- Kashmiris will not be deterred
By Dr Zeeshan Khan
Sun Tzu in his The Art of War says that the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Recently, the painful story of Kashmir again started after revocation of Articles 370 and 35A Of the Indian Constitution, which was also the part of the manifesto of India’s ruling BJP. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the joint session of his parliament and later the Azad Kashmir Assembly to warn Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi against implementation of Hitler’s Nazi mentality in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In IoK, after more than 12 days of curfew, presence of extra troops in an already heavily militarised occupied territory continued. Additionally, there has been a sending in of RSS goons, complete communication blackout; with the example of Modi’s earlier ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Gujarat. Will the world silently witness another Srebrenica-type massacre and ethnic cleansing, this time of Muslims in IoK? Pakistan wanted to warn that it will have severe repercussions and reactions in all over the world, setting off radicalisation and cycles of violence.
The international media, especially the BBC, CNN and The New York Times presented the true picture of sufferings of the people of Kashmir. Amnesty International said that actions of the Indian government in Kashmir had thrown ordinary people’s lives into turmoil, subjecting them to unnecessary pain and distress. Pakistan’s Ambassador in the USA, Asad Majeed Khan, performed very well as he visited The New York Times office and rightly put Pakistan’s stance before editorial board of the newspaper.
Protesters on the streets of Pakistan, France, the UK, Germany, and other countries all gathered to mark August 15 as Black Day, and spoke for humanity and IoK freedom.
There is no sign of International pressure to force Modi to undo annexation. Kashmiris continue to bleed. Pakistan will continue fight India’s ‘illegal’ Kashmir move at every forum. Unimplemented resolutions on Kashmir raise questions on UN’s credibility. UN lip service against human rights violations in IoK will not suffice. At last, a solution is required and it might be now end at conventional war or proxy war because Modi will not retreat
Meanwhile the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a session in New York on August 16 to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. According to diplomatic sources, the UN Security Council discussed the Kashmir dispute under the agenda item, Pakistan-India question.
This is a success for Kashmir and Pakistan. The debate is happening after five decades. It is first time since 1965 that a meeting exclusively on IoK took place. This likely won’t lead to much. But the fact it’s taking place underscores how Pakistan is not “isolated” globally. It is a diplomatic upset for India.
During the session, China said that there should be a solution for Kashmir through UN resolutions. Beijing opposed any unilateral action, and urged all sides to exercise restraint. India’s actions have also violated China’s sovereignty and violated bilateral agreements. Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute that must be peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, UNSC resolutions and bilateral agreements, said the Chinese representative, strengthening Pakistan’s stance.
The last time Kashmir was mentioned in a UNSC resolution was in 1998 in resolution 1172, after Pakistan conducted nuclear tests. However, the mention under India Pakistan question is after decades.
According to Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, Pakistan and India can both claim victory. Pakistan has the view that she is internationalising Kashmir while India said that it was just a consultation.
However, in efforts to divert attention from the precarious situation in IoK, the Indian Army increased firing along the Line of Control (LoC). Indian and Pakistani soldiers have been killed on both sides of the LoC with other damage too. Intermittent exchange of fire continues. But, the main culprit of all these tensions is merely war hysterical Indian PM Narendra Modi, whose jingoistic and RSS-inspired hysterical approach is harming all humanity.
Twelve days later, restoration of landlines in IoK is Kafkaesque relief from Indian government when the rest of the clampdown remains. Why are Kashmiri leaders, who swore by the Constitution and took personal risk to counter terrorists, still in jail? What is the government scared they will do?
Pakistan has always stood by Kashmiris against India’s hegemonic ambitions. The world, and specifically Pakistan, must stand in the face of tyranny, regardless of the cost. The use of cluster bombs by the Indian Army, violating international conventions, is highly condemnable. No weapon can suppress the Kashmiris’ determination to get their right of self-determination.
At the UNSC meeting, Kashmir has taken a new historic turn. It is a good step towards peace by Pakistan and now, India must realise that detaining suppressed Kashmiris is not good for democratic norms but only represents Hitler’s Nazi mentality towards minorities.
There is good news for Kashmiris and Pakistan as both China and Russia wanted an open session in UN on Kashmir while US President Donald Trump asked India and Pakistan to start dialogue on Kashmir, but the UNSC consultations ended without a statement. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has hinted that New Delhi may be rethinking its doctrine of “No First Use” for nuclear weapons which is highly dangerous and condemnable. China circulated a draft statement critical of India. They were supported by India’s strategic partner, the UK. By his action Modi has brought the Kashmir dispute back to the UN. The UNSC meeting proved that Kashmir is not an internal matter for India, but an internationally recognised dispute at the UN and must be resolved in accordance with the Kashmiri people’s wishes.
There is no sign of International pressure to force Modi to undo annexation. Kashmiris continue to bleed. Pakistan will continue fight India’s ‘illegal’ Kashmir move at every forum. Unimplemented resolutions on Kashmir raise questions on UN’s credibility. UN lip service against human rights violations in IoK will not suffice. At last, a solution is required and it might be now end at conventional war or proxy war because Modi will not retreat. But, can our economy bear the burden? Pakistan has to strengthen herself economically first. Moreover, peace and Modi both can never exist together in Kashmir. Kashmir still awaits that moment, which comes but rarely in history, when it will step from the old to the new, when an age ends, when the soul of a people 72 years suppressed, finds utterance.
The writer tweets at @DrZeeshanKhanA1. He can also be reached at [email protected]
