While COVID-19 ravages India with mass deaths and destruction, Pakistani netizens have asked India to apologize to people of Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK).
Amid the outpour of prayers and solidarity with India, a fraction of netizens have been calling out India to apologize to Kashmir as a redemption for their heinous torture and abuse of Kashmiris for decades. India had imposed the lockdown in IIOJK ever since it repealed the semi-autonomous status of Jammu Kashmir in August 2019.
https://twitter.com/Zeeshaan4459/status/1386550619008348162?s=20
We feel pain for India and we also pray for India but never Forget the pain of Kashmiri people. Now India should understand what they have to do with Kashmiris. It's a right time to apologize to Kashmiri and lift up the curfew in Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/cvYfFdg4w8
— Anni khan🖤🥀 (@bathanger_khan) April 24, 2021
People in Kashmir were caged under lockdown, and aggressive measures were taken to suppress the voices of dissent in Jammu Kashmir. Heart-wrenching stories of violation of human rights by Indian armed forces circulated on international media with people of the valley being restricted in their homes and barred from stepping out of their homes even for necessities under a forced curfew.
Read more: Pakistan offers India talks if August 5 decisions are withdrawn
A large number of social media users believe that currently, India is going through a similar situation where people are distressed, unable to acquire life-saving medicines and treatments for their loved ones suffering from coronavirus. There has been a dearth of oxygen supplies, ventilators, with hospitals and doctors overburdened with the influx of critical coronavirus patients across India.
The local administration in New Delhi and Mumbai have been under strict lockdown and curfew. Netizens have likened this highly humanitarian dilemma to what Indian forces and government did in Kashmir in 2019.
They also believe that India is facing its karma in the form of uncontrollable devastation by a coronavirus. Hence, they must apologize to the people of IIOJK, uplift all the restrictions, and grant them freedom.
https://twitter.com/NattSbOfficial/status/1385812901785649156?s=20
https://twitter.com/sarah_4446/status/1386237050391867393?s=20
#EndiaSaySorryToKashmir trended atop on Twitter on weekend. Meanwhile, a large number of Pakistani social media users had expressed solidarity with India in these testing times. They even urged the Pakistani government to send humanitarian aid and help to India to provide relief to Indian citizens.