SRINAGAR (HRNW) – The stringent security measures enforced in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) under the guise of maintaining law and order have effectively transformed into a calculated economic and social exploitation of the Kashmiri people. Local Muslim religious festivals are being systematically targeted with severe blockades, restrictions, and aggressive surveillance, a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights observers.
According to Kashmiri media and civil society groups, the occupation relies not merely on raw military force, but on an intricate web of travel permits, arbitrary restrictions, frequent raids, and discriminatory legislative enforcement designed to demoralize the local population.
Key aspects of the systemic marginalization include:
Crackdown on Muslim Institutions and Profiling of Clerics
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Targeting of Educational Frameworks: Under this repressive policy, several educational institutions managed by Muslim organizations and trusts have faced arbitrary bans, aiming to distance the newer generation from their cultural and religious identity.
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Profiling of Imams: The occupation administration has launched a highly controversial profiling and data-gathering campaign targeting mosques, shrines, and their associated Imams and religious scholars, creating an atmosphere of constant intimidation.
Double Standards and Municipal Targetization
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Criminalizing Identity and Demolitions: While the homes of native Kashmiris are routinely demolished, their freedom of movement heavily restricted, and their indigenous identity virtually criminalized.
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State Patronage for Non-Local Festivals: Conversely, the administration exhibits a glaring double standard by extending absolute state patronage, administrative funding, VVIP protocol, and extensive security blanket covers to any Hindu religious festival or pilgrimage.
The deeply biased attitude of the local administration and security forces clearly reflects a state-backed institutional campaign to suppress the religious, social, and cultural rights of the Muslim majority in the occupied territory, marking a flagrant violation of international law and fundamental human rights charters.
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