PART 2: VALLEY’S ECONOMY STRUGGLES TO STAY AFLOAT

A special series by Hindustan Times takes a deep look at the ground reality in the Valley as it braces for the first death anniversary of militant commander Burhan Wani. Why are educated youth attracted to the gun? How deep is the alienation? What is the cost of the unrest in Kashmir? Can the Pandits return?

I am probably the only nonKashmiri journalist to have stayed in Kashmir throughout the 2016 unrest.

Street protests erupted and young stone pelters (sometimes onlookers as well) were blinded or killed by pellets. The administration imposed curfew while the separatists called for a shutdown. Telecommunication services were snapped and mobile internet went dark for five long months.

I bought petrol for my bike from illicit shops that opened after the pumps were shut by the curfew. I could purchase groceries only after sunset, when shops were allowed to be open.

On several occasions, I spent the night at the office. There was access to a landline phone and broadband internet. Sometimes, the “strict curfew” announced for the next morning meant that I had no choice anyway. I slept in the middle of our room in a sleeping bag sent from the Delhi office.

Covering the violence, I met Insha Mushtaq, 15, blinded in both eyes., When I saw her again last month, she recognised me by my voice.

I met the relatives of Amir Nazir, 14, who was shot dead by a “stray bullet”, according to the police, or after he was “targeted”, according to his family. “Abhishek ji, your country wants to portray all Kashmiris as terrorists,” said a neighbour of the Nazir family. “You are having tea with us. Do we look like terrorists to you?”

On the other side were cops and CRPF jawans, countering the raging protests. A CRPF soldier, told me , “Kashmiris want azaadi. India won’t give it. We are caught in the line of fire.”

It is tough being an ‘Indian’ journalist in Kashmir. When you face an angry crowd, you automatically become a member of the hyper-nationalistic clan who appear on prime-time television. You face allegations of bias and have to convince many that you are not a journalist who screams on TV.

In the rest of the country, ‘nationalism’ led to attacks on ordinary Kashmiris. In Kashmir, azaadi does not disrupt peace between locals and ‘Indian’ civilians. A butcher in Srinagar told me: “As long as you are not wearing the forces’ uniform, no Kashmiri will point a finger at you — even in these times of unrest.”