SIX years after India’s attempts to create new ‘facts’ on the ground by bifurcating held Kashmir into the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh, and discarding the disputed region’s limited autonomy, New Delhi continues to dream up new schemes to further complicate this decades-old issue. But the truth is that unless there is a solution based on justice, the Kashmir question will remain unresolved, and the occupied region’s people will continue to suffer due to India’s machinations and oppressive rule. The newest plan reportedly in the works is to grant occupied Jammu statehood. The Indian media reported that meetings have apparently been held at the top level to discuss the scheme. Here, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar alluded to the development while speaking at a rally in Islamabad on Tuesday. India can divide and subdivide occupied Kashmir into as many bits and pieces as it wants; but it does not take away from the fact that Kashmir remains a disputed territory in the eyes of the world. While the Kashmiris’ plight may not attract global attention — just as countries watch Israel carry out a genocide in occupied Gaza without doing anything about it — even India’s closest foreign partners will not contest the fact that Kashmir remains a disputed region as per international law.

After Aug 5, 2019, India has attempted to change the demographic profile of held Kashmir, along with employing brutal tactics to keep its population in check. It has also held onto many powers, turning the region’s legislative assembly into a largely symbolic institution. Yet these moves have not resolved matters. Last year’s legislative elections returned parties that campaigned for the restoration of statehood for the entire disputed territory as it was pre-2019, even though they remained loyal to New Delhi. This means that India’s moves to scupper Kashmir’s autonomy and dilute its unique identity face rejection across the political spectrum — from freedom fighters to loyalists. The Indian supreme court is due to hear a plea to restore IHK’s statehood. But hopes should not be high. The solution to the Kashmir imbroglio is political, and must be acceptable to all main stakeholders — the Kashmiris, Pakistan and India. Any attempts at gerrymandering the disputed region’s boundaries, or disenfranchising its people, will only prolong the crisis, and worsen the atmosphere of mistrust in South Asia.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025