Faizah Gilani, London
In a stunning move, India’s ruling BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) scrapped the Article 370 and took away Kashmir’s special status on August 5. The move threatens to create serious trouble within the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK). India cannot change Kashmir’s status alone. This one-sided decision took place without the people of Kashmir and seems to have caused widespread global concern as well.
Even the US President Donald Trump repeated his offer (August 21) to mediate the “explosive” situation in Kashmir, saying it is a “very complicated place”. Speaking a day after phone calls with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mr Trump said he was happy to try and help calm the situation in Kashmir. He said religion was one of the main reasons for uneasy ties between India and Pakistan. “Kashmir is a very complicated place. You have Hindus and you have the Muslims and I wouldn’t say they get along so great,” Mr Trump told reporters in the White House. “I will do the best I can to meditate,” he said. “…you have two counties that haven’t gotten along well for a long time and frankly, it’s a very explosive situation,” he added.
In a surprise tweet, Trump asked both India and Pakistan to amicably resolve the Kashmir conflict after his telephonic conversations with PMs of both the countries. With his tweet, the US president did not only ‘internationalise’ the Kashmir dispute, much to India’s anger, but has countered India’s position of ‘bilateralism’ on the Kashmir issue.
Leading US and UK publications like The Washington Post and the Guardian/Observer have also portrayed the move as an arbitrary act against the will of Kashmiri people.
The situation in Kashmir is dire. People have been cut off from the outside world, with telephone and internet lines suspended. There is food shortage and people are on the verge of starving. Mothers worry for their infants who need milk. Those in need of medical treatment are left housebound without access to medical assistance. This Eid Ul Adha, no sacrifices were made and there was no call to prayer from the Mosques. This is another infringement of the Human Right to practice religious beliefs. Kashmir has become a cage, or open prison, for its people. Due to the communications blockade, many remain ignorant of the revocation of Article 370, but the Indian government insists that the people of Kashmir are “happy about the developments” that many are not even aware of.
Mass demonstrations have taken place all over the world, with a huge protest carried out on India’s Independence Day (15th August) outside the Indian embassy in Central London, attracting global media attention. The protest in London is a real nightmare for the Modi government. India has always downplayed the Kashmir issue, trying its level best to avoid media attention. But the irony is that through his own actions, Modi has unwittingly highlighted the Kashmir cause worldwide.
Under the slogan of “sabka vikas” (opportunities for all), India is trying to convince the rest of the world that revoking Article 370 will bring peace and prosperity in Kashmir, create opportunities and mark a new beginning for the people. But its consequences are far from positive. Stripping Kashmir of its special status means stripping the Kashmiri people of their “Kashmiriyat,” their identity. It means that eventually, the Muslim population will become a minority and if there is ever a plebiscite in the future, the Indian government would get its desired outcome from it.
It is also important to note that since the sneaky revocation of the Article 370 some BJP ministers are on record saying that Indian men are now free to marry fair-skinned Kashmiri women and that they can bring women over. Such comments not only reek of sexism and misogyny, but it also exposes the mindset behind revoking Article 370.
The deafening silence from the Indian media, activists and civil society at large over these outrageous comments is shocking. BJP ministers have a history of spouting provocative statements, and to say that this was in bad taste would be an understatement.
If the Indian government chooses to carry out its aggressive designs within Kashmir, the consequences will be catastrophic. If Prime Minister Modi believes that he can change the demographics with ease, then he is living in a fool’s paradise. His recent actions will only anger the youth and re-energise the indigenous movement within Kashmir.
The Kashmiri youth does not take this lightly, and they will find ways to challenge the Indian army. This explains why it has kept the curfew in place for so long.
The International media focus on Kashmir also explains the explosive nature of the situation there. In its coverage of Kashmir, the BBC, for instance, claimed to have obtained footage of some protests in Kashmir, while the Indian government and its media announced that everything was calm and peaceful. The government refuted the BBC’s claims, calling them untrue.
Foreign media outlets in the past have often shown disinterest in Kashmir. But since Article 370 was revoked, the International media such as BBC, Al Jazeera and TRT have given an extensive and balanced coverage of the Kashmir crisis, with the focus being on what matters the most – the people.
The United Nations Security Council’s informal meeting on the issue on August 16 was not only a significant diplomatic achievement on Pakistan’s part but also a moral victory for Kashmir. The Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, explained China’s view, stating that “the status of Kashmir is undecided, and an international dispute, which should be resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions.”
Modi’s infatuation with turning secular India into Hindutva India will come back to haunt him as one of his biggest mistakes. Kashmir has become a talking point, and the Kashmiri diaspora is once again vocal over Kashmir’s right to self-determination and refuses to settle for anything else. This now goes beyond Article 370, it is about Kashmiris deciding their own fate, with their future placed in their own hands. The peaceful way and only way for the Kashmir conflict to be resolved is through the UN resolutions, and ultimately for a plebiscite to be held, which was once promised to the people. The use of force and might can occupy the land, but it can never win hearts and minds.
