The Kashmir Conflict: The Paralyzed Paradise

Back in On the Road 1.0, I was crossing to Syria from Jordan via Ramtha/De’ra border when the Arab Spring erupting in Tunisia almost bulldozed the entire Middle East. Many government buildings were razed to the ground by angry mobs when I crossed to the border town of De’ra which happened to be the first town to fall in Syria. The city of Homs was locked down when I reached there, unaware. I had to skip Homs and make my way to Hama after being interrogated (of course released thereafter) by the notorious Syria secret police.

Amman, Mar'11

When it comes to On the Road 3.0 now where Srinagar happens to be one of my stops in India, the current situation in Kashmir appears volatile. The Indian government led by Narendra Modi has effectively nullified Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on 5 Aug 19, which accords special status to Jammu and Kashmir. In other words, Jammu & Kashmir is losing its special status it once had. It is bifurcated into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmnir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one.

Not unlike the never ending conflicts between Israel and the Palestine, the Kashmir conflict has also never been resolved since the Partition. Kashmir was a predominantly Muslim state with a Hindu Maharaja. As the Partition approached in 1947, the ruling Maharaja Hari Singh at the time favored independence rather than joining either India or Pakistan. However, he failed to make a definitive decision. A Pashtun army backed by the new government of Pakistan then crossed the border with the intent to grab the state by force and annex Kashmir for Pakistan. The Maharaja panicked and requested armed resistance from India. This set off the first Indo-Pakistan war where two new born nations went to war, two months after the independence.

Following the nullification of Article 370 which has allegedly been planned for years, pro-independence demonstration and strikes have again escalated in the 140 km-long Kashmir valley, with Srinagar – the capital of the state always being the center of attention. While such civil unrest is not uncommon in the past in which it has almost become an ‘annual event’ in Srinagar which often paralyses its very potential tourism, the Indian government has been deploying security troops to quash the strikes and riots. While local authorities have not imposed curfew, gathering of four or more has been clamped down. Some countries have been issuing travel warning advising their citizen to leave the region immediately.

Coils of razor wire were laid to warn the public to stay away from the security troops

Armored vehicles rumbled through the street unceasingly

Many people like to see the world. But many people like to see only the beauty of the world. Many people do not want to see the other sides of the world. If I am to see the world in its true self and get to know it like I always claim, then I should see the world in its entirety – the beauty, the ugly; the good, the bad; the rich, the poor; the warm, the cold; the safety, the risky; the green, the barren; the clean, the filthy; the chaotic, the serenity; the friendly, the hostile; the kind, the dishonest; the welcoming, the forbidden; the developed, the undeveloped, the funny, the boredom; the truth, the rumors, etc.

So I arrived in Srinagar in the wee hours of 22 Sep 19, 50 days after the central government scrapped the special status of Jammu & Kashmir where the dust has not settled (Disclaimer: I wasn’t trying to sneak in the city taking cover of the darkness).

Police blockages were ubiquitous

I think I was the only foreigner in Srinagar, at least for now. I only told a few locals during the occasional greetings but I soon found out that almost everyone on the street knew me by calling me from afar ‘Hey, Malaysian!’. I was taken aback by this most of the time. Kashmir people are known to be proudly independent-minded. They liked to talk to me. Or perhaps they like to talk to foreigners and I turned out to be the only one, for now. Probably due to complete communication shutdown in Kashmir valley by Modi’s government where only landline is working, they were eager to get their voice heard, sometimes to the extent that they talked out of the topic. Well, as a foreigner, I was happy to lend them my ears.

