The Kashmir conflict: A people’s perspective

Muslim-dominated Jamia Nagar suburb in the Indian capital New Delhi is nearly a 13-mile drive from the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Delhi is known for its dense vehicular traffic and it was no different on August 17. The 87-minute drive to Jamia Nagar was apparently not enough for the taxi driver, Rajesh Kuwar, to shape his hatred for Pakistan in words, not because he was short of words, but because he had a lot to share.

“I have been to Kashmir three times, every time with customers on tour,” says Kuwar. During one of the visits, he shares they were at Gulmarg and heard terrorists had opened fire on a tourist cab in Srinagar. “My customers forced me to drive back to Delhi the same night,” he adds.



Suddenly, the narrative shifts to the other side of the border. “People in Kashmir are good, like those in other states of India, but our enemy Pakistan is outrageous in sending terrorists to Kashmir and training them to create terror,” says Kuwar. Despite reasoning with him that it is the people of Kashmir who demand freedom from India and rise in rebellion against the atrocities committed by the Indian armed forces, he says, “Kashmir is a part of India and cruel Pakistan has occupied a part of our land.” Kuwar says it is justified to use force against protesters in Kashmir. “They are not normal protesters. They ask for separation from the country.”

Kuwar says he is well-versed with political history and took keen interest in the subject at school. “Maharaja Hari Singh acceded to India, so there is no way Kashmir is not a part of India,” he says. Kuwar is from Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and is surely well-versed with history, but only the Indian version of it. His views on the Kashmir issue, particularly against Pakistan, are formed by what he reads in history books written by Indian authors and what he sees on mainstream commercial news outlets.

Kuwar knows nothing about Jammu and Kashmir having its own flag and the fact that it used to have its own Prime Minister and President before 1964. Upon being asked if he knew about the state’s special status, he says, “Yes, but [Article] 370 gives Kashmir status of a special state, not a special country. How can it have its own prime minister and its own flag? I am hearing this story for the first time. Tricolour is the only flag of our country.”

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Same story, different versions

Dawood* runs an electronics store in Jamia Nagar. People around his shop regularly discuss the ongoing civil uprising in Kashmir. “Army fires on protesters when they pelt stones,” he says. Upon being asked how one can justify shooting bullets in response to stones, he says, “You misunderstood me. I mean this only. People have the right to protest and even if they pelt stones in anger there is no good reason to shoot them with bullets.” Millions of people like Kuwar are unreasonably critical about the people of Kashmir, but then there are others like Dawood who are not. However, the difference of opinion is not based on religion, but mostly on the educational background of people.

Saba Sodhi is perusing Doctorate of Philosophy in media analysis. Her grandfather was a brigadier in Indian Army’s infantry regiment Gorkha Rifles. About Kashmir issue, Sodhi says, “It's a mess. And it's a mess I've been discussing for a very long time. My grandfather has written a lot, especially critical of our handling of Kashmir.” She believes India uses excessive force to deal with the people. “I understand the army thought process but I don't agree with it. They want Kashmir to remain with us, but they treat Kashmiris like they're an enemy.”

Even though the Indian government does not consider Kashmir a disputed territory, some of its citizens do. “Jammu and Kashmir is an occupied territory. India and Pakistan are the two occupying forces,” says Prakhar Gupta, a young independent journalist based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, who writes on foreign affairs. Gupta says he cares about the Kashmir issue and follows media based in Kashmir for unbiased coverage on issues that involve India. He believes most people in India generally do care about the issue. “But much of what is common knowledge, particularly in the valley, is not well known to most in India. They are not aware of the human rights violations committed by the Indian forces, the mass rapes and enforced disappearances,” says Gupta. “Politicians control the narrative and make sure that acute nationalism is an indispensable part of the recipe. I believe if the Indian public comes to realise the extent of human rights violations, public pressure to curb the violations will grow.”



Gupta does not support armed insurgency, but Sounak Majumder says, “It’s both right and wrong.” Majumder is from Kolkata, West Bengal, and is presently pursuing a post-graduation in marketing from London. “Firstly, it is wrong to blame the army as they are merely following orders. Secondly, it is wrong to blame the youth of Kashmir as they want freedom just like we did in 1947,” he says. “I think for now, discussions with controlled insurgency needs to be followed, as Pakistan is a threat to India and we need to be protected from them as well. The Indian Army is there to serve our motherland which on paper and the map is still in India.”

Regarding the insurgency, Sodhi says, “Alienated people always rebel.” She adds, “This isn't a gun solution, I don't agree with guns, but I'm not surprised that we're at this stage.”

Root cause analysis

The separatist leaders of Kashmir have long been demanding a free and fair plebiscite to resolve the conflict. In fact, plebiscite was also suggested by the United Nations Security Council as a resolution to solve the conflict. Moreover, first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, promised to give the people of Kashmir a right to choose their fate when peace prevails in the region. The promise was never fulfilled. Now, nearly 70 years after the conflict started, the government of India does not even consider the Kashmir conflict a bilateral issue – between India and Pakistan – and the idea of holding a plebiscite is out of question.

