Kashmir: The Untold Story of Indian Occupation

By Tara Dorabji

A few days before I left for India, American journalist, David Barsamian, was deported from New Delhi for his coverage of Kashmir. Barsamian reports for AlterNet one of the few national free speech radio outlets in the US. News reports quoted officials saying that his deportation resulted from his reporting on Kashmir during his 2009-10 trip to India, while on a tourist visa. If reporting the truth in Kashmir can get you deported, I was in danger.

On my first day in Srinagar, the local head of surveillance let me know he was fully aware of my arrival. It was a discreet enough interaction, but served its purpose: I was being watched. My threat? A pen and paper to record the stories of Kashmiris.

The silence of India’s occupation of Kashmir blankets the valley, like the morning smog obscures the Himalayan Mountains. There is a new face to the hundred-year-old struggle for Kashmiri sovereignty and independence. Sahil, age 12, lit up when I asked what his hope for Kashmir is. “I have a hope that there is a freedom in Kashmir.” Sahil’s father was disappeared in 2002. For nine years he and his mother have searched for his father, only his absence is present. Every day after school Sahil comes home to help his mother work—embroidering cloth to earn a few rupees.
The strong current of popular, nonviolent uprising for freedom continues to grow in Kashmir. It distinguishes itself from the armed rebellion of the early 90s, yet the demand is the same: liberation from occupation—the independence of Kashmir. Despite the Indian government’s own estimate of only 500-700 armed militants in the area, Kashmir remains the most densely militarized land on earth. There are approximately 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary in Kashmir, policing a population of 12.5 million.

Under the British partitioning of India in 1947, Kashmir joined India as a quasi-independent region. For a short time, Kashmiris enjoyed much self-rule, self-determination and indigenous leadership. Kashmir led the world in revolutionary land reform, implementing a broad redistribution of resources that created a population relatively equal in wealth. Was it that the Indian ruling elite feared that Kashmir would serve as a model for India? Could there have been a broad redistribution of resources in the subcontinent?

There are many interpretations of how the trust and relationship between Delhi and Srinagar eroded. The result was a deliberate stripping of Kashmiri independence, which on paper was protected under article 370 of the India constitution. While most of these rights have diminished, land protection in the valley is still observed and only Kashmiris can own land in the region. It is this provision that has prevented a complete repopulation of the area.

With the erosion of Kashmir’s autonomy, came the military repression and arguably an attempted genocide. From 1989 to 2011 there have been 8,000 documented disappearances and 70,000 deaths of Kashmiris resulting from the Indian occupation. Torture is rampant. Khurram Parvaiz, Liaison of the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir (IPTK), works documenting the cases of torture. “The most underreported phenomenon in Jammu and Kashmir is torture. If you go to any village hundreds of people in every village have been tortured, not just men, but women, children and old people as well.” Parvaiz was involved in documenting the torture of over 1,500 people who became impotent because their genitals were electrocuted. He goes on to explain that there have been hundreds of boys who were raped by soldiers. In one case the abuse by the army was caught on video, still there were no convictions. Parvaiz continued to describe another case of torture, “I have documented very horrible cases, but this is the most horrible.” The army kept a 60-year-old man in solitary confinement for one month. During that time, he wasn’t given anything to eat, but his own flesh. They cut the flesh from his body and served it to him. This was all he was given to eat for a month. Recounting the torture Parvaiz said, “This was something that shook me. We have hundreds of Guantanamo Bays here. Why is nobody talking about it?”

The torture and death can be buried no longer. In July 2011, the State Human Rights Commission of Jammu and Kashmir (SHRC) released a report documenting 2,156 unidentified bodies in 38 graveyards. The state report verified the findings of Buried Evidence, released in 2009 by Parvaiz’s group. Parvaiz explained how the findings were initially swept under the rug, “The government said that these unmarked graves are all of foreign militants and people need not worry about it.” There have been limited DNA tests on the remains. Parvaiz cited that DNA tests of 53 bodies identified that 49 were Kashmiri civilians, one was a Kashmiri combatant and three were unidentified.
Parvaiz said, “It is the right of the family to have the body. The government does not want to give these bodies to the families because there is something to hide. They are hiding the marks of torture.”

Kashmiri children grow up watching graveyards populate their villages. As people are buried, the community holds their story, the memory. Oral history is their biggest weapon against India’s brutal occupation. Even under occupation, the stories of the dead cannot be silenced.

