Dr Muhammad Khan
IT was a welcoming decision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to addressa public gathering of Kashmiris in Muzaffarabad, the capital city of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on September 13, 2019. Earlier, Imran Khan addressed the AJK Legislative Assembly on the eve of Independence Day (August 14, 2019) to show solidarity with Kashmiris and Kashmir cause. Kashmiris and the people of Pakistan are already convinced that Indian occupation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is illegal and the extreme step, Indian Government has taken to undo the special status of the occupied state by revoking Articles 370 and 35-A is a blatant violation of UN resolutions and constitution of India-occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
Besides, they are also convinced that whatever Indian security forces have done in the occupied state since 1990 is a serious violation of human rights in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), in fact, unprecedented in the recent history of humanity. From a child to an elderly person, in Azad Kashmir and all over Pakistan, everyone is well aware of Indian excesses, its illegal occupation of the occupied state and above all its global campaigning of declaring its falsehood as a right step. Indeed, India has been able to sell its falsehood and illegal claim over Kashmir to international community whereas the successive governments in Pakistan have done very little to counter Indian falsehood and inability to expose Indian massive human rights violations in the IoK. There is nothing new to tell the already convinced people of Pakistan and AJK about Kashmir dispute, Indian human rights violations there and the illegal act of annexing IoK with Indian Union on 5 August 2019. Such rallies are amounting to convince the already convinced people. It is more of political manifestation, may be aimed at strengthening the roots of a particular political party or a new narrative and nothing else in practical terms. Mr Khan is well aware that world is not on their side, since it an issue of Muslims and that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has not positively responded to Pakistani application (it approached through China) during its closed door meeting on 16 August 2019.
The Government doesn’t have an answer, if people in AJK ask, as what has been done so far to end the curfew and siege in the IoK since 5 August 2019. Except political rhetoric, indeed, we have hardly done anything to free the caged Kashmiris from Indian Army’s curfew and siege. We have not even decided to despatch food and medicine as humanitarian assistance to Kashmiris in the last 40 days of curfew at crossing points or through humanitarian organizations like ICRC. The caged Kashmiris are dying in their houses in the absence of requisite food, medicine and above all are being killed, wounded, raped and frightened by Indian security forces and armed men of RSS and Bajrang Dal (BD). Besides, the Kashmiri youth are being killed mercilessly; thousands of Kashmiris have been arrested and sent to various Indian jails. Young girls and children are abducted by Indian Army men and men of RSS and BD for molestation and as punishment to Kashmiri community. Indeed, the way India is treating the subjugated people of occupied Kashmir since 5 August 2019 is unprecedented in the history of human beings.
Contrary to what we are doing in Pakistan, India has launched a massive political and diplomatic campaign to convince the international community that, the Indian illegal acts in IoK are right and that; it had the prerogative and right to annex the state and kill the masses there on various pretexts. Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar has visited over 50 countries, since 5 August 2019 to sell the Indian viewpoint, indeed, the India lie, which has been quite successful, so far. Besides, Indian diplomatic corps has been very active and aggressive with an appealing campaign all over the global capitals to get the authenticity for Indian illegal act of annexation of the state. Earlier, Indian Prime Minister was able to convince the G-7 countries over his illegal decision. Except lip service, there have been no promises for the guaranteed support of international community to Pakistan over Kashmir dispute and particularly to undo the illegal annexation of the IoK.
After unilateral Indian annexation of IoK, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Mr Qureshi has visited China only, again convincing a convinced. We have been talking to some of international leaders through telephonic call, which could not make the needed impact. The visit of Mr Qureshi to address 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva is a welcoming step of highlighting the Indian human rights violations in the IoK. But, in reality, it is again a campaign of convincing the convinced. United Nations Human Rights Council has already issued two reports about the human rights violations in IoK, June 14, 2019 and July 8, 2019. Time has arrived that rather convincing the convinced the political Government of Pakistan must try to convince the international community over the illegal Indian act of annexing the state of Jammu and Kashmir with clarity and boldly. United Nations and the world has to be told in clear through official visits of experts on Kashmir dispute that India must restore the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, end the curfew and siege in the IoK, stop making demographic changes there, stop human rights violations and resolve the Kashmir conflict as per UN resolutions.
— The writer, a retired Brig, is Professor of Politics and International Relations at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
