Kashmir: A Tale of Authoritarianism and Diplomatic Failure

Kashmir has been at the center of world politics as it struggles for its freedom from two rival nations. The current crisis reflects a worsening relationship between India and Pakistan, which could potentially have massive ramifications in the case of war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. But even beyond the clash of India and Pakistan, Kashmir faces a separate battle for self-governance.

Upon the partition of the Indian subcontinent by Britain in 1947, Kashmir joined neither India nor Pakistan. Ruled by a Hindu monarch, Hari Singh, and having a majority Muslim population, the former province seemed to be at a crossroads. British India was divided into the Muslim Pakistan and the secular, although majority Hindu India. Tribal rebels attacked Kashmir, who were believed to be aided by Pakistan due to their technological capabilities. Later, the Pakistani military decided to aid these rebels, prompting the Kashmiri Maharaja, Singh, to pledge allegiance to India in exchange for defense in the wake of an invasion. This sparked the first Indo-Pakistani War in 1947. After over a year of battle, a ceasefire created the modern borders of India and Pakistan, but it also divided Kashmir between the two countries. The division, though, was not agreed upon, as both nations hold a claim over the entire territory. Despite a pledge on both India and Pakistan’s behalf to allow a decisive referendum in Kashmir, none has taken place to this day. India and Pakistan have fought two subsequent wars over the territory in 1965 and 1999, alongside periodic flare-ups on the border. A battleground between India and Pakistan and a battleground for autonomy, Kashmir is at the center of the increasingly poor relationship between India and Pakistan as well as the most drastic example of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalistic ideology at work.

Throughout 2019, tensions between India and Pakistan skyrocketed in Kashmir despite a 2003 ceasefire agreement. In 2019 alone, India’s Home Ministry claims that 2,000 ceasefire violations from Pakistan took place, resulting in the deaths of 21 civilians. Pakistan, similarly, claims that 45 people lost their lives due to Indian forces. After suicide bombings by Jaish-e-Mohammed (a terror organization based in Pakistan) killed 40 Indian soldiers, India conducted airstrikes in Pakistan targeted at the group. It further accused Pakistan of supporting Jaish-e-Mohammed and similar militant groups responsible for attacks in Kashmir. For example, India holds Pakistan responsible for a 2008 attack in Mumbai, which resulted in the deaths of 160 people. Following India’s airstrike on Jaish-e-Mohammed, the two countries have exchanged mortar fire across the border and have shot one another’s planes down. Pakistan viewed the airstrikes conducted by India in its territory as a threat. As tensions between India and Pakistan simmered, India turned to its territorial claims in Kashmir, cracking down on its autonomy.

Under Indian rule, the state of Jammu and Kashmir maintained autonomy under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Kashmir was permitted its own constitution and ability to pass laws, with India supervising only foreign affairs, defense and communications. As Narendra Modi rose in the political world, however, Kashmir’s autonomy was called into question. Modi’s political party, a Hindu nationalist party known as the BJP, has previously argued for the repeal of Article 370. It has cited it as an impediment to the development and democratization of the region and as a means through which corruption could flourish. Furthermore, Modi’s government argues that the repeal of Article 370 and the annexation of Kashmir will decrease terrorism in the region. Recently, Modi acted on his promises, repealing Article 370 and sparking a diplomatic crisis in Kashmir.

On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Modi announced the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy and plans to divide the region into two territories in a stunning blow to its former autonomy. Kashmir has since been divided into two territories: Ladakh, which is ruled directly by New Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir, which despite losing its special privileges, is still allowed to maintain a state assembly. Anticipating protests, India closed public schools in the region’s largest city, Srinagar, cut phone and internet access, arrested Kashmiri politicians, encouraged pilgrims in Kashmir to leave and deployed 10,000 additional troops to the region. Moreover, video by the BBC revealed the use of tear gas and the firing of rubber pellets to disperse protesters. India’s annexation of Kashmir is estimated to have cost the region over $1.4 billion through harming the tourism, handicraft and apple farming industries. These measures taken by the Indian government are not only draconian, but anti-democratic in its assault on Kashmiri autonomy. Its measures to suppress any dissent in the area have been authoritarian in nature. Mirza Waheed writes that India has acted as a colonizer to Kashmir, which no doubt is reinforced by India’s recent actions in the state. Significantly, the repeal of Article 370 would allow for Indian settlement in Kashmir, prompting fears of similarities to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. India’s authoritarian actions in Kashmir coupled with a rise in nationalist rhetoric under Modi have further served to upset an already strained relationship between India and Pakistan.

Modi and the BJP have promoted nationalist rhetoric in campaigning for re-election, often at the expense of India’s Muslim population. The president of the party, Amit Shah, has compared undocumented Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants to termites, vowing to “throw them into the Bay of Bengal.” Modi and the BJP have also turned a blind eye to the killing of Muslims accused of trafficking beef; Modi only denounced the practice two years after the first killing occurred. Finally, as mentioned earlier, the BJP have been vocal in their opposition of Article 370 and their desire to annex and integrate Kashmir. This nationalistic rhetoric by the BJP has prompted fears that the predominantly-Muslim Kashmiri population will be rendered a minority. It threatens any sense of autonomy that the population maintains.

India’s suppression of Kashmir’s autonomy has sparked a fierce response from Pakistan. Pakistan downgraded diplomatic relations with India, which entails the removal of ambassadors from both nations, and the halting of trade between them. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan compared India’s annexation of Kashmir and the BJP’s ideology to Nazism, claiming that India will soon try “to change [the] demography of Kashmir through ethnic cleansing” in order to integrate the region. Despite the worrying growth of Indian nationalism, the government has not yet gone as far as Khan suggests. Pakistani leadership further denounced India’s move as illegal and dedicated Pakistan’s Independence Day, August 14, to the Kashmiri people in solidarity. Its concerns regarding India’s incorporation of Kashmir seem to reflect the growing fears of Kashmiris in wake of Modi’s racist rhetoric and his corresponding actions in depriving Kashmir of its autonomy. India’s clampdown on Kashmir serves to further inflame hostility between itself and Pakistan. Its more aggressive method of governance in Kashmir is particularly concerning given Pakistan’s contestation of the area. On top of already-tense relations in the midst of border clashes throughout the year, the current crisis in Kashmir has further driven a wedge between India and Pakistan.

In order for de-escalation to occur, both India and Pakistan need to take immediate action. India’s BJP must tone down its nationalist, anti-Muslim rhetoric that has not only resulted in internal crisis, but has worsened its relationship with Pakistan. Pakistan must take action against terror groups that have wreaked havoc in Kashmir, in order to truly separate itself from links to those groups. Both sides need to be willing to engage in a dialogue to deliver on the promise of a referendum concerning Kashmir’s future. Unfortunately, India’s crackdown on Kashmir marks a dangerous turn towards authoritarianism and nationalism from the BJP-led government. With this recent development, a referendum seems nowhere in sight. Prime Minister Modi, similarly to world leaders such as Turkey’s Erdogan, the Philippines’ Duterte, or even Donald Trump, seems to be positioning himself as a strongman capitalizing on racist policies. His demeanor has marked a turning point in Indian politics, and a continuing trend of the rise of nationalism worldwide.

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Aaron LoderInternational