Kashmir in Crisis
The stunningly beautiful land of Kashmir, nestled in the Himalayas, has seen much bloodshed and suffering. Over the decades the Indian state in attempts to stifle resistance to its rule in Kashmir has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops, imposed curfews, clampdowns and crackdowns. But nothing approaches the current situation. On August 5 the Hindu-nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took unprecedented steps. Key provisions of the Indian Constitution dealing with Kashmir, articles 370 and 35A, have been revoked. The little autonomy Kashmir had is now evaporated. It is broken as a state and is under direct rule from New Delhi. No Kashmiri was consulted. It’s hard to imagine that the actions of the Modi government will quell the ongoing demands of Kashmiris for azaadi, freedom.
Interviewed by David Barsamian.
Speaker
Sanjay Kak
Sanjay Kak is a New Delhi-based, award-winning independent documentary filmmaker and journalist. His films include How We Celebrate Freedom, Words on Water and Red Ant Dream. He is editor of the books Until My Freedom Has Come: The New Intifada in Kashmir and Witness.
Bart Bolger –
Excellent interview. I love how well prepared David is with insightful questions that draw out nuance from his guests, e.g., in this case, the psychological trauma experienced both by the occupied and the occupier in J&K.
Suvir in Philadelphia –
Sanjay is as articulate as ever!
Nancy in New York –
Great interview. The parallels with Palestine are striking.