Origins of Kashmiri Oppression in Brief

Origins of Kashmiri Oppression in Brief

The purpose of this resource is to shed light on the oppression of the people in Kashmir and Jammu. This is only brief, but it shall explain the origins of the oppression of Muslims in the region with a few examples to follow.

Religious Demographics of Kashmir

 In Kashmir valley in the year 1901, around 95.6% of the population was Muslim, 3.24%  were Hindus with the remainder being Buddhists. In total, 74.16% were Muslims, 23.72% were Hindus and 1.21% was Buddhists in region known as Jammu and Kashmir. These figures have not varied appreciably over the last century. According to the BBC;

From the above statistics, one can observe how Muslims were the overall majority, but the Hindu population are very much concentrated in the Jammu region. There are other demographics that can be discussed here, such as the Pandits (of Hindu Brahmin caste), Dogras (another group that are mainly Hindus).

Timeline

• 1846-Jammu and Kashmir was first created as a Princely State on an agreement with the British East India Company. Gulab Singh paid  Rs. 75,000,000 to the British in order to receive Kashmir Valley. Singh not only owned Ladakh and Jammu, but now Kashmir.
• 1931-An anti-regime sentiment developed across the region. The ruling class were the Dogras, an ethnic as well as a religious minority. Particularly as Maharaja Hari Singh was friends with the British and hence, seen as an oppressor.
• 19^th April 1931-The Dogras banned the Eid Khutbah, causing widespread outrage and protests. This further resulted in the desecration of the Quran by the hands of the Dogra’s thugs. As a reaction, a meeting was held in Khankah-e-Muella, Srinagar which was attended by prominent Kashmiris. From the gathering, a young man called Abdul Qadir pointed to the palace of the Maharaja and said, “Destroy its every brick.” For this, he was arrested under the charge of sedition.

Above: Maharaja Hari Singh

• 13^th July 1931-The trial of Abdul Qadir was due to begin. Previously, there was already a heated sentiment to shift the location of the trial to the central jail in Srinagar. When the time for salat udh-dhuhr had come, a person stood up to give the adhaan (call to prayer). Governor Chand (who was also a Dogra) ordered the soldiers to fire at the mu’adhin (caller). After he was martyred, others stood up to complete the adhaan and this led to the martyrdom of 22 people, who simply wanted to complete the adhaan. 13^th July is known as Youm Shuhada-e-Kashmir (Day of Kashmiri Martyrs).  This and other events led to the Quit Kashmir movement.
• April 1932- The Glancy Commission was formed by the Maharaja to report information with regards to his subjects. The report confirmed that many of his subjects were unhappy and gave a list of recommendations, among them to provide adequate Muslim representation in public services. However, the implementation of these recommendations was slow, causing continual unrest and generating a more negative sentiment.
• August 1932-The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference was formed. This political party was founded in Srinagar. Prominent figures in the party were Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and Choudhry Ghulam Abbas. The organisation went through several name changes, such as in 1939, when it became the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. The JKNC accommodated secular, democratic and an independent Kashmir with ties to India. However, the Muslims separated once again to re-establish the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference.
• 22-24^th March 1940-The idea of a separate Muslim state was agreed in the Lahore Resolution. The meeting was held by the Muslim League and was chaired by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• 26^th July 1946-The Quit Kashmir movement achieved a milestone, whereby they can elect their representatives in the assembly and cease autocracy and hence, Muslim Conference adopted Azad Kashmir Resolution on this date.
• 14-15^th August 1947-Pakistan was newly formed along with India. Kashmir and Jammu from there onwards became known as ‘disputed territory’ because the ruling class Dogras, would have gained more favours had they joined India. However, the majority Muslims wanted to be part of Pakistan. This resulted in a new heated conflict which still exists today. For this reason, the Maharaja signed a Standstill Agreement with India and Pakistan.
• 26^th October 1947-Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, which meant that Kashmir was acceded to India’s dominion. This agreement was received positively by Lord Mountbatten, the then Governor-General of India. Mountbatten further commented, “It is my Government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader the question of the State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people.” These events subsequently led to a problem regarding a plebiscite. Sheikh Abdullah was a supporter of the accession to India and was in close agreements with Jawaharlal Nehru, who became the first Prime Minister of India. His secular outlook was opposed by Mir Waiz Yousuf Shah.

The Oppression

As one can see from above, the oppression did not cease when the Princely State formed, but in fact, it increased. This is because the Colonialists placed and supported a system which was not representative of the majority of the population, both ethnically and religiously. The only area with vast concentrations of Dogras and Pandits to this day is in the Jammu region and yet, these two ethnic and subsequently, Hindu groups believe all of Kashmir Valley is rightfully theirs. The area known as Azad Kashmir (free Kashmir) and the Northern Areas are backed by Pakistan. The United Nations has still failed to solve the problem in the region.

Since then, the Muslims in occupied Kashmir and Jammu have been oppressed by Indian forces in the same way Palestinians are oppressed by Israeli military. A catalogue of unjustified killings, torture and rape of the Kashmiri people can be found here. For the sake of time and space, we shall consider a few incidences in the year 1994. Sadly, this list does not do any justice to the amount of rape, murder and torture the Kashmiris have been subjected to by the Indian forces and is in no way exhaustive.

• 1^st January 1994-Mohammed Sultan, resident of Lambri Kupwara and a political activist was arrested by the Indian forces and murdered. His dead body was handed over to his relatives on the same day through local Police.
• 17^th February 1994-Saif Ullah was taken into custody by the forces near Iqbal Park Pattan. His dead body appeared in the locality on the same day.
• 18^th March 1994-Ghulam Ahmad Bhat of Mominabad was pulled by the forces from his shop during search operations and shot dead from a close range on.
• 3^rd January 1994-At Pulwama three ladies named Zooni, Mehtaba and Ashia were molested by the forces during the crackdown operations.
• 20^th March 1994-The forces entered into the villages Khudwani Islamabad and started beating the locals. One Lady aged about 20 years namely, Dilshada Akhter was molested by the forces during crackdown operations and in this regard a report was lodged in the concerned Police station.
• 16^th February 1994-At Tulla Mulla, Srinagar, the forces molested 4 ladies during crackdown operations. One lady had to go to Lal Deed Hospital for treatment due to the extreme bleeding she was suffering from the rape.

It is a tragedy that many of us Muslims who have migrated from this region or are descendants of Kashmiris, do not even know the tragic history it has faced. Still, we go blissfully unaware of the oppression that they face on a daily basis. The greatest tragedy is the apathy of the international community and in particular, the Muslims. We Muslims are a great disappointment to ourselves and we do not educate ourselves about our own identity. Instead, we have fallen in love with what the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described as al-wahn in the following narration:

On the authority of Thawbaan , the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

It is because of the disease of al-wahn that when we go to a land where we are not oppressed, we forget our oppressed brethren and pursue our own selfish desires. To find out how you can stop the oppression in Kashmir, see the Muslim Action Guide for a comprehensive resource on how we Muslims can become more politically active. It’s all very well having MPs speak out about the oppression in Kashmir, but until we apply pressure for the MPs to do some action, the words they have spoken will be in vain. It is time to step up, seeing as all the Muslim governments of the world have proven to be useless along with the United Nations.