Indian media descend into war frenzy after Kashmir attack

A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir shattered a narrative Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has spent years constructing – that Kashmir was safe, open for business, and back to “normal”.

In response, Indian officials have launched a sweeping crackdown and spurred nationalist rhetoric. Much of the media is echoing the government line.

Tensions between India and Pakistan soar following Kashmir attack

 

Tensions between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals have soared since India accused Pakistan of backing a shooting that killed 26 civilians on the Indian side of the disputed territory on April 22. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his military "full operational freedom" to respond while Islamabad stared test firing ballistic missiles.

Silenced and shut down: Kashmir’s year of lockdown

 

A year since Kashmir lost its autonomy, narratives of the region’s past, present and future are as contested as ever.

It has been more than a year since New Delhi scrapped Indian-administered Kashmir’s special status. Why has the region’s history been so hotly disputed – on the ground and in the news media – since India’s independence from the United Kingdom more than 70 years ago?

How India reshaped Kashmir by revoking Article 370 | UNPACKED

One year ago today, the Indian government surprisingly revoked the special autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, it’s only Muslim majority state. The revocation of Article 370 shocked residents of the region. The government also split the state into two federally controlled territories, calling them Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Kashmir showdown

Calls from the Indian part of Kashmir for independence are growing. In the longest border crisis since the end of the Second World War, India and Pakistan have been fighting over the mountain region in the heart of the Himalayas since 1947. The Kashmir region is mainly split between India and Pakistan, with a small part over the border in China. But India and Pakistan both want to take over the whole area and Kashmir’s Muslim-majority is stuck in the middle. A guerilla movement has been fighting against the India’s central government since 1989 in a "war in a war" that seems to increase in intensity every year.

The silenced YouTube stars of Indian-administered Kashmir (BBC video)

Kashmiri Kalkharabs is a YouTube channel based in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The satire channel touched on social, political and cultural issues and had a large following in the region.

However, since the internet was blocked back in August, when the region was stripped of its semi-autonomous status and divided into two federally-administered territories, YouTubers like Kashmiri Kalkharabs have been effectively silenced.

How this border transformed a subcontinent | India & Pakistan

Offline and silenced: Internet blackouts are going global

From Kashmir to Iran, governments are turning off the internet to stop dissent. Plus, the murky world of deepfakes.

How internet blackouts are going global

Imagine, as you read this, what an internet blackout would mean for you: being shut out of messaging sites, forced off social media, deprived of news and the means to contact loved ones.

Imagine you're Kashmiri and the Indian government has left you in the dark for the past four months.

Imagine you're Iranian, and you've just experienced your most serious internet shutdown to date.

Both of those blackouts were imposed by governments which said they were trying to prevent "security threats". However, human rights groups say it has more to do with governments trying to silence dissent.

How This Border Transformed A Subcontinent

BJP spokesperson defends Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of violence in Indian administered Kashmir.

The 2019 manifesto of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) states: "In the last five years, we have made all necessary efforts to ensure peace in Jammu and Kashmir".

But, if anything, the disputed territory is witnessing more violence, as 2018 was Indian-administered Kashmir's deadliest year in 10 years. At least 586 people were killed and, according to rights groups, 160 of them were civilians.

Both the United Nations and Amnesty International have accused Indian security forces of using excessive force in the region. The UN has specifically raised concerns about the use of pellet-firing shotguns by Indian security forces between 2016 and 2018, describing it as "one of the most dangerous weapons used against protesters".

How the British failed India and Pakistan

For nearly 200 years, India was ruled by the British. The large nation was home to three dominant religious groups — Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. In order to discourage unified Indian campaigns for independence, the British reinforced divisions along religious lines. By 1947, the British were finally ready to turn India over to Indian rule. But the seeds of discontent had been sowed. And the handover of power would be more bloody than anyone could have imagined.

Is Kashmir the most dangerous place in the world?

We talk to Arundhati Roy about Kashmir and Modi and debate US intervention in Venezuela.

Arundhati Roy: Modi 'reckless' in Kashmir

The military escalation between India and Pakistan may have abated, but tensions remain high following the latest series of aggressions triggered by a February 14 suicide bomb attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 42 paramilitary personnel.

