27 October is considered the most tragic day and the darkest chapter in the painful history of Kashmir. It was this day in 1947 when India emerged as a colonial power, usurped the land and enslaved Kashmiris against their will. The darkness of this day continues to stretch after the passage of 77 long years. Kashmiris rejected this occupation and launched a resistance movement which continues till date. It was this resistance which forced India to take the issue to the United Nations. The UN after long deliberations passed a historic resolution on 5 January 1949 and promised the right to self-determination to the Kashmiris. This resolution was followed by over a dozen resolutions by UNSC but no practical step was taken to implement these resolutions. The UN apathy emboldened India and it reneged on its pledges. 77 long years have passed but the Kashmiris are still waiting for justice.
The deceitful occupation of Kashmir by India was followed by massacre of nearly three hundred thousand Muslims in Jammu in the first week of November in 1947. It was a catastrophe, a holocaust and the worst massacre of human history .
The Jammu massacre was carried out by Dogra army with the help of Indian forces and Hindu extremists, which was meant to change the demography of Jammu and wipe out Muslims. Thousands of Muslims were butchered mercilessly by Hindu mobs and thousands were forced to migrate during this pre-planned and premeditated tragedy.
The genocidal campaign that started in 1947 continues unabated even today in occupied Jammu and Kashmir with the similar evil intention to wipe out Muslims and occupy their land.
During the past 35 years Indian troops engaged in systematic genocide of the Kashmiris and have eliminated over one hundred thousand people irrespective of age and gender. Over one million trigger happy and brutal occupation forces have not only converted Kashmir into a vast jail but are also committing heinous and horrible crimes against hapless the Kashmiris. These dark and dreaded forces equipped with sweeping powers under AFSPA and other draconian laws since 1989 have killed over one thousand Kashmiris, crippled thousands of others through brutal and humiliating torture. Over ten thousand Kashmiris have disappeared during custody, and hundreds have been injured and blinded through firing, pepper guns, pellet guns and other lethal weapons. With the view to paralyze Kashmiris economically over five hundred thousand houses, shops and other shelters have been blasted. Rape of women is used as a weapon to humiliate and intimidate freedom loving people. Since 1989 Indian devil forces have raped over 11 thousand Kashmiri women irrespective of age. Due to Indian state terrorism, Kashmir has become land of widows and orphans. Over 22 thousand women have been widowed and more than one hundred thousand children orphaned since 1989.
Due to these horrible crimes, paradise like Kashmir valley has become a mourning center, graveyard, rubble and a waste land, and death and destruction has become the destiny of its inhabitants.
Abrogation of special status of disputed territory by the RSS fascist Modi regime on 5 August 2019 is yet another tragic episode of Kashmir history. It is the worst attack on Kashmiris unique Muslim identity, culture, and natural resources. It is a ploy to saffronize Kashmiris and deprive them of remaining rights.
The colonial occupation of J&K which began with the illegal landing of Indian troops in Srinagar on Oct 27, 1947 has been consolidated by the Modi regime. August 5, 2019, actions were the decisive step in the colonization of Kashmir. The RSS and BJP have long envisioned the colonization of IIOJK. India is systematically advancing settler colonialism in IIOJK through new laws. Modi is following the Israeli model to push his settler-colonial agenda in the disputed region. By revoking Article 370, Modi has removed barriers for non-locals to settle in IIOJK. As part of its settler-colonial strategy, India is altering the demographic landscape of IIOJK by settling non-Kashmiri Hindus. It has already issued domiciles to thousands of Indian Hindus with the intention to settle them permanently in the region. Kashmiri land is confiscated and allotted to these fanatics and they are trained and armed to pave the way for 1947 like massacre of Muslims. Muslim employees are terminated and Hindutva elements are appointed on higher posts and voting rights have been given to non-state Hindus to disempower and disenfranchise Kashmiri Muslims. These all conspiracies are hatched to enslave Kashmiris.
RSS regime led by Modi has declared a full-fledged war against Kashmiris. Its all institutions which include army, parliament, civil administration, spy and probe agencies are hell bent to force Kashmiris into submission. Irony of the fate is that same elements who were responsible for the systemstic genocide of 1947 are now in power and imposing Hindutva culture on the Kashmiris and ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiris is their long-cherished goal. It is the manifesto of RSS to wipe out Muslims, revive Hindu culture in Kashmir. The campaign to annihilate Muslims, seize their land and resources and impose Hindutva culture in the region is the dream of fascist Modi regime. Modi being the member of RSS is hell-bent to implement this devilish Hindu supremacists ideology in Kashmir.
In this critical phase when Kashmiris face existential threat and their lives, honor, identity and everything is at stake, the Kashmiris and their sympathizers must get united to fight Hindutva terrorism and save Kashmiris from total extinction or annihilation.
Pakistan, other Islamic countries and those states who believe in humanity and supremacy of human dignity and rights must take urgent and practical steps for the resolution of this long-standing Kashmir issue. India is trampling on the Kashmiris’ rights under its jackboots like Zionist state is doing in Palestine. Stopping bloodshed of Muslims and destruction in Palestine and Kashmir is the need of the hour. The criminal silence by the world on Zionist and Hindutva terrorism in Palestine and Kashmir is criminal. Those who remain indifferent to this situation are partners of crime as said by Martin Luther king “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by good people.”
Note: The writer of this article is Insaf party vice chairman and APHC-AJK leader
