Hindus for Human Rights Stands Against Oppression and Injustice in Kashmir

Kashmir has been in the news yet again as of late, with a rise in violence against minorities and reports of the largest Hindu exodus from the Kashmir Valley since the 1990s. These horrific developments underscore the blatant failure of the government’s policies and brutal repression in Kashmir, and highlight the urgent need for action to protect the inalienable human rights of all Kashmiris. In light of these developments, the following reflects HfHR’s updated position on the question of Kashmir, and affirms our commitment to standing up against injustice and oppression.

We recognize that the topic of Kashmir and its political status is a highly fraught question that carries great emotional and personal significance for many people. We recognize also that while there is a diversity of opinion within the HfHR community on this question, we ultimately have both the privilege and the responsibility as Hindus to speak out in defense of the human rights of all people—including Kashmiris. 

Unfortunately, an immoral and illegal policy of collective punishment has been imposed upon millions of Kashmiris, particularly since the BJP government’s revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, in the name of national integration. This is due in large part to the fact that the region is majority-Muslim, and the BJP government’s Hindutva ideology inherently sees all Muslims as threats to be dealt with by any means necessary. As Hindus for Human Rights we firmly reject both this indefensible policy, and the hateful ideology that motivates it. Beyond constituting an egregious violation of basic human rights, such draconian and authoritarian steps by any government, anywhere in the world, can inevitably lead only to further disintegration and violence.

In debates over Kashmir, people on all sides often attempt to convey a homogenized, flattened image of what a “real” Kashmiri looks like in order to serve a specific political or national agenda. In addition to undermining the cause of peace and justice for all people, these attempts sadly ignore and erase the rich diversity that has characterized Kashmir and its people for centuries. The Indian-administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are home to a combined 12.5 million people, with millions more living in parts of the Kashmir region that are currently administered by Pakistan and China. Within these millions there are Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Christians, who speak a diverse array of languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Dogri, Kashmiri, Tibetan, Ladakhi, and Balti. From this diversity, a powerful ethos of religious and cultural syncretism has emerged, which for generations before the advent of conflict enabled the people of Kashmir to live together in peace, harmony, and dignity, learning from and respecting one another rather than being divided along religious or communal lines. 

To be clear: we firmly believe that it is the inalienable right of Kashmiris to speak for themselves and decide their own future. This, however, can only be achieved through a peaceful, democratic, and deliberative process, where all Kashmiris are able to come together to begin the difficult but necessary work of healing the wounds of the past and shaping a just and peaceful future for all. 

For this to happen, it is necessary for the Indian government to lift its draconian crackdown on the people of Kashmir, end its brutal militarization of the territory, and cease all human rights violations immediately. Achieving a truly just future for Kashmir and its people also requires facilitating the safe and long-overdue return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland, from which far too many Pandits have lived in unjust exile for far too long. Kashmiris of all backgrounds and religions have called for the Pandits to be allowed to return to their homes in peace, and Indian leaders have a moral obligation to facilitate this return in a manner that ensures justice for all, rather than using Pandits as convenient pawns in service of a nationalist political agenda. 

As Hindus for Human Rights, we stand in firm solidarity with the people of Kashmir in their fight to secure basic human rights—the same basic rights that all people, everywhere, should be able to enjoy.