By guest author, San’aa Sultan
Between the folds of two nuclear states lies a valley of forsaken people whose struggle is yet to be told beyond its borders. Kashmir. A place where the crimson soil is still screaming to be heard.
Hazratbal Srinagar Kashmir. Photo by Abdul Basit, used by permission.
Although the land is shared amongst India, Pakistan, and China, regions of peace and war are easy to identify. The Indian occupied Kashmir comprising the Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, and Jammu, is home to the world’s highest concentration of troops. There are more Indian troops positioned here than NATO troops in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
At the hands of this brutal presence, the people of Kashmir have suffered oppression for many decades, spreading far beyond the separation of India. In the name of national security and what may be described as India’s self-prescribed “War of Terror,” the worlds’ largest democracy has continued to perpetrate unimaginable human rights abuses in Kashmir.
The names of Aasiya and Neelofar, two ill-fated young Kashmiri women who were gang raped and murdered are known across the valley. The families of eight year old Sameer Ahmed Rah who was beaten to death by Indian forces and 17 year-old Tufail Matoo who was killed after being hit by a tear gas canister have not yet tasted justice. Mass graves are still being uncovered, but the glimmer of hope in the homes of the disappeared lives on despite its painful embrace.
Torturous memories are left lingering in the mind of every Kashmiri and there is no household which has not been subject to abuse. As tensions rise along the Line of Control and the world anticipates a nuclear war, I wish to narrate to you the story of Kashmir.
This introduction to Crimson Soil is so beautifully written, I look forward (with both dread and hope) to the rest of San’aa Sultan’s article. Our own government, historically and recently, has been guilty of human rights oppression but never to the point that every household has been affected. We can count ourselves fortunate by comparison, but this doesn’t mean we should simply ignore the human rights violations in other countries. Kudos to San’aa Sultan and Engaging Peace for calling our attention to a
miserable situation.
Gold Dust Twin, I as a British citizen have a responsibility to the people of Kashmir as it is the legacy of British divide and conquer which has resulted in over 65 years of struggle in Kashmir. Had the British ensured the implementation of a plebiscite and a peaceful transition these households today would be happy. Kashmir would be paradise on earth and families would not be separated by the LoC on which both my parents were born.
Beyond that, we ALL have a moral obligation towards the oppressed. I wish that I could do more than just write. Thank YOU for reading.
Unfortunately, with the exception of those Iraqis who collaborated with our illegal occupation, we brought tragedy to every household in Iraq. I think the situation is similar in Afghanistan, and with a death toll of more than 3 million in Vietnam, we likely did the same there, too.
Dahlia, you are very right.
Honestly San’aa, until I met you, I had never heard of the occupation of Kashmir. Even many of us in the US who consider ourselves to be informed are totally ignorant about Kashmir, so thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I fall into this category that Ross describes. Thank you, San’aa Sultan.
Thank YOU Ross, for introducing me to Proffessor Kathie so long ago and thank you to Kathie for agreeing to publish these posts here.
All anyone needs to do is type the word drones on Google and some of the horrifying facts will surface:
How much does the drone cost, and how many of them are there? A Reaper drone costs $28 million; one Hellfire missile (Lockheed Martin/Raytheon) costs about $70,000; one Paveway bomb (Lockheed Martin/Raytheon) about $20,000. The total cost of one weapons load for a Reaper – four Hellfire/ two Paveway – is at least $320,000, a third of a million dollars. US taxpayers will have invested about $11.8 billion in Reapers over the life of its program, which began in 2001 and will extend for at least several more years. The 2012 Department of Defense budget sets aside $1.069 billion for Reapers. The Air Force is believed to have about 60 Reapers with plans to build a total of about 330.
Humanitarians — and taxpayers — take notice!