February 5 is observed throughout the country as Kashmir Solidarity Day to reiterate our moral and diplomatic support to the hapless Kashmiris whose lives have been rendered miserable by the ‘forces of darkness’ meaning thereby the haughty rulers of India and their ruthless armed forces. For the Kashmiris, whose majority comprises Muslims (their principled stand is, however, supported by locals from other religions, also), it has been an excruciating experience, living in a virtual inferno. Of course, it is no less than an inferno, a small community of about 15 million being crushed by massive firepower of one of the most merciless armies of the world whose penchant for killing and kidnapping of the subdued people is no more a secret to anyone, not even to the international economic giants doing business in the huge Indian market. People searching for inside information in the most militarized zone – Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K)- had to overcome many difficulties and bottlenecks because the region has remained under strict surveillance of Indian armed services and their secret agencies. During Modi government’s rule in particular, the iron hand tactics have intensified, especially after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian Constitution. This abrogation came into effect because Modi’s BJP government made use of its numerical majority in the parliament to get it through although the repeal of these articles was altogether violative of the spirit of Indian Constitution that had envisaged special, autonomous status for the Kashmir region since it is an international dispute. UN Security Council resolutions, which were mutually agreed upon by both India and Pakistan, call for a plebiscite to be held in Kashmir in order to ascertain the will of Kashmiris. It is about time that the world was apprised of the ground realities and the prevailing misery inside Kashmir that does not sit well with the norms of the modern, civilized world Instead of abiding by its commitments and solemn pledges made at the global forum, India has always been taking somersaults on one pretext or the other. In this area, Indian planners have also been conducting false flag operations to show that Pakistan was sending infiltrators, thus blocking the way to durable peace in the subcontinent. In this context, sustained propaganda bombardment has been carried out by Indian lobbyists and fifth-generation or hybrid war experts to justify the postponement of plebiscite on the plea “that disturbed peace was coming in the way of holding of this exercise (plebiscite)”. Stubbornness of Indian rulers vis-à-vis fulfillment of this commitment has also led to wars between India and Pakistan. The situation is not okay, even at present. Indian forces resort to indiscriminate shelling, every now and then, on the working boundary, against the international laws. Many innocent Pakistani civilians have been martyred during these incidents of heavy fire coming from the Indian side. Islamabad authorities have arranged visits of foreign diplomats to these areas so that they could see India’s ceasefire violations for themselves. On the contrary, India had started denying access to the UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan) since long. The world is now getting more and more alarmed over the calculated apprehensions that South Asia’s peace has gone fragile, given the nuclearized status of the two states, Pakistan and India, which have already fought four wars and some skirmishes over the Kashmir issue. Actually, the world got more concerned after the unconstitutional repeal of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian Constitution which conferred special status on Kashmir in the light of UN Security Council resolutions on this subject. Observers having deep insight into India’s hegemonic designs in the region and its jingoistic handling of the Kashmir issue, opine that the repeal of these articles is tantamount to ‘consolidation of annexation’ of the Kashmir territory. The first annexation, through military means, took place way back in October 1947 and the ‘final one’ took place, through treachery, on August 5, 2019. Inside Kashmir, the overall situation can be rightly likened to an inferno since the region is governed by the rule of the gun that knows no mercy. Pellet guns have been fired indiscriminately to blind innocent protesters. Young ones have been kidnapped in a large number with no likelihood of their returning to their homes. Instead, their whereabouts are known later on in the shape of discovery of mass graves. Women are raped with the idea of disgracing and subduing the Kashmiris seeking their due right of self-determination. It is a long list of atrocities that have been reported time and again in these lines and many other publications of the world. It is now for the world fraternity to take the lead and stop the blatant genocide of Kashmiris whose majority is also being ‘reversed’ through unconstitutional measures including the settlement of non-Kashmiris in abundance inside the Valley, as against the spirit of unconstitutionally annulled Article 35 A. The international community’s concern is really appreciable but it is about time that the world were apprised of the ground realities and the prevailing misery inside Kashmir that does not sit well with the norms of the modern, civilized world. The writer is a senior journalist and TV analyst