When asked about the Indian media's role in perpetuating the conflict, Roy says journalists are "more than complicit". She added that "sometimes they are literally calling for war".

Roy, who has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Modi, says there are elements of fascism in his politics.

"If you look at the games that have been played, the false flag attacks, the trail of deaths, of murders, of lynchings, you see fascism," said Roy, who is also the author of the book The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.

Pakistan shoots down two Indian fighter jets: Foreign ministry

Pakistani military spokesperson says they shot down two Indian aircraft inside its airspace and captured one pilot.

Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that it had carried out air raids in Indian-administered Kashmir and shot down two Indian jets in its own airspace, capturing one of the pilots as tensions escalate a day after India bombed targets in Pakistan.

"Today, Pakistan Air Force undertook strikes across Line of Control from within Pakistani airspace," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Earlier, Major General Asif Ghafoor, spokesperson of the Pakistani army, said Indian jets had entered Pakistan in response and two fighter jets had been shot down, with one pilot captured.

Narratives of rage and revenge in India

Talk of war on the Indian airwaves after a bombing in Kashmir. Plus, journalism and justice in Northern Ireland.

Narratives of rage and revenge in India

Last week, a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian soldiers in Kashmir. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), an armed group based in Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for what has been called the worst attack of its kind in decades.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in New Delhi accusing the Pakistani government of backing the group, many Indian news outlets, not content with simply pointing the finger at Islamabad, are now calling for a crackdown on so-called "anti-nationals" and "terrorist sympathisers" at home.

Order A Journalist Killed: Receive A Public Holiday And A Gold Platted Machine Gun

Even though irrefutable evidence exists showing  Mohammad bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi that hasn't stopped the government of Pakistan from declaring a public holiday, having him personally driven about in the Prime Minister's Official vehicle, but perhaps most appropriate was given a gold platted machine gun.  Nothing says free speech, free press and supporting human rights than a gift of a gold platted machine gun to the person who ordered Jamal Khashoggi's murder. But, hey. It's Pakistan the country that helped found and train the Taliban.  Along with providing support to know terrorist groups operating in India controlled Kashmir. Both these countries are considered important allies by the Trump administration. Why not?  Governments and their leaders who show and or support authoritarian rule are greatly admired by Donald Trump.

Mohammad bin Salman has been welcomed with a fighter jet escort, a gold-plated submachine gun and Pakistan’s highest civilian honour on the lavish first leg of an Asian tour aimed at rehabilitating the image of the Saudi Arabian crown prince five months after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

After being personally chauffeured from the airport by the country’s prime minister, Imran Khan, Prince Mohammed signed agreements worth $20bn on Monday, a crucial injection of funds for an ailing economy suffering a foreign-currency crunch and which is currently negotiating its 13th IMF bailout in 40 years.

The day was declared a public holiday in Pakistan, and pictures of the powerful royal dotted the capital Islamabad. In celebration, the Saudis announced the release of more than 2,000 Pakistani prisoners from their jails.

Kashmir: Born To Fight

Is India's crackdown on Kashmiri protesters creating new generation of young fighters?

The most militarised zone in the world isn't in Iraq or Syria. It's in Indian-administered Kashmir, a region racked by a separatist insurgency for almost 30 years.

More than 600,000 soldiers are stationed here, accused by activists of decades of murder, torture, rape and other abuses. But Kashmir may have reached its tipping point. The government's violent crackdown on unarmed protesters has fuelled unrest in recent months.  

Separatist leaders are now warning that the government’s iron-fisted rule is radicalising Kashmir’s young men.

What will it take to restore peace in Kashmir? (video)

A prominent Kashmiri politician resigns over unrest in the disputed region.


It's the worst unrest for six years in Indian-administered Kashmir. Weeks of protests, more than eighty people killed and thousands wounded.

The trigger was the killing of a popular rebel fighter by Indian security forces in July.

Tension between Kashmiris and the Indian government was already high over accusations of human rights abuses.

A politician has resigned over the killing of civilians.

What are the underlying issues making peace elusive?

Can Kashmir anger be a turning point?

