Next to Ashra-e-Resistance
ASHRA-e-Resistance is an extension of dogged Kashmiri resolve to undo, not only what India did on 5th Aug 2019 but make it another stepping stone to clinch freedom in teeth of brutal Indian atrocities and military siege.
Two years earlier, it was 5 August when India scrapped its own constitutional façade, built to perpetuate its illegitimate occupation of Kashmir since 1947.
Swayed by sheer lunacy, bereft of method with gangster Modi at top and RSS ideology of Hinduism underneath, India illegally abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A of its own Constitution which granted Kashmir a special status and an authority to define who is a permanent resident with right to buy property and seek jobs within its jurisdiction.
Within same sweep, it was also attempted to reduce IoK a minority state by splitting it into two federal territories; Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and changing its demography with grant of domiciles to Indians. It was a blatant attack on identity and demography of Kashmiris.
Underlying purpose was to swallow IoK while foolishly assuming that Kashmiris would succumb, world would continue to remain in slumber and UN resolutions would continue to reside on distant shelf in dust, however, to its chagrin, opposite happened.
The Kashmiris withstood unremitting reign of terror/oppression steadfastly while drawing more fire from inferno to their resolve to throw off Indian yoke once for all. The world also stood no more dumb and deaf as before.
In order to silence ensuing outrage/opprobrium among people of Kashmir and blackout atrocities from world, being unleashed by its heaviest brutalized military contingent of .9 million personnel with no parallel in ratio to people being tormented/subjugated. Whole valley was caged with no access to outside world.
No excess was considered too big to break will of people. The cruelty was all pervasive, savage and indiscrimination its mischief.
These included punishing curfew, mass arrests, harassment, use of pellet guns/rape as an instrument of terror, violence, murders/custodial killings, acute shortage of food/medicines and starvation.
Though polar night is still continuing, however, it has banished fear from bodies of the Kashmiris. Now it is hate which spur them to flush out ugly Indians from their lush green land.
Indian demise is certain because hate is the tipping point between two opposing peoples, thereafter, it is only rupture and parting of ways for good.
Machiavelli in his book “Prince” writes that people may or may not love or respect the prince but must fear and must not hate thus, for India, exit is the writing on the wall.
The world reaction also confounded Indian estimates. It is relatively positive and refreshing for people of Kashmir, fighting for their right of self-determination.
The criticality of situation has been noticed with concern at UNSC, OIC, important world capitals, human rights organizations, international peace organizations, world media and opinion leaders/civil societies.
At visceral level, a need seems to exist to redress the situation. In its discussions on Kashmir, UN did not miss out to mention that its position on Kashmir is governed by its Charter and applicable resolutions.
Most stunning development was of Russia which sought to invoke UN resolutions on Kashmir.
Albeit, it was closed doors yet it was enough to perplex Indians because historically Russians have supported Indians, not the moral cause of Kashmiris.
The leading international media outlets are also reporting plight of Kashmiris even risking lives of their staff and have equated Indian adventurism with a settler-colonial project; an oblique reference to Jewish settlements in Palestine.
Instant Indian move was also the reason for China to humiliate Indian Army at Ladakh by merely using fists and sticks.
Undoubtedly, this exposed Indian cacophony of self-assumed standing/importance beyond its means without fear of contradiction.
Apart from these back blows, saner voices within India, are also pointing the catastrophe in which India has landed itself.
Above provides enough reasons for India to listen the hoof beats of history but it seems an unlikely proposition because intrinsically, India is an epicentre of bigotry, rancour and fascism, nurtured by ideology of RSS; Hinduism. It is no less in its intent and content as of Nazism.
The reason remains foreign to such a monstrous mentality which eventually leaves no option for people but of armed struggle.
The Kashmiris have reached at this stage. Now it is their right, morally sanctioned by history to seek their right of self-determination and world owes a debt of support to help them in its achievement.
It should no more allow India permissive environments to subjugate people of Kashmir by labelling their freedom struggle as an act of terrorism.
Their struggle has passed the test of time. Now it is time for India to face the constraints and sanctions.
The obligation of Pakistan is even greater because it is a party to the dispute and tied in blood and flesh. The situation is far beyond the confines of moral and diplomatic support.
Precisely this is the reason that Pakistan has declared that under no event, it would leave its Kashmiri brethren in lurch and let India to impose solution of its own choice. India and world must not mistake Pakistan’s resolve because Kashmir is its jugular vein.
It has the will and force to back its words with deeds as it amply demonstrated in Afghan Jihad in the face of even greater evil of that time in support of a moral cause.
Before such a situation arises, world needs to realize that confrontation between two nuclear capable arch rivals, could draw nuclear conflagration much closer, thus they ought to move even faster to make India see reason.
— The writer, a retired Lt Col, is a senior columnist based in Islamabad.