I was told by Gs that, since 5 Aug 19, the security troops have taken into custody thousands of juveniles who went on the street in protest of the above-mentioned government move. It is meant to give pressure to their families to stay put, if not stay away from the politic. While many protesters have been blinded by pellet guns, others remain missing. As a matter of fact, nobody can verify this as both sides of the divide claimed to be the victim. It could be rumors or old news though. Kashmir is big. There are 26 districts in total. The district where the Dal Lake falls under has somehow always been free from the communal tension, at least for now. But then he warned me against venturing into the Old City which has always been the hot bed of clashes. Now only I realize why the driver who drove me here earlier took an alternative route on his way to the Dal Gate. It was to avoid the Old City.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the one allegedly chasing a 16-year-old boy which eventually caused him drowned

All foreigners are suspicious at this juncture. Despite Gs’s advice, I still thought the security troops deployed in the city were meant for precaution rather than action until I was stopped by a security personnel donned in military uniform while I made my way to the Old City in the afternoon. He asked me in Hindi where I was going and what I was doing in the city. I think he got irritated and became rude most probably because I didn’t understand him which must have been interpreted as ignoring him. My passport was checked and photographed. A local even asked me to smile, which I did, when my portrait was taken by the security personnel. He must have thought that I am a journalist or worst, a spy. The worst part is, I suddenly looked like a Chinese now (By race, I actually am) which happens to be the top enemy of India after Pakistan. I must have been taking the relatively calm situation in Dal Lake district for granted until I was relaxed, if not careless, to take the main road leading to the Old City. I should have taken the secondary road which is possible after checking on map. Again, all foreigners are suspicious at this juncture.

When I told my encounter to a local, the first question he popped out was ‘Is he Hindu?’ Gs claimed that the government is trying to convert all Kashmir people to Hinduism. On the other hand, I was told by his brother that Kashmir people are now uniting regardless of religion or sect in order to fight for their well-being. The communication blockade has led to an information vacuum. Even I made myself here to see the things with my own eyes, to verify all the claims proves to be a mission impossible, let alone uncovering the truth.

All types of communication have been shut down leading to an information vacuum

Most public transportation and infrastructures remain paralyzed. Shops also remained shut. I couldn’t find any eatery and had to fill myself with bread and butter bought from half-shut (or half-open) grocery store hidden at back alley. While most shops remained shut, some did open despite the restriction, albeit discreetly. I can feel that the Kashmir people are eager to get back their life. People here just want to live their life. Period.

Most shops remained shut

Only drug stores were allowed to open

The door leading to the restaurant on 1^st floor was left ajar, signalling 'business as usual'

Bread & butter

Despite the communal tension, I still get myself a haircut, which has probably made myself more Chinese, in a half-shut (or half-open) barber shop located at back lane with only Rs 100, well, not by an a-ne-ne (Indian) which I have been searching but by a Kashmiri who must have been watching Edward Scissorhands for too many times until he sliced my neck slightly. 

The barber shop I went was half-shut, if not half-open

Edward Scissorhands

Turmoil aside, it is really a great bargain to visit Srinagar and stay in one of the many romantic houseboats tracing back to the Raj era (except the first night which I had to stay in a slightly expensive houseboat along Jhelum river due to potential curfew). However, I was overwhelmed by the houseboat owners and Shikara touts. Imagine there are thousands of houseboats and Shikaras but there were only handful of tourists here.

Beautiful houseboats moored along the Jhelum river. Jhelum river is where a 16-year-old boy drown earlier allegedly chased by security personnel

The interior of Beauty Flower No. 116 Houseboat is decorated in a lavish manner

The hallway is narrow though

The view from my window opening to Jhelum river

The Dal Lake was beautiful yet empty and quiet

A villager was taking a Shikara to return to one of the floating villages at Dal Lake

A paralyzed paradise

I learnt from Kashmir people that there will be an UN-brokered resolution scheduled on 27 Sep 19. Everyone I met here appears anticipated, if not hopeful, towards the outcome. When I asked them what kind of resolution they hope for, I was surprised to learn that some wanted war to resolve this, either the entire Kashmir belongs to Pakistan, or it remains with India, once and for all. I guess most Kashmir people have been sick if not tired, over the issue after 70 years of struggle.

A security personnel stationed on the rooftop of a shop along NH 44

P/s: When I left Kashmir taking the NH44 to the south, one day before the scheduled UN resolution, the road was blocked numerous times to give way to military convoy. More and more security troops were sent in to Kashmir. There could be a second wave of civil unrest in the event the resolution does not in favor of the Kashmir people. Whatever the resolution would be, Insya’llah I hope that it would be at the welfare of the Kashmir people, even though I know it would be unlikely.