Colonialism 101: India exploits Kashmir’s mineral resources

On 25th September, in a report by Reuters, a high government official announced that India will auction Jammu and Kashmir’s lithium reserves over the next few weeks.

India has been seeking ways to procure supplies of lithium, a critical raw material that is used in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries. In February, it discovered its first lithium deposits in Jammu and Kashmir with estimated reserves of 5.9 million tones.

Soon after, India reached out to foreign miners, expressing its interest in auctioning the lithium reserves. According to the government official, some overseas miners have already shown interest in the venture. 

Capitalist exploitation and resource control are the key instruments of India’s project of occupation of Kashmir. India has for long exploited Kashmir’s water resources and its capacities to generate electricity for rest of India, while systematically denying Kashmiris the very electricity that it produces. All the major mining contracts have been handed over to non-Kashmiri businessmen, especially Hindus, as part of India’s systematic dispossession and economic marginalization of the Kashmiri Muslim population.