Qazi Mizan: Kashmir Solidarity Day which is marked on the 5th of February annually to convey the country’s identification with the civilians of Indian-administered Kashmir who wants self-determination. It is also a day of remembrance to commemorate those Kashmiris who have died.

International organisations have grown quiet on the Kashmir conflict since September 2020, after concerns were raised on the 5th of August, a year on from the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government.

 Such organisations have been crucial in raising awareness of the human rights abuses carried out against the Kashmiris, but their recent silence emphasises the importance of Kashmir Solidarity Day.

The entire world is in a state of mourning in the wake of the indiscriminate destructiveness of the Covid-19 pandemic. But in places like Kashmir, the devastation of the virus is coupled with the ongoing torment of the crackdown in the region.

Before the word ‘lockdown’ became a part of our everyday vocabulary, it was already a reality in Jammu and Kashmir. Since late 2019, its people have witnessed communication blackouts, detentions of activists and politicians, the prevention of foreign journalists entering the region and the use of pellet-firing shotguns which contravene human rights standards, among other violations.

On the 30th of January 2021, the Economic Times reported that 1,933 Covid-related deaths have been recorded in Jammu and Kashmir. It is hard to determine the population of the region, but it is likely to be somewhere between 13 and 16 million based on projections after the 2011 census. Relative to more developed areas of the world, the number of deaths proportionate to the population is not too high.

But it is not only the number of deaths as a result of Covid-19 which solely determine the extent to which the region has been affected. Though the economies of many countries have been hit hard by the prevention of tourism, among other restrictions, as a measure to disrupt the transmission of Covid-19, the KashmirValley had an unfortunate head start. As soon as its special status was revoked, tourists were told to leave after suggestions of an increase in terrorist activity.

The loss of the tourism industry contributed to high economic losses. According to estimations by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, around half a million jobs were lost and the region suffered a loss of around $5.3 billion between August 2019 and June 2020.

But hope does remain in the region with a large influx of tourists this month after heavy snowfall in towns like Gulmarg, where hospitality staff has finally been able to return to cater for tourists. Pictures of tourists skiing and enjoying the snow, however, seem rather superficially idyllic.

Another significant cause for concern is the state of peoples’ mental health A report published in the Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection by Sheikh Shoib and S.M. Yasir Arafat suggested that the lockdown and the pandemic have caused a sharp increase in mental health conditions which cannot be treated sufficiently due to the limited mental health services available in the Kashmir Valley.

While the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir remains unresolved, its people will suffer needlessly and lives that need not be lost will continue to be lost.

As outsiders looking in, we cannot determine the exact state of things in Jammu and Kashmir. The communications blackout still restricts the freedom of the press, with independent platforms like The Kashmir Walla continuing to report despite their lack of resources and the constant state of threat to their very existence by security forces.

So, on this year’s Kashmir Solidarity Day, the voices of the censored Kashmiris will be heard through others. Various events will be held virtually in the UK which will see politicians and activists discuss the injustices facing the region and what more can be done internationally to bring a peaceful resolution to a crisis that has lasted over 70 years.