Two realities of Kashmir: Integration and development in India; occupation and repression in Pakistan

Islamabad/Srinagar, Aug 17 (IANS) The year 1947 did not just see the partition of Punjab and Bengal, but also the split of Kashmir following Pakistan’s occupation. 75 years since the first Indo-Pak war, Kashmir, divided into two halves by the Line of Control, has been under two different political systems. Despite the same post-colonial start, the two Kashmirs now hardly resemble each other.

This month marks the seventh year of abrogation of Article 370 in India, a constitutional provision that gave special status and autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, making the region into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh.

The move not only paved the way for the full integration of J&K with the rest of India under a single constitutional framework but also smoothened the way for the uniform flow and application of government schemes and benefits. The uniform constitutional setup also fostered right-based judicial redress, strengthening legal protection and accountability of individual rights. Moreover, the revocation has been crucial for further securitisation of Kashmir, which otherwise had been infested by prolonged era of foreign-funded militarisation and cross-border terrorism.

Within just half a decade, J&K, now fully integrated, witnessed a new phase of state building. With the expansion of India’s constitutional democracy, the region’s grassroot political representation became more consolidated, reflecting the true spirit of a functional federalism. This also helped make the civic space more vibrant, as noted in high voter turnout in the 2024 assembly election, and empowerment of youth and women who are now seeking active political participation and visibility.

In the healthcare sector, the two vital aspects of state economy and economy, Kashmir witnessed approval of new projects like no other ranging from two AIIMS (one in Jammu and one in Kashmir), seven new government medical colleges to expansion of medical degree seats and over 400 health infrastructure projects. Major health reforms to provide equitable healthcare access in form of Ayushman Bharat Sehat scheme further made universal health insurance for up to five lakh rupees per family possible, catering to poor households in the union territory.

In the education sector, too, the Indian government expanded government colleges from 94 to 147, focusing on skill-based education and modern technology. It also established IIT and IIM campuses in the region, thus extending world class educational facilities and modern skill acquisition at the doorstep.

Speaking of modern technology, direct digital welfare through DBT, along with high-speed 5G internet connectivity, not only improved service delivery in the region but also boosted startups in the region and made online skill learning more accessible, specifically catering to the region’s employability and education of the vibrant youth population.

The most blooming impact in post-Article 370 revocation has been on the region’s economy that witnessed a new phase of infrastructural transformation. Through power grid expansion and major hydro power projects like Pakal Dul, Ratle, Kiru, Kwar, Karnah, Sawalkot, Kirthai-II, Uri-II, Dulhasti-II, and Lower Kalnai, the region is steadily moving towards power reliability, while already achieving complete household electrification.

Transport connectivity such Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link connecting J&K directly with rest of India, the Vande Bharat railway connecting Srinagar directly with Delhi, upgradation of NH-44 corridor, major tunnel projects such as Zojila and Z-Morh and the expansion of Srinagar airport not only improved regional connectivity and public-private investment but also inevitably surged the region’s tourism hub to newer heights, cultivating a vibrant nightlife and urban culture.

It is important to note here that these new infrastructural projects that essentially depend on the extraction of local mineral resources paid fair resource royalties to ensure local population receive equitable revenue share and benefits transparently. J&K has also been witnessing a better disaster preparedness via modern disaster management plans like GIS-based risk databases, modern forecasting tools and integrated warning channels for natural disasters and better support-systems.

Ironically, the occupied part of Jammu and Kashmir consolidated by Pakistan was given the name of ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’. To the world, Islamabad projected Kashmir’s ‘liberation’ by not making the region a constitutional part of Pakistan, while simultaneously transferring the region’s key powers to the capital.

Notwithstanding the name, Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) is neither a fully sovereign province, nor liberated but a region deprived of its autonomous rights because of constitutional ambiguity.

Over the years, and especially under the 1974 Interim Constitution, the occupied territory has not only come under greater central control but also a greater political (authoritarian) subjugation leading to grave human rights violations in the region. Under a stricter federal oversight, the 13th amendment in 2018 substantially weakened the regional council’s administrative authority, transferring much of its key powers to Islamabad. An autonomy now centrally managed and largely formal, PoK is presently witnessing its worst political momentum.

PoK, which has seen infrastructural projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has drawn controversy and dispute for the sheer exploitation of local land and resources, loss of land control, unfair tax imposition, while depriving the locals of fair compensation.

At the same time, weakened public investment due to long term systemic neglect in the region triggered a chronic infrastructural collapse affecting the education system, healthcare and connectivity. The region has been under total railway isolation since under Pakistan’s occupation with no operational railway, making it completely dependent on roads which remain under maintained.

Moreover, with the lack of operational civil aviation facilities and the primitive nature of the same have only deepened regional isolation and social stagnation. The fiscal strain aggravated PoK’s crippling energy crisis and debt burden, high inflation and rampant unemployment forced youth exodus.

The violent suppression of dissent in the region equating it as a national security threat, through internet shutdowns and communication blackouts, large scale arbitrary detentions under sedition charges, enforced disappearances, use of lethal force, and media censorship has been sweeping, a stark reminder of Pakistan’s ‘humanitarian consideration’ for a ‘liberated’ Kashmir.

The dissent, arising out of decades of PoK’s political and economic marginalisation and lack of representation, is at its zenith in the ongoing protest that has taken a violent turn due to Islamabad’s heavy-handed security restrictions and treatment of democratic right to dissent.

The latest wave of protests, stemming from local grievances related to a dispute over reserved political seats and an alleged rigged election, that met with violent suppression with dozens killed, reinforced the lack of autonomy of PoK before the world.

The month of August, therefore, represents two striking realities of Kashmir — the Indian side celebrating the total constitutional integration and visible development, what Pakistan falsely portrays as ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’ (Day of Exploitation).

On the other hand, Kashmiri territory occupied by Pakistan reveals a region whose autonomy remains only in name, whose people live under a violent state and whose land remains under Islamabad’s exploitative ordeals. The contrasting sight stands as a testimony to a state under integration, and one region under occupation.

–IANS

scor/as