The Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir led to India immediately accusing Pakistan without evidence, while Pakistan called for an impartial investigation that India refused. The article discusses India’s military presence, suppression of Kashmiri media and voices, broken promises of self-determination since 1947, and parallels the Kashmir struggle with that of Palestine, highlighting ongoing occupation and resistance.
Within minutes of the Pahalgam attack in the Indian occupied Kashmir, India accused Pakistan of this attack. It offered no evidence. Pakistan proposed a thorough investigation by impartial experts, which India declined. Then, India unilaterally suspended the Indus water treaty, contravening international law and attacked Pakistan.
Pakistan suffered some damages and in counterattack it claimed to have destroyed six Indian fighter planes. India remains silent on its losses.
Pahalgam is located close to central Kashmir, far away from the Pakistani border. How did India’s 700,000 soldiers stationed in Kashmir fail to stop Pakistanis reaching there? Was it a military failure that Pakistanis reached 200 kilometers inside the Indian held Kashmir? Why was India blasting the homes of Kashmiri Muslims and arresting at least 2,000 Kashmiris well before attacking Pakistan in May 2025? Is it because it has evidence that Kashmiris are responsible for these attacks? Kashmiri freedom fighters have been fighting Indian army on and off for years. Or was the Pahalgam attack a false flag operation as Pakistani government claim.
The Game of Blaming Pakistan
Blaming Pakistan is everyday business in India for virtually all sort of troubles. This is especially true of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, addresses the problem in the following ways:
“Whenever an issue is raised by an Indian citizen, Prime Minister advises the person to go to Pakistan… If someone says give me job as I have no work, PM [Prime Minister] says go to Pakistan. If someone says we don’t have any industries, he says go to Pakistan. Pakistan can talk about themselves as much as they want, we should talk about India, this is our motherland, all of us were born here…” [1]
Whether the Pahalgam attack was done by Pakistan, Kashmiris themselves, or a false flag operation, the fact no one disputes is that it happened in the Indian held Kashmir.
Story of Kashmir is a story of a people who refused to surrender their God-given right to freedom, just like Palestinians.
Kashmir and Palestine Both Seek Freedom
Story of Kashmir is a story of a people who refused to surrender their God-given right to freedom, just like Palestinians.
Both, Kashmir and Palestine, were occupied by the British colonial government. Both issues date back to 1948. Both issues remain unresolved due to the refusal of Israel and India to accept what International laws and the United Nations call for. As well, both Kashmiris and Palestinians refuse to surrender their freedom.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state, was set to choose between joining Pakistan or India. India forced the Hindu raja to sign up with India and sent its army to occupy Kashmir. Kashmiri Muslims rebelled. They were already suffering under the Hindu raja who will behead Muslims for consuming beef, among other forms of repression.
History of Palestine is known in the world. India, however, has been much more successful in suppressing the voices of Kashmiris than its partner Israel.
Why The World Does Not Know Much About Kashmir
History of Palestine is known in the world. India, however, has been much more successful in suppressing the voices of Kashmiris than its partner Israel.
It has shut down 70 Kashmiri media outlets. Even the most popular Kashmir Times run by Hindus has been shut down. For years, Kashmiri journalists have been jailed under unjust laws, often without a trial.
For the sixth year in a row India has led the world in internet ban. In the past five years, India has imposed internet shutdowns over 500 times.
In 2019 India shut down all communications in Kashmir, silencing some 10 million Kashmiris for over 145 days, with no phone service or internet.
In 2025, Reporters Without Borders ranked Indian media freedom at 151 out of 180 countries in its press freedom index. That is below Rwanda, Somalia and Columbia. That tells us something about the state of the self-proclaimed “largest democracy in the world”.
India Promised Kashmiris The Right To Self-Determination
Facing imminent victory of Kashmiri rebels and Pakistan, on November 2nd 1947, Indian Prime Minister Jawahir Lal Nahru went on air through Radio India promising Kashmiris the right of self-determination.
“We have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given and the Maharaja has supported it, not only to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not and cannot back out of it. We are prepared when peace and law and order have been established to have a referendum held under international auspices like the United Nations. We want it to be a fair and just reference to the people and we shall accept their verdict. I can imagine no fairer and juster offer.”[2]
Then on January 1, 1948 India requested the United Nations for its mediation on Kashmir. It was the time when Kashmiris with the help of Pakistan had liberated already liberated half of the Kashmir, which was now called Azad Kashmir. They were closing in on SriNagar, the capital of the state of Kashmir.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state, was set to choose between joining Pakistan or India. India forced the Hindu raja to sign up with India and sent its army to occupy Kashmir.
The United Nation was just 2 year old when in 1948 it passed its first resolution on Kashmir calling for a ceasefire while promising Kashmiris that they will vote to decide about their future and whether they want to join Pakistan or India.
Kashmiris and Pakistan trusted the UN and stopped their advance. That was 77 years ago. But India never allowed that vote to take place
Instead of a ballot, it sent bullets. Since then, Kashmir has remained under military occupation – 700,000 Indian soldiers continue to subjugate Kashmiris – that is one heavily armed soldier for every ten Kashmiri civilians.
Most Kashmiris kept waiting – waiting for India to fulfil its promise and waiting for the UN to deliver the vote they were promised when they agreed to the ceasefire.
However, some Kashmiris could not wait much longer. In 1989 they started resisting Indian armed forces which caused India to send more soldiers. Since then 100,000 Kashmiris have been killed. Thousands of Kashmiris have disappeared. There are hundreds of half widow, waiting for their husbands to come back. Many have been tortured, blinded, or jailed for life — for simply demanding what was once promised.
Former United States President Bill Clinton wanted to mediate on Kashmir if India and Pakistan agreed for it. Pakistan agreed. India declined.Now, President Donald Trump has offered to mediate on Kashmir. Once again Pakistan welcomed the offer. India has rejected it. But no one is asking Kashmiris about it.
In August 1952, Jawaharlal Nehru, speaking on the floor of the Indian parliament, said, “Our pledge to the people of Kashmir, if you like the people of this world then this matter could be affirmed or cancelled by the people of Kashmir accordingly to their wishes. We do not wish to win people against their will with the help of armed force and if the people want to part company with us, they go their own way and we shall go ours. We want no forced marriages, no forced Unions.[3]”
Indian Prime Minister wanted no forced marriage. But this is exactly what he did: pushed a forced marriage by pointing gun at the Kashmiris. The civilized world uses another word for “forced marriage”.
So far it was primarily Israel who is disregarding international law, Genevia conventions, and the United States among countries that call themselves a “democracy”. Today, India has joined it in doing the same.
[1] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/caa-protests-mamata-banerjee-attacks-pm-narendra-modi-says-are-you-india-pm-or-pakistan-ambassador-2158415
[2] https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/1965-04-01/kashmir-india-and-pakistan#
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoP14D8UxAA
