Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of partition of India in 1947. India
not only treacherously occupied two-third of Kashmir by force but also
failed to implement the 1948 UNSC Resolution of holding a plebiscite to
determine the wishes of the people of Kashmir whether they wanted to be
part of Pakistan or India. The Kashmiris kept demanding this right but
their voices were suppressed through use of brute force. After 42 years
of political struggle when the Kashmiris lost all hopes of an amicable
solution, they decided to pick up arms in 1989 and confronted the Indian
security forces. Tens of militant groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),
Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen emerged in occupied Kashmir
during nineties to achieve freedom from the shackles of India.
Over 7 lacs Indian security forces were inducted to crush the freedom
movement but despite sustained ruthless operations and inhuman
atrocities they could not extinguish the flame of liberty. Pakistan was
morally bound to extend diplomatic and political support to UN
sanctified freedom struggle much to the dislike of Indians. The
resistance movement was so fierce that India sought assistance from
Israel how to tackle Islamic insurgency and also started to accuse
Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorism in Kashmir. Apart from
teaching Indian security forces techniques of counter insurgency and
providing requisite equipment, it also passed on the technique of
indoctrinating Muslim youths and using them against Kashmiri Mujahids.
Israel had established special schools where it was taught how clerics
brainwashed recruits. Having mastered this art, it was put to use
against Palestinians. This technique is now being used to brainwash
suicide bombers and use them in Pakistan. Once India became strategic
partner of USA, the latter attended to Indian concerns more attentively.
Throughout 1990s, India continuously parroted the theme of cross border
terrorism and also accused Pakistan of developing an Islamic bomb.
Western media raised the spectre of Islamic bomb going into the hands of
radical states like Iran and Libya. Pakistan was placed on watch list of
terrorism and cautioned to watch its steps. USA shared the idea of India
that UN Resolutions on Kashmir had become outdated. Acquisition of
nuclear capability and delivery means by Pakistan led to forging of
deeper collaboration between USA, Israel and India and the trio schemed
how to destabilise, de-Islamise, denuclearise and possibly balkanise
Pakistan.. 9/11 and pliant leadership in Pakistan provided an
opportunity to them to make deep inroads into Pakistan and make certain
parts restive.
In Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) and Siachen Indian troops are suffering
from innumerable physiological diseases and cases of suicides are on the
increase. Several cases of shooting of comrades and officers have also
occurred because of mounting frustration and sense of guilt they carry
against hapless Kashmiris. Over 100,000 Muslim Kashmiris have been
killed since 1989, thousands maimed for life, 8000 young girls raped and
11000 persons gone missing. India has been conducting farcical elections
in IHK but each election was heavily rigged to ensure success of
pro-Indian Kashmiri party aligned with Congress or BJP. IHK was put
under federal rule in July 2008 following collapse of state government
over Hindu-Muslim land dispute which triggered a series of massive
anti-India riots. Illegal allotment of Muslims land to Amarnath set off
protests. Indian security forces retaliated with full force leaving many
unarmed protesters dead. Elections were held in November-December 2008
in seven phases and terminated on 24 December under barrel of gun. It
was phased because of highly volatile security situation and Kashmiris
loud calls to boycott elections. Almost entire Kashmiri political
leadership was interned. Anti-election protest marches were cruelly
dealt with resulting in several deaths and critical injuries to many.
Azadi movement has got reinvigorated and so has brutality of Indian
forces against Kashmiris.
Failing to crush Kashmiri movement India devised a devious technique of
water-theft to coerce and blackmail Pakistan to refrain from supporting
Kashmiris. Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh are victims of Indian water
thievery. India has dispute with Bangladesh over Farraka Barrage, with
Nepal over Mahakali River and with Pakistan over 1960 Indus Treaty. What
can you expect from a country which stoops to lowest level of immorality
by stealing water and blocking rivers to turn agricultural lands of its
neighbour barren? Without any qualms, India is busy building dams on all
rivers flowing into Pakistan from occupied Kashmir to regain control of
water of western rivers in violation of Indus Treaty. This is being done
under well thought out strategy to render Pakistan’s link-canal system
redundant, destroy agriculture of Pakistan which is its mainstay and
turn Pakistan into a desert. It is because of our survival resting on
rivers that Kashmir has been referred to as Pakistan’s jugular vein.
India has plans to construct 62 dams/hydro-electric units on Rivers
Chenab and Jhelum thus enabling it to render these rivers dry by 2014.
Taking advantage of its influence over Afghanistan, India has succeeded
in convincing Karzai regime to build a dam on River Kabul and setup Kama
Hydroelectric Project using 0.5MAF of Pakistan water. It has offered
technical assistance for the proposed project which will have serious
repercussions on the water flow in River Indus.The World Bank expert
Raymond Lafitte approved the project in February 2007 but asked India to
reduce height of the Dam by one and half meters. Baglihar Dam can block
7000 cusecs of water per day whenever India wishes to. India has already
built 14 hydroelectric plants on Chenab River and is building more
plants which will enable it to block entire water of Chenab for 20-25
days. These dams have also enabled India to release huge quantity of
water downstream to not only cause damage to standing crops but also to
our canal systems. Chenab River provides water to 21 canals and
irrigates about 7 million acres of agriculture land in Punjab. Storage
of water in Baglihar Dam reduced the flow of water in Chenab River
during the sowing period of August to October 2008 and badly affected
the agriculture sector of Pakistan. Pakistan lost 23000 cusecs of water;
farmers could not irrigate their fields due to shortage of water and
resultantly 3.5 million agriculture tracts got barren. The standing
cotton, paddy crops of basmati rice of Kharif season in Punjab which
were ripe got badly affected because of absence of water. The sowing of
next crop of wheat in September-October also got affected and so was the
case with Rabi crop in January-February this year due to reduced flow of
water. India has turned a deaf ear to our repeated requests for
compensation and failed to provide data about water storage and release
of Baglihar Dam. India has got away with this broad daylight robbery of
water and intends to make it into a routine affair.
India is constructing Kishanganga Dam on River Jhelum. It has now
planned three dams on River Indus which will have devastating impact on
Pakistan’s Northern Areas. These are Nimoo Bazgo, Dumkhar, and Chutak.
Work on Nimoo Bazgo hydropower project, 70 km from Leh is already
underway. Chutak is under construction on River Suru. In case any of
these dams collapse or large quantity of water is deliberately released,
it will not only endanger our proposed Bhasha Dam but also submerge
Skardu city and airport. KKH between Besham and Jaglot would wash away.
The world powers led by US preaching morality turn a blind eye to this
blatant immorality. Pakistan will however not allow its land to turn
barren at the hands of a depraved bully. It is an existential threat
posed by India which 170 million Pakistanis would fight to the last to
defeat its nefarious designs.
