B O R D E R L A N D
The$region$of$Kashmir$is$located$in$the$Northern$tip$of$India,$on$the$Pakistani$ border.$Though$the$area$technically$belongs$to$the$larger$country,$both$India$and$ Pakistan$claim$ownership$over$the$territory,$causing$the$region$to$be$in$an$almost$ constant$state$of$turmoil.$The$dispute$can$be$traced$to$the$Indo?Pakistani$partition$ that$occurred$over$half$a$century$ago.$ $ In$August$1947$the$British$Indian$Empire$declared$independence$from$ Britain.$The$landmass$was$then$further$divided$into$two$separate$nations,$the$ Dominion$of$Pakistan$and$the$Union$of$India.$The$existing$562$principalities$were$ allowed$to$choose$the$country$they$wished$to$join.$With$very$few$exceptions,$states$ that$demonstrated$a$Muslim$majority$elected$to$join$Pakistan,$while$states$with$a$ Hindu$majority$chose$to$join$the$India.$ $ Kashmir,$however,$was$an$exception.$The$region$had$a$large$Muslim$majority$ and$nearly$all$government$officials$in$both$countries$expected$it$to$secede$to$ Pakistan.$The$governor$of$Kashmir$at$the$time,$Hari$Singh,$believed$that$the$region$ should$become$an$independent$country,$belonging$to$neither$Pakistan$nor$India.$ Angered$by$failed$expectations,$Pakistani$militants?$aided$by$Kashmiri$ revolutionaries?$began$to$invade$the$region.$Unable$to$fight$the$invasion,$Mr.$Singh$ signed$the$Instrument$of$Accession,$in$which$he$agreed$to$accede$to$the$Union$of$ India.$ $ However,$the$secession$was$not$universally$acknowledged.$Since$the$ partition,$Pakistan$has$had$troops$stationed$in$the$Western$portion$of$Kashmir,$and$ India$has$moved$militant$forces$into$the$area$in$order$to$combat$the$invasion.$ For$the$past$half?century,$Kashmir$has$been$plagued$by$a$plethora$of$Human$ Rights$abuses.$The$Human$Rights$Watch$has$reported$multiple$Human$Right$ violations,$such$as$rape,$encounter$killings,$forced$disappearances,$torture,$the$use$ of$child$soldiers,$mass$killings,$and$the$suppression$of$freedom$of$speech.$According$ to$the$United$States$Congress,$Islamic$insurgents$from$both$Pakistan$and$India$ infiltrated$the$region$in$1989.$Since$then,$nearly$400,000$Kashmiri$Hindus?$ otherwise$known$as$Pandits?$have$been$either$murdered$or$forced$to$flee$their$ ancestral$homeland.$However,$reports$from$the$Indian$government$state$that$only$ 219$Kashmiri$Pandits$have$been$killed,$and$140,000$have$left$the$area.$In$1990,$the$ Indian$Military$was$granted$virtual$immunity$to$any$crimes$committed.$The$United$ States$and$international$NGO’s$have$reported$a$variety$of$Human$Rights$ abusescommitted$against$the$Muslim$population,$such$as$disappearances,$torture,$ rape,$and$arbitrary$executions.$The$International$Labor$Organization$describes$ these$violations$as$“having$reached$a$staggering$proportion”$and$“unprecedented$in$ it’s$brutality”.$$ Paradoxically,$the$region$of$Kashmir$is$often$described$as$“paradise$on$Earth”.$$ The$natural$beauty$of$the$area$is$considered$to$be$unparalleled$to$any$similar$ environment.$Kashmir$allure$attracts$a$number$of$tourists$each$year,$many$of$them$ seeking$the$high$peaks$and$pristine$lakes$that$the$area$provides.$Tourism$is$an$ essential$industry,$and$is$the$axis$of$the$economy.$ Trying$to$describe$Kashmir$to$someone$who$has$not$been$to$the$region$ proves$to$be$especially$difficult.$Illustrating$the$imminent$problem$as$well$as$the$ beautiful$aspects$of$the$region.$One$Kashmiri$surmised$it$best,$saying$“Kashmir$is$
like$a$beautiful$bird$in$a$cage.$Everyone$wants$it$to$sing$for$them,$but$she$only$ wishes$for$freedom.�$
History! My favorite class. Everything used to be so much‌. better.
People had money and food...
They were safe
A n d
t h e y
w e r e...
h a p p y.
How was your day? Learn anything new? Anything exciting happen? Uncle Abdul stopped by. He says hello. And the flower boats are returning to the lake this week.
. . .
We don't know. The indian army asked him in for questioning… We'll just have to wait and see.
BUT PAPA IS GOING TO COME BACK… RIGHT?
THE ARMY!?! PEOPLE NEVER CAME BACK FROM THERE!!! IT'S HAPPENED AGAINTHEY DON'T EVEN TREAT US AS PEOPLE! KASHMIR NEEDS TO BE FREE!!!
I really hope so Sarada. but always remember what your father stood for.
remember to speak the truth...
...No matter the cost.
Works Cited Ahmed, Zubair. "Indian Passport for Man from Pakistani-held Kashmir." BBC News., NDTV Correspondent. "Kashmir: Chilling Stories of the Children of Conflict." NDTV.com. NDTV, 05 Aug. 2010. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. Palin, Michael. "Himalaya with Michael Palin - Part 2." Himalaya with Michael Palin - A Passage to India. BBC. London, United Kingdom, 09 Feb. 2012. YouTube. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. Sharma, Shivani. "Paradise Lost- The Kashmiri Pandits." BBC News. BBC, 19 May 2008. Web. 08 Apr. 2014 Syed, Fatima. "India-Kashmir - Woman's Personal Story." India-Kashmir - Woman's Personal Story. World Pulse, 26 Feb. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. !
FURTHER ACTION for those who want to facilitate change
If you would like to continue helping, please visit http://www.kashmirfoundation.us This group of individuals is based in California, USA. They specialize in education, as they firmly believe that knowledge is the first step that must be taken in order to achieve happiness. Please donate, send a word of thanks, or visit yourself. Remember, even a visit to Kashmir can be the beginning of change. Remind those who live there that they are not forgotten, that there are people in the world who support their position. No need to stay at home. If adventure calls, follow it- change the world. You have the ability. Start with baby steps.