their ‘non-lethal’ pellet guns (a shotgun variant) and caused thousands to be injured with pellets embedded in their skulls and other parts of their bodies.
A 19-month-old child who suffered severe eye injuries after being hit by a pellet gun fired by security forces - BBC
Amir Kabir Beigh, 26 years old, Baramulla. “I have gone through a lot of surgeries all over India, but I am still completely blind". – Time
On the 5th of August 2019, Article 370 of Indian Constitution was unilaterally revoked by India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and his currently governing Indian party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They had promised the revocation of Article 370 in their election campaigns and election manifestos, and they delivered. BJP believes stripping J&K of its special status will allow better integration of the state with other Indian states and allow for development of the region, as Indians from other states can now buy land or property there.
There was already a conflict over the administration of Kashmir as separatists as well as the pro-Pakistani Kashmiris protested against the Indian rule for years and demanded “Azadi” (freedom) and/or unification with Pakistan. BJP stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy was certainly adding fuel to fire and the Indian government knew that and placed a lockdown prior to the revocation to deal with the consequences.
Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest in Srinagar, India - NST
Kashmiris have been in lockdown for more than a year now, even before COVID-19 happened. Tourists were asked to leave and numerous political state leaders were arrested and many placed under house arrest. It was a lockdown with total unprecedented communications blackout, which was "eased" to a 2G network, after 7 months, in the world of 5G. 8,000 troops were deployed on the streets, adding to the 36,000 that were already there. The troops that have blinded hundreds of protestors as well as non-protestors with their ‘non-lethal’ pellet guns (a shotgun variant) and caused thousands to be injured with pellets embedded in their skulls and other parts of their bodies.
A 19-month-old child who suffered severe eye injuries after being hit by a pellet gun fired by security forces - BBC
Amir Kabir Beigh, 26 years old, Baramulla. “I have gone through a lot of surgeries all over India, but I am still completely blind". – Time
The troops that arrest and detain any Kashmiri, whenever they wish to do so, are in lieu with the Public Safety Act (PSA) which allows security officials to detain citizens at will. A 2011 Amnesty International Report estimated 8,000 to 20,000 kashmiris were detained under PSA from 1990 to 2010. 8,000 or more Kashmiris are missing as reported by the International Commission of Missing Persons as a result of political violence. The troops allegedly barge into homes and rape wives and daughters of the same men they drag to torture centres. Women have died bleeding due to the horrid acts of these monsters, as the Kashmiris have spoken about in a 7-minute short film, Ocean of Tears by Kunan Poshpora, which speaks about the mass rape in Kashmir.
State-funded Indian troops are violating several human rights while being under the power of Narendra Modi and BJP. It is no surprise that these troops are not held accountable for their actions in the only Muslim-Majority state of India, considering how the governing party has hurt millions of Indian Muslims throughout the years with their statements and actions. For example, the Indian government passed a citizenship law in December of 2019 which provided citizenship for illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, only if they belong to a religious minority of the country they flee. This law undermines secularism and equality, both of which are the basis of Indian constitution, as it only excludes Muslims. Prior to the passing of the amendment, in October of 2019, the Home Minister, Amit Shah had said, “I want to assure all Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, and Christian refugees, that you will not be forced to leave India,” while very conveniently excluding Muslims, just like the citizenship law did. Many Indians, Muslims and non-Muslims, rightfully protested after the passing of the citizenship law amendment, which is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature” according to the UN. A top leader of BJP, Yogi Adityanath, warned that the protestors who chanted “Azadi”, like the Kashmiris did, will be committing “an act of treason, and the government will take very strict action”. Yogi Adityanath is also the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, home to approximately 44 million Muslims (statistics as of 2018), and has made statements such as, “Hindus and Muslims cannot coexist” and “if they [Muslims] take one Hindu girl, we will snatch at least 100 Muslim girls from them”. Another exhibition of BJP’s anti-Muslim ideology came from one of the BJP’s top leaders, Subramanian Swamy who said, “Where the Muslim population is large, there is always trouble, because Islamic ideology says so,” in a recent interview, which you can watch here:
