The first and foremost are the Human Rights. However, to have rights one has to be a human first. Kashmiris are not considered humans! Here, dogs have better rights and people can be hauled up under the cruelty to animals legislation for harming a stray dog. There is no accountability for butchering humans! In the ongoing tussle about revocation or retention of AFSPA, it is quite often mentioned that Kashmir has a “Special Status” which should not be eroded. Apart from the fact that the article which guarantees this status is almost dead, the Kashmiris “enjoy” certain additional privileges not formally mentioned in this piece of legislation. It would be interesting to examine the privileges and advantages of this “Special Status” to a common Kashmiri. The most talked about “Special Status” of Kashmir globally is its extreme militarization. The European Union team called it “A Beautiful Prison”! While as Arundhati Roy in a seminar in New York called it “The bloodiest occupation in the world”! However, part of this “Special Status” becomes visible to every foreigner as soon as he or she lands at the Srinagar’s so called International Airport. It is an International Airport without any International flight. That itself is a big joke with a long story in the background. The short lived Dubai flight inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi with a great fanfare has been forgotten by now.

The only International character is in the arrival terminal where the first thing a foreigner sees is the Foreigner’s Registration Counter. A foreigner immediately on landing in India anywhere completes all immigration formalities but in Kashmir he has to repeat these because of the “Special Status”! A foreigner has to fill an arrival and departure form giving all details including passport and visa particulars. This makes many a foreigner ask if Kashmir is a part of India or they have landed in some other country? Sometime back during the time of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the practice had been discontinued and the counter had been removed as the people manning it were reported to be indulging in touting for house-boat owners. However, for the ever green “Security Reasons”, the practice has been re-introduced. Departure from Srinagar is more harassing. It must be the only airport in the world where full security formalities including frisking and x-ray of baggage is conducted one kilometre before the airport itself. This is an additional pre-check which makes people sometimes lose their flights. One has to under go almost eight body searches before boarding the plane.

Kashmiris themselves are privy to a number of “privileges” because of the “Special Status”! Let us begin with the issue of passports to people of Kashmiri origin. Getting a passport in Kashmir is asking for moon! Normally it takes months and sometimes years to get a passport which in other parts of India can be had on Tatkal (Most Urgent) basis within hours. The Tatkal system does not operate in Kashmir. The passport verification by police can be avoided in all other parts of India except Kashmir. Any officer of the Central Government of the rank of a deputy secretary and above can give verification certificate on the basis of which a passport can be issued. But not in Kashmir. Here, police verification is mandatory. In all other parts of India the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) as per passport regulations have to verify residential address for last two years.

However, in Kashmir they have to verify the address for last 20 years! Such verification is bound to take time and people have to wait for years to get a clearance. It may be easier for a Kashmiri youth to cross the LOC and return with an AK- 47 than to go legally abroad on an Indian passport for some gainful employment! In foreign countries, Kashmiris working abroad have another special privilege. Indian missions cannot renew or issue fresh passports to them without reference and clearance from the State Home Department. At the most they renew or issue these only for one year at a time. This puts them in embarrassing situations as work permits are usually issued for three years against a valid passport.

In fact similar verifications though of a lower degree are required for many other possessions like a mobile phone. In this regard, the most annoying for foreign business executives visiting Kashmir is the non-operation of global roaming facility in Kashmir. Even pre-paid SIM cards in mobile phones of other parts of India with roaming facility all over India and abroad do not operate here. Same is the story with sms (short messaging service) facility!

Indian citizens have many precious possessions but the most prized and precious possession of a Kashmiri is an ID card. Quite often one faces sudden cordon and search operations. The most urgent requirement for such an event is an ID card. Similarly, security forces at different check posts with barriers may stop you and ask for an ID card. The possession of an ID card has become a phobia with the security people. It does not really serve the purpose of truly identifying a person or establishing his true identity. It is more or less a psychological satisfaction and gives the security personnel an excuse to stop and check every passer-by or a passenger in public or private transport. There is an awful variety of ID cards available in the open market. However, the most preferred one is with the Government of India official logo of three lions (Trimurti) on it. This is probably because the security forces frisking and checking know and honour only this logo.

Because of the “Status”, the Kashmiris going to other parts of India get a “Special” treatment. They have to register themselves with the nearest police stations. This is especially true of a large number of Kashmiri handicraft sellers frequenting tourist resorts in Goa, Kerala and other states. In the event of any incident of violence perpetrated by any unknown culprit, Kashmiri Muslims residing near the spot face the music and are the first suspects. There have been instances where innocent Kashmiris have been jailed for years without any trial and ultimately the courts have released them after being declared innocent. However, such episodes have completely destroyed the careers of a number of budding youth! They have no where to go to claim compensation or a new job!

The article 370 of the Indian Constitution has proved to be a convenient channel through which Kashmiris have been twisted in every possible way. For all practical purposes, only the name of the article is intact. It is retained as a deliberate illusion for the locals and the same is also being touted all over the world as a liberal accommodation for Kashmiris in a democratic and secular India! AFSPA is only a symptom; the disease is deeper and involves the very basic political set up. Even if AFSPA is totally removed, it will not give relief from other miseries which Kashmiris have to face everyday. The endless debate is only a façade to runaway from the reality of the ground situation. Unless the basic issue is tackled honestly and earnestly, the real peace giving a sense of relief to a common Kashmiri cannot be achieved!