Situation on ground contradicts Amit Shah’s normalcy narrative in IIOJK
Islamabad: Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s claims about so-called stability in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370 are based on blatant lies and contrary to the ground situation in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, interaction with some Kashmiri youth in New Delhi, Amit Shah claimed that following the abrogation of Article 370, IIOJK has attained complete stability and that violence in the territory has reduced by over 80 per cent.
Despite the Indian Home Minister’s assertions, the situation on the ground paints a very different picture. Since the India’s illegal actions in August 2019, besides a siege of months, IIOJK is witnessing a continued military presence with over a million Indian forces deployed, and there has been an increase in human rights violations. These include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, raids, and cordon and search operations. Rather than a stable, peaceful environment, Kashmiris face heightened repression, with stringent laws in place to suppress dissent and control the population.
The recent killings of two civilians in Baramulla and Kathua districts are tragic examples of the ongoing blatant human rights violations in the occupied territory. These incidents highlight the continued use of extrajudicial killings and custodial torture by Indian troops, which have become disturbingly routine.
In Baramulla, truck driver Waseem Majeed was shot dead after Indian troops opened fire on his vehicle at Sangrama chowk. In Kathua, a youth named Makhan Din was arrested in the Billawar area later tortured to death in custody. These incidents are not isolated cases but represent a broader pattern of extrajudicial killings by Indian troops in Kashmir.
Since the illegal abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August 2019, Indian troops, operating under draconian laws, have killed 966 Kashmiris, including many in custody. Additionally, 25,628 Kashmiris have been arrested, with many falsely charged under oppressive laws to prolong their illegal detention.
These grim figures expose the blatant falsehood of Amit Shah’s claims of “normalcy” in IIOJK. Far from stabilizing, the situation continues to deteriorate under the Modi government’s iron-fisted approach, deepening the suffering of Kashmiris with each passing day.
The BJP-led Indian government’s false narrative of normalcy in IIOJK serves only one purpose, that is to mislead the international community. However, India’s attempts to mask the grim reality on the ground will not succeed.
India and the world must acknowledge that lasting peace in South Asia hinges on the just resolution of the Kashmir dispute. This can only be achieved by granting the people of IIOJK their inalienable right to self-determination, as promised in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
