This week, students around the globe returned to their classrooms for the first time in months after they were closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But in Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, students have been shut out for over a year and they remain uncertain when they can resume their education.
For Kashmiris, the disruption the pandemic has caused to everyday life is grimly familiar. Although this picturesque valley has been described as paradise on Earth in poetic verse, it has witnessed massacres, lockdowns, curfews, guerilla warfare and violent occupation. Nevertheless, its people have strived for education. Now, this hope seems more distant than ever.
In the summer of 2019, I was making plans to study at university, when the Indian government revoked Kashmir’s autonomy and took control of the state. In anticipation of protests, people were confined to their homes and all modes of communication – internet, mobile phones, landlines – were blocked. My home turned into an open-air prison overnight. I missed the deadline to apply for admission to university in New Delhi. The dreams of thousands of students like me were shattered.
