Written by: Saif Ali Budgami, Freelancer, based in Indian Controlled Kashmir

Dear world, I know you are busy fighting COVID-19. Let me take your eyes towards a lesser known part of the world. Called with many names, some call 'the paradise on Earth’ some call it 'small Switzerland' and some call “Peer Vaer” (The valley of saints). I refer to Kashmir, which is presently occupied by India. Yes! The people of Kashmir also live the same life as all of you. We too are following the lockdown call by the authorities and similarly spending the same life as all of you spend.

But you don’t know what differs between us. You follow the lockdown call for a week or two, but we have been under lockdown since early August 2019. You can share your sufferings with your friends or relatives but we can’t. You share your sufferings on social media and protest but we can’t, you access high speed internet but we can’t. Why we can’t? See!

On Thursday, Kashmir has completed eight months of lockdown. From August to November telecommunications were fully shut down. Eventually, some land line phones were activated, while voice calls were re-activated after a month, for mobile phones. 2G data services were re-activated a month later.

Are you worried about the education of your children, who are affected due to the Coronavirus lockdown? Our children lost eight months of education. Are you worried about the economy and business lost? Many Kashmiri middle-class people were compelled to come on streets after the huge lockdown. Are you worried about the loss of your close family? Many of our beloved ones died unnoticed, unreported and unregistered. At least you can browse internet, we can’t even open the video contents and high quality images of precautionary measures given by World Health Organization. Can you imagine how difficult it is to browse internet on 2G speed in the modern world?

Kashmir’s Current Crisis

The world is currently doing so much to combat and defeat COVID-19 as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the people of Kashmir are forced to fight for fundamental human rights in the middle of a pandemic.

On Mar. 21, India officially announced a nation-wide “Janta Curfew”/Civil Curfew until the Coronavirus has been conquered. Everything was closed: offices, schools, colleges, universities and other major or minor projects and works. Only the emergency servicemen, hospitals and doctors were left open for service. Not fearing the orders but knowing the poor condition of the health system in Kashmir will not be able to fight Coronavirus if it bursts in the valley.

As we have just 97 ventilators for the 8 million people in the Kashmir valley. Everyone welcomed the Indian call for strict curfew in Kashmir. People cooperated in such a way that India never had thought. Only thinking social distance, isolation and home quarantine is only the best means of defeating this Coronavirus. Islamic scholars, stakeholders, and other public figures also advised people to follow the law and precautionary measures, until Apr. 1.

Thus, this day will surely be considered a dark day for the Kashmiri people. After eight months in lockdown, many people were thinking, now the 4G speed data will be restored to help fight the Coronavirus. It would help students studying in outside and foreign universities to join online classes and will start e-learning. But Kashmiris were in for a shock. Soon after, the Indian government announced the imposition of Domicile law in Kashmir valley.

What is this Domicile Law?

An outsider residing in Jammu and Kashmir for at least fifteen years will now be eligible to be a resident of Jammu and Kashmir.

Or the anyone who has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in Jammu and Kashmir will resident of the Jammu and Kashmir.

The definition expands to include children of those central government officials, all India services officers, officials of PSUs and autonomous body of central government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognized research institutes of central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years or children on parents who fulfil any of the conditions in sections.

Status of Kashmir before Domicile Law

The Article 35A in the Indian constitution previously read

No outsider can be a permanent resident of Jammu & Kashmir

No outsider can buy land or own property in Jammu and Kashmir

No outsider can be recruited for employment in Jammu and Kashmir

No outsider can set his own and personal business or private company in Jammu and Kashmir.

Thus, this status has been snatched from the people. Inside their homes, the Indian government exploited the Coronavirus lockdown. Everything was closed but they still assembled meetings to impose this domicile law. Knowing that people of Kashmir will not be able to react and protest.

After looking at the relevant articles and laws, it is clear that Kashmir is going to become another Palestine. As India is the second most populous country in the world, it will send many people to Kashmir for work and make them the permanent residents of Kashmir. They will let businessmen to open business, corporations to open largest scale industries and companies, and will recruit people outside Jammu and Kashmir. In the near future we will have another Palestine, in the name of Kashmir occupied by India.

It is shocking that so called world-peace building organizations are silent spectators. How inhuman is this? That people were asked to be indoors and government snatched their fundamental rights outside. The people of Kashmir are politically, religiously, socially, economically, digitally and globally tortured, depressed and frustrated. You can’t tolerate even a month home quarantine. The people have been under home quarantined since last eight months, yet the international community is saying nothing.

The people of the valley could protest on social media and reach their voices to the world. However, all those who try to raise their voices on social media are arrested and kept under unknown jails. No mainstream media will cover these things from here. When some local journalists of Kashmir try to raise the voice, they too are kept behind the bars. As a result, many journalists are in jail for years.

Therefore, if you are following and watching Indian mainstream media kindly? Kindly think reasonably beyond their monitored and manufactured propaganda. The world will be accountable for the silence on such issues. If we can’t do anything for them at least we can raise the voice to stop India imposing such inhuman laws on the Kashmiri people; under such conditions where our focus should on the Coronavirus and the ways to defeat it.