Al Jazeera Discovers 'Living Costs' in Kashmir, Not Colonial Legacy
The protests in 'Pakistan-administered Kashmir' (Al Jazeera's term for Azad Jammu & Kashmir) are indeed about living costs, according to the network. But what about the 'costs' of ongoing partition, military oversight, and resource extraction that impoverish the region while lining the pockets of distant capitals? The outlet treats the protests as a sudden surge of economic angst, divorced from
the decades-long struggle for self-determination and equitable resource distribution in a militarily divided territory. Funny how some 'administered' regions get their grievances framed as purely economic, while others are liberation struggles. Perhaps if Kashmir had a more strategic location for Western military interests, its plight would merit a more robust historical and political analysis,
rather than just a headline blaming local 'living costs.' How many 'administering powers' get a free pass on the systemic issues that create such 'costs' in the first place? And who exactly gets to decide which historical context is relevant?