By Sadia Hussain

Identity. It’s a funny thing. It should be simple really, so why do so many people struggle with it? For countless reasons, including that some people are mixed race and they feel like they don’t fully belong to either side. Some are third or fourth generation and don’t feel close to their culture. I’m not mixed and I'm the first generation in my family to be born British, yet I have still experienced a little cultural identity crisis. 

My family is from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a region in the western portion of the larger Kashmir area. Now a lot of people will say that it is in Pakistan. What they don’t know is that it is actually its own region, administered by Pakistan. Despite this, the majority of the people, if not all that I know who are from AJK (Azad Jammu and Kashmir), refer to themselves as Pakistani. Yet people from India’s occupied side of Kashmir refer to themselves as Kashmiri. 

Just a very short history - pre the partition in 1947, when the British ruled India, Kashmir was one. Once the partition happened, one part of Kashmir went to India, one part went to Pakistan, so as to separate the Hindus and Muslims, and one part (which is often forgotten) was given to China. 

As I mentioned, my family comes from the Pakistan administered Kashmir. Quoting from India Today, 2019, “AJK is governed under the Azad Kashmir Interim Constitution Act passed in 1974. Even though AJK has a president, prime minister, and a council, the governing structure is powerless and dependent on the Pakistani establishment for the smallest issues.” Some other facts that many don’t know include that Jammu and Kashmir never came under British Rule during the colonisation and that AJK’s independence day is October 24th, whilst Pakistan celebrates their independence day on 14th August. 

In 1947, Muslims from Azad Jammu and Kashmir began a liberation movement against India, and as a result, the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir was established on October 24th. Curious about the Independence day, I asked my mother how the people celebrate. I found out they have a ‘jhalsa’ (I don’t know if it is one hundred percent the correct word, but it’s what they use. People will gather, including political figures, go on a sort of march, and give speeches). They will carry their flags and usually say ‘Kashmir Azad Banega’ (Kashmir will be free). 

Now as I mentioned, people from Jammu and Kashmir consider themselves Kashmiri - they speak Kashmiri (the language) and I suppose have more of an ethnic experience within the culture. People from Azad Kashmir are taught Urdu in school, speak Pothwari, a dialect of Punjabi and have more of a typical Pakistani cultural experience, however, a small minority still do speak Kashmiri. My mother was born and raised in Azad Kashmir and when I asked her what she considers herself as, she immediately said Kashmiri. However, when I mentioned being unable to speak Kashmiri or all of the other cultural differences, she couldn’t explain why it was like that. She did say she wishes she was taught Kashmiri in school though. She said that most people from the area that she knew of wish to become completely independent, whilst in comparison, a minority wish to become joint with Pakistan.

An interesting point was raised when I asked her about identity crises. She was not hesitant in saying that a large majority do get confused on whether they should call themself Pakistani or Kashmiri. This identity issue is not helped when they come to the UK or move to any other country for that matter - since Azad Kashmir is not considered its own country, it’s not on the forms, meaning when ticking what ethnicity you are, there’s no option for them to choose Kashmiri. This also means that when they have children, like my mother, we do not have the option to choose British Kashmiri. Although, my mother says that if that option was available, it is the bracket she believes we would come under. Because of this, she thinks it is one of the reasons why many people don’t understand the difference between Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, and why so many who are from Azad Kashmir, but are second-generation, call themselves Pakistani. She also said that when she came from Azad Kashmir to the UK, she couldn’t say she was Kashmiri, mainly because the people here wouldn’t know where that was, or if they did, they’d immediately think of India occupied Kashmir. 

To this day, it is not unknown that Pakistan and India are still fighting for occupation of Kashmir. And it is most definitely not unknown that Kashmiris are suffering at no fault of their own. Reports have shown that thousands in Kashmir have been killed since 1989 over a dispute that most of them don’t wish to be a part of. Kashmir is the centre of the dispute, yet Kashmiris aren’t being given the opportunity to make their own decision. 

I don’t think it’s possible to say for sure what the outcome would be if Kashmiris, from all 3 sections, were given the ability to decide. However, the choice should be given. Everyone deserves independence and the right to not be confused in their identity. There’s not a lot we, especially those of us not even from Kashmir can do, but we can raise awareness, and I hope this piece inspires you to find out more.