Kashmir is a lot. This is a contested border zone where India and Pakistan fought over three-quarters, making it one of the most contested and militarized zones in the world. It is the alpine dream of a Bollywood cinematographer, whose legendary beauty and trauma provide a reclamation of stories of love, longing and war.
Since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government grasped the region of Kashmir, managed by India, which promised security and economic development, it has become a tourist spot depicting millions of visitors in the year. In the story of government progress, Kashmir is a glorious success.
People in this area have their own stories to tell. It is one of the sense of alienation that has been magnified by last week's horrifying terrorist attacks in Kashmir after years of living under the careful eyes of security forces, deprived of many democratic rights.
The Indian army launched an offensive and widespread hunt against killers who felt like a collective punishment for many people in the majority of Muslim regions. Authorities questioned and detained thousands of Kasimiris for destroying at least 10 people accused of the attack.
“We are treated as suspects,” said Sheikh Aamir, a lawyer in northern Kashmir. “Every time something happens, they punish us all.”
India has said the attacks by terrorists who killed 26 innocent people near the town of Pahargam have “cross-border connections” that meant the involvement of their neighbors Pakistan. Pakistani officials denying their role in the attack said on Wednesday they detected signs that India is preparing to take retaliatory military action.
Although India has not commented on the military plan, Modi has denounced the attackers and has pledged to “destroy” the safe shelter for terrorists. Analysts said it was possible to bomb India along the border or even invade Pakistan's territory.
These developments have spread fear among Kashmiris as right-wing Hindus portrayed them as slandering and attacking them.
Since the terrorist attacks, when everyone except one of the killed were Hindu tourists, Hindu nationalists, including officials from Modi's party, have used the attacks to expand the demonization of Muslims. This includes attacks or harassment on Kashmiri students studying in other parts of the country. Many said they were panicking themselves into the room.
“The attack on Kashmir quickly became a massive amount of Islamophobia,” said Rohan Gunaratna, an international terrorist expert.
Before the massacre, Kashmir was in a relatively mild period since the Indian government placed its direct control of the region, eliminating the semi-liberty guaranteed to Kashmir by the Indian constitution and operating troops of thousands.
However, as the Indian government claimed it brought normalcy to the region, some Kasimiris expressed anger at what they called false propaganda.
Kashmir's normality has always been “superficial and deceptive.” He described life in the area as “a hybrid of Orwell and Cafcask reality.”
Driving primarily by local dissatisfaction, the insurrection of the Kashmir controlled regions, which India promoted in the 1980s, began, and Pakistan ultimately supported and hugged several groups, experts say. Attacks by extremist groups often targeted Hindus and forced minority communities to leave Kashmir.
The idea propelled by the rebel outfit that Kashmir should be an independent state or participate with Pakistan has declined as Kashmiris largely gave up on the idea of separatism.
Siddiq Wahid, professor of humanities and social sciences at Shiv Nadar University near Delhi, said:
The grievance, coupled with a cruel army that shows little mercy to innocent Kasimiris when searching for violent groups, could make new militant groups more likely to emerge, analysts said. Analysts said it could drive the disgruntled Kasimiris to keep an eye on the militant activities.
“The villagers must turn their heads and don't report them at all,” said Gunaratna, a terrorism expert. “That's why they closed their eyes.”
The protests following the murder of a young leader in Islamist dressed banned in 2016 provided clues that there could be “passive support” for extremists, Ganaratna said.
However, the Indian government was satisfied because “they bought their hub arrogantly,” he said. Three weeks before the attack near Pahargam, India's Home Minister Amit Shah said the Modi government had “disabled” Kashmir's “wide terrorist ecosystem nurtured by elements to our country.”
The attack was a monumental security lapse for the government, which has significantly promoted Kashmir as a tourist's dream destination, and thought “extremists would not attack tourists as they are so essential to the local economy,” Ganaratna said.
According to the 2011 Census of India, around 10 million people live on the Indian side of Kashmir on the Indian side of Kashmir, with around 90% of them Muslims. It is the only Muslim majority region in the country.
India and Pakistan claim everything about Kashmir, but each only controls part of it. They fought multiple wars over the land.
India's defensive attitude implies the continued presence of military and paramilitary troops in Kashmir, which effectively transformed the region into a police state.
Analysts say there could be as many as 500,000 Indian troops in Kashmir. The military has often used excessive forces to wash away Kashmir militants. Thousands of innocent Kasimiris died in demolition and firefights. Others have been accused, disappeared or killed by “meetings” or extrajudicial killings. Government estimates that deaths have reached 45,000, but human rights groups say it is much higher.
Data from the South Asian Terrorism Portal shows that terrorism-related deaths are reported to be less than dozens each year. Extremist attacks and firing along the conflicted border in Kashmir have been a footnote from the headline.
However, analysts say that elements for a more prominent revival of terrorism in Kashmir have been built over the past few years. The Modi government's tactics, including revoking limited autonomy in the region, have caused resentment in the community.
The new Land Act, enacted since 2019, allowed non-residents to purchase real estate in Kashmir for the first time in decades. The government said the law was intended to increase investment, but many Kasimiris viewed them as an attempt to change the demographics of the region.
There was also an increase in censorship, including the liberal use of laws to prevent public gatherings and other events in the name of public safety.
Kashmir has become a popular tourist destination for Indians as its famous lakes and boat rides and has long been a core part of India's political identity.
But in the portrayal and photographs of Kashmir outsiders, locals are almost pushed out of the frame, said Asik Hussain, a resident of Pahargam. “People are simply used as background,” he added.
After last week's terrorist attacks, the real Kashmiris has appeared in sight, said Aamir, a lawyer in northern Kashmir. With the absence of security forces, they first came to help the injured, and the people of Kashmir Valley expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.
“Every home has mourning,” he said. “Even so, we are still considered enemies.”
Pragati KB contributed the report.
