Indian malicious designs to alter the religious and demographic composition of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are vividly clear as the Hindutva BJP regime is rehabilitating the families of Kashmiri pundits back to IIOJK by offering substantial rewards. In an aggressive push for resettlement, the Indian government claimed it has restored more than six hundred properties belonging to Kashmiri Pandits in the past five years. Data from Indian Home Ministry indicates that a total of six thousand government posts were announced under the 2008 PM rehabilitation package for IIOJK. About 5797 Pandits migrants have been given employment.
Article 35A has brought outsiders including Indian nationals from other states from settling and claiming government jobs to maintain the demographic balance in the region. According to a census conducted by India in 2011, out of the 12.5 million total population, Muslims comprise 68.31% and Hindus 28.43% in Kashmir. India’s latest step is a vindication of Pakistan’s consistent stance that the major intention behind the Indian government’s unilateral and illegal action of 5th August 2019 was to change the demographic structure of IIOJK and turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.
From day one, the Modi government followed the plan to ultimately change the demographic nature of IIOJK as the Modi government knew that they have failed in suppressing Kashmiris in their struggle for the right to self-determination. Modi government has distributed almost 3 million Kashmiri domiciles to Indian citizens since they abrogated article 370. Bringing non-Kashmiris and non-Muslims to the occupied territory is an effort of the Modi government to show the world that let’s have a pesticide and let’s see what happens as result. Off course, the Hindu community will be in majority as they are putting more and more non-Kashmiris in the occupied territory.
One can understand that mindset of people within India and also abroad has been changed through the mass media. In the recently released Bollywood movie “Kashmir Files” Kashmiri Pandits were depicted as helpless people through this film and the Muslims were portrayed as villains. Moreover, the sensitive political nature of the film and charges of inaccuracy/deliberate misrepresentation of facts has led to accusations of the BJP government indulging in propaganda.
Authorities have made entrance to the film tax-free in many Indian states, with police and others gave time off to go watch. Numerous videos shared on social media and verified as genuine by AFP have shown people in cinemas calling for revenge and for Muslims to be killed. Indian PM Narendra Modi has also used the movie as an opportunity to slam his political opponents and critics, alleging that those who oppose it are the ones who tried to hide the truth about the violence inflicted on Hindus in Kashmir. The movie has also divided the Kashmiri Hindu community as well, members of the community criticized the movie as it does not reflect the actual facts but is fabricated.
This propaganda campaign was backed by the BJP Modi government to fabricate the facts as still thousand of Kashmiri families are living peacefully in the Kashmir valley. Recently, the former head of Amnesty International India was disallowed to leave the country. Renowned journalist Rana Ayyub was stopped at the airport and later was allowed to board her plane, this was a deliberate attempt so that the human rights organizations and the journalists who are speaking the truth do not continue to speak the truth about what is happening in India and IIOJK. Human rights violations are linked to the basic rights of human beings there are numerous cases that have emanated in India not now but for years.
It is the time for the international human rights organizations including the EU to take notice of planned propaganda by the Indian government through mass media and through these tactics aiming for demographic change in IIOJK. India is no more a democratic country but a fascist regime pursuing policies of far-right RSS. No matter, what demographic changes India tries to bring in IIOJK but the constant struggle of Kashmiris will continue as it has been going for decades.
