Editorial
The recent Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, has been widely condemned by Kashmiris across political divides. Locals played a heroic role in rescuing the injured, yet rather than being recognized for their humanity, Kashmiri students across India are facing harassment, stoked by rising nationalist hysteria and the tacit approval of state institutions.
India’s media and political elite have responded with inflammatory rhetoric, using the tragedy as fuel to sever ties with Pakistan and intensify crackdowns in Kashmir. In the days following the attack, Indian forces launched widespread raids, demolishing homes, detaining over 1,500 people, and even allegedly staging extrajudicial killings. This pattern of collective punishment reflects a broader trend of deepening repression since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
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The veneer of peace imposed by mass detentions, a silenced press, and systemic fear is now unraveling. Kashmir’s political voice has been muzzled, and dissent has been criminalized under an overwhelming military presence. Now, further escalation threatens not only the region but also the broader South Asian geopolitical balance, especially with skirmishes flaring up along the Line of Control (LoC).
As educated Kashmiri youth flee to safer countries, the diaspora in the West and Middle East must rise to the moment. There is a growing need to unify pro-freedom voices, resist fragmentation, and push for peaceful resolution based on Kashmiri self-determination.
The Indian state’s push for demographic and political changes in Kashmir, mirroring tactics seen in other colonized regions, poses an existential threat to the region’s identity. It’s time for Kashmiris everywhere to act, speak out, and mobilize international support—through media, academia, and diplomacy—to halt the slow erosion of their homeland.
