Not much to celebrate on 15 August owing to atrocities in Kashmir, claims novelist Salman Rushdie

On the occasion of India’s 73rd Independence Day, various political leaders, Bollywood stars and foreign dignitaries took to Twitter to convey their congratulations. Many of them included their views on Kashmir, since the abrogation of Article 370 has seen polarised views in the state. Novelist Salman Rushdie also took to the microblogging site to express his views on Kashmir. He said that there ‘isn’t much to celebrate on 15 August’ owing to the atrocities happening in the state.

Even from seven thousand miles away it’s clear that what’s happening in Kashmir is an atrocity. Not much to celebrate this August 15th.

— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) August 15, 2019

Rushdie’s works have been known to create controversies, for instance, in 1988, The Satanic Verses received an extremely violent reaction. In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — leader of Iran — issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie. Various killings and bombings took place in response to the novel. India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on 5 August and announced the bifurcation of the State into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Pakistan observed a ‘Black Day’ on the occasion of India’s Independence Day to protest New Delhi’s move to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir. China has also formally asked for “closed consultations” in the UN Security Council to discuss the decision. Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, however, witnessed a low-key Independence Day celebration as various restrictions and security arrangements were made in the city.