Indian illegally-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has been under siege for decades now with the valley now being referred to by many as the world’s biggest open prison. It was in 2019 when the special status of the valley stipulated under the Indian constitution was revoked by the hardliner Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bloodshed, unwarranted arrests and harsh communication and movement lockdowns have been a daily occurrence since then. As if that wasn’t enough, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sent thousands more troops in the valley in its latest attempt to suppress voices of dissent. Kashmir that is already one of the world’s most militarized zones, now has an additional 2,500 troops. New Delhi claims that the troops have been deployed to control the recent string of targeted killings in IIOJK.
Following the cancellation of Kashmir’s special status, the ruling BJP in its sinister attempt to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, had issued over 1.8 million bogus domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris. Many of these were migrant workers, who were moved to the valley for work. Since last month, 12 people, including police, migrant workers from northern Indian states and local members of the Sikh and Hindu communities, were gunned down. The Resistance Front, a local group, has accused many of those killed of being employed with the Indian forces. Today, the heavily militarized Kashmir Valley with troops housed in civilian community halls surrounded by sandbags as bunkers is reminiscent of the atrocities carried out in the 1990s.
As the world eases coronavirus related lockdowns with a decline in cases, trying to move back to normalcy, the people of Kashmir are living under inhumane conditions. Islamabad has time and again urged the international community to take into account gross human rights violations in the valley. In a recent meeting held with a delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Prime Minister Imran Khan had emphasized on the need to allow the OIC, human rights organizations and international media access to IIOJK to carry out independent investigations into these brutal human rights conditions. But the world is yet to take notice. While Islamabad refuses to engage with New Delhi until Kashmir’s special status is restored, the international community looks the other way. But one cannot deny the fact that just settlement of Kashmir is a prerequisite for peace in the region.
