Dr Nasreen Akhtar
KASHMIR is an international conflict between
the two nuclear States — Pakistan and India —
and the two have fought four wars without success. In 1949, India went to the United Nations to de-escalate Kashmir specific war. As the fighting continued, “on 01 January 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” thus neither Prime Minister Nehru nor his followers honoured the 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 significant to note that the people of Jammu &Kashmir never accepted India’s occupation. Ironically, India has rejected all efforts for peace made by the international community and the UN and never hesitates to claim that “Kashmir is an integral part of India”. India is of the view that “Kashmir is no more bilateral or international issue” whereas Pakistan maintains 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 state 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 high price but eventually it makes its way. India, forcefully occupied Kashmiri’s homeland. Democratic Indian governments and its powerful weaponized forces have failed to comprehend the ‘freedom struggle’.
Over the past seventy years, India could not legitimise its presence in Jammu & Kashmir and grave situation has frustrated Indian civil-military leadership consequently they always blame Pakistan to support the Kashmiri freedom fighters. “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 Kashmir youth. An Indian former Minister rightly said, “India has lost its control in Jammu and Kashmir”. On 05 August, Modi’s government has scraped Article 370 from the Indian constitution and unilaterally annexed J&K. The government sent 30000 soldiers to suppress the voice of Kashmir 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 cotries”.
Since India-Pakistan independence Jammu & Kashmir has experienced three uprising (1989, 2008, 2016).The current uprising in the Valley started in 2016. This Movement sends message to the Indian government that ‘ Kashmiri people would never live under Indian control”, decisive uprising forced the Modi government to violate its own constitution. Nevertheless, removal of Article 370 has been BJP’s (Modi) agenda. Modi’s hard core cabinet members and the present Indian Army Chief, Bipan Rawat, have developed the same strategy to suppress the freedom movements in J&K. Post Burhan Wani Kashmir is strengthening 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, ASI Dulat that “Jammu and Kashmir Uprising is 100% indigenous” this has negated India’s blame game against Pakistan that “Pakistan is taking benefit of it”.
Jammu & Kashmir uprising after Burhan Wani’s death has set new dimensions to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute owning to present situation of Kashmir the international community and organizations have known the actual condition of those suffered by the occupants’ army. India may not be able to justify its heinous policy against the people in Jammu & Kashmir. Some rational people of India have realised that India and its Army is ruthless in Kashmir valley and killing innocent people. In December 2018, former Supreme Court Justice, Markandey Katju, criticised 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 7 civilians in a Jallianwala Bagh or My Lai type massacre in Pulwama, Kashmir. How brave of the Indian General”. Katju continued to write and said, “three cheers for the 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 Kashmir issue and committed to providing diplomatic support which irks India. It is evident that all civil-military leadership tried to resolve Kashmir dispute but India not only rejected ‘rational’ proposal for the peaceful resolution but also stop 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 has refused this offer by increasing its troops in the Valley. Post 5/8 India’s unilateral action helped the world to know the actual issue — Kashmir. It is Pakistan’s diplomatic triumph — in 50 years the UNSC’s meeting was called to discuss the Kashmir conflict. China has categorically said that “India’s unilateral action is unacceptable”. It is interesting when the world was discussing Kashmir’s exiting situation the Indian Defence Minister, Raj Nath, threatened to rethink the 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, including the rest of world would feel and suffer the effects of nuclear weapons if it is used by the two nuclear hostile neighbours. It is the world’s obligation to stop the new Hitlor-Modi to practise inhuman tactics against Kashmiri people.
—The writer is Assistant Professor, IIUI, Islamabad.