State-funded Indian troops are violating several human rights while being under the power of Narendra Modi and BJP. It is no surprise that these troops are not held accountable for their actions in the only Muslim-Majority state of India, considering how the governing party has hurt millions of Indian Muslims throughout the years with their statements and actions. For example, the Indian government passed a citizenship law in December of 2019 which provided citizenship for illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, only if they belong to a religious minority of the country they flee. This law undermines secularism and equality, both of which are the basis of Indian constitution, as it only excludes Muslims. Prior to the passing of the amendment, in October of 2019, the Home Minister, Amit Shah had said, “I want to assure all Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, and Christian refugees, that you will not be forced to leave India,” while very conveniently excluding Muslims, just like the citizenship law did. Many Indians, Muslims and non-Muslims, rightfully protested after the passing of the citizenship law amendment, which is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature” according to the UN. A top leader of BJP, Yogi Adityanath, warned that the protestors who chanted “Azadi”, like the Kashmiris did, will be committing “an act of treason, and the government will take very strict action”. Yogi Adityanath is also the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, home to approximately 44 million Muslims (statistics as of 2018), and has made statements such as, “Hindus and Muslims cannot coexist” and “if they [Muslims] take one Hindu girl, we will snatch at least 100 Muslim girls from them”. Another exhibition of BJP’s anti-Muslim ideology came from one of the BJP’s top leaders, Subramanian Swamy who said, “Where the Muslim population is large, there is always trouble, because Islamic ideology says so,” in a recent interview, which you can watch here:
This 22nd of August, the world observes the 2nd International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. On this day, we pay our respects to the innocent people who were put through unspeakable tortures just because they voiced out their opinions or they chose to hold a different belief and religion. Most importantly, we must pay attention to the people facing such brutality right now before they become another unfortunate number on the death toll. We must raise our voices for the Uyghurs, the Rohingya Muslims, the Kashmiris, the Indian Muslims, the Syrians, the Palestinians and all other communities being violated on this planet, no matter the magnitude of the violation, based on their religion or beliefs.
Please sign the following petitions started by www.kashmirhumanrights.com to help the cause:
Petition for The Kashmir Referendum for Freedom - http://chng.it/MXJxvQshbm
Petition to investigate India for Human Rights Violations in Kashmir - http://chng.it/9G8LSsxdgM
You can also donate money after signing the above mentioned petitions at change.org or Kashmir Relief Fund by Helping Hand USA at https://hhrd.org/new/kashmir or any other preferred trusted organizations.
Please sign the following petitions started by www.kashmirhumanrights.com to help the cause:
Petition for The Kashmir Referendum for Freedom - http://chng.it/MXJxvQshbm
Petition to investigate India for Human Rights Violations in Kashmir - http://chng.it/9G8LSsxdgM
You can also donate money after signing the above mentioned petitions at change.org or Kashmir Relief Fund by Helping Hand USA at https://hhrd.org/new/kashmir or any other preferred trusted organizations.
15 comments
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ReplyDeleteGreat work and use of references to get the point across on such an imperative matter as this. Love the historical background which many people might not know about to help connect the dots to the atrocities that Kashmiris are facing as of now. Hope to see more content from you guys on these topics :)
ReplyDeleteGreat article.
ReplyDeletemay this effort brings peace for kashmir state and their peoples (kashmiris) and soon end up their everyday hardships. Mashaa'ALLAH nice effort. keep it up
ReplyDeleteAmazinggg!!!
