THE Indian strategy of trying to ‘solve’ the Kashmir issue through violent means is not having the desired effect. The year 2018 was the bloodiest period in recent memory, after the occupying forces decided, apparently in a moment of dire frustration, that the only way they could survive was by exterminating as many Kashmiri fighters as they could set their eyes on.

As in previous years, the upsurge in violence in held Kashmir in 2018 also resulted in several civilian casualties (i.e., those who were not active participants in the conflict). In fact, the occupied valley witnessed even more intense battles and greater chaos than it did in the aftermath of young Burhan Wani’s killing in July 2016.

The Kashmiris reacted as was expected — by standing up to the challenge with a resolve that matched their sentiment during previous episodes when the confrontation with India was at its peak.

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A grim record was set by the end of the year, with a death toll of 375 Kashmiris, according to the Kashmir Media Service. The list, it asserts, has the names of at least 35 minors and 10 women.

To get an idea of the prevailing madness, during the year some 600 houses were burnt and there were around 300 search operations. Some 21 Kashmiris were killed in custody. Corroborating one of the most frequently flashed images in recent times, some 1,300 people were said to have been blinded by Indian forces during the year.

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This was all part of the system imposed by a desperate Delhi government to have a firmer grip on Kashmir — and this was well in sync with the loud declarations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP.

If the BJP has always come across as a party with a preference for immediately flexing its muscle on encountering any kind of opposition, Kashmir in 2018 was evidence of it.

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There is a debate about whether the situation could have been better handled had the BJP-led coalition in Kashmir not collapsed midway through the year. In all probability, the Indian security forces would have followed the same course even if the coalition had been there, since the justification for brutal action forms the very basis of the BJP’s ideals.

The intensification of the Kashmir operations and the BJP’s oppressive politics inside the valley in recent months paints a bleak scenario.

As an entity that has little common sense, let alone a sense of doing right, the BJP setup might be considering upping the ante in Kashmir amid threats of employing the same formula in territories beyond the held area.

On that side, there appears little realisation of the old truth that an oppressive regime’s attempts to quell the genuine and valid aspirations of the people will only further embolden and empower those demanding freedom.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2019