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On August 11th, Eid-al-Adha celebrations were muted in Jammu and Kashmir due to severe security restrictions.
Eid prayers were not allowed in most mosques, especially in the capital Srinagar, after a curfew was imposed due to concerns of violence.
People in Srinagar had come out in large numbers to shop for Eid on before the restrictions were back.
“People are coming out and shopping for Eid. A large number of people came out today. Wherever there were restrictions, they were relaxed. We’re trying to facilitate people who want to travel to Srinagar to meet their dear ones,” said Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Planning Commission.
On the morning of August 12th, the restrictions seemed to be eased, but only for prayers and then were tightened.
Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Shahid Chaudhary said:
“After Eid prayers were offered in the morning, restrictions have been reimposed in many parts of the Valley. We allowed people to move earlier, now restrictions have been reimposed due to the prevailing situation.”
SRINAGAR: People offered namaz in the morning at Mohalla mosques in various parts of the city on #EidAlAdha, today. #JammuAndKasmir pic.twitter.com/5TcwnW0bQf
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2019
In Kashmir there are still restrictions imposed on communications. Officials said they were “temporary” in order to maintain peace and curb the spread of misinformation and rumors.
“The government is conscious of the ground situation and doing utmost so that there is minimum inconvenience to the people. Everyday something or the other restrictions are relaxed. We will take decisions on lifting restrictions on phones as early as possible,” an unnamed official said.
The weekend and the morning of Eid were generally calm. According to data provided by Reuters, approximately 10,000 people came out to protest on the evening of August 10th in Srinagar. The data is based on anonymous sources.
In response, the spokeswoman for India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, Vasudha Gupta said that these were fake reports, and that there was not nearly that many protesters.
A news report originally published in Reuters and appeared in Dawn claims there was a protest involving 10000 people in Srinagar.
This is completely fabricated & incorrect. There have been a few stray protests in Srinagar/Baramulla and none involved a crowd of more than 20 ppl.
— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) August 10, 2019
The following is a list of actions undertaken by authorities in Kashmir, released by Gupta:
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The Kashmir Police further said that any reports of violent incidents in the Kashmir valley were also fake:
Media statement by IGP Kashmir.@JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/bOW8wb7uqM
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) August 10, 2019
A video by the BBC shows a large crowd of protesters being fired tear gas at, which India denied, as can be seen above.
On Pakistan’s side, diplomatic ties are still downgraded, trade is restricted and there have been no further escalations.
The only exception is Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who likened Indian actions to “Nazism”.
“Attempt is to change demography of Kashmir through ethnic cleansing. Question is: Will the world watch & appease as they did Hitler at Munich?”
The Pakistani prime minister added that the “ideology of Hindu supremacy, like the Nazi Aryan supremacy, will not stop” in Kashmir, but would lead to “the suppression of Muslims in India & eventually lead to targeting of Pakistan”.
I am afraid this RSS ideology of Hindu Supremacy, like the Nazi Aryan Supremacy, will not stop in IOK; instead it will lead to suppression of Muslims in India & eventually lead to targeting of Pakistan. The Hindu Supremacists version of Hitler's Lebensraum.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 11, 2019
Essentially, the current state of the “conflict” over Kashmir is at the propaganda stage, with both sides accusing the other side of alleged actions. Evidence is scarce, and even if it is there it’s simply rejected.
Generally, Kashmir is the more sensitive area, as in Jammu restrictions by the Indian authorities were lifted in most regions and normality appears to be coming back.
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