"Beneath the silence, hearts still beat,
Through every trial, through each defeat.
The mountains whisper, the rivers cry—
Kashmir shall live, it shall not die."
The story of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) has always been one of contested narratives. To the Indian state, the region is now “normal” after the revocation of Article 370 and 35-A in August 2019. To the people of Kashmir, however, daily life remains shaped by militarization, fear, and disenfranchisement. As of 31st August 2025, the gap between perception and reality has only widened.
"Democracy or Demographic Engineering?"
India highlights the 2024 Assembly elections as a symbol of democratic revival. For the first time in a decade, Kashmiris were able to cast their votes, and the National Conference–Congress alliance under Omar Abdullah formed a government. Yet this supposed return of democracy is hollow. The new administration has no control over policing, land, or the bureaucracy—levers of authority that remain firmly in New Delhi’s hands. Democracy without power becomes theatre: a performance for global optics rather than genuine self-governance.
The fragility of India’s “normalcy” narrative was brutally exposed in April 2025, when an attack near Pahalgam left at least 26 civilians dead. It was the deadliest incident in years, striking at the heart of India’s claim that tourism represents peace. The aftermath saw cross-border escalations with Pakistan, involving aerial and artillery exchanges until international pressure forced a return to ceasefire. This episode underscored what Pakistan has long maintained—Kashmir is not an internal matter but a flashpoint with regional and global consequences.
"Kashmir Between Occupation and Resistance"
Beyond security, the most significant transformation lies in demographic engineering. Since 2020, more than 400,000 outsiders have been granted domicile certificates. New land laws allow non-Kashmiris to purchase property, while the 2022 delimitation exercise allocated 43 assembly seats to Jammu and 47 to Kashmir, giving disproportionate weight to the Hindu-majority region despite Kashmir’s larger population. Together, these steps aim to dilute the Muslim-majority character of the Valley—a strategy strikingly similar to settler-colonial policies in Palestine.
Meanwhile, the human rights deficit remains severe. Independent reports confirm that more than 20,000 Kashmiris have been detained under harsh laws such as the Public Safety Act and UAPA since 2019. India continues to lead the world in internet shutdowns, recording 84 blackouts in 2024 alone, the majority in Kashmir. Freedom House’s symbolic upgrade of the region to “Partly Free” in 2025 does little to alter the reality of surveillance, censorship, and curtailed civil liberties.
Placed in comparative perspective, Kashmir mirrors Palestine not only in its occupation but also in its silencing. Both societies endure militarized borders, demographic restructuring, and international apathy despite binding UN resolutions. Without sustained global attention, such occupations normalize themselves through cosmetic reforms while suppressing the essence of self-determination.
In truth, India’s narrative of “integration” masks a deeper project of erasure. Kashmiris are offered ballots without authority, tourism without safety, and citizenship without dignity. For Pakistan, the responsibility lies in reframing the narrative, linking Kashmir to global justice movements, mobilizing international law, and amplifying Kashmiri voices across diplomatic and media platforms.
As of August 2025, Kashmir is neither free nor at peace. It remains a conflict-ridden, heavily militarized territory where the dream of self-determination endures despite every attempt to suffocate it. Until the will of the Kashmiri people is restored as the decisive factor, South Asia’s stability will remain hostage to an unfinished conflict. |