Daily Times

The partition of the subcontinent, back in August 1947, gave birth to the Kashmir conflict between the states of India and Pakistan. After 70 years, the unanimous solution of this issue is still impending. This quarrel has been growing steadily and both countries have fought three horrifying wars because of it. Disappointingly, it is the various political regimes that have come to power in Pakistan over the years that have to take the brunt of the blame for their failure to find a lasting solution to this problem. They use this dispute as a ‘political tool’, and the many failed Confidence building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan, as well as the dismissive attitude of the ‘Kashmir Committee’, strengthen India’s hold over occupied Kashmir. Ultimately, it is a failure of Pakistan’s foreign policy that has aggravated the situation, something that was particularly noticeable under the PML-N government’s tenure.

Kashmir is currently under the occupation of India, Pakistan and China, with the ratio of this division being 43 percent, 37 percent and 20 percent respectively. Since 1989, around 50,000 to 70,000 Kashmiris have been killed in the areas occupied by Indian forces, with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) claiming that this number surpassed 100,000 recently. Additionally, the APHC also alleges that between 1989 and 2008, about 105,657 house/shops were demolished, 107,208 children were orphaned and 22,670 women were widowed. These figures paint a stark picture of the plight of the Kashmiris, and the weak foreign policy of past governments in Pakistan.

The murder of Burhan Wani in 2016 sparked a new freedom movement in Kashmir, that in turn led to a period of great unrest and violence across the region. This prompted the Indians to retaliate with the use of force, using pellet guns to blind dissenters, or raping women in order to intimidate the local population. These extreme measures resulted in the suicide of over 20,000 Kashmiri women, with several thousands more suffering through various psychological issues like stress, anxiety and depression. Mass graves have also been found, with no help from the state in identifying the bodies of the innocent Kashmiris put to the sword by the Indian security forces, and a peaceful and immediate solution needs to be found if this disturbing state of events is finally to be brought to an end.

About 390 people lost their lives in 2017 alone, while at least one killing has taken place every day of 2018 so far. This state of affairs once again highlights the failure of the Pakistan government, and the ineptitude of Molana Fazal as the head of the Kashmir committee

It was disappointing that the PML-N government chose not to appoint a Foreign Minister throughout their five years in power, and this was allegedly due to Nawaz Sharif’s soft spot for Narendra Modi and his own business interests, within India. It also did not help that the Chairman of the Kashmir Committee was Nawaz’s friend Molana Fazal-ur-Rehman, and it was all these factors combined that led to the alienation of the people of Kashmir throughout the PML-N’s reign.

The current special committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir was constituted in August 2008, and regrettably started its work under Molana Fazal-ur-Rehman a few months later. Its objectives were to monitor the various human rights violations committed by the, over one million, Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This committee was additionally responsible for promoting the Kashmir issue in the International Community, particularly in the UN, and they were also in charge of providing social, political, moral and legal support to the people of the region.

Fazal-ur-Rehman, as Chairman of the Kashmir Committee, completely lacked the practical knowledge, and more importantly, desire, to find a solution to the despairing condition of the Kashmiris. So much so, that the last few years have been the deadliest years in terms of loss of life in the, over seventy year long, history of the Kashmir conflict. About 390 people lost their lives in 2017 alone, while at least one killing has taken place every day of 2018 so far. This state of affairs once again highlights the failure of the Pakistan government, and the ineptitude of Molana Fazal as the head of the Kashmir committee.

Under the Molana’s rule, the committee has just been used for the various privileges it affords to its head, including the status of a federal Minister, the assistance of a 20 grade secretary, a government residence in the minister’s enclave in Islamabad, a 1300 CC Car with 360 litres of fuel per month and countless trips abroad. The exploitation going on within this department becomes further apparent with reports that only three meetings of the committee resulted in a whopping net cost of Rs 175 million. The rest of the 34 members of the Kashmir Committee are in it for the same purpose, only to accrue political benefits., with no manifesto, policy, vision or personal interest in dealing with the Kashmir conflict.

While many of the reasons highlighted above prove Fazal-ur-Rehman is not a suitable person for this important position, in 2015 Sardar Khalid Ibrahim, a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Party, demanded his removal on the grounds that since the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind was against the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, how can Rehman be expected to defend Kashmiris effectively?

Molana Fazal-ur-Rehman diminished and misused the portfolio of the Chairman of the ‘Kashmir Committee’. His dismissive behaviour and a lack of eagerness on his part harmed Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir conflict, and instead strengthened the Indian stand-point, especially in the international community. His ineffective leadership makes him accountable for the current plight of the Kashmiris, because even though Jammu and Kashmir is occupied by Indian forces, the Kashmir Committee is unfortunately occupied by Molana Fazal-ur-Rehman. Replacing him as chairman of the committee should be the PTI government’s top priority, as the agency can be an effective platform to provide social, moral and political support to disenfranchised people of this troubled region.

The writer can be reached at busharathistorian@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, August 7^th 2018.