Daily Times

Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres has called India’s move a violation of the UNSC agreements

India revoking the disputed territory’s special status is incendiary and wrong. This is the maiden step taken by India since 1947. However, Pakistan and India are bound to abide by the truce agreement of the UN Resolution number 47. Historically, Pakistan and India have confronted conventional as well as diplomatic wars over the Kashmir region, andthe fate of Kashmir remained undecided.

The recent violation of the UN resolutions by India has provoked the sentiments not only of the indigenous inhabitants but also the progressive think tanks across the world. After the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir has been divided into two centrally administered territories, and the ‘union’ status has been given to the two parts of the same. It was not an easy move, and therefore, several perilous steps were taken by the right wing BJP government.

Politicians of Kashmir were taken into house arrest, curfew was imposed, and there was suspension of sources of information and media blackout across the region. Legal experts, independent agencies and institutions have also maintained that scrapping 370 is a violation of international agreements and the agreements made under UNSC articles.

Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres has called India’s move a violation of the UNSC agreements. China has declared India’s revocation as unacceptable and void. The OIC has condemned the bifurcation. But will all this condemnation compel India to undo the revocation? Perhaps not. There are reasons that could be cited.

It has been reportedly said that the US and the United Kingdom were aware of what India was about to do. The United States and India have exemplary diplomatic relations,both strategically and pertaining to economic agreements. Therefore, the United States despite its offer for mediation seems uninterested, saying it is a matter between two states that needs to be resolved bilaterally. In this regard, what the Trump administration can do is that it could engage Pakistan and India diplomatically.

Secondly, our all-weather friends, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, also seem unclear about their support for Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s telephonic talk to Malaysian and Turkish premiers, and the statement issued by China made Pakistan’s morale high.

Seven decades ago, Kashmir, at the time of the partition, had to choose between the two new nations. When Kashmir’s ruler agreed to accede to India, New Delhi guaranteed Kashmir autonomy except in matters of foreign policy and defence. In reality, that has been eroded over the years. A violent insurgency, partly fuelled by Pakistan, was brutally repressed with severe human rights violations. The scrapping of Article 370 is in large part symbolic but nonetheless hazardous. Lifting restraints on the purchase of land and permanent settlement by outsiders is inflammatory; many fear a consequent demographic shift.

After the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir has been divided into two centrally administered territories, and the ‘union’ status has been given to the two parts of the same

India’s secularists saw Kashmir’s status as the proof of India’s strength as a multi-faith nation. But this year’s second landslide victory for the BJP has given Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in power since 2014, a free rein to realise his Hindu nationalist vision. Some experts think Donald Trump’s offer to mediate in the dispute with Pakistan, and progress in Afghanistan peace talks, may have also played a part.

In the recent joint session of the parliament, Prime Minister Khan’s speech cannot be ignored and needs serious attention. He warned India of serious consequences that may lead to conventional war between the two states if India caused any mishap in Kashmir. Khan also said that India may use its conventional tactics, like the Pulwama attack, and may blame Pakistan again. This is a very serious issue that needs full preparation at the state level, and state agencies need to be vigilant to expose India at every forum.

Traditionally, Pakistan demonstrates a desire for peace, and records protests against the Indian brutality. However, it was high time that Pakistan engaged global powers, and convinced them about the miseries caused by India in Kashmir.

Pakistan needs to remain prudent in the wake of Indian provocation. We must extend political and moral support to Kashmir’s struggle for the right of self-determination, and expose India’s sinister designs at every international forum. But we must not return to the disastrous policy of the 1990s that did more harm than good to Kashmir’s indigenous uprising.

Pakistan needs to engage with the neighbouring countries, and should cut diplomatic ties with India immediately. The High Commissioner of Pakistan should be brought back. Pakistan needs to prudently engage the OIC in this matter. The role of the OIC is very important; it would give a message to the world that the OIC is responsiveto the issues for which it was formed.

The people of Kashmir have shown that even the massive use of force by India has failed to destroy their resolve. Modi’s latest action has only reinforced their determination. India’s action has proved that Kashmir is the most dangerous spot in the world, and a potential nuclear flashpoint. It is also time for the international community to realise the seriousness of the situation so that this region may not become another Gaza of Palestine. It is time for Pakistan to revitalise its foreign policy and bring it back to its former glory and prestige.

The writer is sub-editor at the Daily Times. He is graduate of School of Economics, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad