Youm-e-Istehsal: International media says Indian move has devastated occupied Kashmir

International media has focused on human rights violations and situation of other sectors in IOK

LAHORE (Web Desk) – On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government repealed special privileges of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by revoking Article 370 and Article 35A, sparking anger in the Muslim-majority valley and in Pakistan. It further took away Kashmir’s status as a state by creating two federally controlled territories, splitting off the thinly populated, Buddhist-dominated region of Ladakh. For almost a century, no outsider was allowed to buy land and property in Indian occupied Kashmir. However, the Indian government has brought in a slew of changes through new laws since last year.

Also Read: International media bashes India for ending occupied Kashmir s special status

Following first anniversary of India’s abrogation of Article 370 in the occupied Kashmir, different reports on the issue have been released by the international media, mainly focusing on the grave human rights violations and devastated situation of other fields including education and economy in the valley.   In an article, British Broadcasting Corporation news (BBC) has highlighted the condition of education sector in the Kashmir and stated students in the valley have missed most of their school year due to the fact that the troubled region has been almost in endless lockdown by Indian authorities.

Associated Press published an article stating that when India suddenly scrapped Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, followed by an unprecedented clampdown, economic ruin ensued. Some businesses had resumed with the partial lifting of the security and communication clampdown earlier this year. However, Indian authorities enforced another harsh lockdown in March to combat the coronavirus pandemic, further emaciating the local economy.

In another post, the AP wrote that under a new law, authorities have begun issuing “domicile certificates” to Indians and non-residents, entitling them to residency rights and government jobs. Many Kashmiris view the move as the beginning of settler colonialism aimed at engineering a demographic change in India’s only Muslim-majority region.

In an article, The Guardian covered an opinion of a Kashmiri man after the Indian action. “It is not merely our land but it is also our identity which has been robbed,”the Kashmiri man said.

He further described the repeal of article 370 as an “extreme disaster” that had left the whole region in a state of paralysis, adding, “Our tongues, our pens have been sealed.”

 AlJazeera reported, "Black Lives Matter, Palestinian, Uighur, Indigenous and Rohingya activists have come out in support of the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir, calling for a "global spotlight on the suffering and their resistance."

AlJazeera further wrote that about 7,000 people were taken into custody whereas hundreds remained under house arrest or behind bars without charge.

Cable News Network (CNN) highlighted the plight of journalists in the occupied Kashmir, stating that after August 5, 2019, journalists were not excluded from the shutdown. Newspapers went offline. For weeks, print editions did not run.

 In an article, Gulf News stated, "Trapped in lockdown, barbed wires and military barricades, an eerie silence continues to define Jammu and Kashmir’s landscape, one year after it lost its special status."

As the official project of erasure of its geography, politics, symbols and memory continues, the Modi government labours to equate silence with ‘normality’ and ‘acceptance’, it further read.

The Independent published, "In 12 months of lockdown upon shutdown, Kashmiris say their economy has frozen and they are still denied basic rights to justice, freedom of speech and access to the internet."

It is not known exactly how many people were arrested in Kashmir just before and in the aftermath of 5 August 2019, mostly because they were detained under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) which allows suspects to be held without charge or any due process for up to two years.

Pakistan observes  Youm-e-Istehsal  in solidarity with occupied Kashmir

In response to the call of the government, Pakistan is observing the first anniversary of the bleak August 5, 2019 day as ‘Kashmir Military Siege Day’ (Youm-e-Istehsal) in solidarity with the people of IIOJK. Youm-e-Istehsal is being observed throughout Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and rest of the world by the overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiris to condemn the illegal, immoral, and inhuman Indian action of the 5th August, 2019.

On the other hand, Indian authorities have imposed curfew in occupied Kashmir to prevent people from holding anti-India demonstrations on Youm-e-Istehsal, on the completion of India’s illegal actions of 5th August, last year.

Indian troops have been deployed in strength across the occupied territory to keep the people indoors.

The authorities have sealed most of the roads and market places. Announcements were made on loudspeakers wherein people were asked to stay inside their homes. No movement of people is being allowed.