The fear of Indian settler colonialism and the battle for Kashmir’s soul

Abstract

The dispute in Kashmir has been simmering since 1947. In 1989 a popular armed resistance began in Indian-administered Kashmir against the government of India. One of the most densely militarised zones in the world, the human rights violations committed by Indian government forces have resulted in more than 100,000 people being killed and more than 8,000 being forcibly disappeared. Even though eroding Kashmir’s autonomous status under the special Article 370 has been a persistent policy of the Indian government, since 2014, after the BJP took power, the battle to remove Kashmir’s autonomy has been brought to the forefront, and the possibility of a major demographic shift through settler colonialism has become a looming threat. On 5 August, the BJP annulled Article 370, which guaranteed Kashmir’s autonomous special status. This chapter illustrates how the special article was a symbol of Kashmir’s historical sovereignty and served to underwrite the demand for self-determination by the Kashmiri people, and how the resistance to India continues.