Hyderabad, India, October 14, 2019 (PPI-OT): Writer and film-maker, Sanjay Kak has said that the repeal of Kashmir’s special status does not have any effect on the struggle for freedom, but it adversely affects the middle class Kashmiris. Sanjay Kak speaking at rights activist, K Balagopal’s 10th memorial meet at Sundarayya Vignan Kendra in Hyderabad said, “The lockdown itself is a form of protest. Without a phone and the internet, people are unable to communicate even for the most essential things. Health sector is the worst hit.”
“The silent protest by Kashmiris does not necessarily mean that they are remaining silent. They are worried about their young sons being whisked away by Indian forces and hence are digging their roads and building barricades at their streets to prevent access to their areas,” Sanjay said.
The effects of India-Israeli ties were also clearly visible in Kashmir, the film-maker said, citing the use of a large number of drones Indian forces in Kashmir. “Also, West Bank’s methods of urban control too are clearly visible now in Kashmir,” he said, adding, “Forces frequently turn even the streets into one-way roads, where access to your own home is provided through strange routes and even those routes are frequently changed.”
“This is a tactic deployed to prevent people from becoming familiar with their areas and routes,” Sanjay said. Though the Indian government has been saying that it would bypass leaders of the territory, MLAs etc and would straight away reach out to sarpanches to take the development to the villages, this sounds farcical to anyone familiar with Kashmir’s rural structure, where 61% of villages have no sarpanches at all.
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