Malik Ashraf
THE solidarity shown by Pakistani nation with the people of Kashmir, who are waging a war of freedom and bearing the brunt of the inhuman treatment by the Indian security forces, was unprecedented to say the least. The entire nation came out to observe Kashmir Hour and it surely sent a very strong morale boosting message to the people of IoK that they were not alone in their struggle and the Pakistani nation would stand with them till the time they won their freedom. It also transmitted an unequivocal message to the Modi government that it would not be allowed to get away with the unilateral action that it had taken to change special status of Kashmir. The show of solidarity with Kashmiris also sent a forceful reminder to the international community and the UN of their obligations towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir besides highlighting the atrocities which the Indian forces were committing to subdue the freedom struggle.
Prime Minister Imran himself led the rally in Islamabad and mentioning the sufferings of the people of IoK he assured them that Pakistan would stand with them till the last breath. Likening the Modi regime to the Nazi Germany and expressing fear about a likely false flag operation by India in IoK or AJK he warned the world about the consequences of not taking notice of the situation in IoK saying “I want to clearly give a message that we will respond to any Indian action. Our armed forces are ready for anything. I keep telling the world and every international outlet that if they remain quiet about the Kashmir issue and the atrocities in the valley, the entire world will suffer because of that. India did not let the media go into Srinagar which should tell the entire world exactly what sort of cruelty is being perpetrated there” He also observed that Modi through his arrogance had played his last card and Kashmir would be free now and it was time to teach India a lesson. The Prime Minister also took a swipe at the international community for its indifference to the plight of the people of Kashmir observing that the world reaction would have been stronger had the Kashmiris not been Muslims. He rightly pointed out the criminal apathy displayed by the international community to the causes of Muslims around the world like Palestine and Kashmir.
The issue of Kashmir has remained unresolved due to the insensitivity of the global community to the sufferings of the people of IoK and lack of interest in the implementation of UN resolutions as the countries who really matter and have a veto power in the UNSC have been looking at the situation in the valley through the prism of their strategic and commercial interests rather than evaluating the issue in conformity with the lofty humanitarian considerations that they prefer espousing from every convenient roof-top. Nevertheless, the things will not remain the same as Pakistan under the stewardship of Imran Khan will not let the issue die down. Pakistani nation is more determined than ever to have the Kashmir issue resolved at any cost. The defence forces of Pakistan are ready to face any eventuality and thwart the aggressive designs of the Modi government if it dares to test their resolve to defend the motherland.
Unlike the past, the diplomatic offensive launched by the Government has started showing positive results. The issue echoed in the UNSC after fifty years and the UNSC endorsed its resolutions on the Kashmir issue. Prime Minister and Foreign Minister spoke to their counterparts around the world to sensitize them about the human rights situation in IoK and the threats to peace and security in South Asia as a consequence of the Indian unilateral action to change the special status of Jummu and Kashmir. A number of countries have shown their concern over the human rights situation in IoK and emphasized the need for de-escalating the tension between the two countries. Modi government which initially claimed that the action taken in Jammu & Kashmir was an internal matter of India seems to have resiled from its taken position and is now calling it a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. Modi has also hinted at the possibility of invoking the Simla Agreement.
The US presidential candidate Sandy Burns addressing a convention expressed grave concern on the situation in IoK and has called for resolution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions. The efforts of Pakistan government are surely building pressure on India. Pakistan is determined to keep building that pressure. The Prime Minister will be raising the issue at the ensuing session of UN General Assembly. The Government is also mulling over calling a diplomatic conference to unravel Indian designs in IoK and against Pakistan before the diplomatic community. Pakistan is surely moving in the right direction as far as diplomatic efforts are concerned.
What however will matter in the end will be the response of the veto yielding powers and the UNSC in regards to the implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir. Whether it will be possible in the near future remains a million dollar question in view of the current global politics. However whether somebody supports the Kashmir cause or not, Pakistan stands with the people of Kashmir ready to go to any extent to make sure that the Kashmiris win their freedom. The hope expressed by Prime Minister Imran Khan about Kashmiris winning their freedom will surely crystallize into success as the freedom movements have their own momentum and dynamics free of resolutions and hypocritical responses of the world community.
— The writer is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
