The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference.
On December 11th, the Supreme Court upheld the abolition of the dreaded Article 370 (Yeah yeah, I know it was repealed and therefore while Article 370 still exists in the Constitution, the original purpose for which it was intended doesn’t exist anymore). While the emotional high that we experienced on August 5, 2019, can never be attained, it was certainly yet another emotional day yesterday to see the Supreme Court uphold what the Government and Parliament of India did on August 5, 2019.
Frankly, up until August 5, 2019, I was broadly under the impression that many Indian laws don’t apply to the residents of J&K; that citizens of India outside of J&K cannot buy land and property in J&K; women residing in J&K lose out on property rights if they marry someone from outside of the state. But when news reports started emerging on the changes the residents of J&K were experiencing, I just couldn’t believe my eyes as to what all the citizens of the valley were deprived of, all these years.
Take a look at this report in The Hindu. Ignore the sorry choice of words ("dark halls") by the bigots at The Hindu, but did you know that Kashmiris did not even have any theatres and multiplexes till the year 2022?
The report says that the handful of theatres (11 to be precise) that existed in 1990 were shut down because of terrorism. They tried to open once but terrorists hurled grenades. And we were just helpless. It took the abolition of the dreaded Article 370 for Kashmiris to even go to a movie theatre and watch a movie. What was normal for you and me, wasn't even existing for J&K residents because of Article 370.
Nightlife has become very common in almost the entire country. Not just in cities but even in towns and villages, nightlife began to thrive primarily at the turn of this century. We all have seen how this helped businesses boom and for citizens to have a relaxing time. Guess what, until the dreaded 370 existed, nightlife eluded the Kashmiris.
According to this report, public life halted at sunset itself! Today, late-night cricket and football tournaments are a big draw in previously “volatile areas” that were only accustomed to violence. It was distressing to read this report because what was normal for you and me, wasn't even existing for J&K residents because of Article 370.
What was popularly called Paradise on Earth actually had no-go zones because of the violence perpetrated by the terrorists. With the removal of Article 370, tourism spread to places that no one imagined it would. Take a look at this report and tell me you don’t feel distress and happiness at the same time!
The report explicitly states that these villages were out of bounds for “outsiders” because of the violence by terrorists. The report also tells us how happy the villagers are, when they call the new situation as a “dream come true” for them. The dreaded Article 370 so far didn’t even allow them to dream, leave alone letting them come true.
Ever since this dreaded article was abolished and thrown into the dustbin, 185 people from outside of J&K were able to buy property here. A whopping 1559 Indian and Multinational companies have made investments in J&K since 2020. Do you now see the scale of how much the people of J&K were deprived of?
Controversial serial commentator, Malala Yousafzai, told us in 2019 that “people of Kashmir have lived in conflict since I was a child”, as if it is some badge of honour. In 2019, she was “worried about the safety of the Kashmiri children and women”. Today, report after report is telling us how Kashmiris are safer than ever, have better opportunities than ever, are getting more prosperous, enjoying the fruits of a booming economy and welcoming fellow Indians to visit them.
What was normal for you and me, wasn't even existing for J&K residents because of Article 370. People like Malala and her ilk yearned for a Kashmir that will eternally stay in conflict so that they can cash in on the misery of the people. People like Malala and her ilk did not want our fellow Indians from J&K to have a normal life like you and I have. The people of Jammu & Kashmir have shown us how they have royally ignored Malala and her ilk. If this does not make us feel proud, then what else will?
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