SRINAGAR – On August 5, 2019, against the will of the Kashmiri people, the Indian government took the decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir in to two Union territories in an attempt to fully erode Kashmir’s political, economic, and judicial autonomy.
To prepare for this draconian measure, an additional 35,000 Indian security forces were sent to occupy Kashmir (already occupied by over 700,000 Indian forces) and restrict the movement of people and goods. Tourists were forced to leave against their will. Internet, mobile, and landline communications remain banned in Kashmir by the world’s largest “democracy” to suppress the voices and actions of the people.
Salman Khan, an independent political analyst and Chairman of the South African Kashmir Action Group, spoke to Salaamedia’s Inayat Wadee on the latest developments in Kashmir and the #RedForKashmir campaign.
“The laws in Kashmir, over the past 72 years are the same, the only thing that is different is that from 5 August [Kashmir has been put under] a double curfew. Kashmir was put under lockdown level 5 last year but it was under lockdown level 3 and 4 since 1947,” said Khan.
He added that Kashmir has also been on lockdown with regards to their internet, telecommunications and medication.
“This is a systematic genocide in the making and the problem that we face is that India is still maintaining the illegal occupation of Kashmir.”
The United Nation (UN) secretary general has said this is a unilateral decision and has stated that the Indian Supreme Court has gone against their own law and constitution.
“The UN and the South African government [are] quiet, the European Union has been making a bit of noise and OIC is avoiding the Modi government than to actually condemn.”
On the #RedForKashmir campaign, Khan said he supports any campaign on Kashmir as long as it speaks about the Kashmiri rights and then leave it to the people of Kashmir to decide what they want to do. He emphasised that he doesn’t associate himself with one colour that segregates because he is a unifier.
Khan believes that the more people who learn about the situation in Kashmir, more people will join in on the movement.
To support Kashmir, share your images or videos on Kashmir and post your red posters to social media with #RedForKashmir.
Listen to the full discussion here:
