It is now two months since the intolerable and untenable blockade of communication in the Kashmir Valley. The Union government is obdurate and refuses to lift it, despite reports of hardships faced by citizens due to the suspension of online communication.
The impact of the internet shutdown has been felt in a myriad horrific ways, from the inability to reach timely medical help in emergencies, the immense problems faced by students, job-seekers, litigants unable to access justice, those engaged in trade etc. The media has been struggling to get these important stories across and its very existence has been jeopardised.
The widespread condemnation from international agencies and authorities like the UN Special Rapporteur for freedom of speech and expression has not made an iota of difference. Petitions in the Supreme Court of India challenging the communications blockade have not yielded any relief from the apex court.
Free Speech Collective (FSC) launches ’60 days and counting’, a campaign that looks at the current crisis in Kashmir through the unique perspective of cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi, who faced censorship and was forced to quit his daily cartoon with a prominent newspaper on May 1 this year. As some cartoons dating back to 2016 show, the abrogation of Art 370 and the attempts to change the demographics in Kashmir were very much on the anvil. Other cartoons record the hypocrisy and opportunism of political leaders while still others bear the anguish of the violence and killings.
70 days and counting…
70 days and counting. From @hailsuhail’s archive. In 2017, then Home Minister Rajnath Singh said a permanent solution to Kashmir is based on these 5Cs. At the end of #freespeechcollective’s campaign, we leave you to see how it translates on the ground #KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #60DaysOfIndianSeige.
69 days and counting…
69 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive.
“I did this illustration in 2016. The right wing had been planning to change the demography of Kashmir from a muslim majority to a minority. The first step in that direction has been taken.”
#KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
68 days and counting…
68 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive. The Mehbooba Mufti-led govt said GST won’t change anything in the Special Status of Kashmir as that is “preserved”. Just like those dead specimens of animals in the biology labs! #KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
67 days and counting…
67 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive. In April 2018, the Supreme Court had ruled that the Art 370 was a permanent provision.#KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
66 days and counting…
66 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive.@suhailhnaqshbandi
David and Goliath.
#kashmirbleeds #kashmir #kashmiri #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
65 days and counting…
64 days and counting….
64 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive. In 2018, an innocent boy was killed in downtown Srinagar in a crackdown. The mourners at his funeral were tear-gassed. His neighbour tore off his shirt in frustration, asking police to shoot him. His picture, crying with flailing arms, reminded me of Christ on the cross. #KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
63 days and counting…
63 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive. On 15th Aug, 2018, PM Modi talked about hugging Kashmiris in his speech. Here’s what the hug looks like. #KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
62 days and counting…
62 days and counting. From cartoonist Suhail Naqshbandi’s archive. The current communication blackout is unprecedented, but Internet bans have been a regular occurrence. And this is how I see it. #KashmirBleeds #StandWithKashmir #KeepitON #EndKashmirBlockade #freespeechcollective #60DaysOfIndianSeige
The third in the series for Free Speech Collective’s campaign ’60 days and counting’.
61 days and counting…
For years, intensified over the last few, there were forebodings over the removal of the ‘special status’ for J&K. This cartoon by Suhail Naqshbandi was drawn last year and captures the sense of impending doom perfectly. The second in the series by Free Speech Collective for its campaign ’60 days and counting’.
60 days and counting…
