The Mental Health Crisis in Kashmir: An Epidemic Within A Pandemic

It’s not a hidden fact that the Indian government wants sole claim over the State or now known as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir is no stranger to lockdowns, curfews and military crackdowns when rules are not followed, and has always been the primary talking point whenever someone wants to defend the Indian Armies might or every time Pakistan threatens to free Kashmir from India’s stronghold.It is interesting to note that for a state that everyone wants a piece of nobody in reality pays much heed to what the inhabitants of the state want. The narrative here is not just political but it is important to understand that no conversation about Kashmir can ever be apolitical. Everything that happens or has happened in the UT of Kashmir since India's independence in 1947 till the Abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, is always going to be political. While the rest of the world is updating their Covid-19 positive caseloads every day, not much is known about the number of positive cases, recovered cases, and deaths taking place in theUT of Kashmir.The 30 year long insurgency in Kashmir has resulted in several generations experiencing state induced violence as well as collective community violence. The official numbers state that about 40,000 people have died since India gained independence from the British in 1947. When young children see their primary and secondary caregivers die in front of their eyes ornot see them return home one fine day, a lot of questions arise. Some simple questions and some complex ones, the answers of which are not enough to soothe their aching soul for the loved ones they have lost.印度政府主张对原查谟和克什米尔邦（现为查谟和克什米尔联合属地（Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir））拥有唯一主权，这早已不是隐秘事实。克什米尔早已司空见惯封锁、宵禁以及因违规实施的军事镇压；每当有人试图彰显印度军队的军力，或是每当巴基斯坦威胁要将克什米尔从印度的控制中解放出来时，克什米尔始终是核心议题。值得关注的是，这块人人都想分一杯羹的土地，实际上无人真正在意当地居民的诉求。此处的叙事绝非仅关乎政治，我们必须明确：任何关于克什米尔的讨论都不可能脱离政治语境。自1947年印度独立至2019年废除《宪法第370条（Article 370）》以来，查谟和克什米尔联合属地内发生的一切过往与当下事件，始终都带有政治属性。当世界其他地区每日更新新冠（COVID-19）确诊病例数据时，查谟和克什米尔联合属地的确诊、康复及死亡病例数却鲜为人知。克什米尔长达30年的叛乱活动，使得多代民众都经历了国家主导的暴力与集体社区暴力。官方数据显示，自1947年印度脱离英国独立以来，已有约4万人丧生。当年幼的孩子亲眼目睹主要照料者离世，或是在某个平常的日子再也等不到照料者归家时，他们心中会生出无数疑问——有简单的困惑，也有复杂的诘问，而这些问题的答案，都不足以抚平他们因失去挚爱而饱受创伤的心灵。