Muhammad Usman
INDIA unmasked its dubious face by repeal
ing Articles 370 and 35-A of its Constitution
which allowed a special status to Kashmir under its iron grip. It was a façade which ultimately, had to evaporate one day at the hands of tyranny of Hindu majority. Now things also stand in black and white for world, pro-India Kashmiri leadership and Indian Muslims including other minorities in India to pause for a second thought. Precisely this is the reason that even some elements within India are also calling it a strategic blunder which implicitly implies that it could set the process in train for Indian disintegration. India has put on a rope around its neck with which surely it would hang itself. At best, it may need a little more. To start with, it has loaded the situation with explosive possibilities to the extent of nuclear showdown between Pakistan and India. The balloon is up in the IoK with imposition of worst type of total and complete clampdown to suppress ensuing anger and opprobrium among Kashmiri people and blackout atrocities being let loose by heaviest military contingent of nine hundred thousand personnel to achieve the end. The whole valley has been caged with no access of any kind to the outside world. There are sketchy reports of mass arrests, harassment, violent repression and acute shortage of food and medicines with no end of curfew in sight. The apprehensions are rife that art and practice of persecution would assume sharper edge to the extent of ethnic cleansing, mass murder and genocide to crush freedom struggle with ultimate aim of changing demography in the area to win over a plebiscite in its favour.
Modi has advanced the clock in sheer lunacy based upon fallacious misconception. Admittedly, big powers escape laws and principles that are applied to lesser nations on the name of resounding international charters and resolutions. In no way, India is so big power. The world continues to bracket it with Pakistan. The Pulwama crisis is too recent occurrence to be forgotten when Pakistan dominated the escalation ladder and India had to sneak back into its actual shell under pressure including of other foreign powers also that matter. This is in its own interest if India desists from its misplaced propensity to assume importance beyond its means. Other fallacy is that massive brutalization of Kashmiri people in the IoK would enable it to muscle its way through. Modi has taken loaf, much bigger than his mouth which he can’t chew. He has to spit but it depends how Pakistan and Kashmiri people make moves on the chessboard laid as a result of Indian act of madness. The central theme/thrust needs to be on two important aspects. One, Kashmir issue with its grim implications continues to generate international headlines at regular intervals. Two, under no event, India is undeterred to effect freedom struggle irrecoverably by excessive use of force violently. It needs to know level and extent of prohibitive cost which it has to pay if it resorts to this path.
Largely unexpectedly, after a lapse of over 50 years, voice of people of Kashmir has been heard at the most important international forum; UNSC when it was being choked in their own land by brutalized Indian security forces. A number of reasons could be attributed to this lease of fresh air; ominous situation in Kashmir fraught with serious dangers to peace, continued freedom struggle over a long haul in face of extreme tribulations coupled with Indian intransigence to listen counsels of peace, renewed geo-strategic position of Pakistan in context of Afghanistan and emerging international rivalry in the region, firm and unflinching resolve of present credible leadership of Pakistan in total conformity with aspirations of people to stand by with Kashmiri people in their extreme times regardless of the cost it could involve and present information intensive age etc.
Notwithstanding its importance, Pakistan could ill afford to rest content because this tends to fade away with time as well as due to international compulsions. Pakistan needs to build upon this head start by aggressive, robust and effective political and diplomatic offensive around the globe to sensitize leadership of important capitals, opinion leaders, international peace organizations, human rights organizations, media and civil societies about criticality of the issue. Pak permanent representative at UN, Maleeha Lodhi seems to be mindful of this fact when she rightly said “this is the first, not the last”. Pakistan needs to remind the world subtly but clearly that Kashmir cause is a moral cause clad in armour of righteousness. It is a cause of right of self-determination which cannot be denied to a body of people under any circumstance. There are three parties to the dispute of Kashmir; people of both Kashmir (IoK and Azad Kashmir), Pakistan and India. Under International Charter and UN resolutions, this needs to be resolved through peaceful means. Contrarily, India remains obdurate to annihilate it through use of force. If diplomatic and political pressures by the world fail to drill a good sense in its head and situation becomes too precarious for existence of Kashmiri people then tit for tat response may become the only option. People of Azad Kashmir are a part of the whole and Pakistan has pledged moral support for moral cause. This is not for a love for violence or out of sense of recklessness but stems from the history, full of such moral causes.
— The writer, a retired Lt Col, is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
