August 27, 2020
Kashmir Awaits Arab Spring
By Syed Rifaqat Ali
Since August 5, 2019 Kashmir is under siege with about a million Indian troops committing the most heinous crime by way of torturing men, women and children in the most barbaric manner unprecedentedly.
Leaders from political parties and other groups are in detention without reason. Journalists have lost freedom to express without fear. Foreign media men are banned from visiting Kashmir to ascertain ground realities freely and candidly about the grim situation in Kashmir.
Democracy is dead in Kashmir and business houses have collapsed beyond comprehension. But the BJP government at the Centre is unmoved and dogmatic. The world is acting ignoramus strangely enough.
Former J and K chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, is still in detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA)which was clamped on political leaders and activists after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution which is just bizarre.
In such a horrendous and murky scenario in Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, 61, three-time BJP parliamentarian, took over from Girish Chandra Murmur, as the Lt.-Gov. of
Kashmir in the second week of August this year.
Sinha had the cheek to pronounce at his swearing-in lacklustre ceremony: "We need to establish a dialogue with the common people of Kashmir for peace and stability. There will be no discrimination against anyone."
The function was boycotted by former chief ministers of J and K, Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, PDP spokesperson Tahir Syed and other leaders.
Justice (retd.) Husnain Madoodi, senior National Conference leaders and parliamentarian, said: "Nothing will happen unless there is a change in the approach. towards the people.
Changing faces have no meaning." J and K Congress president, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, admonished the Modi government when he said: " Nobody from his Party got an invite.
This is how the BJP intends to start the political process in Jammu and Kashmir." Freelance journalist Tariq Mir succinctly describes the grim situation in Kashmir: As the world remains consumed with containing the Coronavirus pandemic and the severe economic fallout, India has spotted an opportunity for another round of repression against the population of Kashmir, which had already been reeling from the harsh after effects of last year's six-month-long military lockdown.
By initiating gunfights with guerrilla fighters, jailing people for going to buy food and medicine, bringing charges against journalists and beating doctors, paramedics and municipal workers, India is tightening its grip on Kashmir, seizing on pandemic measures to prevent a surge of resistance to its rule (The Washington Post, April 30, 2020).
Freedom of Press in India is a thing of the past. Journalists writing against the central government or criticizing Modi's style of governance are hounded day and night and voices are stifled instantly.
Prannoy Roy, big boss of India's oldest and most credible news network, told Rana Ayyub of the Washington Post: they are trying to tell us that we can suppress you even if we haven't done nothing wrong. It is a signal to the entire free press of India (Feb .21,2020).
If the Modi continues with its rotten governance under the garb of democracy it should be prepared to face Arab Spring which saw a series of pro-democracy uprisings in 2011 that enveloped several countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, and so on.
The Kashmiris have become desperate since they have been brutally tortured, crushed and humiliated, and they see no hope till this government is in the saddle. They have no option but to revolt openly in a do or die situation.
Syed Rifaquat Ali is Sydney-based JoA correspondent
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
Your donation
is tax deductable.
