As Shabir Wani has pointed out, there are a lot of things we miss about Kashmiris on Facebook: their humor, in-depth knowledge, acumen, expertise, sharpening skills; also their sharp polemics, insights, indignation. But the thing we miss most of all is their political leadership.
Kashmiri human rights investigators & activists play an international role in campaigning against the use of forcible disappearance used by up to 50 countries & they are recognized for that role by families of the disappeared around the world. Kashmiri feminists, along with Mayan women, play a leading role in exposing & campaigning against the use of mass rape, sexual torture & humiliation used by armies as a weapon of war & genocide. Kashmiri human rights organizations investigate human rights crimes by the Indian Army & rigorously document them. Despite being under a brutal occupation, they always protested in solidarity with others, including Palestinians, Rohingya, Syrians, Central African Republic, & others on the front lines of oppression as well as protested against pellet guns, the suppression of a free press, & other human rights crimes by the Indian Army.
From the courage of their working class stone pelters & protesters to the undaunted commitment of senior leaders like 90-year-old Syed Ali Geelani, they educated human rights fighters around the world. They took advantage of social media to educate about their struggle & build international support. That’s the reason India repeatedly snapped the internet & now has completely shut down all telecommunications in Kashmir. The intention is to humiliate Kashmiris & bring them to their knees but mostly to prevent them from inspiring, educating, leading the oppressed around the world. The political leadership shown & groundwork laid by Kashmiri activists has made India’s genocidal move a massive political blunder because all of Kashmiri’s painstaking work has led to the internationalization of their struggle with thousands marching around the world in solidarity & #BoycottIndia in formation.