Heaven Under Siege
Harbouring a lifelong ambition to recreate a greater Hindustan that surpasses current borders and rules with might and will as a global power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bid to achieve this goal has shunned his eyes towards right and wrong. The latest victims of his distorted agenda are the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian parliament under the already evidently radical ruling party – the Bharatiya Janta Party – has recently agreed to revoke articles 370 35A which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status and certain leverages as an autonomous region as well as the right to have its own flag. This has been followed by the division of the occupied territory into two unions and the permission to non-natives to purchase property within the region which was previously not granted given the territory’s disputed status. This may rightly be identified as a criminal set of actions given that the region is internationally recognized as a disputed territory; however, Hindustan states that the recent political decisions were an internal matter, disregarding global perspectives completely. By doing this, Hindustan plans to challenge global opinion on the matter and forcibly impose the notion of Kashmir being a part of Hindustan on the international community. The devastating blow has sparked discontent with former Kashmiri Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti calling the unfurling day the blackest in the history of Kashmir.
Where events of state sponsored violence has been a constant in the history of Kashmir, with Kashmiri voices calling for freedom always being put to silence, Mr. Modi has facilitated what may perhaps be the most cruel atrocity against a people who are stuck as part of a country that they never opted to be in. He has not only paved a way to alter the demographics and thus political sentiments of “Kashmiri” residents, but in doing so has swiftly rigged any referendums that may determine the area’s future. The revocation of article 370 and the splitting of IOK into two unions will also catalyze the “divide and conquer” strategy at play by the Hindustani government. Meanwhile, the people on whom the new legislation is applicable are forced to sit idle and unaware due to curfews and communication suspension, the likes of which have never been seen before. Their voices have been thus effectively silenced and many popular Kashmiri leaders have been arrested overnight. In what seems to be a rushed yet carefully planned set of events, the Indian government suspended all forms of public communication within Kashmir i.e; internet and telephone, imposed strict curfew, rushed large number of troops towards Kashmir, and called a sudden session of parliament to make and announce the decision, all in respective order.
Countless men, women, and children have already been killed in their struggles for freedom spanning seventy-two years. The recorded violations of Human rights by Hindustan’s occupying forces have been manifold with atrocities ranging from massacre and mass rape, to absolute disregard of freedom of speech and political expression. It is simply alarming as to how blatantly the Hindustani government has acted in this regard despite the poor history it has with Kashmir. With an additional 28,000 troops rushed to Kashmir, it may very rightly be questioned: “if Hindustan wishes to justify its claim over Kashmir, why must it deploy so many troops in an area that already is the most heavily militarized region in the world and disallow the people of the region to have a say?” Ironically, the undertaken actions not only see opposition within Kashmir and other countries, but also within India itself with prominent politicians such as Rahul Gandhi gravely condemning the act thus generating another valid question: “Is India truly the world’s largest democracy? If not so anymore, hence is rightly called Hindustan?”