Jammu & Kashmir’s accession to Indian union by the Dogra despot, Hari Singh, while being facilitated by local collaborator, Sheikh Abdullah, threw the fate of Kashmiris from the claws of vultures into the jaws of hyenas. But there were some checks in place, that although did nothing to weaken the grip of hyenas on Kashmir but didn’t let them gulp it down altogether either. Those checks were in the form of Articles 370 and 35-A. Article 370, which gave Kashmir quasi-autonomy had already been watered down by Indian National Congress, until finally Bharatiya Janata Party gave it a final death blow when it abrogated it completely alongwith 35-A, which protected the very fragile demographics of Kashmir.

 

The bureaucratic rule that started in Kashmir in 2018 and then deepened its roots on 5th August 2019 has taken away every breathing space from Kashmiris. With the status of Kashmir reduced from a ‘state’ to ‘union territory’, the bureaucrats are the new despots, who function like tyrannical Dogra officers while enforcing their cruel whims upon Kashmiris. The Lieutenant Governor is the new Hari Singh and Indian state is the new feudal empire ruling over its Kashmiri vassal.

 

Since that fateful day of 5th August 2019, Indian hyenas have gone berserk in their attacks on every aspect of Kashmiri identity. The attacks since then have been multidimensional, they have attacked our economy, our culture and our religion in every manner possible. These attacks were there before 2019 as well, but not with the intensity seen currently. Although more blood was shed before 2019, they have given a relative respite to our bodies since then while snatching the very Earth under our feet, effectively killing us without killing us.

 

Kashmiris are struggling economically since the bureaucratic takeover in a horrific manner, every economic avenue has been strangled. From agriculture/horticulture, to roadside hawkers, to traders big or small, and to workers, everyone has felt the Indian chokehold on Kashmiri economy. Every economic indicator in Kashmir will confirm this to you. We have seen how non-locals have been getting preferential treatment in getting leases to mining sites while locals have been sidelined. We have seen how non-locals are allowed to exploit our natural resources, like soil, sand, boulders with heavy machinery, whereas if a Kashmiri even dares to use a shovel, he’s fined and put behind bars.

 

We have seen how fruit farmers and traders are made to suffer heavy losses through systemic means, through blockade of highways and import of produce by India from other countries, just to decrease the value of Kashmiri product. The pesticides/insecticides made available in Kashmir by Indian authorities are of highly dubious nature, so much so that even more than dozen sprays in a season aren’t enough. Every farmer/orchardist in Kashmir will testify to that.

 

Drugs have been systematically injected into Kashmiri territory. Police and bureaucracy is hand in gloves with drug smugglers. To be precise, behind the scenes, police and bureaucracy is the actual drug smuggling agency in Kashmir.

 

Every area in Kashmir is currently grappling with drug addiction. It should be obvious to everyone with a keen eye regarding who is responsible for such free flow of drugs in a place as militarized as Kashmir. People are dying, families are being shattered, the very fabric of Kashmiri society is under attack. Morality has taken a back seat.

Despite all this, Indian state now wants to open alcohol shops in every area of Kashmir. Alcohol, which is pure poision for human body as well as the soul, is being promoted and enforced through militarized enforcement.

 

Our religious institutions are being constantly attacked and kept under the boot. Any person who dares to speak the truth without fear on the pulpit faces police summons, raids and threats. Religious scholars aren’t even allowed to address the moral decline. Speaking against Indian sponsored drug and alcohol havoc is ironically seen as a crime. Surveillance on mosques and religious institutions has taken extreme forms. There are even cameras installed inside mosques, keeping a close eye on activities there.

The Kashmiri civil society has become dysfunctional, because no body can function under the level of threats, harassment and intimidation that’s prevalent in Kashmir. You never know when you will be labelled as a threat to Indian state for doing the most normal of things in Kashmir. Everything you do in Kashmir, everything you speak about, or everything you even think about has a potential to lead you deepest dungeons of Indian state.

 

Kashmiri society is collapsing, we have lost the autonomy not just over our political territory, but over our social territory as well. Even our religious matters are being dictated to us by Hindutva feudal lords. Our traditions, deeply rooted in Islamic teachings, are being eroded and Islamic institutions, from mosques, khanqahs to darsgahs are being taken over by Hindutva agencies through so-called Waqf Board, which has been turned into a puppet agency to enforce the diktats of Indian Hindutva masters. Our pristine lands and water is being snatched from us and is being handed over to Indian Hindutva capitalists. All our resources are being taken over by Hindutva capitalists at a seriously alarming rate. The railway lines planned in Kashmir is just another spoke in the wheel of Indian Hindutva capitalism, making it easier for them to extract and loot out resources.

 

If this continues, the Kashmir as we know it today will cease to exist. It will simply be a Hindutva fantasy turned into reality. We need to accelerate our resistance to Indian Hindutva designs and our well wishers need to work at war footing as well, before its too late. The war is already upon us, the only choice left to Kashmiris is to be killed in deep slumber or to resist with fierce awakening.