Mohammad Jamil
TOMORROW, Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world will observe “Accession to Pakistan Day” to reinforce confidence in the historic resolution passed by the Central Executive Committee of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) in Srinagar on July 19, 1947. They observe this day to re-affirm their commitment to continue their struggle till attainment of their objective. Functions, walks, talk shows, seminars, conferences and symposiums would be the main features of the day in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) where elaborate programs have been planned by social and political organisations. On 19 July 1947, 26 days before the partition of India, All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference had organized a convention in Srinagar at Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan’s residence and passed a resolution for accession to Pakistan i.e. to merge Kashmir with Pakistan.
The resolution stated: “This convention of Muslim Conference has reached the conclusion that geographical conditions, 80 per cent Muslim population, important rivers of Punjab passing through the state, language, cultural, ethnic and economic relations and contiguity of the state with Pakistan make it imperative to merge with Pakistan”. The partition plan of 3rd June 1947 had envisaged that over 565 princely states would join India or Pakistan keeping in view the aspirations of their people and geographical contiguity. However, Lord Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru manoeuvred and coerced Maharaja into signing the instrument of Accession to India. In October 1947, India had moved its military to occupy Jammu and Kashmir; and volunteers from Pakistan went to Kashmir to fight shoulder to shoulder with their brethren. It was India that took the matter to the UN under Chapter VI of the UN Charter dealing with Pacific Settlement of Disputes.
However, Indian forces invaded and forcibly occupied Jammu and Kashmir in utter violation of the partition plan and against the wishes of the Kashmiri people. Since then India continues with its policy of ethnic cleansing and hatching conspiracies to alter the demography of the State. In 1947, the Muslims constituted 77% while the Hindu population was 23% of the population. The ratio is now 64.19% to 32.24% due to massive killings and other vile acts like settlement of non-Muslim migrants (Hindus and Sikhs) from Punjab. Indian forces have been resorting to controversial draconian laws like AFSPA, PSA to arbitrarily arrest any individual for an indefinite period. Investigations in several cases have revealed that thousands of Kashmiris have been killed in fake and staged encounters. Most of time, majority of popular pro-movement leadership is detained or placed under house arrest by security forces using draconian laws.
Though Kashmiris’ struggle has continued since 1948, they took up arms in 1989 to counter India’s state terrorism and, of course, to get rid of Indian yoke. Since then, around 100,000 Kashmiris have been martyred and many more injured and maimed, but international community’s indifference emboldened India to continue committing atrocities on the people of India-occupied Kashmir. However, killings and atrocities committed by Indian armed forces could not break their will or weaken their resolve, and they continue to give supreme sacrifice for their inalienable right of self-determination accepted by United Nations Security Council.
Kashmiris have undergone untold sufferings for the last 73 years, but international community has been found wanting in discharging its obligations in implementation of UNSC resolutions. Indian army’s atrocities on the people of Kashmir, their murder, rape and fake encounters have turned Kashmir into a hell that would stretch Dante’s imagination. Indian soldiers continue to arrest innocent Kashmiris, keep them in extra-judicial custody and kill them in fake encounters so as to earn rewards or out-of-turn promotions. Nameless and mass graves bear a testimony to India’s reign of terror.
Despite promises, India has failed to demilitarize the India-occupied Kashmir or reduce its troops to mitigate suffering of Kashmiris. Frustrated by the apathy of the international community and non-implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, Kashmiri youth had taken up the arms in 1989. However after 9/11, political landscape of the world changed dramatically, and now those waging struggle for their rights are dubbed as terrorist. Nevertheless, writers, intellectuals and peace loving people condemned India’s repression on people of Kashmir and also for treating them as second class citizens. European Parliament had passed many resolutions on situation in Kashmir, and even recently moved six resolutions after amendment to citizenship act.
On 10 July 2008, EU Parliament had passed a resolution calling upon the Government of India to hold an impartial inquiry into the unidentified mass graves discovered in the disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir. But resolutions and condemnations are not enough; the world must take notice of the atrocities committed against Kashmiri people, especially the women and children by Indian security forces and help Kashmiris to get their right of self-determination bestowed by the UNSC. But it appears that Kashmiris are destined to suffer more because of revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A together with amendment to citizenship law. In a sweeping and controversial move on 5 August 2019, India transformed its relationship to the disputed territory of Kashmir. Anticipating outrage and protest, the Indian Government had placed the Kashmir Valley under lockdown, arresting local politicians, cutting off communications, limiting movement and flooding Kashmir with troops.
Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had long harboured the desire to revoke Kashmir’s nominal autonomy and merge it within India. BJP’s extremist ideology was explained by the US Commission for International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) report which highlighted that the members of BJP have affiliation with the extremist groups. Report also says that they instigate violence in the India-occupied Kashmir. Revocation of the major parts of Article 370 is just another step towards extremist ideology of RSS, VHP and BJP which has created unrest in whole India.
—The writer is a senior journalist based in Lahore.