M Fazal Elahi
EVER-belligerent India’s hostility in India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) has surpassed all bounds of civility. India, as known to the whole world, has shamelessly geared up its acts of brutality in IOK particularly after the US president Donald Trump in his one-on-one meet with Pakistan’s premier Imran Khan on 22 July 2019 disclosed that in one of his recent meetings with Indian Premier Narendra Modi he was asked by Mr Modi to mediate and resolve the long-pending Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan. President Trump, without mincing his words, vociferously made the offer to PM Imran Khan to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue, once and for all, to bring lasting peace and stability not only to the two warring nations of the subcontinent, India and Pakistan, but the entire region. The whole world stands testimony to this mediation offer made by the US president.
If I could guess, I am sure others too who are fully aware of India’s antagonistic attitude vis-à-vis the innocent people of occupied Kashmir could also guess how would India react to President Trump’s offer for mediation on Kashmir? Indian reaction to US President’s mediation offer did not take too long to come to the fore. Their reaction, as a matter of fact, came forthwith. It was, as expected, extremely vehement and oafish. The Indian Government did not take a second to falsify US President Donald Trump’s lucid declaration that during one of his recent meetings Indian premier Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate between India and Pakistan to settle the Kashmir dispute. India’s backtracking on its utterances and commitments are known to the whole world. It profoundly lacks moral courage to stand by what it says. India’s about turn vis-à-vis the US President’s claim that the Indian Premier had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue is a glaring example of India’s odious attitude of backtracking, particularly in matters of immense international significance. Having said all that, one, after the blatant act of withdrawing the special status of India-occupied Kashmir by revoking Articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution by Modi and his associates in the Indian Parliament, is now compelled to think what actually transpired between Modi and US President Donald Trump in the meeting they had. Did Modi really seek the US President’s mediation on the Kashmir issue, or was it something else he discussed with him and sought his support for? From what India has now barefacedly and unlawfully done by nullifying the special status of Indian held Kashmir, in complete disregard to the UN Resolution of 1948 on occupied Kashmir, it can be lucidly concluded that Indian Premier Modi in his meeting with US President Donald Trump did not seek his mediation on the Kashmir issue. In fact, he discussed his ill motivated and well thought-out plan to nullify the special status of India-occupied Kashmir by revoking the decades-old Article 370 and 35-A that gave a measure of autonomy to the disputed Muslim-majority region, through a presidential decree. To be more specific, the scrapped law granted special status to India-occupied Kashmir.
If my assertions regarding the issue being debated in this critique are by any means incorrect, let those who asserted that the Indian Premier actually solicited US’ mediation on Kashmir come to the fore immediately and confirm or deny the factual position on the matter. None but the US President Donald Trump could do so for obvious reasons. The US government, which is totally silent on the scandalous and unlawful measure taken by the Indian government to invalidate the seven decades-old special status of IoK, must promptly respond to the situation and ask the Indian government to immediately restore the special status of IoK granted to it under Article 370 and 35-A. If the US, for some reason, fails to do so, not only Pakistan but the entire world would be constrained to consider that the profoundly condemnable measure unilaterally taken by Narendra Modi, in total defiance of all norms of international law, has the blessings of US President Trump and his government. Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) has been burning since the past over seven decades. The civilized world is not oblivious of the atrocities that India continues to brazenly commit on the innocent people of Kashmir. It factually has no parallel in world history. The powers that be, in particular, and the entire civilized world, in general, must not only condemn India’s brutal atrocities in occupied Kashmir in the strongest terms but also persuade the Indian government to immediately restore the special status granted to the occupied territory under the Articles referred above. Pakistan must seek resolution of the long-pending Kashmir issue through the UN Resolution of 1948 which emphasizes resolution of the Kashmir problem through grant of right to self determination to the browbeaten people of Kashmir. It must not lose a moment to expose India’s highhandedness and commission of heinous crimes in Kashmir. It must proactively raise the issue on all international forums. It must launch a strong diplomatic offensive; knock the doors of the United Nations and the powers that be to resolve the matter forthwith. Every possible endeavour to mobilize strong world support in favour of the subjugated and inhumanly battered Kashmiri people should be top most on the agenda of Pakistan. The world conscience continues to be in deep slumber while Kashmir burns.
— The writer is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
