On January 26, while India celebrates its Constitution, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir mourns. For us, the Republic Day is not a festival of democracy but a black day—an annual reminder of constitutional terrorism that transformed our homeland into an open-air prison. The tricolor flies over Srinagar as a flag of occupation, not liberation. This is not hyperbole; it is the lived reality of eight million people trapped between India’s democratic façade and its settler-colonial project.
The betrayal began not in 2019, but in 1948. The United Nations promised us a plebiscite to determine our future. India’s own Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, pledged before the world that Kashmir’s fate would be decided by its people. That promise now lies buried under layers of constitutional subterfuge and military boots. What started as a temporary accession became a permanent occupation, and a disputed territory is now being forcibly assimilated into a Hindu majoritarian state.
The betrayal began not in 2019, but in 1948. The United Nations promised us a plebiscite to determine our future. India’s own Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, pledged before the world that Kashmir’s fate would be decided by its people. That promise now lies buried under layers of constitutional subterfuge and military boots. What started as a temporary accession became a permanent occupation, and a disputed territory is now being forcibly assimilated into a Hindu majoritarian state.