But what do the Indian citizens want? Rishabh, a resident of New Delhi, says he cares about Kashmir issue but it’s not the only issue of its kind. “From what I know about the history of the place, it's as good as any one asking for any other state. India has dealt with many such issues in the past like Khalistan (movement) during the ‘80s and so on and so forth. Similar instances are happening all around the world,” he says. However, he agrees that Kashmir, “apart from the touristy part of it,” has been generally ignored by India. “And we as citizens of the country need to do a lot more to integrate Kashmiris,” he says.

Rishabh considers Kashmir a bilateral dispute. “Yes, because that is where it all began. What it turned into is a very different issue. Earlier it used to be just an issue between two dominions seeking to capture a piece of land. But I guess the constant bickering has led to a lot of frustration amongst Kashmiris. I can understand the frustration,” says Rishabh. Upon being asked about the potential solution, he says, “The best result could be a plebiscite or a referendum like the one Britain just had. But the issue is there are more people willing to incite violence and hatred rather than make peace and such a thing only adds to the tension.”

“As an Indian, I would never want to see Kashmir not being part of our country,” he concludes.

Shantanu Jain, a business journalist, says, “To me a plebiscite seems to be the only solution. It is too late for the Indian government to dictate what Kashmiris want. It is their life; they should have the right to make the calls.”



Meanwhile, Sodhi says India is avoiding a plebiscite now. “There was a time when India and the Indian army were appreciated in the valley. They overstayed their welcome. I understand that the plebiscite at that point would have swung in our favour. But we're only skirting around the plebiscite now because we know we messed up. We can see the consequences,” she says.

“I am also very put off by the lack of consequences for an individual, the second they wear a uniform,” says Sodhi while referring to the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that gives impunity to security forces working in Jammu and Kashmir. “And how atrocities against civilians can be completely ignored when it's within the context of ‘security’,” says Sodhi. “The way we use AFSPA for such long periods is utterly wrong. It doesn't sit well with me in general. That being said, I don't think I am 100% qualified to have an opinion.”

Surya Kumar, a business management student at a Noida-based University, says, the Kashmir issue is important but it is “unfortunately suppressed”. However, Kumar does not pass the buck on the government. “It is our negligence and carelessness in electing an efficient leader or it is our own restriction factors in raising a voice against such tensions,” he says. “Once the public rises against these politicians, just imagine the impact.”

Law student Sahil Sanjay Modi, who hails from Alwar city of Rajasthan, blames the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the administration for the trouble in the region. “Freedom is entirely an independent jurisprudence. Freedom can neither be granted nor taken. It is the state and the administrative mechanism that is responsible (for Kashmir issue), along with the citizens,” he says. “What exactly the situation is, what policies are formed in Kashmir, I have no clue but independently I believe the major reason for such devastating circumstances is exemption of Kashmir from the law of land and providing power to legislate for their own benefit.”

Sahil also believes that media is influenced from various quarters, which makes surfacing of truth difficult. “Everything that's happening around is all influenced so I don't feel like reading. What media presents here and what social sites portray is all biased I believe. Political influences, state sovereignty, independence of press are a few reasons why the facts are twisted by the time they reach the public via news,” he says. “Believing everything blindly without reaching finding the root cause is the main reason for such destruction.”

Meanwhile, Munavir Fairoos Hariz, who hails from Kerala and is presently a management trainee in New Delhi, sees the Kashmir conflict from the prism of religion. “Since the time of partition, Pakistan has been trying to get Kashmir on their side because they say most of the Kashmiri people are Muslims,” he says. “But I don’t believe in that because India is a secular nation.” Hariz adds, “I think it’s all about politics. No government wants to solve this issue. They are only playing politics.”

Logical mind vs emotional heart

Even though many educated young adults use logic to discuss the Kashmir conflict, others are swayed by emotion, with some resort to the use of abusive language on social media. “Terrorists roaming freely on roads in Kashmir with Pakistani flags as seen in the picture. It’s a proof that these Kashmiris are not innocent. Fire bullets in their head,” writes Raj Koul in a comment on a Facebook post showing two veiled women walking on the roads with one of them holding a Pakistani flag. Replies to the comment are similar in nature. Jamil Butt comments, “Raj Koul why not fire bullets in your head? Just open your eyes then take a look at yourself which is full of stupidity and cow dung.” Another man posts a morphed image of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and writes, “The biggest terrorist.” Most posts on social media ignite similar burning debates among Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri people, and while some of them make sense and promote harmony, others don’t.

Finally, Majumder says, “I am halfway across the world and I do care. My friends who are Kashmiri are there, my friends who are from the army are there, and some of them are friends themselves. I will never want such a situation (present turmoil) to intensify and last for a second more. Right now we need to do what you are doing, get the message out. The pen is mightier than the sword; actions won't change anything for the good. Words will.”

*Name has been changed to protect identity

Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa is a Kashmir-based journalist and founder/editor of news website jandknow.com