‘No! Kashmir is not normal,' says Indian journalist

NEW DEHLI: A noted Indian journalist, Nirupama Subramanian, has said that the situation in the occupied Kashmir valley is far from being normal.

Nirupama Subramanian, an Indian Express journalist who recently returned from occupied Kashmir shared her experience on Twitter and narrated in a series of tweets how people of Kashmir were angry with the government of India.

Subramanian while disapproving claims made by the Indian media and by Narendra Modi government said, “At the moment, Kashmir is anything but normal and all assertions to the contrary, whether by officials or media, are from la-la land. True, no violent uprising, but life, even the post-2016 one that people had got used to, is paralysed.”

With the arrest and detention of all pro-India politicians, no politicians left in the valley who can sell Delhi’s scheme to the people, said Subramanian after her interaction with the people of Kashmir.

She pointed out that virtually the entire population of the Kashmir valley has now turned anti-India. She added that the people were happy that pro-India politicians had been put in jail. “They (politicians) feathered their own nests by selling our fate to Delhi. They had it coming,” she quoted the residents of the valley as having said.

According to Subramanian, though private vehicles were seen on the roads, public transport remained shut since August 5 – the day when Article 370 was made null and void by the BJP government. She said people have imposed “civil curfew” and efforts to win the heart of the Kashmiri people have become more difficult now.

“It’s surprising how many people believe India’s Kashmir problem is solved. The reality on the ground is entirely different, and once the fog of celebration clears, the challenges may become apparent,” she remarked.