Life in Indian-occupied Kashmir was always difficult; life in Indian-occupied Kashmir after the illegal abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is even worse. That article allowed the state a certain amount of autonomy, including its own constitution, a separate flag, and freedom to make laws. As a result, Jammu and Kashmir could make its own rules relating to permanent residency, ownership of property, and fundamental rights. It could also bar Indians from outside the state from purchasing property or settling there. In mid-2019, the Narendra Modi Government announced that it was revoking nearly all of Article 370, leading to passionate protests in Kashmir.
That was before anybody had heard of Covid-19. Now, against the deadly backdrop of a raging pandemic, which India has well and truly suffered the catastrophic brunt of, we see their Government continuing on their reckless and destructive path of decisions. The upcoming Amarnath Yatra 2021, the Hindu Nationalist pilgrimage, is practically a death sentence for the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir. This is quite reminiscent of the time our own Government in Sri Lanka allowed thousands of people to travel for Avurudu, paying little attention to the consequences of such an action. It is here that we sit in perpetual lockdown and now read about the inevitable doom about to befall Kashmir.
The local Government in Indian-occupied Kashmir was contemplating setting up makeshift shelters and facilities for 600,000 Hindu pilgrims in April this year for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, which it intends to host this summer despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The pilgrims will visit the Amarnath cave shrine, perched 3,880-meters (12,730 feet) above sea level in the Himalayas.
Authorities had temporarily suspended online registration for the pilgrimage in the wake of India’s spike in daily coronavirus cases, however the site still says that the pilgrimage will take place as scheduled from 28 June through 22 August. In the last few months, thousands of devotees, including nine top saints, tested positive for Covid-19 in the northern city of Haridwar, where hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered to participate in the Kumbh Mela festival. “The situation is bad across India. It would be better if the Amarnath pilgrimage was symbolic this year, and if just a few people were allowed to visit the shrine. Otherwise, it will be a catastrophe,” said Kashmir's National Conference political party senior leader Tanvir Sadiq. It could prove to be a “fatal super-spreader” event given the ill-equipped health care system in the region, Sadiq further stated.
Even after the Kumbh Mela proved to be a super-spreader event, resulting in a major surge in new infections and deaths in India, authorities have yet to heed the lessons from the virus. This year, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost one of its senior leaders, Jammu and Kashmir former minister Thakur Puran Singh, to Covid-19. Singh had gone to participate in Kumbh Mela, and showed signs of infection upon his return. Scores of devotees who returned from the festival have also tested positive in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region.
Kashmir has meager health care facilities, with just 2,599 Covid-19 beds, including 324 intensive care unit beds, for a population of 13 million. At least 1,220 of those beds are already occupied. India also seems to be weaponising Covid19 to erase more Kashmiris by employing inexplicable strategies during this time. Since 6 May, India has forbidden Kashmiri NGOs from accessing life-saving oxygen. Instead, it is only reserved for the Indian Army and specific hospitals. Since 30 April, vaccination supplies have been halted in Kashmir. This blatant discrimination against the Kashmiris spells doom.
The health advisory issued for the Amarnath pilgrimage makes no mention of the virus, and how pilgrims should behave in view of the accelerating second wave of the pandemic.
“It can prove fatal both to pilgrims as well as locals, because oxygen levels are low at high altitudes, and this disease mainly targets our respiratory system. It can prove to be a superspreading event and overwhelm our poor health care system. The Government should behave responsibly and call off the pilgrimage,” said prominent social activist Sheikh Ghulam Rasool.
On 3 June, the Indian Army chief of army staff (COAS) Gen. M.M. Naravane said: “We are ready for the Amarnath Yatra. We have taken all the necessary steps although the final decision to hold the Yatra lies with the civil administration.”
Gen. Naravane said the situation along the LoC as well as in the hinterland had greatly improved even as he urged the people of J&K to shun the path of violence as it will not take them anywhere.
“After such a long time we have reached a situation where peace and tranquility prevail, where people are able to perceive their dreams and aspirations. My message to all, not only youth, would be that when there is peace and tranquility there can be development and when there is development, we will all prosper,” the army chief said on the conclusion of his two-day visit to Kashmir. It would be most interesting to hear from the youth he was addressing.
"See how the world outside has moved on, how India has moved on, therefore embrace the future, the future lies in shunning violence, and if you do that it will hasten the process of ushering in the new era of development and prosperity in the state.” This statement by the Indian COAS drips of arrogance for an action that has cost millions of people their freedom and safety. It comes as no surprise then, that the rights of the Kashmiri people matter so little, that subjecting them to inevitable catastrophe seems to be of no consequence.
Regarding Covid-19, he said the entire establishment was now better prepared to tackle a third wave which may or may not happen. “Covid-19 is another kind of war which is fought by the country. There is not a single family which has not been affected by Covid. It is our responsibility as armed forces of the nation in this hour of need to do whatever we can do for the help of our citizens. We have left no stone unturned and spared no resources in helping out in this hour of grief.”
“I am happy to say that the overall number of cases in the country has now seen a downturn and we are now beating the second wave and as a result of the capacities we have built in month and half, we are much better prepared to tackle the third wave which may or may not come,” he said.
Critics have said the annual Amarnath pilgrimage could lead to a devastating wave of the coronavirus in India-occupied Kashmir. The question that remains to be answered is this: if the Government of India froze when it came to the destruction in the mainland, why would it spare any thought towards those it has in detention?
