Ban on 25 books in IIOJK regrettable, attempt to warn Kashmiris against free speech
New Delhi: The ban on 25 books in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir is “regrettable” and an attempt to warn Kashmiris against free speech, authors and scholars reacted to the order of the authorities to forfeit these publications.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the occupied Jammu and Kashmir authorities have banned certain books, including those written by famous authors like Maulana Moududi, Arundhati Roy, A G Noorani, Victoria Schofield, Sumantra Bose and David Devadas.
Reacting to the order, political scientist and author Bose said that his chief objective has been “to identify pathways to peace” and rejected “any and all defamatory slurs” in his work.
“I have worked on Kashmir — among many other subjects — since 1993. Throughout, my chief objective has been to identify pathways to peace so that all violence ends and a stable future free of fear and war can be enjoyed by the people of the conflict region, of India as a whole, and the subcontinent.
“I am a committed and principled advocate of peaceful approaches and resolutions to armed conflicts, be it in Kashmir or elsewhere in the world,” said Bose. Two of his books, “Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century Conflict” and “Contested Lands”, have been banned.
Anthropologist and scholar Angana Chatterjee’s “Kashmir: A Case for Freedom”, co-authored with Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhat, Habbah Khatun, Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy, is also on the list of banned books.
Chatterjee said that “authoritarian regimes ban books to assert and mobilise their power”. “…as they govern through suppression, fear, and violence…. Ghettoising and demonising writers blatantly censor the local knowledge and critical insight they put forward,” she said.
“It attempts to place oppressed groups on notice, to warn Kashmiris against free speech, dissent, and against seeking acknowledgement and justice for the crimes of history detailed in the books that are now banned,” she said.
The books include “Al Jihadul fil Islam” by Islamic scholar and founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, Moulana Moudadi, “Independent Kashmir” by Australian author Christopher Snedden, “In Search of a Future (The Story of Kasimir)” by David Devadas, “Kashmir in Conflict (India, Pakistan and the unending War)” by Victoria Schofield, “The Kashmir Dispute (1947-2012)” by A G Noorani, and “Azadi” by Arundhati Roy.
Devadas said that the ban “is regrettable, for banning books goes against the grain of our democratic ideals, and our civilisational ethos”.
“My book strongly advocates peace, dialogue and democracy in the spirit of (then) Prime Minister Vajpayee’s peace process, which had reached fruition around the time my book was completed. I fully backed that peace process.
Author Anuradha Bhasin took to social media to defend the books. “I’ve read most of these books and written one. They’re well researched and not one glorifies terrorism which this government claims to have ended. Scared of words challenging your lies!” she posted on X.