The families of the disappeared continue to fight for the truth. Bilkeez Manzoor became a member of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons after her father disappeared in 2002. The army took him from their house in the middle of the night. They have not seen him since. Manzoor continues to fight for justice for her father and brought the case all the way to India’s supreme court. Manzoor recounted that she received threatening calls telling her not to continue with her case, “But I am not afraid. I thought I am strong; I should file this. I have never stopped.”
Manzoor explained her hopes for Kashmir. “I want independence. The armed forces, they destroy everyone’s lives through torture, through fake murders like disappearances. It is very horrible for us. When we have independence we’ll be free of this. With the independence of Kashmir, maybe the women will feel free.”

While the people of Kashmir resist occupation and struggle for freedom every day, their struggle is largely ignored by the international community. Khurram Parviz asked, “Why is the international community silent? The war which has been declared on the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian state has been violent, has been brutal has matched all records of brutality around the world. What we have suffered in the last 20 years is no less than a war crime, yet there is silence by the international community.”

Looking at the high alpine lakes and valley surrounded by mountains, one cannot help, but think of Switzerland. With a population of 7.6 million people, Switzerland’s population is nearly half the size of Kashmir’s. Despite its small size, Switzerland spends about 1% of their GDP on military. If Switzerland can be independent, why not Kashmir?

Could the future independence of Kashmir be a headwaters in creating a new type of democracy? Perhaps if the nonviolent, popular movement of Kashmir is allowed self-determination a new brand of democracy will be born: a democracy that is not founded on control through military domination—one that does not wave the flag of democracy to cover up genocide.
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In October 2011 Tara Dorabji visited the most densely militarized land on earth—Kashmir. On Monday, December 26 Kashmir: the Untold Story of Indian Occupation aired on KPFA radio (www.kpfa.org or 94.1). You can find the
show’s archive at: http://www.kpfa.org/archive/date/2011/12/26.

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Rick

What about Pakistan’s actions and occupation of Kashmir?
Rick

What about Pakistan’s actions and occupation of Kashmir?
Ua

Pakistan’s occupation is not even close to being as brutal and atrocious as India’s. Yes, occupation it is still. Kashmiris want independence from both.

Pakistan hasn’t killed 80,000 Kashmiris or disappeared 10,000. Nor do they have mass graves on their side of the border.
Ss Time

I think your understanding of kashmir problem is completely flawed. Muslims consider hindus kafir, and only want to co-exist as rulers. That is all. Ask a non-muslim from kashmir, he would say he is indian.
Your level of understanding is not even high-schoolish, hust like Mrs Roy.
Indian state inherits brutality from super-babaric west, who transcend middle eastern cruelty by orders of magnitude.
Bmasood

So you think a good enough dose of killings, torture, and rapes will persuade these muslims to coexist?
Ss Time

where did I say that ? I have no Idea how to deal with such irrationality. Ask some kashmiri pandits may be they have some good ideas. Kashmir is not the only place where torture, rape and killings occur in India or Indian sub-continent. For that mater they occur all over the earth. Just look at pakistan, syria, iran, afganistan libiya, france, england, china, U.S.A. They are all birds of the same feather. religions are extra-ordinary violent. They cut-off the head of a saudi women, because she was practising pagan rituals.
Ahadjoo

Kashmir has to be free from the oppression of India other wise India cannot remain what is is boasting about: the largest democracy in the world. Only thing that is preventing this from happening is the lack of interest from the international community. But how long can the nations like the US and the west be ignorant of the facts. The suppression and oppression un-leashed by India in Kashmir shall one day make them to change their stance
Ahadjoo

Kashmir has to be free from the oppression of India other wise India cannot remain what is is boasting about: the largest democracy in the world. Only thing that is preventing this from happening is the lack of interest from the international community. But how long can the nations like the US and the west be ignorant of the facts. The suppression and oppression un-leashed by India in Kashmir shall one day make them to change their stance
KP

Ss Time, stop confusing the issue. Kashmiri pandits do not want Kashmir to be free from India, does not mean that majority population should accept the curse of Indian occupation and tyranny… What is so irrational in demanding end to injustice, inhumanity, indignity?? What Saudi’s and Pakistanis do to its citizens cannot be used as an argument to justify India’s war crimes in Kashmir.
Rishikesh958

