Daily Times

By abrogating articles 37-A and 370 on August 5, 2019 India has tried to occupy the disputed territory of India-held Jammu and Kashmir without taking into consideration the public opinion of the Kashmiris. This forceful act of the Modi government ignited tensions across the valley. The people of India-held Jammu and Kashmir have raised their voice against the forceful legal occupation of the disputed territory by India through the nullification of the article 37-A and 370. In order to suppress the voice of people against the forceful occupation India put eight million people of the held valley under the curfew. Since then, occupied Jammu and Kashmir has been under severe security and communication lock down. Children are out of schools and politicians are held in prisons, while business life is at its lowest ebb. By doing so, India is putting an end to uprising of the Kashmiris which started in 1947 as India deployed troops in the valley to get control of it. India considers the disputed territory as its internal part while Pakistan denies the Indian claims over Jammu and Kashmir. Both states have fought convention wars to resolve the issue of Kashmir but still it remained unsettled. The Indo-Pak rivalry over the Jammu and Kashmir is a threat to the world peace as both states possess nuclear weapons. Taking notice of the severity of the issue, time and again, world leaders have raised this issue at the international forums such as the United Nations and offered to revolve this long-lasting issue between the two states. The world’s community raises its voice over the human rights violation in India-held Kashmir. However, India brushes off the international concerns of violation of human rights in the disputed territory by declaring it as the internal issue.

US Commission for International Religious Freedom has urged the Modi government to ensure the security of the minorities and take action against the Hindu extremist targeting the Muslims

US President Donald Trump is also among those world leaders to have offered mediation to resolve the issue of Kashmir. Trump arrived in India on February 24 on a two-day official visit. During the visit, he once again offered to play the role of a mediator to resolve the dispute of Kashmir in a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dehli. The mediating offer by Mr Trump negates the claim of India over the disputed territory. It is a diplomatic success of Pakistan. The world is recognizing Kashmir as the disputed territory not the internal issue of India. Although, India made the disputed territory as part of the Indian territory, however, the international community is not accepting it. Moreover, it indicates that Kashmir is an international issue, not the internal issue of India. The mediation offer of the world leaders to resolve this issue supports the stance of Pakistan over the disputed valley. Pakistan is taking the issue of Kashmir and Indian Muslims at all the international forums.

India has not only been occupying the disputed valley but also has been involved in the religious bigotry against the Indian Muslims. Following the recent visit of US President Donald Trump, approximately 40 peoples died in violence ignited by the extremist Hindus. Many shops and petrol pumps were set on fire. The streets of Dehli have become the battleground. This is evident that Indian Muslims are not safe in India. From time to time India blamed Pakistan for the violation of the rights of the minorities. India supported the Baloch insurgents and blamed Pakistan for suppressing the people of Baluchistan. The capture of Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav by the security forces indicates that India is backing the people of Pakistan to take weapons against its own government. However, India not only violates human rights in disputed valley but also suppresses its own Muslim citizens although it claims to be the world’s largest democracy. Minister of Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, while addressing the 43rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, stated that India has put eight million Kashmiris under lock down for six months. The international community is speaking against the anti-Muslims policies of the Indian government. The US lawmakers have criticized the Modi government for the recent violence following the visit of President Trump. US lawmaker Pramila Jayapal quantified that religious intolerance in India is horrifying.

The US Commission for International Religious Freedom has urged the Modi government to ensure the security of the minorities and take action against the Hindu extremist targeting the Muslims. Indian Muslims are protesting against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act passed by the parliament in December last year. The act gives the right of citizenship to the illegal minorities like Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Jean, Buddhist and Christians who fled from persecution from the states of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan prior to December 2014. The act provides the right of citizenship to the illegal migrants within the time period of six years. However, Muslim migrants from these states are barred from becoming the citizens of India. By doing so, India is dividing its own population on religious lines that ignited riots. The recent violent riots are evident that India is not only carrying state terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir but also making the Indian Muslims to suffer through policies such as the CAA. Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet warned the public to refrain from taking any action against minorities and their place of worship in reaction of recent Deli riots against Muslims. The Prime Minister reminded the nation that minorities are also citizens of Pakistan and any bigotry against the minorities will be dealt with iron hand. In one of the tweets Prime Minister Imran Khan stated: “I want to warn our people that anyone in Pakistan targeting our non-Muslim citizens or their places of worship will be dealt with strictly. Our minorities are equal citizens of this country.” Not only had this Pakistan opened the Kartarpur corridor for the Sikh community. The opening of Kartarpur corridor indicates that Pakistan respects the minority’s right of worship. The nullification of Article 37-A and 370 and recent Dehli riots against the Muslims exposed the India is carrying out state terrorism against its own citizens and for this it is facing humiliation. However, the positive image of Pakistan has developed in the international community by opening Kartarpur corridor and making the US-Taliban deal a reality is a big diplomatic achievement for Pakistan. The US appreciated the efforts of Pakistan to take down the threat of terrorism and playing a vital role for US-Taliban peace agreement. While diplomatically India is under the pressure of international community for nullifying article 37-A and 370 and suppressing the Muslim minority.

The writer is an independent researcher