Seventy-Two Years Of Kashmiri Suffering

Maharaja Hari Singh, the then ruler of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), signed the dubious instrument of accession with the Indian government allowing Indian forces to land in Srinagar in order to oust Pakistan-backed armed groups who were in a position to oust the Dogra rule from there. The arrival of Indian forces led to the first Indo-Pak war which resulted in the creation of the ceasefire line and occupation of a part of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh by India. Only Gilgit, Baltistan and a small part of J&K came under Pakistan’s control.

Even after 72 years, October 27 is marked as Black Day in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and across Pakistan. But after August 5, 2019, the paradigm shift in the status of India-Occupied Kashmir (IOK) has resulted in major changes with far-reaching consequences on the region and globally. Although articles 370 and 35(A) of the Indian constitution and the so-called autonomous status granted by the two articles to IOK were severely violated by the Indian government, the revocation of the two articles created a new crisis, further augmenting the sufferings of the Muslim majority population of the Valley. J&K was the only Muslim majority state within the Indian Union and by revoking its special status New Delhi has not only attacked the Muslim identity of J&K, the basis of Indian secularism but also deepened a sense of insecurity, particularly in the Muslim population of the Valley.