From Ballots to Bullets: Kashmir’s Path to Armed Resistance

From Ballots to Bullets: Kashmir’s Path to Armed Resistance

While the world often sees Kashmir as a territorial dispute, this view misses the heart of the story; The unceasing, multi-generational resistance of a people who have shown they are ready to choose any legitimate method to further their cause, be it unarmed peaceful struggle or a justified armed resistance against occupation. The armed movement that erupted in the late 1980s was not a sudden explosion of radicalism. It was the tragic, and perhaps inevitable, result of a long history of subjugation, broken promises, and the denial of the right to self-determination.

The Genesis of a People’s Struggle

For a generation of Kashmiris who had tentatively placed their faith in the democratic process, this was the final betrayal. It was not just an election that was stolen, but the very idea of a political solution within the Indian framework. The path of the ballot box was now seen as a dead end. Consequently, in the years that followed, many of the young men who had participated in the election as candidates and polling agents crossed the Line of Control, seeking arms and training. The era of armed resistance had begun.

The Kashmiri Struggle in a Global Context

Viewed through this colonial lens, the Kashmiri struggle for freedom invites direct comparison with other anti-colonial movements celebrated globally. International law has long recognized the right of a people to resist foreign occupation, including through armed struggle. It is crucial to remember that occupying powers have always branded resistance as “terrorism.” The British called American revolutionaries traitors, the French labeled Algerian freedom fighters as terrorists. Yet history now remembers the American War of Independence, the Algerian war against France and many others as legitimate wars of liberation. If these historical armed struggles are celebrated as righteous, on what moral grounds can the Kashmiri resistance be uniquely delegitimized?

The principles of justice and self-determination are universal. To apply them selectively, to celebrate one people’s fight for freedom while condemning another’s, is not just a profound hypocrisy, but a denial of the very international norms that emerged from the ashes of empire.

SAT Editorial Desk

Your go-to editorial hub for policy perspectives and informed analysis on pressing regional and global issues.

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