Indian Multiple Secret Designs in Kashmir

By Sajjad Shaukat

Since Narendar Modi, the fanatic leader of the extremist ruling party BJP became Indian prime minister; persecution of religious minorities such as Sikhs, Christians and especially Muslims, including Kashmiri Muslims has been intensified in accordance with the ideology of Hindutva ((Hindu Nationalism).

As regards the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the very tragedy of Kashmiris had started after 1947 when they were denied their genuine right of self-determination which was also recognised by the UN related resolutions. They organised themselves against the Indian injustices and launched a war of liberation which New Delhi tried to suppress through various types of state terrorism.

Since 1989, various forms of state terrorism have been part of a deliberate campaign by the Indian army and paramilitary forces against the Kashmiri Muslims. It has been manifested in brutal tactics like crackdowns, curfews, illegal detentions, arrests, massacre,  targeted killings, sieges, burning the houses, torture, disappearances, rape, breaking the legs, molestation of Muslim women and killing of persons through fake encounters.

When Indian forces frustrated in suppressing the war of liberation, acting upon the Hindutva ideology, Modi-led regime started implementing multiple secret designs to bring about drastic demographic changes in the IIOJK.

On August 5, 2019, Indian government abrogated articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the disputed territory of the IIOJK. New Delhi split Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to be ruled by the federal government.

Unfortunately, more than three years have been passed. But, Indian strict military lockdown in the IIOJK keeps on going unabated.

Indian rulers have also issued over 1.8 million domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris to change the ethno-demographic structure of the IIOJK—to disturb its Muslim majority composition, particularly in the valley which has around 97 percent Muslim population.

In the past too, India had made several attempts on Kashmir’s demography and gradually reduced the Muslim population of the whole IIOJK.

As per census of 2011, the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J and K or J&K) was Muslim majority princely state at the time of partition, constituting 72.4 percent Muslim population which gradually has been reduced by around 4.13 percent to 68.31. At present, the IIOJK population stands at 12.541 million.

And around 500,000 Muslims were massacred, while over 200,000 disappeared from August to November 1947 in Jammu by Hindu fanatics. Thus, Muslims who were around 61 percent became minority of just 30 percent in this region.

In 1976, Agrarian Reforms Act 1976 was enacted which provided ownership rights to tillers of land and resultantly records were tempered and thousands of non-Kashmiris were shown tillers.

Similarly, during the period from 2001-2011 in inconceivable growth of cent percent was witnessed in Hindu population in Ladakh-another region of the IIOJK. The Hindu population grew from 6.2 percent to 12.1 percent.

Now, after the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution, the Indian government introduced many new laws and amended several others to facilitate non-Kashmiris and outsiders.

In this connection, the J&K Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act enables all those who lived in the occupied state for 15 years or studied there for seven years may apply for domicile. Even those who have appeared in class 10th or 12th examinations in Kashmir may also avail this opportunity. The domicile holders have right to job in Kashmir besides they can purchase property and have ownership rights.

The Modi-led government in October 2020 introduced a new law i.e. Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020, enabling any Indian citizen to buy property in the territory.

In its various reports, Al Jazeera wrote: “Kashmiris fear the new laws, are aimed at a land grab to dilute the Muslim-majority character of the region…The new laws also allow the lands acquired by the government for industrial or commercial purposes to be disposed of or sold to any Indian. These also authorise the Indian army to declare any area as “strategic” for operational and training purposes.”

Quoting the statement of the Indian National Conference (NC), India Outlook Magazine wrote: “While voicing its concern over the act, NC said: “The proposed amendments would undermine the civil authority and turn the entire region into a military establishment. Thousands of hectares of land were already under the possession of the Army and other security forces. The new policy will add to the pool of land under the procession of the army by cutting on the remaining arable and fertile land tracts available for agriculture activity.”

New Delhi which installed the so-called administration in the IIOJK added on July 21, 2021 a clause to the J&K Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, allowing the spouse of a native woman married outside the territory to apply for a domicile certificate. The new legal framework provides the occupation authorities a full license of changing the demography of the territory, while converting the locals’ majority into a minority by opening gate for an influx of non-Kashmiris.

And Al Jazeera pointed out: “Out of 66, top bureaucrats serving in the region, 38 are outsiders belonging to other Indian states. Many other outsiders serve in various central government institutions like banks, post offices telecommunication facilities, security institutions, and universities.”

