The world needs to stand staunchly against oppression
ISLAMABAD: At least 30 innocent Kashmiris have been martyred by Indian armed forces since the beginning of this month alone. Despite the whole world battling the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian authorities continue their misadventures in Kashmir valley.
Not only are the youth being systematically killed, but the houses of civilians are being razed, leaving many inhabitants homeless in these testing times. The bodies of the martyred youth are also not being returned to their families for funeral processions. They are being silently buried in the woods, away from their hometowns so that no one is able to retrieve their bodies. If one uses common sense, it is not hard to imagine why the Indians would do such a thing. Furthermore, multiple machinations are being carried out — on the one hand, Indian forces are targeting the Kashmiri youth on a regular basis, while on the other they are accelerating their settler-colonial agenda. Recently, they brought about some grave changes in the domicile laws whereby Indians can now obtain a domicile of the disputed region which was previously restricted by the articles 370 and 35A. The Indians are trying to dilute the Muslim majority in the valley, and world powers must move to stop this systematic oppression.
For how long do the Kashmiris have to suffer like this? Why is the world silent about this and why does anyone not pay heed to the miseries of Kashmiris? It is high time that world leaders urged the Indian government to stop the atrocities against Kashmiris and also assisted them in their struggle for the right to self-determination. We all need to stand hand in hand with Kashmiris and show the Indians that when united we can become a force to be reckoned with. The world needs to stand staunchly against oppression.
Musaib Manzoor
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2020.
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