As the world faces another gut-wrenching tragedy, lines of distinction are blurred, and we all come together to grieve for Lebanon’s loss. Over the past year, we have faced a series of sorrows, whether it’s in the fight against Coronavirus or the death of George Floyd. We stood united in the face of disparity, vanquished the sounds of silence, and raised our voices to deliver justice.
But there is a heartbreaking cataclysm that we have overlooked: the plight of Kashmir.
Children are detained, women are raped, innocents are slaughtered, and humanity is lost. Any statement against the government is swiftly rebuked, through sedition allegations, suppressing peaceful dissent. For the government, control is no longer a desired state but a prerequisite. The government has seized the freedom of expression and speech of the people by detaining political leaders, banning public meetings, and shutting down the internet. The unyielding despair and fear of arbitrary arrests and shootings by security forces has left the Kashmir valley full of shuttered shops and empty classrooms.
UN Human Rights Watch South Asia Director expressed that Kashmiris have endured decades of violence and human rights violations, and are yet to be assured of justice. The UN human rights office stated that armed groups were responsible for human rights violations, including kidnappings, killings of civilians, sexual violence, recruitment of children for armed combat, and attacks on people affiliated or associated with political organizations in Jammu and Kashmir.
I sincerely believe whoever is causing such agony should be held accountable: non-state actors or state actors, so that terror and tumult of hate shall cease, and the people of Kashmir get to live a better tomorrow.
But in India, there is no coverage, only deafening silence.
How would there be any coverage? When news channels and leaders are occupied in furthering their propaganda and playing the blame game.
When the preamble of the constitution says “We the people”, it entails each and every one of us, including our brethren in Kashmir. We are still a far cry from the democracy our politicians promise of in every election.
Where is the democracy in suppressing the voices of our own people?
Our country is demanding for the truth behind their idolized star’s death and emerging victorious because they stand united against the power of the authorities.
Voices are being heard, justice is being delivered.
The world is a dark and dangerous place, not only because of those who do evil, but who sit back and do nothing.
What I request of you is to open your eyes to the injustice against the people of Kashmir. To mourn their loss and to stand by their side in their fight. To denounce the sheer brutality and inhumanity against them. To raise your voices and say ‘no more’. And just how we have stood in solidarity in the face of every other adversity, I ask you to stand with Kashmir.
To end this vicious cycle, before all that remains of our ‘Paradise on Earth’ are red ashes of pain.
This is how we get to peace.
By Seher Khanna, for the Trans Solidarity Fundraiser.