Last week, 26 people were killed in an attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-occupied Kashmir. All the victims — except for one Kashmiri man — were Indian male tourists. Almost immediately, the Indian government blamed the incident on an armed group allegedly backed by Pakistan.
The accusations specifically targeted a group called The Resistance Front (TRF) — an organisation formed in 2019 as a direct response to India’s revocation of Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status. TRF denied involvement, later stating their social media accounts had been cyber-hacked.
Pakistan swiftly and strongly denied any role in the incident, labelling it a “false flag operation” orchestrated by New Delhi to smear the legitimate Kashmiri liberation movement.
In a region burdened by decades of occupation and political tension, truth is often the first casualty. While the real perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack remain uncertain, what is certain is this: the people of Kashmir will once again pay the price.
Brutal Crackdowns and Collective Punishment
In the days following the attack, the Indian authorities launched a sweeping crackdown, arresting nearly 1,900 Kashmiris. In Kupwara, a Kashmiri man was killed during a house raid.
Elsewhere, the brother of a suspected militant was killed in a staged encounter, and nearly ten homes were destroyed under the pretext that they belonged to “militant sympathisers.” Entire families were left homeless, their lives shattered.
Meanwhile, Kashmiris living across India faced rising violence, harassment, and targeted reprisals. Many were forced to abandon jobs or studies and return home.
On Indian social media, calls for an “Israeli solution” in Kashmir surged, echoing genocidal rhetoric. Some demanded that Kashmir be treated like Gaza, and even issued threats of sexual violence against Kashmiri women.
The “Israel Model” and India’s Occupation Playbook
None of this is surprising. The Indian government has long admired Israel as a model. India is Israel’s largest arms buyer, and the two regimes closely collaborate in counterinsurgency tactics, mass surveillance, and military operations — tools used primarily against Palestinians and Kashmiris.
In moments like these, when news headlines scream of India–Pakistan tensions, the world continues to ignore the daily suffering of the Kashmiri people — and their decades-long struggle for self-determination.
Demographic Engineering and Systemic Dispossession
Since revoking Kashmir’s autonomy in 2019, India has intensified efforts to change the demographic reality of the Muslim-majority region. The goal is simple: erase the resistance by colonising the land.
This is being pursued through two primary strategies:
-
- Land Grabs: Kashmiris are being stripped of land, property, and livelihood.
-
- Demographic Change: Since 2022, India has issued over 83,000 “residency certificates” to non-Kashmiris — granting them rights that were once exclusive to native Kashmiris.
These certificates allow Indian nationals to buy property, vote, and work in Kashmir. Over time, this will render the indigenous Kashmiri population a minority in their own land.
Silencing the Resistance, Criminalising the Voice
Alongside these demographic shifts, India has systematically dismantled civil society in Kashmir:
-
- Human rights defenders like Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj remain unjustly imprisoned, facing fabricated charges.
-
- Kashmiri leaders like Yasin Malik and Asiya Andrabi languish in notorious Indian prisons — their voices silenced, their suffering ignored.
Even free expression is now criminalised. Journalists, academics, and activists risk arrest under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) — a law that allows individuals to be branded as “terrorists” without due process for simply writing an article or holding a protest.
Many have had their passports revoked or been placed on no-fly lists, turning Kashmir into a surveillance state where even neighbours fear one another, forcing many into self-censorship and silence.
The people of Kashmir have long lived under the reality of “survival mode” — even before this latest tragedy.
From Gaza to Kashmir – When Genocide Becomes a Template
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has emboldened other oppressive regimes — including India — which has watched what Israel has been allowed to get away with over the past 18 months.
Now, under the pretext of the Pahalgam attack, India has a new excuse to escalate its war on Kashmir — with even less scrutiny from the so-called “international community.”
But until the plight and aspirations of the Kashmiri people are acknowledged — not just in the context of India–Pakistan tensions but as a standalone human cause — there will be no hope for justice or peace in South Asia.
Found benefit? Help keep it going. We rely on Allah—and your support.