ReplyDeleteHey man nice article, although I would like to contextualize the historic occurrence of the conflict. To say that Pakistan “invaded” because of muslim dominance in the state, and Kashmiri “plea” to india, greatly undermines the political occurrence of these rebellions. Initially, maharaja Hari singh had signed a standtill agreement with Pakistan but had yet to do so with India. The conflict of this region began in 1905 when the region of Poonch was subject to unfair taxation by the principality. This eventually led to the 1947 Poonch rebellion. Adding to this… the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference party favoured being under pakistan. Starting March 1947, a huge migration of (lets call em not muslims to spare conflict) took place. This migration and political factors led to what some say, the objective of hari singh to reduce muslim majority in the region. Many villages and houses were burnt down and it was just hella messed up (source UN Security Council, Meeting No:234).With tension brewing, the 1947 Jammu massacres took place… where I would pretty much hold Hari Singh accountable for war crimes against several 100000 deaths of muslim protestors and rebels. Heck even Gandhi held him responsible. This was an outright genocide. This took place around October 1947 I believe, and it is these factors that led Pashtuns from pakistans to intervene on account of the rebels within the state. With conflict escalating… Hari Singh decided to (without a referendum or any form of consultation with the people of the state) to go to Mountbatten and ask for India’s intervention. Mountbatten’s price was the surrender of the state to India, to which Hari Singh agreed… (a very not democratic move if you ask me). With these interventions, the war of 1947 broke out. And it was only because Nehru had more than 2 braincells, and called off the Indian army, that hostilities eventually stopped. So no… it wasn’t just a stupid reason over majority muslims nor was it grab for land/Kashmir’s “plea” to india. It was immature towards escalating religious divisions for political reasons. And Article 370 wouldn’t go on to be enforced until 1954, so solutions weren’t even there at that point. This is ofcourse a huge generalization of the history and skips various details that I suggest you look into to better understand the epicenter of this conflict and why it has escalated to where it is right now.
ReplyDeleteThere is 70 years worth of history on this matter and I was more focused on the atrocities in Kashmir right now rather than what has happened in the past...but a very summarized history overview was necessary to inform people of Kashmir's special status and how it got it. The details are obviously very complex. Thank you for your comment though. For anyone who wants to read more on the history, your comment is very insightful.
DeleteThank you for such a great article. I want to challenge you now. Post a similar kind of articles on atrocities on Uyghurs Muslims in china. Will you accept the challenge? If you have guts and nuts inside your pants accept this challenge.
ReplyDeletewhat a shame. such a one sided and factually wrong article coming from Taylor’s University is never seen before. i am thoroughly disappointed, not with the person who wrote the blog, but the magazine which didn't reject such a false propoganda writeup. just saying that the views are the authors a nd doesn't reflect the views of the university or magazine does not absolve the university from its mistakes. thoroughly condemned and urge the university to withdraw this article. remember you are hurting the sentiments of 1.33 billion people when you allow such articles to be published. do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteThe way the writer is expressing his views, I'm sure he is not Indian and he doesn't know a thing about India. He is talking about Muslims being oppressed in India, talking about CAA with half knowledge, and starting a petition also? Really.? Don't you see how India is dealing with the crisis? India sent a Muslim to represent the Kashmir issue in UN, Syed Akbaruddin, an I as an Indian am proud of him. India provides equal opportunity to the capable person unlike the other countries where u can't even be elected if u r not Muslim. Its better to look inside ur soul and try to be better, other than criticizing someone else's country with false facts. Shame on you writer.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to remove comments as you have the authority to do so, while keeping your filthy article with wrong facts. If you really have the guts, keep all the comments coming on your way or remove your article.
Cant have more one sided native than this ,,,non of the facts are right ..
ReplyDeleteshame on ETC for publishing false Pakistani propoganda.
ReplyDeleteRubbish article withtwith no knowledge about the facts.
ReplyDeleteKashmir belongs to hindu pEople from 850 CE , Lot of Hindu men got killed and women got raped during the invasion of Sultan Sikandar Butshikan (1389–1413). After that the population of Hindus in Kashmir got decreased and some even depart to other parts of India in that some even died as beggers. With out knowing the facts don't write such a bogus article. We had a muslim as our president Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam we respect our muslim friends. Why don't you start a petition for Uighurs muslim in China....come on do it...
ETC EDITORIAL DESK SHOULD VERIFY THE FACTS BEFORE PUBLISHING THE ARTICLE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A LAZY EDITORIAL BOARD.
Why you are going to China, you check so called Islamic countries, they are killing their own people, declaring anyone as non Muslim.. Like ahmadhias.. Or why don't write about poor Muslims of Balochistaan.. Its easy to point out others rather than fixing ur own problems
DeleteIt is a sad thing to see such posts on the university magazine, which is so untrue and irrelevant to discuss here. Like its said, if u want to make world a better place, start from urself. So if you are really worried for Muslims, try to improve their situation in your own country. Stop spreading hatred and I request etc magazine to either stop publishing one sided opinion, else provide platform to us as well to share our opinion on the similar matter.
ReplyDelete