Kashmir holds regional elections after ten years

Sonsoles Martín

17/09/2024

TRANSLATED FROM CADENA SER WEBSITE LINKED BELOW

Historic elections in the Indian part of a region that has been disputed between three countries for 77 years.

After ten years, elections are to be held in the Indian part of Kashmir, a region that has been without its own government since 2019 after its dissolution, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked its autonomy and statehood, dividing the area in two, to be controlled by the federal government of India.

13 parties are participating to obtain a majority in a 90-seat assembly.

But these elections, which apply only to a part of the region and where some nine million people will vote, are marked by uncertainty, in a context where three countries have been fighting for a piece of the region for 77 years.

India and Pakistan did not exist as such until 1947 when the United Kingdom left the territory and divided it into the two countries we know today based on the religion of the population. Both states agreed, but the problem was deciding whether Kashmir would belong to Pakistan or India.

Although the majority of the population was Muslim, the ruler was Hindu. For this reason, and with the support of the United Kingdom, it decided to join India, something that Pakistan did not like. Thus the first two-year war broke out until the intervention of the United Nations, which declared a ceasefire and divided the region into two, one for each country.

There were three more wars, and they still live in constant tension for fear of a nuclear conflict breaking out. In addition to these two, China also says that a northern part belongs to them after Pakistan ceded part of the Shaksgam Valley in 1963.

A three-way fight for a territory that is tired, and in which many think that the only solution is independence, or joining Pakistan, taking into account that the vast majority of the population is Muslim.

In fact, separatist leaders have always believed that these elections are an attempt by India to legitimize its control, but after 12 attempts at voting marked by violence, several groups have been encouraged to present their candidacy, including the independentists.

The most prominent are the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC). Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also participating, although it is not expected to get many votes, unlike the 2014 elections, when the BJP governed in alliance with the PDP until its dissolution.

The elections will be held in three phases, starting on September 18. The second phase will be on September 25 and the third on October 1.

These elections come after the Supreme Court of India ordered last December that a population dissatisfied with the management of the federal government that does not respond to their needs be allowed to vote. However, there is uncertainty about possible manipulation by Modi, and what the population wants is a new government that will rule to improve the economic and social situation in Kashmir and not that of India.