u/WernHofter

Recently, two comrades of mine were picked up in Rawalakot, Poonch. We are usually very mindful about not appropriating Kashmiri identity. As a socialist organization, we try to maintain the distinction between political and ethnic identity, and try the avoid the nationalist muddling of identity and all the claims that come with it.

But what happened after our comrades were picked up by the FC brought out a contradiction that we often talk about ourselves. When they come for us, they come for us as "Kashmiris". They do not care about all the nuances.

Our comrades were tortured, brutally, as Kashmiris. The FC personnel told them, "Tum Kashmiriyon ko Azadi chahiye? Ab lo Azadi." The state does not recognize the distinctions we make when it decides who to repress. The political identity that we consciously understand as something distinct from ethnicity becomes, for the security apparatus, a category through which people can be targeted.

We have also heard similar stories from the other side of the LoC. I am not saying the situations are exactly the same. The scale and intensity of oppression in Indian administered Jammu Kashmir have been far, far greater.

More than 85 people have been killed in the recent protests, and thousands have been picked up. Whatever our disagreements with different forms of nationalism or different understandings of Kashmiri identity, these are still people being subjected to state violence because of their identity and demands.

I don't know how many times I have to clarify this, even on this subreddit.

People in Pakistani-administered Jammu Kashmir do not generally believe that we are ethnically Kashmiri. People here are proud of their Pahari identity, history, and traditions. They are proud of the history of resistance in this region, including driving the Maharaja's out of these areas. That memory remains an important part of how many people understand themselves today.

I completely understand and support concerns about protecting local cultures. Cultural appropriation is a real issue, and distinct identities should be respected. The problem is that many people discussing this are unaware of the political context in which these debates take place.

There has been a long-running state-backed narrative in Pakistan, visible on television, social media, and especially on Twitter, claiming that "these Paharis are not even Kashmiris, so why are they demanding rights?" That argument is regularly used to delegitimize our political demands.

Ironically, the Pakistani state also spent decades encouraging people here to identify simply as "Kashmiri," while our own Pahari identity, history, and collective memory were pushed into the background. Now, the same establishment, or people aligned with it, turns around and claims that we are not Kashmiris whenever it becomes politically convenient. That contradiction should be obvious.

People should think twice before repeating these talking points, especially when they originate from accounts with a long history of promoting pro-state narratives.

As for India, we do not give a flying fuck. Our political struggle is not about proving our loyalty to either state. People from this region have died fighting Indian rule as well. Visit almost any village or town in PAJK, and you will find the grave of someone who lost their life fighting across the Line of Control.

I have my own criticisms of how that armed struggle was conducted, particularly its transformation into a proxy war, because I believe that distorted the movement and obscured the realities on the ground but none of that changes the fact that people from this region have made enormous sacrifices. Reducing our history to "they are not even Kashmiris" is both politically motivated and historically dishonest.

There has also been a disgusting smear campaign in Pakistan where "Kashmiris" are called “haramkhor” or treated as some ungrateful burden. People in Valley should understand this too that these people are not loyal to anyone except their own political interests. Their view of Kashmiris is often not very different from the most hateful Indian nationalist view.

Rangers are raiding houses of innocent people, destroying them ,and threatening women and children in PAJK.

India does the same (and much worse) on the other side of LoC. Occupation is occupation and has nothing to do with the religion of the occupier.

Be very mindful of Pakistani propagandist in this sub. Now that people have defied all blockades and state repression and came out in millions, they are trying to divide people of Jammu Kashmir on ethnic lines and repeating age old propaganda of all the people of PAJK being Punjabi. We the people of PAJK don't claim to be ethnic Kashmiri and most people are proud of their pahari identity and legacy of defiance and resistance but as citizens of Jammu Kashmir we believe this land is ours and we will decide it's future (Ya watan hamara hai iska faisla ham karay gaa). Also, be equally mindful of Indian propaganda because they might claim that protest are Pro India. No one in PAJK gives a flying fuck about India.

All Pakistani channels are running coordinated anti-Kashmir propaganda (if you watch them they are no different from Indian Media) and paid social media teams are deployed to do the same propaganda on social media. You will see the same copy pasted comments and post everywhere.

It is similar to what India does whenever there is unrest in the Valley. JAAC, which represents the overwhelming majority of the people, has been proscribed, and protestors are being dealt with using straight firing and tear gas. The current Inspector General (IG) of Jammu Kashmir (a Pakistani) is the same person whose videos are available on YouTube, where he suggests that you can sort out all issues by killing 1,000 people.

Consult international media sources and don't trust Pakistani or Indian media (which uses our suffering to push its own narrative). You can also check local (from J&K) news outlets and local pages on social media platforms such as Facebook.

I know Haider movie can be criticized for a lot of things, but I feel like the end credits thanking the army can almost be read as satire. It lands in such a jarring way that it unintentionally reinforces the film’s atmosphere of militarization and occupation. Even if that was not Vishal Bhardwaj’s intention, it ends up adding another strange layer to the movie’s politics.