A couple of weeks ago, while helping out at the Amnesty Bake Sale stall, I was approached by someone, known as X*. X was ready to tell their story about the Kashmiri crisis and how their life had changed as a result. Motivation and drive rushed over me like a wave. X deserved to have their story told and I was determined to learn more about the human rights abuses present within Kashmir. Consequently, an interview was carried out.
N: Please could you give me an overview of how the Kashmiri crisis originated?
X: This conflict originated in 1947, with the partition of India and Pakistan. The British, being an imperialist power, sold Kashmir to Dogra rulers at 750,000 INR under Treaty of Amritsar in 1846. Following the partition, Kashmir was never fully part of India; it was a princely state run by a Hindu Dogra leader and the regions of Kashmir were split.
The partition was based on religion however, Kashmir held a Muslim majority with Hindu ruler. Kashmir was bound to join Pakistan due to religion however due to their ruler - this was unable to happen. This led to the rights of Muslims in the region being compromised and ignored. With the intervention of Brahmans (the highest grouping within the Indian caste system) within Kashmir, life of Muslims became harder as this group was close to the Dogra establishment. Rebellions were oppressed and corruption was present. Kashmiri Muslims were not allowed to pray, and Kashmiri women were fetished for their fair skin and sold to Punjab.
One example of this oppressive state included the deaths of 22 Muslims who tried to perform the azan (a call to prayer) on the 13th July 1931 by the soldiers of the Dogra leader. This incited a rebellion against Indian soldiers from tribes located on the borders of Kashmir.
With increasing rebellion against the Dogra ruler and consensus among Kashmiris to join Pakistan. The Dogra leader sought help from Nehru (the Indian prime minister) to sign a treaty between the prime minister and ‘king’ for the recognition of Kashmir as an independent state. However, this leader was not elected and not representative of Muslim majority population therefore, this treaty resulted in a set of rules being established by Nehru for the Dogra leader to follow at the price of the Kashmiri people. These rules included the guarantee that foreign matters related to Kashmir were controlled under the Indian state, as well as the allowance of Indian forces to be located on the borders of Kashmir. This decision led to a fight between the Indian and Pakistani army in 1947 - resulting in half of Kashmir being liberated (now known as Azad Kashmir) and half becoming Indian- occupied Kashmir.
After 1947/1949 Nehru wanted to take his initiative in relation to Kashmir to the UN- however, he did not want to take on criticism for India’s invasion of the region. The UN responded by calling for a referendum for the Kashmiri people but this has not been carried out. This is the primary conflict behind the Kashmiri crisis.
N: What was the social structure like in Kashmir?
X: In 1947 Indian Colonial armed forces were limited to newly created so called "LOC, line of Control" but since resistance is coming from the common people in Kashmir valley, these colonial armed forces have spread wide across Kashmir since the 1990s making it very difficult for people to live their everyday life. The Brahman group are all rich landlords in top positions within Kashmir. This means governance and policy making is determined by them - not the Muslim population of Kashmir. Discrimination and injustice have led to a lack of education for Muslims. The imperialist brahminical hegemony is controlled and operated by Kashmiri Brahmins and Indian Brahmins; they control the education, the rights, and the very basic right to life for Kashmiri Muslims.
N: How did politics change as a result?
X: In 1947, Kashmiri Muslims formed an organisation representing both regions of Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah was the chair of the organisation; he held contacts with Brahmans and was well educated- therefore, he gained the trust and support of the Kashmiri population as their hope for a change in social situation. They hosted the Muslim Conference in Kashmir, it was later renamed the National conference. This invited all groups within Kashmir in order to satisfy Sheikh Abdullah's interest in maintaining his power and 'legitimacy' across all groups.
Earlier Kashmiri Muslims did not want to take armed resistance, but they wanted to make a change with a political focus. Another party had formed in the meantime- known as the Muslim United Front- they had also gained an immense amount of support as they favoured joining Pakistan; while defending the rights of Kashmiri Muslims- regardless of class.
In 1987 an election was held and was rigged by the Indian state. They feared that the election manifesto of Muslim United Front was going to be realized, therefore supported. As a result, Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, was made Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. This was taken as a disgraceful act by Kashmiris and made people question the legitimacy of fighting against the Indian Occupation of Kashmir under the Indian State held elections and politics. This gave rise to armed resistance and other forms of resistance devoid of the Indian State's control and operation.
N: How has the conflict developed post 1947?
X: First in 1984 and then in 1990, a lieutenant of the Indian State was stationed in Kashmir - he was discriminative and Islamophobic. Under his leadership, there was a plan to start a mass genocide of the Kashmiri Muslims in order to form a Hindu majority in Kashmir. The plan included evacuation of Kashmiri Brahmins as well as the commitment of genocide of Kashmiri Muslims. This was planned in order to make the known Muslim majority, Jammu and Kashmir, a Hindu majority region to curb the waves of resistance against the Indian state.
Along Muslim informers of the indian state, 209 Kashmiri Pandit informers of the Indian state were also killed by unknown gunmen and militants. Following the "exodus" prominent 23 Kashmiri Pandits wrote a letter to Kashmiri Muslims published in ALsafa newspaper mentioning their apologies and seeking forgiveness from Kashmiri Muslims, for Pandits getting intimidated by Hindu right wing Indian politicians and the state and leaving Kashmiri Muslims to be labelled as "terrorists"Following the Exodus, 23 leaders from the Pandit group apologised to the Muslim Kashmiris for fleeing and being intimidated by the Indian military forces. This exodus has also led to the Pandits being labelled ‘terrorists’ by the Indian State.
