In order to deflect the world’s attention, India has violated the LoC ceasefire more than 850 times
ISLAMABAD: After the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, the sudden spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has imposed a twin lockdown in IOK, with “the first being more lethal than the latter”. President Sardar Masood Khan of AJK announced that Indian soldiers are systematically shooting down young boys in fake encounters in order to crush any form of rebellion. Their bodies are taken away and buried in unmarked graves without their family members knowing. An incident was reported that a math teacher-turned-freedom fighter was gunned down after being cornered by the Indian military inside a friend’s house.
Serious crimes against humanity are being committed in IOK and these make the coronavirus pandemic seems like less of a threat. Actions taken by India over the past few months indicate that this was not planned as a sudden event to capture IOK. Rather, it seems like a methodical plan to change the demography of the Muslim-dominated valley over the course of a few years. India’s acts bear a striking resemblance to the Holocaust carried out by Nazi Germany against the Jews. In this case, the Muslims are under attack. Communication in and out of IOK is being strictly monitored while the Indians have engineered a way to show a different situation internationally. They have even invited envoys from different organisations to witness the happenings by devising artificial conditions that show that nothing illegal is being done. The truth is that the Kashmiris are enduring a slow death. They are being crushed bit by bit until the frantic BJP is convinced that their aims have been accomplished.
In order to deflect the world’s attention from the situation, India has violated the LoC ceasefire more than 850 times to show that happenings in the valley are caused by tensions between the two nations, and thus both sides are to blame. It is important that the Kashmiris remain steadfast and strong. One can hope that the situation will take a turn for the good.
Hamid Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2020.
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