(The writer is a lawyer, teacher, and political commentator of Pakistani origin based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She can be found on Twitter at @writergirl_11)
A death sentence for Indian-occupied Kashmir
14 Jun 2021
A death sentence for Indian-occupied Kashmir
14 Jun 2021
Life in Indian-occupied Kashmir was always difficult; life in Indian-occupied Kashmir after the illegal abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is even worse. That article allowed the state a certain amount of autonomy, including its own constitution, a separate flag, and freedom to make laws. As a result, Jammu and Kashmir could make its own rules relating to permanent residency, ownership of property, and fundamental rights. It could also bar Indians from outside the state from purchasing property or settling there. In mid-2019, the Narendra Modi Government announced that it was revoking nearly all of Article 370, leading to passionate protests in Kashmir.
That was before anybody had heard of Covid-19. Now, against the deadly backdrop of a raging pandemic, which India has well and truly suffered the catastrophic brunt of, we see their Government continuing on their reckless and destructive path of decisions. The upcoming Amarnath Yatra 2021, the Hindu Nationalist pilgrimage, is practically a death sentence for the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir. This is quite reminiscent of the time our own Government in Sri Lanka allowed thousands of people to travel for Avurudu, paying little attention to the consequences of such an action. It is here that we sit in perpetual lockdown and now read about the inevitable doom about to befall Kashmir.
The local Government in Indian-occupied Kashmir was contemplating setting up makeshift shelters and facilities for 600,000 Hindu pilgrims in April this year for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, which it intends to host this summer despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The pilgrims will visit the Amarnath cave shrine, perched 3,880-meters (12,730 feet) above sea level in the Himalayas.
Authorities had temporarily suspended online registration for the pilgrimage in the wake of India’s spike in daily coronavirus cases, however the site still says that the pilgrimage will take place as scheduled from 28 June through 22 August. In the last few months, thousands of devotees, including nine top saints, tested positive for Covid-19 in the northern city of Haridwar, where hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered to participate in the Kumbh Mela festival. “The situation is bad across India. It would be better if the Amarnath pilgrimage was symbolic this year, and if just a few people were allowed to visit the shrine. Otherwise, it will be a catastrophe,” said Kashmir's National Conference political party senior leader Tanvir Sadiq. It could prove to be a “fatal super-spreader” event given the ill-equipped health care system in the region, Sadiq further stated.
Even after the Kumbh Mela proved to be a super-spreader event, resulting in a major surge in new infections and deaths in India, authorities have yet to heed the lessons from the virus. This year, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost one of its senior leaders, Jammu and Kashmir former minister Thakur Puran Singh, to Covid-19. Singh had gone to participate in Kumbh Mela, and showed signs of infection upon his return. Scores of devotees who returned from the festival have also tested positive in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region.
Kashmir has meager health care facilities, with just 2,599 Covid-19 beds, including 324 intensive care unit beds, for a population of 13 million. At least 1,220 of those beds are already occupied. India also seems to be weaponising Covid19 to erase more Kashmiris by employing inexplicable strategies during this time. Since 6 May, India has forbidden Kashmiri NGOs from accessing life-saving oxygen. Instead, it is only reserved for the Indian Army and specific hospitals. Since 30 April, vaccination supplies have been halted in Kashmir. This blatant discrimination against the Kashmiris spells doom.
The health advisory issued for the Amarnath pilgrimage makes no mention of the virus, and how pilgrims should behave in view of the accelerating second wave of the pandemic.
“It can prove fatal both to pilgrims as well as locals, because oxygen levels are low at high altitudes, and this disease mainly targets our respiratory system. It can prove to be a superspreading event and overwhelm our poor health care system. The Government should behave responsibly and call off the pilgrimage,” said prominent social activist Sheikh Ghulam Rasool.
On 3 June, the Indian Army chief of army staff (COAS) Gen. M.M. Naravane said: “We are ready for the Amarnath Yatra. We have taken all the necessary steps although the final decision to hold the Yatra lies with the civil administration.”
Gen. Naravane said the situation along the LoC as well as in the hinterland had greatly improved even as he urged the people of J&K to shun the path of violence as it will not take them anywhere.
“After such a long time we have reached a situation where peace and tranquility prevail, where people are able to perceive their dreams and aspirations. My message to all, not only youth, would be that when there is peace and tranquility there can be development and when there is development, we will all prosper,” the army chief said on the conclusion of his two-day visit to Kashmir. It would be most interesting to hear from the youth he was addressing.
"See how the world outside has moved on, how India has moved on, therefore embrace the future, the future lies in shunning violence, and if you do that it will hasten the process of ushering in the new era of development and prosperity in the state.” This statement by the Indian COAS drips of arrogance for an action that has cost millions of people their freedom and safety. It comes as no surprise then, that the rights of the Kashmiri people matter so little, that subjecting them to inevitable catastrophe seems to be of no consequence.
Regarding Covid-19, he said the entire establishment was now better prepared to tackle a third wave which may or may not happen. “Covid-19 is another kind of war which is fought by the country. There is not a single family which has not been affected by Covid. It is our responsibility as armed forces of the nation in this hour of need to do whatever we can do for the help of our citizens. We have left no stone unturned and spared no resources in helping out in this hour of grief.”
“I am happy to say that the overall number of cases in the country has now seen a downturn and we are now beating the second wave and as a result of the capacities we have built in month and half, we are much better prepared to tackle the third wave which may or may not come,” he said.
Critics have said the annual Amarnath pilgrimage could lead to a devastating wave of the coronavirus in India-occupied Kashmir. The question that remains to be answered is this: if the Government of India froze when it came to the destruction in the mainland, why would it spare any thought towards those it has in detention?
(The writer is a lawyer, teacher, and political commentator of Pakistani origin based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She can be found on Twitter at @writergirl_11)
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!