Written by: Staff Report
Posted on: August 5, 2021 | 
| 中文
(Top row L to R) The resistance - Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Asiya Andrabi, Syed Ali Geelani, (Bottom row L to R) Shabir Shah, Burhan Wani, Yasin Malik
In light of the second anniversary of the illegal annexation and occupation of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), one must go back into history to understand the root of the conflict. Two months after Partition, Maharaja Hari Singh, the then ruler of IOK, signed a Treaty of Accession for Kashmir to join the Indian Union, despite being a Muslim-majority area.
After discussions and disagreements, Article 370 of the Indian constitution was formed in 1952, as a temporary provision that empowered the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir to recommend the extent to which the Indian constitution would apply to the state. This was to remain in place until a referendum could take place, deciding the status of the Kashmir dispute.
Remains of a pelleted house in Kashmir
In addition, Article 35A of India’s constitution permits local legislature in IOK to define permanent residents of the region. It was legalized in 1954 under Jawaharlal Nehru’s government, and had become a permanent fixture of the constitution. While Article 35A has largely been untouched over the years, some aspects of Article 370 have been amended or updated.
On 5th August 2019, the Hindutva extremist government of Narendra Modhi revoked Article 370 of the constitution and receded Article 35A, making all provisions of the Indian constitution applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. This gave people from the rest of India a right to acquire land and settle in Kashmir permanently, and has opened the possibility of 4 million new domiciles in the region. Previously, the Indian government had limited power to impose laws in the state, apart from matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.
The region was also divided into Jammu and Kashmir as a territory with the legislature, and the Himalayan Ladakh as a region without legislature, but both ruled directly by Delhi. These areas have the most Muslim communities actively fighting for self-determination, and many critics argue that this revocation is a means to skew the Hindu-Muslim demographics of IOK.
Kashmiris protest against communications blackout (credits to Dawn)
Post-August 5th, 500 people were arrested, a strict curfew was imposed, and all internet/cellular signals in the region were cut. Key Kashmiri leaders and former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were placed under house arrest, and the area was placed under heavy militarization and surveillance. Nevertheless, over 10,000 people protested this unjust removal of Kashmir’s special status in Srinagar. “Some women and children even jumped into the water,” a witness said at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, where pellet victims were admitted.
Human rights violations in Kashmir have been rampant for decades but India’s occupation of the area on August 5th 2019, exacerbated the abuse. So far, 15,000 people have been arrested by Indian forces. The communications blackout that suspended Internet and mobile services in Kashmir lasted until February 2021, making it the longest internet lockdown in modern history at 213 days. It was implemented to disempower activist groups but it left Kashmiris undeterred.
A houseboat owner's guest entry book that was last filled in early 2019 (credits to Dawn)
Travel restrictions and curfews were also imposed regularly, anticipation of protest from the locals against the tyranny of the armed forces and the Indian government. Despite heavy criticism from the international community on human rights violations, violence and clamp down seem to have become the norm in IOK. IOK remains the most heavily militarized area in the world. With over 900,000 troops deployed in the region, it has the highest soldier-to-civilian ratio in modern history.
Kashmir also suffered on the economic front. Owing to the communications blackout, business was paralyzed. Without internet services, both the import and export industry came to a sudden halt. Additionally, banking services were restricted. Kashmir’s economy also relies heavily on the apple industry, with over 3.5 million people’s livelihoods dependent on it. Many acres of farmland remained untended, resulting in wastage of produce. Moreover, road blockades, curfews and travel restrictions severely disrupted the supply chain of the apple industry contributing to huge economic losses.
Other key sectors of Kashmir’s economy impacted by the occupation were tourism and handicraft. Houseboat owners, hoteliers, transporters and carpet makers all experienced the devastating consequences of the halt in tourism. After one year of illegal occupation in August 2020, economic losses amounted to $5.3 billion according to the Washington Post, and 500,000 people faced unemployment, as reported by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries. In addition, land grabbing by the occupying forces did a great deal of damage to the livelihoods of local landowners.
Patients at a hospital ward in Kashmir (credits to Dawn)
Even as internet and communication services were restored in February 2021, the impact of the political and economic turmoil of the past 2 years made it difficult for businesses to spring back. Between the occupation and the successive lockdowns imposed before and during covid-19, there is no return to normalcy for Kashmir’s economy.
Besides the economy, Kashmir’s healthcare system was particularly hit hard during the pandemic. The Indian government has systematically denied Kashmiris access to medical support in the midst of this global health crisis. Even the imprisoned Kashmiri leadership was not provided medical care, and several of these leaders, including Shabbir Ahmed Shah tested positive for covid-19 in the mismanaged prisons of India. As internet shutdowns continued through this, medical professionals struggled to stay informed on the latest research about the coronavirus. Schools remained closed for nearly 2 years, and students had no access to online education. To this day, Kashmir remains unequipped to deal with the new variants of the virus.
Girls playing in a school compound (credits to Showkat Nanda)
In the face of this tyranny, the valiant men and women of Kashmir continue to resist. The undying efforts of icons like Shaheed Burhan Wani, who was martyred in July 2016 by Indian forces, serve as reminders of Kashmiri resistance. Other leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Aasia Andrabi, Yasin Malik, Mir Waiz Omar Farooq and Shabir Shah also deserve special tribute. Through them, the spirit of Kashmiri resistance lives on!
Burhan Wani, a symbol of resistance
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