India extends a strict curfew over the restive region as separatist leaders call for more protests.

Mid-August is a time of celebration across most of India, as people commemorate the country's independence.

But in the northern region of Kashmir, this time of year often means heightened security and stifled expression. And this year is worse than usual.

After a decade of relative stability, Kashmir has experienced more than a month of violence - triggered by the death of a prominent Kashmiri separatist, Burhan Wani. He was killed by Indian soldiers on July 8.

And Kashmiris across the region took to the streets in protest.

Police swiftly imposed a curfew. Mobile networks have been suspended intermittently for the past month. 

And India's security forces have been accused of using unnecessary force. More than 50 protesters have been killed since July.

Kashmir: Tortured politics, fractured media

Covering Kashmir: political unrest and polarised media. Plus, the fight to cover Sudan's forgotten war.



Kashmir: Tortured politics, fractured media

Indian-administered Kashmir is seeing the worst outbreak of violence in 6 years. Media divisions are rife in this story - not just between Indian and Pakistani media, but between Kashmiri local media and self-appointed nationalist Indian media. This is a political battle that has lasted nearly 70 years and the media narratives are more fractured than ever.

Talking us through the story are: Peerzada Ashiq, Kashmir Correspondent, The Hindu; Syeda Afshana, Media Academic, University of Kashmir; Hilal Mir, Editor, Kashmir Reader; Sudhir Chaudhary, Editor in Chief, Zee News.

Freedom of speech: As long as it's government approved

Fayaz Ahmad's Faim Internet Cafe in the Sopore township of Indian Kashmir was booming until a year ago, when police entered his premises without warning and seized all his computers. 

Fayaz himself was taken into custody after being told that someone had sent a "suspicious" email from his cafe. 

Fayaz told IPS it is "impossible" for a cafe owner to control the actions of his customers. 

"All I could do was note down the names and addresses of my visitors, maintain a record of their identity cards and list the  times" of their arrival and departure from the cafe, said Fayaz. 

In the towns of Srinagar - the economic capital of Indian Kashmir - Anantnag and Baramulla, many young boys have been picked up from their homes for expressing their personal views on Facebook and Twitter. Popular sites like YouTube have been blocked. Text messaging services have been jammed. 
Yet when Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde visited Lal Chowk, a city square in Srinagar that has served as a meeting point for rights activists since the 1980s, he failed to mention the attack on freedom of expression in the Valley. 
"With 500 security personnel present in and around Lal Chowk, and mobile phones jammed, the minister claimed that everything was fine in Kashmir," Khurrum Parvez, a human-rights activist and convener of the Coalition of Civil Society (CCS), told IPS in reference to the two-day official visit last week. 
The Indian minister's silence did not come as a shock to many civil society activists here, who have long expressed concerns about the government's consistent efforts to curb freedom of speech and the right to access social media and online communications. 
"Every time a high profile official visits Kashmir, and every time Kashmiris try to express their political aspirations or protest about the violation of their rights, web sites like Facebook and YouTube are blocked while the mobile phones are jammed for days on end," Hameeda Nayeem, a social activist with a long involvement in Kashmir's human rights movement, told IPS.

One the government of India really needs is its own Ministry of Truth thus preventing any
Thought Crime that may occur.


The Clash Know Your Rights


This is a public service announcement 
With guitar 
Know your rights all 3 of them 
I say 
Number 1: You have the right not to be killed 
Murder is a CRIME! 
Unless it was done by a 
Policeman or aristocrat 
Number 2: You have the right to food money 
Providing of course you 
Don't mind a little 
Humiliation, investigation 
And if you cross your fingers 
Rehabilitation 
Wang! Young offenders! Know your rights 
Number 3: You have the right to freeeee 
Speech as long as you're not 
Dumb enough to actually try it. 
Know your rights 
These are your rights 
All 3 of 'em 
It has been suggested 
In some quarters that this is not enough! 
Well.............................. 
Get off the streets 
Get off the streets 
Run 
You don't have a home to go to 
Smush 
Finally then I will readd you your rights 
You have the right to remain silent 
You are warned that anything you say 
Can and will be taken down 
And used as evidence against you 
Listen to this 
Run