It is mentionable that Jammu and Kashmir’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture and various allied activities. The Kashmir valley is also well-known for its sericulture and cold-water fisheries. Wood from Kashmir is used for multiple purposes, usually known as Kashmir Willow. Agricultural exports from Jammu and Kashmir include apples, cherries, corn, oranges, rice, peaches, vegetables, wheat etc., while manufactured exports include handicrafts, rugs and shawls. So, the Kashmir region has become a source of handsome amount of foreign exchange.

Before the freedom movement accelerated in 1989, tourism which formed an important part of the Kashmir valley’s economy was worst hit. However, the Indian government had already been eager to economically integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India to avail these financial benefits.

In its report on August 5, 2021, Al Jazeera described: “The worst impact of the 2019 decision has been on the region’s economy, which traders and industrialists say has collapsed, with thousands of job losses and rising unemployment…at least 500,000 Kashmiris have lost their jobs since 2019, including nearly 60,000 employed in the flagship tourism and horticulture sectors…Now, it [Indian government] has…trouble spots to control. The Jammu area feels economically deprived due to land rights that have been taken away from them. Ladakh is another spot as they are not happy with New Delhi because they were promised a union territory with powers of local authority which has not happened.”

Daily Parliament Times wrote on July 19, 2022: “APHC [All Parties Hurriyat Conference] AJK [Azad Jammu and Kashmir] Chapter convener Syed Faiz Naqshbandi expressing serious concern over the Indian BJP-RSS Modi government’s brutal move to set up a special colony for retired Indian armed forces and their families in 200 Kanal of grazing land in Budgam in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, said that the Kashmiris’ will resist all these sinister designs and anti-Kashmir moves of Indian government.”

Demanding the restoration of the region’s autonomy and statehood, politician Tarigami who is convener and spokesman of the People’s Alliance of Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) stated that people of the area [J&K] are “being ripped apart into smaller units, ripped off their jobs and rights over the natural resources that are theirs.”

Notably, India’s decision to franchise almost 2.5 million new non-local voters in the IIOJK is another attempt of the Hindu nationalist government to change the demography of the Muslim-majority region.

In this regard, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar told reporters on August 17, this year that more than 2 million new voters are expected to be enrolled in the region ahead of local polls due in November, 2022.

Taking note of Indian illegal act, in a statement issued on August 19, 2022, the Foreign Office spokesperson (FO) Asim Iftikhar said: “Pakistan categorically rejects the deliberate Indian attempts of pre-poll rigging and overt manipulation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir…permitting temporary residents to register as voters is a clear manifestation of the treacherous Indian design to influence the outcome of so-called elections in the territory.”

The FO added: “India will not be able to break the will of the Kashmiri people or to mislead the world community.”

Besides human rights organisations and NGOs, main political parties of the IIOJK have sharply criticised the move as Kashmiris fear that the rule changes will allow the extremist Hindu-nationalist BJP government to alter the demographics of the region.

In fact, India wants to obtain multiple secret designs by implementing this ‘strategy’. In this context, Kashmir Media Service (KMS) News Org on August 5, 2022 indicated: “The Modi regime has initiated the process of delimitation of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies in J&K with an aim to give more seats to Hindu-dominated areas of Jammu division. By doing this, the RSS-backed Indian regime wants to gain majority whenever so-called Assembly elections are held in IIOJK and install its own chief minister in the occupied territory.”

India intends to thwart the related UN resolutions which recognise that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory and right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people will be decided after holding a plebiscite. So, if New Delhi is compelled to hold a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir in the future, the results can go in Indian favour.

Another Indian hidden objective is that the demographic-changes will quell a decades-long independence movement of the Kashmiris.

But, despite the deployment of more than 900,000 military troops in the IIOJK, who have martyred thousands of the Kashmiris through brutal tactics-fake encounters, New Delhi has failed in repressing the Kashmiris’ prolonged war of liberation.

Nevertheless, Islamabad has called on India to desist from all actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir which violate the international law, the UN Charter, and the 4th Geneva Convention. Pakistan has appealed to the international community to take immediate cognisance of the open Indian attempts at effecting illegal demographic changes in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to allow non-Kashmiris to vote and own land there.

In these terms, New Delhi has been putting pressure on the Kashmiris by giving a drastic choice between political demands and economic development. But, it is Indian wishful thinking, as Kashmiri freedom fighters have intensified attacks on the Indian armed forces and their installations, and are well-determined to continue their struggle for independence.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com