His remarks are shocking though not surprising as they are all of a piece with his ultra Hindu nationalist government’s saffronization agenda for occupied Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). In a recent interaction with the Kashmiri Hindu Pandit Diaspora, Indian Consul General in New York, Sandeep Chakravorty, said that “Kashmir culture is Indian culture, is Hindu culture”, which amounts to an unashamed repudiation not only of that country’s founding ideal of secularism but also Kashmir’s pluralistic history. He told them, “you will be able to go back [to the occupied valley] to your home and you will find security because we already have a model in the world.” Going on to call for adoption of ‘Israeli model’ for occupied J&K, he said: “I don’t know why we don’t follow it... it has happened in the Middle East, you have to look, if the Israeli people can do it, we can also do it.”
Even though India has officially disapproved Israeli policy of barricading the Palestinians, restricting their movements, and constructing Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, it has already been following that model. Referring to the August 5 revocation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, said the diplomat “we have not taken such a big risk only for an [constitutional] amendment.” He was regurgitate what ruling BJP’s general secretary Ram Madhav stated earlier this year that the Indian government intends to build Hindu settlements in the disputed region. The agenda clearly is to change the demography of the occupied Kashmir by bringing in Hindu settlers, in the expectation it will help repress the freedom movement. In fact, like in occupied West Bank, India is doing this in brazen violation of UN resolutions by resorting to military force. Occupied J&K remains in a virtual lockdown for nearly four months amid communication blackouts, mass arrests, torture, killings, sexual abuse and denial of access to medical facilities or means of livelihoods. Independent rights groups as well as UN Human Rights Council have been expressing grave concern over the prevailing conditions, and the impunity with which soldiers have been committing atrocities in the disputed region. Yet like Israel, India has been able ‘to do it’ because of big powers’ silence over its illegal and immoral actions that have created a colossal humanitarian crisis.
The analogy is not exactly right, however. Even if the BJP succeeds in its effort to settle non-Kashmiri Hindus in the valley, it cannot force indigenous Muslim Kashmiris out of the region nor can it extinguish their urge for freedom. As acknowledged by several prominent Indian politicians and others, Kashmiri youth have lost the fear of dying. More and more of them are taking to arms. In this environment, the Hindu settlers – if at such a probability exists – will not find the security the diplomat promised them. The situation is likely to explode anytime which is why New Delhi has imposed an open-ended lockdown, fearing a fierce backlash whenever restrictions are lifted. And unlike the situation in the Middle East, where the Arab governments have compromised on Palestinian rights to protect their own interests, what goes on in Kashmir holds broader repercussions. As Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly been warning the international community the situation in occupied J&K can lead to a confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations with unpredictable consequences not only for Pakistan and India, but the wider world. Before things come to such a pass, the international community needs to end its silence, control the hubris of Indian government and its diplomats, and help resolve the Kashmir dispute.
