Naila Altaf Kayani ;
Hindustan commemorates 26th of January as the date on which its Constitution came into effect, in the year 1950, and the country declared it self a sovereign republic.It is evident that for the second consecutive year, Republic Day celebrations for Hindustan will be held under the dark shadow of raging protests. In 2020, it was the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) whereas this year, hundreds of thousands of farmers have been camping at the borders of its capital, New Delhi, for more than two months, demanding the Centre repeal the three farm laws.In Kashmir, Hindustan’s Republic Day has always been observed as a black dayto mark strong indignation and protest against the continued Indian illegal occupation of Jammu & Kashmir. This defiance is integral to the belief that Kashmir has a separate identity, which is unique from Hindustan. At the heart of Kashmiri secessionist movement, lies the principle of rejecting the Indian constitution. Kashmiris from either sides of the divide as well as restof the world,show anguish in various ways.A complete strike is usually observedin the occupied territory whereas rallies and demonstrations are carried out in AJK, Pakistan and major capitals of the worldto draw the attention of international community towards Hindustan’s human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). It is to be reminded that Modi government scrapped the special status of IIOJK on August 5, 2019 and imposed a curfew and communication blackout to suppress the dissent against this controversial move.Modi government is working on a Hindutva agenda to militarise the whole society against Muslims and other minorities in the name of Hindu religion.Hindustan has turned into to fascist state under BJP rule and has violated international laws in Kashmir without any care in the world.
For over 500 days the Indian government has locked more than eight million people in prison like conditions, denying basic human rights and every kind of freedom to them. Republic Dayadds up miseries to the these already besieged peopleas Indian troops intensify checking and frisking in the region, and valley turns into a military cantonment. Kashmiris believe that Hindustan is not a real democratic country as it has been suppressing the their voice through military might for over seven decades and has no right to celebrate its Republic Day in Kashmir as it occupied the territory against the will of the Kashmiri people. It is time for World leaders and international community to seriously take stock of the grim situation in Kashmir and play their part in ending continued long unlawful and forcible Indian occupation. Unrest in Kashmir poses significant threats to Hindustan’s stability and reputation itself. And instability in this part of the world can quickly spiral into nuclear-tinged crises and conflict.