Ali Sukhanver
In his recent visit to the US, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan was interviewed by a news channel where he said commenting on Kashmir conflict, “I really feel that India should come to the table. The US could play a big part; President Trump certainly can play a big part.” Later, responding to Imran Khan’s comments, President Trump said he had a similar request from India. “It is impossible to believe that two incredible countries who are very, very smart with very smart leadership can’t solve a problem like that. If you would want me to mediate or arbitrate, I would be willing to do it,” said the President. Unexpectedly, instead of saying welcome to the role offered by President Trump in resolving the Kashmir conflict, the Modi government started behaving in a very immature way. It apprehended that after the encouraging statement of President Trump, the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) may go upside down; the freedom fighters may get stronger and things could possibly get out of control.
So to counter the situation, the Central Government of India ordered rushing of about 10,000 central forces personnel to the Kashmir Valley in order to put a more strict check on the activities of the freedom-fighters. According to media reports, the Union Home Ministry has ordered the deployment of 100 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces in Indian-occupied Kashmir whereas 100 more companies are expected to be sent to the valley. Reports say that the new units will reinforce the strength of the security forces already present there. Another side of the picture is that sending more troops to the already troubled valley of Kashmir means more incidents of human rights violations including unlawful-detentions, killings and sexual harassment rather sexual violence against the people of Kashmir. In short things are expected to be worst in coming days.
Situation in the IoK is getting worse and worse day-by-day. The Indian military troops have deprived the people of Kashmir of all their basic human rights; they are not allowed to move freely in their own territory; their properties, their businesses, their homes and even their children are continuously at risk. The most horrible fact is that rape is being used as a tool in the wretched valley of Kashmir. The Indian government is in no-way ready to give any importance to the UN resolutions or of other international organizations working for human rights and world peace. A report on use of rape as a war-tool says, rape is being used as a weapon of war by Indian security forces since very beginning. Indian troops comprising of the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security personnel take it as their official duty to rape the helpless Kashmiri women. Generally numerous rape cases of Kashmiri Muslim women by Indian state forces are not allowed to be reported to the police stations. Most of the rape cases occur during cordon-and-search operations and the pattern is always the same. The soldiers enter civilian residences under the pretext of search and kill or throw out the male members of the families; this gives them a free hand to rape the women inside. In words of a well-known scholar Shubh Mathur, ‘Rape is an essential element of the Indian military strategy in Kashmir.’
The Modi government must try to realize the fact that there would be no place of use of force, war and weapons in tomorrow’s world. The only solution to all issues including that of Kashmir and that of Afghanistan would be possible only through table talks and negotiations. The modern world is in no case willing to accept any strategy based on violence or war. The recent example of this unacceptability is the international reaction on Mr. Trump’s recent statement in which he said, “If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill 10 million people. I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone. It would be over in — literally, in 10 days. And I don’t want to do — I don’t want to go that route.” This statement simply stirred a storm in the tea cup and enraged so many in the world, particularly in Afghanistan. Though Mr. Trump is emerging like a personality doing all possible for making this world violence and terrorism free but world’s reaction on his statement proved one thing very strongly that guns and bombs are not a welcomed solution to every issue. The Indian government must come out of its misguided notion that it could deprive people of their basic human rights by using force. Be it Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar or Sri Lanka, Indian hegemonic desires would nowhere be accepted. The brightest example in this regard is that of the Kashmir valley where thousands of Indian military soldiers have been doing all their best for the last many decades to extinguish the flame of independence and liberty burning in the hearts of Kashmiri people but these soldiers have yet not succeeded.
—The writer is freelance columnist based in Multan.
