Heart of Kashmir

The State of Jammu and Kashmir has been declared one of the oldest unresolved conflict of this era. With India and Pakistan having waged three wars over the state, the situation continues to remain ‘an issue’. In the midst of this, The Cambridge University Kashmir Society organized a seminar on the 14^th of November 2003. The talk ‘ The Heart of Kashmir’ was delivered by Kash Gabrielle Torsello and attended by nearly a hundred students. A photojournalist by profession, Kash highlighted some of the real life scenarios and events taking place in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir and offered political reasons behind the scenario.

In 1994, while he was visiting the state of Tamil Nado, he decided to explore the reasons behind the conflict in the state of Jammu and Kashmir; hence, he decided to travel there; this despite the fact that a lot of people persuaded him not to. Moreover, he was made aware that his life was at risk. They said, ‘terrorists don’t like photo journalists’ and hence he must not visit Sirinagar.

Before showing us a movie of his photography, Kash explained to the students that people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir were not able to express their own opinion, there were extra-judicial killings, and women were raped. Most families had suffered from the loss of a loved one and ‘an ambulance could not drive during curfew hours’ and he brought forward the point that ‘children lost their family’. The tape displayed Kash’s ability to take these moving but real life pictures – he took them as though he was invisible to those around him and he took them because he wanted international attention to be given to these unfortunate but recurring events.

The tape containing photographs of the region was played and a heartbreaking series of photographs shown; it showed how a person ‘was battered to death when he went out at a time of curfew and how on his body there were signs of abuse and torture. A young boy was crying helplessly while those surrounding him were left shocked; this is one of the chronic events in the everyday lives of these families in Kashmir. The tape pronounced a statement by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which urged India to respect human rights and open its boundaries to ‘International Human Rights Observers’ and ‘UN Security Mission’. At the same time, it stressed for the need for the people of Kashmir to be ‘in any dialogue between India and Pakistan’ – further their report stressed the need to ‘curb all external support for violence in Kashmir’.

Kash in an attempt to explain the history of the situation put forth that the situation over the years had gone worse for the people of Kashmir. Initially Kashmiris were allowed to organize peaceful demonstrations in protest to the ‘occupation’ of their land and the military regime. These consisted of Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists and other segments of society. But these protests to live in their ‘own’ country lead to killings of ordinary civilians – people were killed because of their ‘just demonstrations’ he said. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and the situation became so unbearable that in 1989 Kashmiris started to fight to protect their own families. In response the military regime in India closed the region to ‘International observers and Human Rights organizations’. These have visited the region only in cover and have reported over sixty interrogation centers in Srinagar where ‘Kashmiris get tortured for no reason’, as Kash put it.

Illustrating the majority’s authority, Kash shed light to the fact that soldiers routinely visited Kashmiri houses and added, ‘If physical torture was not enough, women were raped in front of the eyes of their own children’. Moreover, more than five people cannot gather together in a public place.

Later answering a question, Kash informed us that during the time of Independence, Hyderabad, a majority Hindu province with a sizeable Muslim minority had a Muslim ruler. While the ruler wanted to side with Pakistan, the people wanted to remain with India; the Indian army intervened and Hyderabad went to India. In the case of Kashmir, the ruler was a Hindu Maharaja who ‘went against the wishes of his people in siding with India’. The first Prime Minister of India in a statement to the United Nations assembly in 1948 assured the assembly that India would hold a plebiscite in the region and let the Kashmiri people decide their fate. In reminder, Pakistan insists that a plebiscite should be carried in the region, empowering the people and giving them a choice and self-determination in siding with either India or Pakistan. Historically however, it has not pushed for or recognized Independence of the State. Kash also informed us that there had been over twelve UN resolutions on Kashmir that authorized the people of Kashmir to join either India or Pakistan and hence decide their own future. Unfortunately, though, these resolutions appear pretty only on paper. Both Pakistan and India have been fighting for Kashmir but whilst Pakistan has been pushing for UN resolutions, India will not accept a UN resolution or any other intervention in any form to resolve the situation in any form. Owing to the fact that the international community does not want to upset the two countries, ‘ the situation has been left to its own devices’.

In response, the people have to deal with a military occupation of 600,000 Indian soldiers in their land. The ‘eye to an eye’ situation is not helped by another 400, 000 on the Pakistan side of Kashmir. The situation exacerbated to such an extent that in around the year two thousand Clinton said, ‘ Kashmir is one of the most dangerous places on earth’. Kash reminded the audience of students that both countries possessed nuclear weapons and any risks of war in the region will not only affect it, but also the entire world!

India and Pakistan may have peace talks and Kash elicited that they had been talking regarding resuming business etc. but simultaneously the situation at the border is less than marginally different. Anti mine personal bombs at the border of the region can blow up soldiers anytime. Whilst some weary soldiers have withdrawn and have shared their work with human rights organizations, this is indeed a commendable development.

Kash has visited both sides of Kashmir across the line of control. However, whilst he received a visa in the year 2001 from the Pakistan government, the Indian government refused to grant him it and he has been unable to visit the region again. Nevertheless, Kash has documented his research and photography, organized exhibitions, attended talks and this he feels is the way forward!

He mentioned that Victoria Schofield’s book on Kashmir was a must read on the conflict. Moreover a US delegation has recently pushed for open talks between the concerned parties in the region. All the students found the talk highly enlightening and Kash’s ability to take photographs intriguing. We hope that other individuals like Kash will rise to the challenge that Kash has taken and continue to uncover the truth, and depict reality just as it is, wherever they may be!

By Saima Hameed