Kashmir's unending lockdown
To combat the Coronavirus, the entire country has been under lockdown for the last two months, but the lockdown has hardly been of any help to stop the community spread of the virus. It has, however, wrecked economic havoc in the life of the common man with the country finding itself in social and economic shambles. Further, using the lockdown as a pretext, the police brazenly committed atrocities against the common man which was reported widely in the media. The country needs at least one or two years to recover from the impact of the lockdown.
Before the lockdown was imposed across the country, Kashmir – an integral part of India – had already been in lockdown for six months. Other than Kashmir, the entire country celebrated the imposition of lockdown in Kashmir almost as if we had gained freedom. The six-month lockdown in the state seriously impinged on the rights of Kashmiris to lead their normal lives. For the rest of the country to experience how lockdown, curfew, and restrictions can suffocate and snuff the life out of people, the Coronavirus had to enter the country.
Today, let alone winning the war over Coronavirus, we have only succeeded in spreading it across the country and are now standing empty-handed having lost everything in the process. In this dire situation, we should not, however, forget the fact that Kashmir will soon complete one year in lockdown. We should ask ourselves some important questions about how successful the attempt has been to take over Kashmir through the might of the military and to what extent has the life of Kashmiris improved after annulling Article 370 and during the military lockdown. On August 5, 2019, Article 370 that gave special status to Kashmir was annulled and the state was divided as the Union Territories of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh.
Through these measures, a popular impression was created that Kashmir has been completely integrated into India. The Centre insisted that with the removal of Article 370, a huge block impeding democracy and development in Kashmir had eased off. At the same time, the country celebrated that Kashmir was also finally emotionally integrated with India. But, even after one year, Kashmir is being unofficially ruled by the military and Kashmiris are in a state of desperation after losing their rights and having been in lockdown for a year. Their lives have been further battered with the onslaught of the Coronavirus.
Leaders of Kashmir’s mainstream political parties have been in jail during this time. Not just that, opposition party leaders in Delhi have been denied permission to enter Kashmir. These actions show that after Article 370 was annulled, the gulf between Kashmir and India has only increased. The actions of the government to instill confidence in the people of Kashmir are also very disappointing. According to a report, as of 2020, farmers, businessmen, merchants, and farm laborers are battling feelings of shame, disgrace, deception, and helplessness. The number of people opposing the annulment of Article 370 is also increasing. For the elders of Kashmir, Article 370 was not merely a provision of the Constitution but also a symbol of their confidence in the administration. The annulment of Article 370 has not dented the political philosophy of extremists in the Kashmir valley in any way, rather it has handed over a powerful weapon for the extremists to take control of the common man. The government’s action is turning out to be a deeply wrenched wound. The most dangerous development, if one were to call it that, is the behavior of the mainstream political parties that have become rather dull and insipid with extremist organizations using the opportunity and trying hard to take their place.
The government’s belief that the annulment of Article 370 would stop the interference of Pakistan in Kashmir has also been proven wrong. The battle between extremists and the army has further intensified and the number of army personnel stationed in Kashmir has increased manifold. Even as the government is handling Pakistan’s interference, the relations with China and Nepal have also nosedived, which has further strengthened Pakistan’s position.
A small country like Nepal is raking up the border issue while China is repeatedly violating India’s border and trying to take control over Ladakh. Indian soldiers have already paid the price for Chinese incursion in Ladakh. The decision the government took in Kashmir has also resulted in escalating tensions with Nepal and China over the borders with clouds of war hovering around us. It has also opened up the possibilities of China encouraging extremism in Kashmir. Kashmir emerging out of the army stranglehold appears bleak. The way the situation in Kashmir has been handled has been a serious setback for India. We might have succeeded in legally integrating Kashmir through the annulment of Article 370 but till people of Kashmir are embraced and accepted wholeheartedly, Kashmir cannot be truly ours.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad defeat Punjab Kings by four wickets in IPL
Hyderabad, May 19: Sunrisers Hyderabad crushed Punjab Kings by four wickets to end the league phase of the Indian Premier League with 17 points here on Sunday.
Chasing 215, SRH overhauled the target with five balls to spare after opener Abhishek Sharma hammered a 28-ball 66 (6x6s, 5x4s).
SRH were also bolstered by contributions from Rahul Tripathi (33), Nitish Reddy (37) and Heinrich Klaasen (42) along the way.
Earlier in the contest, Punjab Kings were helped by Prabhsimran Singh's quick fire 71 as well as useful contributions from opener Atharva Taide (46) and Rilee Rossouw (49) to post 214/5 on board.
Prabhsimran and Taide added 97 runs from just 55 balls. While Taide scored 46 from 27 balls with five fours and two sixes, Prabhsimran hit seven sixes and four fours for his 45-ball 71.
Rossouw signed off with a 24-ball 49 with four sixes and three fours while stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma produced late fireworks to make 32 not out.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 214/5 in 20 overs (Atharva Taide 46, Prabhsimran Singh 71, Rilee Rossouw 49; T Natarajan 2/33).
Hyderabad 215/6 in 19.1 overs (Abhishek Sharma 66, Rahul Tripathi 33, Nitish Reddy 37, Heinrich Klaasen 42; Arshdeep Singh 2/37) by 4 wickets.
