The Kashmir region of India is more than 11,000 km away from Regina, but two groups voiced differing perspectives at separate protests in the Queen City on Saturday.
Muzamil Shams Beer, who is originally from Jammu Kashmir, has not been in contact with his family since August 4.
“Mentally I am really tensed and really disturbed,” said Beer. “There’s no communication. No internet, no cell phones. Nothing is going in and out of Kashmir right now.”
The escalating tensions in India stems from the government trying to strip the Kashmir Region of its autonomy and take control of the area. Kashmir has been in lockdown for more than three weeks, and tens of thousands of Indian troops have been deployed to the region.
The two protests included a Pakistani majority supporting the people of Kashmir, and Indians that support their government’s actions.
Beer and fellow protester Iffat Farooque Haider are against the actions of the Indian government, but are also concerned about the lack of communication coming out of the region.
“My heart is broken. My friends and all my relatives are there and they are suffering,” said Haider.
On the other side of the protest, Akshi Dhar and Gurdeep Sharma have had a completely different experience reaching their family.
“Sometimes I won’t be able to connect but sometimes I am able to, but I am in touch with [my mother] she is there,” said Sharma. “Terrorists are present in the valley right now as we speak. Just in order to keep the peace and have the law and order in the state, these temporary restrictions have been put."
Dhar and Sharma have been able to connect with their family in Kashmir, and they said their situation has remained okay since the occupation. The only inconvenience for them has been a curfew that has restricted residents in the region.
“Terrorists are present in the valley right now as we speak. Just in order to keep the peace and have the law and order in the state, these temporary restrictions have been put,” said Sharma.
