Daily Times

The words of Abraham Lincoln should serve as a reminder for India, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it”.

Kashmir problem came into being with the partition of British India and remains unsolved even after seven decades. Kashmir remains the most important source of friction between India and Pakistan. The present situation of Kashmir is getting worse with dozens of casualties every day. Kashmiris want their right of self-determination, while Pakistan has been supporting the Kashmir cause since 1948 on all forums. The frustration accompanying control of their territory by Indian forces has turned segments in Kashmir towards militant resistance; however, they remain a peace-loving nation.

On all appropriate occasions and forums, Pakistan has raised the issue and advocated the case of innocent Kashmiris being brutalised by impassive Indian regimes over the decades. It’s unfortunate that Pakistan’s proactive advances towards a peaceful resolution of the issue meet tough resistance from the Indian side. And often, India tries to discredit Pakistan’s efforts to highlight its state-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by raising mere allegations of terrorism against Pakistan.

In his maiden address to United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has urged the UN to appoint a special envoy to Kashmir in view of brutal suppression of peaceful protests by Indian forces. He has, in line with the ground reality, held Indian government guilty of state-sponsored terrorism and warned of a ‘matching response’ if India continues with its policies of aggression and violence. Abbasi has also encouraged the international community to play their role in resolving the Kashmir crisis.

PM Abbasi deserves accolades for his emotionally charged and empirically sound representation of Kashmir problem.

Beside constant engagement in violence in the Valley, there are some suggestions being floated in India of constitutional changes to deprive Kashmiris of their right of self-determination. A body of migrant Kashmiri pundits has recently demanded immediate revocation of the Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian constitution – which empower the legislature of Jammu and Kashmir to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state and provide special rights and privileges to them. They claim that these provisions only assist in growth of separatism and terrorism in J&K.

The fact remains that India’s illegal occupation has never been accepted in the Valley where October 27, 1947, is remembered as the day when India forcibly took over. Kashmir is a long-standing dispute. It originated when the people of Jammu and Kashmir were denied the right of self-determination in 1947. When India and Pakistan became independent on August 1947, it was generally assumed that Kashmir, as an adjoining state with a predominantly Muslim population, would accede to Pakistan. Its ruler, the Maharaja, however, on October 27, 1947, acceded to India through an improper and illegal instrument of accession and on the same day, India sent its forces to Srinagar and occupied the Valley. The day has since been observed by Kashmiris and their supporters as a Black Day.

Today after many decades, India is still unable to break the will of Kashmiris. Since the death of Burhan Wani, a young Kashmiri leader, a new wave of uprising in Kashmir has emerged. Unfortunately, despite driving the attention of the world community and reminding India time and again of its barbarism in Kashmir, India has only resorted to take tougher action against Kashmiri protesters. The ruthless killings have led to more spontaneous protests against continued brutalities of Indian armed forces operating under the impunity provided by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Instead of reaching out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and opening communication channels, India has enforced a complete lockdown on millions of inhabitants of the Valley since July 8. Indian authorities have severely crippled all communications; jamming mobile and Internet services, seizing offices of local newspapers and detaining staff members. Many hospitals and ambulances have reportedly been destroyed by security personnel. The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Kashmir currently is not a one-off instance. It has been an integral part of India’s rule over the territory. Such events have repeatedly occurred throughout the past three decades, with India continuing to look away from the writing on the wall. The current protests, and those in the three bloody summers of 2008-10, only reflect the resilience of the Kashmiri people and their demand for the right to self-determination, which is not only guaranteed by UNSC resolutions, but was also promised by the Indian Parliament in 1948.

The massive suppression by India is clearly designed to silence the people through sheer brutality that borders on genocide and ethnic cleansing. Presently, Kashmiris, particularly the youth, are adamant for their region to be a part of Pakistan. Pakistan has always and will continue to support the Kashmir freedom movement.

The writer is research scholar and a freelance writer.

Published in Daily Times, September 23^rd 2017.