The European Commission's endorsement of India as "the world's largest democracy" is a dangerous distortion that shields a regime engaged in systematic democratic backsliding and minority persecution, says Dr. Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur, President of the London-based World Kashmir Freedom Movement (WKFM). In a press release, Thakur condemned the EU-India Security and Defence Partnership, stating it contradicts the EU's commitments to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

India ranks 151st in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, with journalists facing harassment and intimidation. The press freedom situation in India is dire, with a concentration of media ownership in the hands of pro-government oligarchs, turning much of the mainstream press into a mouthpiece for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Thakur said. “Civil society faces existential threats, with the misuse of foreign funding laws (FCRA) used to bankrupt and dismantle human rights organizations.” 

Minorities, including Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, face rampant discrimination and violence, with impunity for perpetrators of communal violence. The government's anti-conversion laws in at least 12 states have emboldened vigilante violence, while "bulldozer justice" demolitions of Muslim homes serve as collective punishment, he added. “Democratic institutions and core freedoms are eroding, with executive overreach, judicial erosion, prolonged pre-trial detentions of critics, and curbs on peaceful assembly.

The situation in Kashmir is a template for nationwide repression, with militarized control, arbitrary detentions, internet shutdowns, and heavy securitization violating international human rights standards,” Thakur pointed out. Thakur demanded accountability and consequences for human rights abuses, saying "rhetoric alone will not suffice." The EU must adopt a more precise, principled approach prioritizing human dignity over strategic convenience.  

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)