How can Muslims claim Kashmir, it was not an Arab land. Historically it is connected with India. And Tara Dorab has not bothered about to give information about the ethnic cleaning of the minority community of Hindus namely Kashmiri Panddits, the Pandits were butchred in Kashmir by the Muslims and rest ran away from Kashmir to Dehi, This is a strange thing, they have to be refugees in their motherland
Ss Time

what muslim fundamentalist did to kashmiri hindu was far worse. If india is using violence, then why do they cry ? muslims in kashmir have done the same thing as they accuse india of doing. 22% pr-partion population of kashmiri pandits has dwindled to less that 1%. I t seems you are with ethnic cleanser. Same has happend in pakistan. All muslim countries are injust to hindus/christians etc. if kashmiris get their freedom, they would do exactly the same. smash hindu temples, declare kashmir the land of pure. What is the solution ? they are the most inhuman, undignified and unjust tnemselves. they should first learn under their shirt. Do you know tht in 1922 there was a voilent incident in gandhi lead struggle. Gandhi suspended the struggle. The leaders of kashmiri struggle believe in the genocidal “tqo nation” theory. grow up man.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KEOJDSNIOAGMQ76W7ZPP7356XE anonymous

This report offers an insight of Kashmir situation, but unfortunately seems to be very one sided and limited in its approach. Propaganda has driven outsiders to see Indian military presence as the only cause of their current situation and common people over a long period of time have been brainwashed to identify Indian govt as the enemy.

Kashmir does not conveniently belong to only those who could live through that period of ethnic cleansing and massive displacement of Kashmiri Pandits.

While the military presence, for the sheer number of personnel, is overwhelming, one could argue that this might be due to the difficult terrain, threats from two bordering countries (India has fought wars with both and they’ve grabbed land from India), forces Indian govt to have such presence in the valley. Not to forget the long period of Pakistan supported terrorism (Bhutto govt has actively sponsored this) in the valley targeting Kashmiri Pandits. This should come as no surprise as Pakistan has now been exposed internationally to be a breeding ground for such terrorist outfits as LeT etc.

The brutality and unfair conditions for Indians in Kashmir have to end, no doubt that Indian government has neglected the issue for long and has failed with the heavy handed approach to curb militancy in the valley, they must have won the faith of Indians in the valley at the same time.

Indian govt is ultimately responsible for the conditions of people in the valley, even though the outside influence within a certain section of people is hard to counter. People get brainwashed with hardliner views in western countries even. All the cases of torture against Indians in the valley need to be reviewed by courts in India and accounted for. There is no justifying any other approach or result but to punish those reponsible, and I cannot emphasize enough on this point. This issue should be highlighted for the torture and human rights violation in all the international forums, to force Indian government to take right steps.

People who use victim’s stories as a means to achieve any other goal than justice for the victims crying for freedom are just Pakistani agents and should be identified as such. Please make justice your goal, let’s not play this political game with the people by giving them a false sense of Pakistan advertised freedom.

“ If Switzerland can be independent, why not Kashmir?” Not sure about the validity of that statement.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KEOJDSNIOAGMQ76W7ZPP7356XE anonymous

KP,
“majority population should accept the curse of Indian occupation and tyranny?”
So in your opinion, majority should be free to decide the fate of an issue. Hmm…wonder what you think about the Babri Masjid demolition by majority population? I am an Hindu and I was against that and any other political stunts in India.

“What is so irrational in demanding end to injustice, inhumanity, indignity”
Let’s do that together, but that’s not what your focus is, your focus is freedom as Pakistan has proposed to you.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KEOJDSNIOAGMQ76W7ZPP7356XE anonymous

KP,
“majority population should accept the curse of Indian occupation and tyranny?”
So in your opinion, majority should be free to decide the fate of an issue. Hmm…wonder what you think about the Babri Masjid demolition by majority population? I am an Hindu and I was against that and any other political stunts in India.

“What is so irrational in demanding end to injustice, inhumanity, indignity”
Let’s do that together, but that’s not what your focus is, your focus is freedom as Pakistan has proposed to you.
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SG

Kashmir’s Frustrted Fighters!
What abt the no. of innocnet people killed in bomb blasts in many indian cities created by yor militant brothers trained by the illicit lover of your motherlad Kashmir better known as Pakistan??