But having realized its own liberation, India chose to deny self-determination to the people of Kashmir. Contravening the principles of the partition of British India, New Delhi coerced the Hindu Maharaja of Kashmir, to lay claim to Kashmir. When the Kashmiris revolted, India sent its troops to occupy the state. Kashmir has led to three wars between India and Pakistan. Thousands of young Kashmiris remain incarcerated.
Rape continues to be used as an instrument of war.
Collective punishments such as putting entire bazaars, villages and crops to torch have been the rewards for even a whisper of defiance. All these violations have been attested and compiled by reputable human rights organizations - such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Shorn of sophistry, the problem in Kashmir is simply that India is unwilling to allow the Kashmiris to express their wishes freely and democratically. To avoid the commitment to a UN supervised plebiscite, Kashmir has been subjected to the farce of democracy by force. Every so-called elections held by India in Jammu and Kashmir has been rigged.