Observer Report
Islamabad
The International Crisis Group in its latest report has said Indian occupied Kashmir is ‘less stable’ today than it was before the Modi-led government in New Delhi revoked the special status of the disputed region.
“By unilaterally scrapping the core of its social contract with the Himalayan region and forcibly suppressing local dissent, New Delhi has further undercut its ability to reach out to disgruntled Kashmiris and likely pushed more youngsters to opt for the gun,” the ICG said in a report titled “Raising the stakes in Jammu and Kashmir”.
It added, “New Delhi claimed that its bold move would help bring peace and development to the region after three decades of conflict. One year later, its reforms, coupled with heavy-handed counter-insurgency tactics, have only exacerbated Kashmiri alienation and raised tensions with Pakistan. Kashmir’s youth continues to join militant ranks.”
The group in its report also called on India’s international allies to urge New Delhi to restore the “statehood of Kashmir, [ensure] detained politicians are freed and to end the culture of abuse against civilians by the security forces.”
It added that over the last few years, New Delhi’s counter-insurgency measures and massive rights abuses have ignited the growth of militancy led by the local youth. “The anger and sense of betrayal stemming from India’s August 2019 decision is enabling a variety of armed groups, local and foreign, to recruit more young Kashmiris,” the group notes.
For three decades, repression and humiliation have been major drivers of Kashmir’s uprising against the Indian state.
