- The West did not stop India, but then, Pakistan did not do enough
For 70 years, the people of the valley of Kashmir have been subjected to inhumane treatment at the hands of the Indian government. The desire to experience freedom has constantly been snatched away from the ill-fated Kashmiris. Their right to dignity and free movement has been curtailed by the Indians for decades. Under the garb of democracy, the Kashmiri people have endured the fiercest form of dictatorship. Against their will, they are ruled and controlled by the Indian government. Tear gas, pellets and batons have desecrated the people of Kashmir for the longest time.
Thousands have been injured/disabled owing to Indian aggression whereas hundreds have lost their lives at the hands of the merciless troops deployed in the region. The people are not even free to move around and practice their religion as they desire. The Indian government, being well aware of its atrocities, keeps the Valley tightly gripped so as to avoid any backlash which, despite the abnormal restrictions, continues to face.
Up till now, the Kashmir region enjoyed a special status in the Indian constitution and a feeble amount of their rights remained protected. Despite the curfews and constant violence, Kashmiris had what was theirs physically. Prime Minister Modi’s recent win turned out to be added fuel to his already sadistic nature and he went on and grabbed the last thing the Kashmiris enjoyed; their beloved land.
Initiated in the late hours of darkness, additional troops were deployed as a precaution. Cellular services were suspended. Additional check-points were setup. A sense of unease prevailed and Kashmir plunged completely into darkness.
Nonetheless, Kashmir continues to bleed and there is little being done about it. All eyes at the moment are set on the Indian judiciary, known to be fiercely independent, bold and impartial
The dawn of the next day brought with its devastating news of the abrogation of the special constitutional status that the Kashmiris enjoyed for decades. Their homes which till now could only be theirs have now been put to auction for the highest bidder in India. The autonomy of the Kashmiri people has been stripped and they remain more vulnerable to aggression than ever.
The move can only be labelled as the truest forms of tyranny in modern times and nothing else. India often labels Pakistan as a state sponsor of terror. Ironically, they themselves remain the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in occupied Kashmir. They have laid siege to the Kashmiris for a record seven decades and continue to do so. Oppression and persecution has remained the rule of the day for far too long.
Quite painfully, the international community has never taken any decisive steps so as to counter the atrocities committed by India. Even though international organisations have time and again affirmed the version of Pakistan in regards to occupied Kashmir, yet no substantial move or efforts have ever been made to preserve and protect the dignity of the Kashmiri people.
In a matter of minutes, India has annexed the entire region and is forcing the population to obey their rule. However, no call for intervention is seriously being made. US President Donald Trump did recently offer to mediate in the Kashmir issue. The timing could not be more perfect for him to intervene and force the Indians to recall their move. All forms of international law continue to be violated every minute and yet the Indians do not feel the heat of the West. It is the biggest display of hypocritical democracy where the rights of the Kashmiri people are infringed, their youth are subjected to torture, the dignity of their women is violated and yet India has the audacity to proclaim itself as a democratic country.
The Indians are being ruled by a narcissist Prime Minister who celebrated the constitutional amendment and stated that the same was undertaken to eradicate terror from the region. What about the terror inflicted by his own troops on the local people? Even the international media is not provided access to the region so as to ensure that the reality does not reach out to the world.
Indian atrocities are ignored worldwide and the West continues to be in bed with it. What if these women and children were from the West? The situation would most definitely have been addressed in that case. Apart from China, no serious statements of condemnation have even been made to at least express solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan can only do so much in the current situation. An attack on India in response to their subjugation of the rights of the Kashmiri people would be counterproductive at the moment. Probably that is why the Indians considered it best to move in at a time when Pakistan is busy reviving its international capability.
Despite whatever the government might claim, Pakistan as a nation has failed the Kashmiri people for the past seven decades. We have failed to take any action to protect their rights. We have failed to gain international traction in favour of the Kashmiri people. We have failed to lobby against Indian occupation of the Kashmir region. We have failed to include Kashmir as a bargaining chip in all of our deals ever made in history.
There have been times in the past when Pakistan was in a position of power. Had we demanded the international community to take steps at a time they needed us most, we may have been able to dent if not end the occupation completely.
Nonetheless, Kashmir continues to bleed and there is little being done about it. All eyes at the moment are set on the Indian judiciary, known to be fiercely independent, bold and impartial. In the days to come, these amendments are most likely to be challenged before the Supreme Court of India. Let us see if the Indian judges are willing to compromise their impartiality in their government’s favour or against all odds are willing to uphold the rule of law by striking down the amendment for being in contravention of fundamental rights. I would conclude with the everlasting words of Martin Luther King, JR.:
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
