The Myth of the World’s Largest Democracy: Kashmir and the Architecture of Authoritarianism

The Myth of the World’s Largest Democracy:  Kashmir and the Architecture of Authoritarianism

27th marks the darkest chapter in the history of South Asia, the day that began the decades-long exploitation and occupation of Kashmir. The day that the world vaguely remembers is called Black Day by the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).


By Syeda Mishal Zahra Bukhari

Since then, every day feels like a black day, where voices for democracy are silenced under the weight of occupation. India claims to be the world’s largest democracy that promises freedom, speech, and basic rights, but in IIOJK, we see fear instead of freedom, silence instead of speech, rule instead of rights, and soldiers instead of citizens. IIOJK is a region that reflects the contradiction and duplicity of a state that claims to uphold democracy but practices authoritarianism. The valley, once defined by its beauty, is now a region ruled by national interests

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In IIOJ&K, voices are silenced under the umbrella of the “anti-national” agenda. This agenda reached to its extreme after the revocation of Article 370. Many Kashmiris were thrown into prisons after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government unilaterally scrapped the region’s special status in 2019 and brought it under New Delhi’s direct control. Most of the people behind bars are widely regarded as political prisoners, in other words, people charged under “anti-terror” laws for allegedly working with armed Kashmiri rebels, or detained over other “anti-national” activities such as speaking out or writing against the Indian rule.


Amid the escalating violence in IIOJ&K in 2019, the Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, said that “(Indian) Army is enough to ensure JK remains part of India.” This was an explicit statement that India will continue to suppress the people of IIO&JK and mark their boundary based on their political interest, rather than the will of the people. By asserting that the army is the sole guarantor of the future of IIOJ&K, the Indian army chief’s words were the pillars of the authoritarian architecture.


The rise of brutality has increased in IIOJ&K whenever the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) comes to power. BJP is a fascist party that supports the idea of “Hindu nationalism” and the idea of “Akhand Bharat”. In October 2017, the Indian army launched what is referred to as “Operation All Out”. Under this policy, Indian occupation troops were given the order to shoot and kill the people of IIOJ&K suspected of being a “militant” or even a “militant sympathizer.” This shoot-to-kill order has added to the already oppressive law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act under which Indian colonial troops are not liable to prosecution if they kill innocent Kashmiris.


This brutality prompted the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to issue a report calling for an independent investigation into the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). However, India refused to allow the investigation. This persistent pattern of repression reflects more of India’s demagoguery than its democracy. A democratic state must offer justice to its people, no matter what. India portrays itself as the pillar of democracy in South Asia, but holds the most brutal and unjust region under its occupation. India has imposed many rules that abolish the right of self-determination, authority, sovereignty, and justice.


One of them is the Public Safety Act of 1978. The PSA is an administrative law that allows the arrest and detention without trial of any individual, with no warrant or specific charge, for a period of up to two years. Since 2018, more than 1,100 people jailed under the PSA have been relocated to prisons outside Kashmir, marking a significant shift in the region’s detention practices. That trend picked up particularly after 2019, with the government citing overcrowding in local jails as the reason behind the shift.


The so-called democratic state tries to portray itself as liberals by using the “propaganda through social media. They hide the authoritarianism in IIOJ&K behind the curtain of “political reasons”. Independent journalism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and India is facing unprecedented state repression under Narendra Modi’s government. Journalists are being harassed due to the effort of the BJP to align the media outlets according to the policies of Hindutva. Those who dare to criticize the BJP are subjected to threats and harassment, due to which press freedom has been dismantled for 78 years, which gives a way to BJP to stop their voice from reaching the world.


The case of IIOJ&K exposes the myth of India being the “Biggest democracy”. If democracy means the right to speak, live, vote, and freedom, then IIOJ&K exposes the greatest hypocrisy of India. Black day wasn’t just a start for occupation and brutality, but the rise of democracy as a tool for domination only.

The writer serves as the Central Coordinator at HEAL Pakistan, an initiative dedicated to promoting Humanity, Education, Awareness, and Leadership, in collaboration with the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR). She holds a keen interest in geopolitics, the evolving world order, and the Kashmir cause.

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