Kashmiris desire to save identity, UK newspaper contradicts Modi’s narrative on polls in IIOJK
Srinagar: In a powerful display of resistance, Kashmiris are turning out to vote, driven by a desire to safeguard their cultural identity, which directly challenges Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s narrative on elections in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, writes UK newspaper The Guardian.
According to Kashmir Media Service, historically, as per The Guardian, Kashmiris have been wary of local elections due to allegations of rigging and manipulation by the Indian government. However, this time around, voters see the polls as an opportunity to push back against Modi’s controversial decisions, particularly the revocation of Article 370, which granted a special status to occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmiris view the election as a chance to protest against the Modi government’s actions, which have led to widespread disillusionment and alienation, the newspaper wrote. Voters are seeking to reclaim their territory’s special status and self-governance, which they feel has been eroded by New Delhi’s increased control.
Mohammad Rafiq, a 45-year-old shopkeeper, is voting for the first time to “keep the BJP away.” Rafiq’s brother was killed by Indian forces in 1993, and he had previously boycotted elections. However, the current “assault on our identity” has prompted him to cast his ballot.
Iltija Mufti, daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, notes that “people have not felt such deep alienation before. They feel disempowered and dispossessed”. “Modi has been treating the voter turnout as a referendum for his decisions of 2019, but on the other hand, local parties see it as a vote against his policies,” The Guardian cites Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a Kashmiri political analyst, as having said.
“People feel that by voting they may finally be able to put up some barriers to the onslaught that has been unleashed upon them since 2019.” “It was in 1987 that the Indian government, fearful of the sensitive region falling into the hands of those sympathetic to Pakistan, was accused of meddling in Kashmir’s elections to prevent pro-independence candidates from taking power. In response, a coalition of popular parties boycotted the elections.”
New Delhi has been projecting the enthusiasm as a vindication of their policies and an indication that Kashmiris have given up their aspiration for independence.
As per The Guardian , BJP is calling it as its success, “Yet on the ground in the villages and towns, another narrative has been playing out. Many fear that the Modi government is trying to change the Muslim-majority demography of Kashmir, after changes brought in after 2019 allowed outsiders to buy property and invest in the region for the first time.”
