Rayyan Baig
PEOPLE of the subcontinent struggled to get freedom from the Britishers. The Muslims and Hindus started their journey together, but Quaid-i-Azam, who was the torchbearer of Hindu-Muslim unity, soon realized that the Hindus were not sincere with the Muslims. The Britishers, therefore, decided to divide the subcontinent between Hindus and Muslims as per an agreed partition plan. British rulers of the subcontinent at that time, however, violated the agreed plan of partition in Punjab, Sindh and Bengal, on the behest of Hindu leadership. The formula which was applied to Hyderabad and Junagarh States was not applied to Kashmir, the ruler of Kashmir was Hindu whereas the majority of population, about 90%, was Muslim and wanted to join Pakistan. The Kashmir which was smoldering under the tyrant rule of Dogra Raj was tossed from the frying pan into the fire.
The Maharaja wanted to have standstill relationship with India and Pakistan, the Quaid-e-Azam agreed but Indian leadership did not. The Kashmiris who had already suffered untold hardships, rose in rebellion against the Maharaja much before the partition ie in 1945. After the unjust partition they revolted, but the Maharaja dealt with them with iron hand and about 200,000 Kashmiris were massacred. When the news of the killings reached Pakistan the volunteer Lashkars from Gilgit and Tribal areas rushed for their help. The situation went out of control and the Maharaja left for India as a fait accompli. The Indian leadership illegally and without any requisition, air lifted and pumped occupation forces into Kashmir. They manipulated and forced Maharaja to sign a fraudulent document of accession, while he had already left Kashmir and was dethroned by default. He, under compulsion, signed an agreement with India but only delegated some of the powers to India ie defence, foreign affairs and communication, whereas rest of the things were to be governed by the state itself. This fact was reaffirmed by the son of Maharaja on the floor of Indian Parliament, as well by his granddaughter in a recent speech. The Kashmiris rejected this arrangement signed between the deposed Maharaja and India and continued their struggle against occupation forces. After seeing the worsening situation in Kashmir and fearing the Lashkars take over Kashmir, India herself went to the UN in 1948.
When the Indian Constitution was finalized on 26 Nov 1949, this understanding was formally included in the form of Articles 35-A & 370 and Kashmir retained its special status in the Indian Constitution. However, it was a temporary and conditional arrangement with India, till the improvement of situation and thereafter the fate of Kashmir was to be decided as per the will of the people. The pledge to decide the fate of Kashmiris as per their will was repeatedly expressed by the Indian PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his telegram to Pakistani PM dated 27 Oct 1947 and in his broadcast to the nation over All India Radio on 2nd and 3rd November 1947 and on many other occasions. He said, “We have given this pledge not only to the people of Kashmir but to the world as well”. In his statement in the Indian Constituent Assembly on 25th Nov 1947, he said, “When the people of Kashmir are given the chance to decide their future it should be done under the supervision of an impartial tribunal such as UN”. The people of IoK never ratified even this temporary and fake accession and have been struggling for their right of self-determination for the last seven decades.
Narendra Modi, who had been the member of racist and extremist RSS right from his childhood rose to become the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The RSS was inspired by the Nazi’s superiority of race, who couldn’t tolerate any other race and thus killed millions of Jews. Mr Modi showed a trailer of RSS ideology in Gujarat by killing thousands of innocent and unarmed Indian Muslims. Though, he was black listed after Gujarat massacre, but after his becoming PM, the world forgot his heinous crimes, just because of business interests. The US had even banned his entry into the country. The apathy of the world emboldened Modi, who slowly but firmly gripped entire India in RSS ideology, and all the sane voices, even from conscientious Hindus, were silenced by RSS. The forcing of Muslims to chant slogans against their belief, arbitrary torture and lynching on petty excuse by RSS goons was the clear manifestation of their pledge to convert everyone in India into Hindu.
On 5 August, India suddenly and unilaterally, without consulting Kashmiri people, revoked Articles 35-A and 370 of its Constitution. Though these Articles were rejected by Kashmiris but they did provide them with some identity; their removal has snatched their identity, rights and privileges from them. There are reports of pumping in of tens of thousands of RSS killers in Kashmir in the garb of soldiers; due to the total blackout for more than two months the world is unaware of the massacre and miseries of Kashmiris. India has never cared about the Kashmiris, they just want Kashmir without Kashmiri Muslims. The recent statements by RSS leadership including UP Chief Minister about Kashmiri girls must open the eyes of the world that what is expected in future, if India is not stopped. Mr Modi is proving to be deadlier than Hitler; not only is he perpetrating Hitler like genocide of Muslims, but he wants to repeat the history of Kosovo and Bosnia as well. Is the world waiting for another disaster/ genocide to happen which may turn into a full-fledged war between two nuclear neighbours?
—The writer is freelance columnist.
