A year of humiliation, bruises for pro-Indian Kashmiris

For years I held the strongest belief that the future of Kashmir remained with India. Though I had shifted out of Kashmir years ago, yet in my heart, my Kashmiri identity remained, and continues to remain, supreme. This is true for most Kashmiris, whether Muslims or Pandits. In a very polarised environment, I was trying to keep a neutral ground and batted for India.

But that was till August 5, 2019. In the words inspired by a right-leaning TV anchor in a "sheer sudden move….[an] unexpected move, unpredictable move" the Special Status of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir was done away with by abrogating Article 370. This decision was taken unilaterally by the Central government and Home Minister Amit Shah became the face of this move.

Back in 2018, and at the beginning of 2019, if you had asked me, I was all for the abrogation of the so-called Special Status of the then state. The law, in my opinion, served only the ends of the elite in Kashmir. What was there for me to crib about it? But the manner in which the consent for the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A was made me feel extremely alienated.

An administration headed by a Governor who was not a Kashmiri, or a Dogra, or a Bakkarwal, Pahadi, Kargili, or Ladakhi – the major denominations in the valley – was made to sign off the change. We were told that he represented the view of Kashmiris since the law was changed to make the Governor stand in for the state’s non-existent Legislative Assembly. It made very little sense.

Governor Satya Pal Malik had only days before the move brushed aside any talk of abrogation of Special Status. And Malik wasn't alone in this. Many such people, including officials (not elected representatives), made a dark mockery of Kashmiri sentiments.

But that wasn't all. The state was cut into pieces just like cake sectioned on a table. While Ladakhis might have got what they always wanted, the same could not be said of Kargilis. They were visibly upset with the move. It didn't stop with the partitioning of the state. Both new geographical areas, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, were made into Union Territories. It was tantamount to downgrading the status of J&K, although PM Narendra Modi promised that statehood to J&K would be restored at some point in the near future.

Most pro-Indian leaders, who over the years risked their lives for the cause and idea of India, were either put behind the bars, or kept under house arrest. Anyone who could mobilise a crowd of more than 10 people was arrested. Internet services and phone connections were snapped-- both landline and mobile. There was a virtual information blackout from Kashmir, except for internet access to a bunch of journalists believed to be close to the ruling dispensation.

The deadline to implement these moves was set three months later – on October 31, 2019. Pro-Indian Kashmiris turned swiftly towards what they had always fought for: The Constitution of India. They started filing pleas in Supreme Court against the move. The verdict didn't come in time and the government continued with its agenda.

Till date, people in the Muslim-dominated province of Jammu & Kashmir – the Kashmir Valley – haven’t seen 4G network on their phones. This at a time when the PM has been celebrating the digital prowess of India. Some mainstream politicians were able to walk free and some are still detained. And many still want to know what is wrong with India's Kashmir policy, if there is one? There is no clarity on what the Centre plans to do in the name of propping up a new political class in Kashmir. Things continue to remain shrouded in a lot of confusion and lack of transparency is a way of life.

The move is seen as part of BJP's hardline Hindutva ideology by many Kashmiris today. This is a worrying trend because many pro-India Kashmiris feel like they have been orphaned by the State by whom they stood all these years.

I conclude with a personal anecdote. Months after Article 370 was abrogated, a friend who never had faith in India called me up and mocked me saying, "Aapko Hindustan ka aayeein muabarak hai” (Congratulations to you for your belief of India.) I tried to reason with him, but this time, my position was much weaker. The reason? One decision taken without any consultation on August 5, 2019.