Daily Times

Many religions believe in various versions of afterlife destinations: Heaven and Hell. Both are two extremes. While hell is considered to be a place where damned souls suffer for all their committed sins, heaven is believed to be the holiest, most wonderful and peaceful place. It is filled with glory and grace. It is for people who do good deeds. Because of its ethereal beauty, the valley of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is universally acknowledged as “Heaven on Earth.”

It is dotted with beautiful lakes; surrounded with magnificent valleys and rimmed with apple orchards. It is, undoubtedly, a nature lover’s wonderland. However, this heaven is no different than hell at present. Recent developments have further insulated the cage while the world is witnessing the rise of populism and orthodox realism in the form of constitutional aggression in Indian-controlled valley of J&K.

With the scrapping of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which acknowledges the special status of the state of J&K in terms of autonomy and its ability to formulate laws for the state’s permanent residents, political tensions surge in the valley. During the first week of August, tens of thousands of additional Indian troops were deployed in the valley of J&K; schools and colleges were shut; telephone and internet services were suspended; regional political leaders were placed under house arrest and the Amarnath Yatra was abruptly called off.

Subsequently, the pilgrims and tourists were ordered to leave the valley. For tourists, summer is the best season to visit J&K. It is also the time when pilgrims go to Vaishno Devi in Jammu or Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir. This is also the best time to trek the alluring trails of Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam. In Srinagar, boating in Dal Lake in a colourfully painted wooden boat, known as Shikara, becomes a must-do activity for any tourist.

Kashmir is a wound yet to be healed!

Two weeks ago, one of our Turkish friends also shared with us a picture of him boating in Dal Lake, Srinagar. Later, he was ordered to curtail his stay in the disputed territory; citing security concerns.

Alluringly, in spring, Dal Lake is full of lotus flowers with splendid surroundings. In autumn, it dries up; turning into a golden colour and rising again from murky waters. Lotus is not only the official State Flower of J&K, but it is also a sacred flower for Japanese, Hindus and Buddhists. For them, it symbolises purity, beauty, majesty, grace, fertility, wealth, richness, knowledge and serenity. Nevertheless, lakes and other serene landscapes of J&K are also a source of catharsis for Kashmiris for decades.

Lotus flowers are found in abundance on the margins of the lakes, especially during July and August. But alas! The mornings of this August made the locals of J&K wake up to curfew, imprisonment and mourning.

As Arundhati Roy writes in her prominent work, “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,” “In Kashmir when we wake up and say “Good Morning” what we really mean is “Good Mourning.”

Unfortunately, over the past week, the occupied valley has been engulfed with panic and dread – a state most Kashmiris identify as normal.

Since the valley is under Indian occupation, its people have been trying to find serenity in chaos. It has been since forever now that this valley of Lotus and grace is under the mud of the fascist regime. Imagine a hostile soldier standing at your doorstep, corner of the street and every crossing; creating immense fear and trauma. No media coming in and none going out. India, the world’s largest democracy, has imposed a total communication blackout in J&K, especially during the last week. It is largely cut off from the world. Empty streets, locked shops, angry soldiers and boys with stones are a new normal of the valley. The Indian army continues to fire tear gas and pellets on unarmed protesters in a new strategy of blinding the whole nation. There are also reports of worried families unable to contact loved ones and a lack of proper access to medical services.

The abrogation of Article 370 is a huge rallying point for the youth, who sense this as a loss of their identity–Kashmiriyat–and the inalienable right to choose their status. The people feel cheated while the youth, being vulnerable, can explode anytime. Security forces on the ground also fear a volcano is waiting to erupt. The Valley holds several thousand military bunkers. It is numbed by the Indian deceitfulness and the presence of occupation forces in such abundance. Consequently, the conversations by youth are irrelevant until they include resistance to the occupation forces. They wake up to the dawn of an endless night. Their cries and tears have replaced the melodies of the Valley. The only thing the youth think about is freedom from Indian aggression.

No one would be surprised if militancy gets a push in these circumstances. It is a time-tested fact that when there is suppression there is a response. When the situation is limiting space for militancy in the whole region, this episode provides new motivation to violence and bloodbath of Lotus. On the humanitarian front, 69 human rights activists and organisations have sent an open letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; expressing deep concern over the situation in J&K. They have also requested the Indian premier to immediately lift the curfew; reinstate communication channels and release all the detainees unconditionally. While international law does allow governments to temporarily suspend some rights in exceptional circumstances, this cannot be allowed to become the new normal. The representatives of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) have, time and again, requested Indian authorities to ensure justice and accountability for human rights abuses; repeal abusive laws like the Public Safety Act or the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives government forces immunity from prosecution; end aggressive treatment of Kashmiris at checkpoints and during search operations and work towards the safe return of all the displaced, including Hindus displaced from the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley in 1990.

Since the Indian Army has effectively been made above the law, its soldiers have state-granted impunity in perpetuating these atrocities and nobody can be charged with war crimes. In the past, it has also used forms of collective punishment, such as curfews during the 2008, 2010 and 2016 uprisings, and mass arrests under the Public Safety Act. One might well wonder how the government of the world’s largest democracy could allow such an overt glorification of a war crime to happen. With such acts, the government of India is writing the history of J&K in the shadow of guns and blood. It is under the illusion that its mythical land comes with clean hands, softened in the Ganges. With the revoking of Article 370, gone also are J&K’s constitution, flag and penal code.

India’s Kashmir crackdown will provoke fear for the region’s future. Its bet on Kashmir would not only prove dangerous but would add fuel to the existing fire. People in J&K are already deeply agitated, and hostility towards occupant forces is higher than ever before. Given the fact that Kashmiris have lost their faith in the rigged political process, their identity is largely been compromised and they have been pushed to another intifada. Their struggle for freedom and search of serenity has entered into the third generation, and this generation is sentimental and determined to transform the dream of their forefathers into a reality. Most importantly, the majority of the Kashmiri youth up against Indian forces is educated, sophisticated and knowledgeable about weapons/devices. Their freedom movement needs more character, more courage and more compassion.

The Indian government needs to remember that emotions cannot be suppressed, voices cannot be muted and the people striving for freedom cannot be stopped. Kashmir is a wound yet to be healed and all of it makes one think of lotus again. Even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the lotus produces the most beautiful flower. At present, the silence of the Valley is deafening, but this enforced silence cannot be taken as a given or eternal. The Lotus of Kashmiri struggle is going to remain until and unless they bloom how they want. The American poet and philosopher Suzy Kassem’s words for the Kashmiri youth have a message for India. She says, “Whenever you should doubt your self-worth, remember the Lotus flower. Even though it plunges to life from beneath the mud, it does not allow the dirt that surrounds it to affect its growth or beauty. Be that lotus flower always.”

Salman Ali Bhittani is a lecturer at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) and Gulshan Rafiq is a researcher at IPRI