During his visit to Kashmir for the inauguration of a tunnel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accidently stumbled upon the truth when he said that 40 years of bloodshed had not helped anyone in Kashmir. Modi, of course, was not talking about the 40 years of brutal occupation inflicted on Kashmir or the mass unmarked graves filled by the Indian Army. He seems to believe all the blame lies with the Kashmiris themselves, who have the temerity to resist an occupying force and yearn for liberation. In his speech, Modi laid down a challenge to the Kashmiris saying they had to choose between terrorism and tourism. This kind of dichotomy is typical for the neo-liberal Modi who combines his religious ultra-nationalism with a technocratic belief in the power of development. Quite apart from the calumny of calling the Kashmiri liberation movement terrorism, Modi is not someone who can understand that tunnels and roads are no substitute for the right to live with dignity. Modi is acting like a colonial power, telling the natives they should be grateful for the roads and irrigation systems built by the occupier. The logic of the Indian occupation of Kashmir is no different to the logic of British colonialism in India.
The daily humiliations the Indian Army imposes on Kashmiris is intolerable and no should have to accept the inhumanity of the occupation. Until India realises this, all talk of development in Kashmir will be nothing more than a smokescreen to distract from the illegality of the occupation. The Kashmiri people, needless to say, understand this. The entire valley was brought to a standstill by a strike protesting Modi’s visit and Indian law-enforcement officials went into overdrive to round up protesters. Modi used his speech to claim that Jammu and Kashmir will be an example for what he called ‘Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’. But if the empty roads and full jails are any indication, it is India which needs to open its eyes and see reality. The people of Kashmir want an opportunity to chart their own course and no number of bridges and tunnels will change that. India has an international and moral obligation to let the Kashmiris determine their own future but it continues to disregard these obligations. Modi may continue to demonise those who fight for their rights as terrorists but the rest of the world should know better and condemn an occupation that has brutalised Kashmir for 70 years.