The Government has taken a monumental decision about Jammu and Kashmir today, 5th August 2019.
Article 370 which accorded special status to the state has been revoked and the Home Minister has proposed a bill to split Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
As the nation is in a frenzy discussing and debating the issue in magnanimous proportions, one glaring voice remains unheard. The voice of the Kashmiri people. They have been silenced, and their democratic rights have been nullified for the foreseeable future.
While people are going on incorrigible rants and expressing unwarranted excitement about this issue on social media, a dozen or more narratives have emerged from every section of political and social strata on whether the government is justified in their actions.
How Events Unfolded
The last few days in India have seen a chaotic frenzy in the media about the Government’s sudden, yet ostentatious move to increase military presence in Kashmir, and cancel the yearly Amarnath Yatra. The Government also asked tourists to leave immediately and declared an indefinite curfew in the state from 5th August onwards.
Internet and mobile services have been suspended in the valley and all public gatherings of more than 4 people have been banned in Srinagar district as section 144 was imposed from midnight on 4th August.
After three of the valley’s most prominent politicians — Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Lone were put under house arrest last night, the people in Kashmir were thrown into even more uncertainty. As the fear kept rising steadily through the night, citizens waited with bated breath as news came in about Amit Shah addressing the Rajya Sabha on the issue in the morning.
In response to Home Minister, Amit Shah’s statement in the RS, Ghulam Nabi Azad accused the BJP of “murdering the Constitution”.
The Unfounded Wrath Of The Average Indian
During this entire time, several Indians turned to social media to voice their opinions. I came across people who were seemingly excited about the rising tensions in the state. #KashmirParFinalFight and #KashmirHamaraHai have been trending on Twitter and people are expressing their sense of pride and admiration for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, while simultaneously mocking Kashmiris.
Last night, I read one tweet that said:
“M dancing on my bed …
Not able to sleep in excitement
Have to wake up early tomorrow morning still….
@narendramodi ji love uuu” (sic)
There were other similar tweets and the way that people were thrilled about their fellow citizens being subjected to such political mind games was appalling. It was very disturbing to see that Indians failed to understand the ramifications of the unnecessary panic the government had created in a region that is already one of the world’s most militarised zones.
After Amit Shah finally revealed the government’s plans, congratulatory posts started pouring in and many Indians were proud of the government for this ‘bold’ move.
As I scroll through all the celebratory posts about Article 370 on social media, I get the sense that democracy is dying a slow death in the valley, and perhaps in our country at large. It angers and pains me that 14 million people have been denied the right to express their voices about an issue that concerns them more than anyone else in this country, while a billion others are being allowed to spread hate freely.
What really enrages me is that average Indians who have probably never heard of Article 370 before it was mentioned by the BJP are suddenly jumping with joy because it has been revoked.
The majority of comments and Tweets I have seen favour the Government’s decision to deny Kashmir its democratic rights and to alter the Constitution without consulting the people whom it will impact the most.
I have to question, whether it is our democracy that is dying or is this a true representation of a new form of democracy in India – where the majority will decide how the minority lives and impose sanctions on them against their will?
There is one thing I know for certain – it is democracy driven by fascist forces that have steered our country to the brink of extreme polarisation and hate-mongering. It has built an army of people who support its vision blindly. Amit Shah simply has to wave a wand and people will turn against each other. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at some of the condescending and hateful posts online and decide for yourself.
Giving A Voice To The Voiceless
I believe the people of the valley deserve a chance to be represented by those of us who haven’t been suppressed by disrupted internet connections, poor power supply and the threatening presence of military forces outside our front doors and on our streets. As I sit comfortably in my home, far away from all the fear and chaos, I am trying to find a way to speak for people who have been denied the right to speak for themselves.
Following this unprecedented move by the government, the nation stands at the edge of a precipice – are we going to be guided by bigotry or are we going to try and empathise with the Kashmiris? The last time we saw this kind of bigotry directed towards Kashmiris online was during the Pulwama attack. While it wasn’t justified, one was still able to understand the people’s anger at that time. Today, I am at a loss as I try to figure out my fellow citizens.
A large majority of people are forming opinions based on hate and divisive politics – there is a wave of unfounded anger and bigotry against 14 million people who have already been subjected to decades of psychological trauma. They now have to come to terms with the fact their Constitutional rights have been amended while they were blanketed in darkness by their own government.
The people spewing this hate sit comfortably in their homes, as they are brainwashed by TV anchors and Government officials who are encouraging anti-Kashmir rhetoric.
Over the last 70 years, 10s of thousands of soldiers and civilians have lost their lives because of the decisions taken by men and women who sit in comfortable seats of power.
Governments keep changing, Prime Ministers, Home Minsiters and Defence Ministers come and go, anger builds, the media gets driven into a frenzy every now and then, the people chant slogans and hashtags trend; but soon all is forgotten and the people of Kashmir are left to deal with the presence of 500,000 + soldiers, erratic internet connections, limited water and electricity supply, a dwindling economy, an absence of jobs, a lack of infrastructural development, and loss of their loved ones.
When will we stop being driven by uninformed hate and instead make efforts to offer solutions that stop the violence, the fear and most importantly, solutions that end the death of innocent people?
Why Don’t Kashmiris Have A Say?
The sad truth is that Kashmir and Kashmiris have lost not just their voices today but their right to exist as freely as other states and people in this country. For more than three decades, the Government has been making attempts to resolve the issue. In all that time, there hasn’t been any attempt to actually ask the people what they want. Why? Possibly because the government already knows the answer and it’s one they cannot accept.
I believe that Kashmiris should have the right to vote and decide the future of the state – a referendum that would allow people to choose whether or not they want to continue belonging to a country that has never truly embraced them, to begin with. But, the larger question is – who is listening and when will the voices of the Kashmiris count as weapons of change?
Note: The author is from a Kashmiri family and she has lived away from her homeland for almost three decades due to the political unrest in the state.