Left and progressive forces in India and Pakistan have condemned the recent attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir wherein 26 people were killed and warned against attempts by right-wing forces to capitalize on the attack to spread hatred and further ignite existing conflicts in the region.
Large scale rallies were organized on Wednesday by Kashmiris across the state to oppose the attacks on civilians and the retaliatory attacks against Kashmiris and Muslims.
At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by unidentified armed men in Baisaran, Pahalgam in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) province on Tuesday, April 22. The attack was later claimed by a largely unknown group “the Resistance Front.” It was considered the deadliest attack on civilians in J&K in the last two and half decades.
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The killings of tourists in Kashmir led to fresh tensions between neighboring countries of India and Pakistan which have faced decades-long tensions over the region which also clamors for self-determination. The attack has also caused a media frenzy in India with some calling for aggressive actions against Pakistan as “revenge”.
The attack has also served to incite hate campaigns against Muslims and Kashmiris in India holding them collectively responsible for the act.
The Indian government, led by Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), blamed Pakistan for the attacks without providing any evidence for the same. On Wednesday, the Narendra Modi-led government also announced diplomatic measures against its neighbor.
These measures include:
- Suspension of a vital, decades-old treaty to share the waters of the Indus river with Pakistan. The Indus Water Treaty, as it is commonly known, was signed in 1960 with international mediation and had previously survived the most tense phases of their relationship.
- Closing the borders with Pakistan and ordering all Pakistani nationals visiting India to leave the country within the next 48 hours.
These measures announced by India further downgrade relations with Pakistan which had already deteriorated to their lowest level in the last decade. The suspension of the water treaty has been particularly criticized given the impact it could have on the livelihoods of Pakistani people, especially farmers.
Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) in a meeting on April 24 condemned the suspension of the treaty, highlighting that it was “brokered by the World Bank and contains no provision for unilateral suspension”. Further, it emphasized: “Water is a Vital National Interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs. Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an Act of War and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of National Power.”
Pakistan has also denied any role in the attacks, stating in the NSC, “In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic.”
As per a report in Dawn, Pakistani leaders have suggested that the attack may be a “false-flag operation”.
Tensions escalate
Left and progressive forces in India and Pakistan have cautioned against the uptick in hate speech and war mongering in the context of the attacks on innocent civilians, and emphasized that the current approach towards the region has done little to address decades-long grievances and demands.
Many groups have also highlighted that the attack takes place in a context of heightened repression and militarization of Kashmir and its people, especially following the Modi government’s revocation of the special status that had been granted to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. The far-right BJP government on August 5, 2019 scrapped articles 370 and 35(A) of the Indian constitution which granted autonomy to the state on various matters of governance. In order to suppress outrage over this move, the government imposed a total communications blackout and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. Hundreds of people were detained arbitrarily including political leaders and human rights defenders.
Watch: Kashmir crisis explained: History, laws, and repression
In a statement, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation questioned the strong arm tactics used by the Modi government in J&K for the last decade. They claimed the attacks on Tuesday once again prove that such a heavy-handed approach to shut down democratic voices in J&K do not bring peace and stability.
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Several other left and progressive forces in both India and Pakistan denounced the calls of war and attempts to spread hatred by the right-wing groups and media in India. They demanded accountability for the crimes of killing innocent civilians and called for solidarity with the victims.
Communist Party of India (CPI) demanded swift investigation in the incident and action against all those responsible for the crime.
“The perpetrator of the crime are the enemies of the nation and more so of the people of Kashmir,” said the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in a statement on Wednesday.
CPI (M) leader and an elected member of J&K legislative assembly Yusuf Tarigami also issued a statement calling for solidarity with all the victims.
“We, the people of Kashmir, stand in solidarity with the entire country, united in grief and sympathy. These attacks are an assault on our collective humanity and cannot be allowed to divide us on religious or communal lines,” Tarigami said.
Tarigami also pointed out that the attack will negatively impact the livelihood opportunities of the people of Kashmir making their lives much more difficult in the coming days.
Pakistan’s Mazdoor Kisan Party (MKP) questioned the motives behind the attacks claiming “no cause, no grievance-real or fabricated-can ever justify the targeting of non-combatants.”
“Such acts are not a form of resistance; they are a betrayal of the values of justice and freedom that true struggles for liberation represent,” MKP asserted.
Ammar Ali Jan, member of Pakistan’s Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (HKP), wrote, “The suspension of Indus Water Treaty is an illegal & unwarranted act of aggression by India. The tragedy in Pahalgam should propel stronger dialogue and cooperation between the two countries against terrorism. Instead, Modi govt is choosing belligerence & war-mongering. Shameful!”