In 2008, another rebellion started as land was taken from Kashmiris and given to Hindu organisations- who considered it their ethical duty to reclaim their land and label it as their own. In 2009 news of the murder and rape of two Kashmiri women by the Indian army had stunned the Kashmiri people. In 2016 an influential armed resistance personnel named Burhan Wani, considered a hero was murdered by Indian forces leading to a huge uprising across the Kashmir Valley. To silence people, the Indian state used shotguns to maim and blind Kashmiri children thereby getting the year of 2016 called 'the year of blindness'.
The agreement (article 370) signed by Nehru and Singh in 1947 was abused and abrogated. On the 5th August, 2019 a severe communication blockade of Kashmir was carried out. With no internet and phone connectivity for months. The article stated that Indians could not buy land in Kashmir; however, this was not the case. Now, Kashmir valley has been the point of focus for the Indian state as Hindu settlers are now residing within the region.
N: What is the state of resource availability in Kashmir?
X: There is 1 armed personnel for 7 individuals in Indian - occupied Kashmir and 1 doctor for 3000 people. We essentially have no healthcare and the education opportunities are incredibly poor because of Kashmiri students being very vulnerable to Indian armed forces and educational institutions being occupied by armed forces.
N: Given this history, how has this impacted your life?
X: When in the UK, I am able to meet friends in the evening with no worry about curfews or violence. However, in Indian - occupied Kashmir - this is not the case. We live abnormal lives. We are living under slavery.
Whilst living there, I did not experience any true happiness in my day to day life. I always feared that I would receive the news of my neighbours, friends and relatives being murdered and blinded. This is a terrifying feeling to experience every day of your life.
My brother and I could not play sports - something we were passionate about due to the limited resources. My parents could not allow themselves to trust establishments in Indian - occupied Kashmir for the fear of death and violence was too present.
My school was far from my home and what stood in between my home and school, was an Indian military camp. As children, we had heard stories of people being raped, maimed and killed without reason. This instilled so much fear and terror when travelling to school; even in my 9th class (year 9) I could not travel alone. I had no peace of mind because you don’t know whose turn it is going to be. It was physical and mental torture.
Access to media and communication has been clamped down by the Indian State. I have been unable to talk to my family for 4 months until recently when telephone communications were brought back. Freedom on the net recorded that the highest amount of internet shutdowns was located in India; mainly in Kashmir. When the Internet was brought back, it held 2G speeds- this impacted my studies badly when I was an undergraduate in Kashmir as I could not access materials, lectures or textbooks. I cannot talk to my family regularly either; with the sudden loss of the internet in Kashmir - I am unable to predict when I will next speak to or hear from them.
The Kashmiri medical staff were also impactedn as information about COVID 19 was being held back and censored. Plans to manage the pandemic were slow and ineffective - severely impacting the Kashmiri people.
I am seen as a threat. After writing a poem about my friend who was killed by the Indian Army I live in fear that I will never be able to return to my home. I consider myself, currently, stateless. The region I called my home now questions the identity of my people with the threat of death if we fail to produce a proper form of identification. I now fear for my family as they live under this colonial gaze. Where ‘looks’ and ‘skin texture’ can be the differentiating factor between these two groups of people; and can be the determinant between life or death.
N: What can we do as a country to stand with Kashmir?
X: I believe there is an urgent need to stand for Kashmir. The Indian state is making colonies and forcing apartheid following the pattern of the West Bank in occupied Palestine. The UK has a huge responsibility; both the government and the people to stand with Kashmir. Nobody should stand with slavery, apartheid, and injustice at a mass level. Nobody should support the tools of war inflicted upon us; rape, murder, violence. The international media is banned and no journalists are allowed in occupied Kashmir so it is imperative that international governments, such as the UK, hold the Indian government accountable for the war crimes committed against Kashmir. Writing to politicians, raising your voice on social media and elevating awareness of the Kashmiri crisis are all tools which will let the international stage know - we stand with Kashmir.
N: What can students do to stand with Kashmir?
X: Student societies can use social media and voice stories like mine. Information is a power and the Indian State does not want people to access the true information about life in Kashmir. Raise awareness and use your power. I identify as a person from Indian - occupied Kashmir and that will never change until freedom is granted.
Amnesty’s stance
‘India’s government must immediately halt its intensifying suppression of dissent’- said by Amnesty International. Amnesty has reported on the human rights abuses extensively within Kashmir - from the torturing of human rights defenders to the widespread inpunity of the security forces in the region. The organisation has been working intensely to cover the situation in Kashmir for the past few years.
Amnesty has, for now, been dismantled in India due to their reporting being labelled a way to ‘defame PM Modi’ by the Chief Minister. However, the organisation continues to publish press releases on the crisis (which can be accessed below).
Amnesty will work hard to uncover the truth about Kashmir; as well as educate populations in spite of recent challenges.
Press releases and article by Amnesty International:
Kashmir: A State silenced
India: Counter-terror raids on journalists and human rights organisations signal 'alarming' escalation in crackdown on dissent
India: Kashmiri Activist Held Under Abusive Law
Written by Naabil Khan - Amnesty International Society.
*For the purpose of confidentiality, the name of the individual in question will remain as X.