Activist Shehla Rashid praises government for improving human rights situation in Kashmir

The Narendra Modi-led central government and the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir have lately received praise from human rights campaigner Shehla Rashid for their efforts to improve the Valley's human rights status. Rashid's endorsement, which she gave on August 15, is significant in light of her prior criticism of the regional government's policies.

One of the petitioners who contested constitutional validity of the repeal of Article 370, which had conferred special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, was Rashid, a former vice-president of the JNU Students' Union. She eventually removed her name from the petitioners' list, though.

She commended the Modi administration and the J&K administration for their strong position, which she believes has helped save lives, on X (formerly Twitter).

"However inconvenient it may be to admit this, the human rights record in Kashmir has improved under the @narendramodi government and @OfficeOfLGJandK administration. By a purely utilitarian calculus, the govt's clear stance has helped save lives overall. That's my angle (sic)," she posted.

Change of viewpoint

Rashid's earlier position is starkly contrasted with this change of viewpoint. She was a vociferous opponent of the government's choice to dissolve Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories on August 5, 2019, and to abolish its autonomous status.

In March 2019, Rashid and Shah Faesal, an IAS officer and another well-known opponent of the repeal of Article 370, established the Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement, a political organisation that opposes the repeal.

The same year, Rashid encountered legal issues when she was charged with sedition for tweeting about alleged human rights abuses by the Indian Army in J&K. She had alleged that the Indian Army was snatching up males without regard for their gender, searching homes, and torturing residents of the Valley. The Army has denied Rashid's accusations, claiming they were unfounded and unsupported.

Later, Rashid and Faesal have both withdrawn from the case. Article 370 was a "thing of the past," according to Faesal in July 2023, showing a change in his opinion. In a same vein, Rashid has recently stated a more favourable attitude towards the government's operations in Jammu and Kashmir despite earlier controversy and accusations of involvement in "anti-national activities."

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