SRINAGAR: In the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) Narendra Modi-led Indian government is making a series of concerning attempts to impose its Hindutva agenda and bring about a demographic change in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Since August 5, 2019, when India’s actions escalated state terrorism in the region, the Modi government has taken several steps to forcefully implement its settler colonial plan, which aims to transform the Muslim-majority occupied territory into a minority.
In its latest move, the government has allocated five Marla (approx. 1361 square feet) of land to approximately 9,000 individuals under its “land for the landless” scheme. Experts indicate that the majority of beneficiaries under this scheme are Indian Hindus.
Furthermore, thousands of kanals of land have already been allocated to Indian industrialists, enabling them to establish industries and bring Indian citizens as laborers, with the intention of permanent settlement in this United Nations-recognized disputed territory.
In stark violation of United Nations resolutions, the Modi regime has allowed Indian citizens temporarily residing in IIOJK to participate in so-called assembly elections.
Various political parties, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and regional parties like the Peoples Democratic Party, National Conference, and Communist Party of India, argue that these schemes are part of the Modi government’s broader strategy to alter the demography of the territory.
Shabbir Ahmed Shah, an APHC leader and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), has called upon the international community to intervene and prevent the displacement of the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir from their land, identity, and integrity by the Modi-led regime.
He highlighted the enactment of anti-Kashmiri laws and the redrawing of Jammu and Kashmir’s electoral map, which has created a sense of insecurity among Kashmiris. These laws aim to change the region’s demographics and deprive the native population of their resources, jobs, cultural identity, land, and the right to self-determination guaranteed by the United Nations.
The move of August 5, 2019, he asserted, was a deep-rooted conspiracy against Kashmiris, with the aim of erasing their political, cultural, and national identity.
Prior to 1947, the State of Jammu and Kashmir existed as one of the 565 princely states not under direct British control. It was given the choice to join either Pakistan or India. Despite being a Muslim-majority state, the ruler fraudulently acceded to India, leading to a public uprising.
Subsequently, one-third of Kashmir, including present-day Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), was liberated from India through an armed struggle. In 1947, India took the issue to the UN Security Council, which passed a resolution on January 5, 1949, granting Kashmiris the right to determine their future through a UN-supervised plebiscite.
However, India gradually reneged on its commitment, declared Kashmir its integral part, and used severe force to suppress the freedom struggle.
On August 5, 2019, India went further and revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, imposing its integration with the rest of the country. This decision violated UN resolutions that prevented India and Pakistan from taking actions that would prejudice the disputed status of the territory. These actions also contravene the Simla Agreement signed by the two sides in 1972.
To prevent potential public reactions, Delhi imposed months-long restrictions, including cutting off all communication, such as mobile phone service and the internet.
Amnesty International and six other organizations addressed a letter to G-20 countries ahead of their summit in New Delhi in September this year, highlighting these restrictions and India’s continued repressive policies.
The international community is called upon to exert pressure on India to restore the previous status of IIOJK, as committed before the UNSC, and grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination.
