Stand With Kashmir in Malmö, Sweden

standwithkashmir

India: End The occupation of the state of Jammu Kashmir.

5th of August the Indian Fascist BJP Modi Government has scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gives special status to Kashmir and also Article 35A of the Indian Constitution which gives the State's legislature the power to define permanent residents and their privileges (including buying land). It has also divided Jammu and Kashmir into two parts. This was announced in Parliament by Home Secretary Amit Shah, with the President's assent obtained secretly in advance. This is a blatant move towards Israeli-style settler colonialism in Kashmir.

Meanwhile Kashmir is under lock-down since then. During the last few days the Indian government has amassed 35,000 troops in Kashmir beyond the 700 000 already present in the Kashmir Valley, the worlds most militarised zone. The huge military build up, the warnings to non-Kashmiri tourists and pilgrims to leave immediately, curfews, stopping petrol sales, the placing under house arrest of mainstream politicians, the takeover of police stations by the CRPF paramilitaries and the complete shutdown of internet are all extremely ominous. Kashmiris fear a massacre by security forces.

In a statement released before internet was cut off yesterday, the Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) explained 'Indian government thinks demographic changes will solve the conflict in Kashmir. This change apparently will be brought through parliament but on ground in Kashmir only through gun point. They have silenced all political groups, gagged media and scared civil society. The government is well prepared to deal with protest and forces have been ordered to not negotiate with the protesters - just shoot. It is clear that there will be violence, but I hope and pray people remain peaceful and that we in Kashmir dont lose anything more than these constitutional guarantees.

The largest democracy is able to do all this because of the international silence. Sending this message to all of you before the internet and phone is shut-down".

We must stand by the people of Kashmir and ensure that international attention and pressure is directed to the Indian government. Join us for the solidarity with Kashmir at Möllevångstorget, Malmö.

Background: Kashmir has been divided between Indian and Pakistani colonial powers since 1947. The people of Kashmir have since been faced with physical, mental and financial harm from both sides. Resistance emerged on both sides in various forms and shapes, leading to several wars and internal rebellions.

The response to the brutal violations of human rights by the Indian forces since the 1990s, when the local youth in the Valley of Kashmir took weapons from Pakistan to fight against the Indian forces, leading up to the heavy rigging in the 1987 elections in the Indian held Kashmir to keep the Muslim United Front out of the local assembly.

There have been nearly 70,000 mainly civilian Kashmiris casualties and around 10,000 forced disappearances.

Today although pro independent Kashmir politics, media and literature is banned by both India and Pakistan, the voices for independent Kashmir are the fastest growing voices across the division line along with the demands for the recognition of regional, religious and cultural diversity in the state.

The people of the divided state of Kashmir in Ladakh, Jammu, Valley of Kashmir (Indian Occupied Kashmir), so-called Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan (Pakistan Administrated Kashmir) want demilitarization, freedom of all political prisoners, demolition of ‘illegal laws’ and ‘unconstitutional constitutions to let citizens of the state defined in the 1927 legislation of the State Subject to decide their fate through a fair, free, democratic and inclusive mechanism.

Long Live Free State of Jammu Kashmir