Indian IIOJ&K: An academic analysis
SEVENTY-FOUR year ago, on 27 October 1947,India illegally landed its forces in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Both India and Pakistan fought their first war for Kashmir and ended the war without permanent resolution of the dispute.
However, in January 1949, India approached the United Nations (UN) to de-escalate the Kashmir war.
As the fighting continued, “on January 1, 1948 on the advice of British Governor General, Lord Mountbatten, though opposed by his Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Patel, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council (UNSC) by invoking Articles 34 and 35 of the UN Charter against Pakistan.
On 26 October, India reiterated its pledge of its conditional commitment to a “plebiscite or referendum under international auspices” but neither Prime Minister Nehru nor his followers kept their words to grant the right of plebiscite to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and constantly continued to support its puppet governments in Jammu & Kashmir.
It is pertinent to note that the people of Jammu & Kashmir never accepted India’s occupation- whereas India has denied all efforts for peace made by the international community and the UN and claimed “Kashmir is an integral part of India”.
India viewed that “Kashmir is no more bilateral or international issue” whereas Pakistan urges that Kashmir is an “unfinished agenda of partition” and it needs to be resolved. Until Kashmir remains a dispute between India and Pakistan, peace may not prevail in South Asia.
Human history has unfolded the untold stories of the states and societies; it shows that whenever people decided to get freedom from oppressors, aggressors and invaders, they succeeded.
For example, the United States got independence from Britain in 1776. Muslim-Hindu fought for their independence, finally forced the British Empire to leave the Subcontinent.
Freedom always costs a high price but eventually it makes its course. India has illegally occupied Kashmiris’ homeland.
On 05 August, Modi’s government scrapped Article 370 from the Indian Constitution and unilaterally annexed J&K.
The government has sent 30000 soldiers to suppress the voice of Kashmiri people; in fact this special force is deputed to massacre Muslim population.
Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has already cautioned the international organizations and community that “Hitler’s policy is being followed by Modi and his advisors”.
Since its illegal occupation, India could not legitimize its presence in Jammu & Kashmir and grave situation has frustrated Indian civil-military leadership-“43 page report by the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights has raised serious concerns about abuses by state security forces in Kashmir”, though India denied this report but it is a reality that Indian forces are using fire power against the Kashmiri youth. An Indian former Minister rightly said, “India has lost its control in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Since India-Pakistan independence, Jammu & Kashmir has experienced three uprisings (1989, 2008, 2016). The current uprising in the valley started in 2016.
This movement sent a message to the Indian government that ‘Kashmiri people would never live under Indian control”, a decisive uprising forced the Modi government to violate its own constitution.
Nevertheless, removal of article 370 has been RSS’ agenda that is implemented by BJP’s Prime Minister Modi who is known as fascist and terrorist.
Post-Burhan Wani-Kashmir was strengthening the Kashmir Uprising (Kashmir cause) and weakening India’s stance.
The magazine ‘The Wire’ on 27 August 2016 published a statement by former Chief of RAW, A.S. Dulat that “Jammu and Kashmir Uprising is 100% indigenous” this has negated India’s blame game against Pakistan .
The Jammu & Kashmir uprising after Burhan Wani’s death has set new dimensions to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute – owing to the present situation of Kashmir the international community and organizations have known the actual condition the people of the valley have suffered at the hands of Indian forces. India may not be able to justify its heinous policy against the people in Jammu & Kashmir.
Some rational people of India have realized that India and its army are ruthless in Kashmir valley and killing innocent people.
In December 2018, former Supreme Court Justice, Markandey Katju, criticized the Indian Army Chief, for the massacre of civilians in the Pulwama region of Kashmir.
He wrote on twitter “Congratulations to Gen Rawat whose soldiers killed seven civilians in a Jallianwala Bagh or My Lai type massacre in Pulwama, Kashmir. How brave of the Indian army General”.
Katju continued to write and said,“Three cheers for Indian army which has now started killing civilians in Kashmir, like Gen Dyer at Jalianwala Bagh, or Lt Calley at My Lai in Vietnam. All Indian army officers and soldiers should be given Bharat Ratna”.
Pakistan has always raised the Kashmir issue and committed to provide diplomatic support which exposed Indian tactics.
It is evident that all civil-military leadership, in Pakistan, tried to resolve the Kashmir dispute but India not only rejected ‘rational’ proposal for the peaceful resolution but also stopped talking on Kashmir issue.
During Imran Khan’s visit the US President, Donald Trump, offered his office to mediate between India and Pakistan but India refused this offer by increasing its troops in Valley. Post 5/8 India’s unilateral action helped world to know actual issue of Kashmir.
It is Pakistan’s diplomatic triumph – in fifty years the UNSC’s meeting was called to discuss the Kashmir conflict. China, an emerging power, has categorically said that “India’s unilateral action is unacceptable”.
It is interesting when the world was discussing Kashmir’s existing situation – the Indian Defence Minister, Raj Nath, threatened to rethink India’s nuclear doctrine “no first use”, he however, assured the world that India would use its ‘atom bomb” if required.
Today’s Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint. The whole region and the world would feel the effect of nuclear weapons if it is used by the two nuclear hostile neighbors.
It is the world’s obligation to stop the neo-fascism in Indian Illegal occupied Kashmir – fascists forces under Modi are violating human rights in Jammu and Kashmir.
—The writer is assistant Professor at IIUI, Islamabad.
