Kashmir - Buffer war zone of India and Pakistan

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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 India, like USA and israel, uses alien territories like Kashmir to fight wars with neighboring Pakistan. 

The line of control or LOC now lying between India and Pakistan is in fact the LOC between two Kashmirs that are being occupied by both countries since when India and Pakistan themselves became independent in 1947.  Invasion, division and occupation of Jammu Kashmir by India and Pakistan were clearly the conspiracy of Britain that thought of dividing and sharing of Kashmir between India and Pakistan in order to offset the territory losses by both when they became independent.

That UK never criticized Indian atrocities in Kashmir clearly shows its role in the ghastly division of Kashmir in the first place.  USA never questioned the logic of sustaining  an illegal Azad Kashmir under Pakistan without sovereignty.  illegality has become legal framework of UN and UNSC. 

India and Pakistan, as per their seemingly mutually agreed plan, continue to use Kashmir, being occupied by both according to their individual military strength, as the buffer zone to wage continuous hostilities and fighting.  The idea seems to be one of terrorizing the Kashmiris.

The people of Jammu Kashmir have very high stakes in peace as they have to pay heavy costs during any escalation of tension between India and Pakistan.  Over 100,000 innocent Kashmiri Muslims have been killed by Indian military. 

Kashmiris are the target of both natural forces causing floods as well as Indo-Pakistan forces. Ironically at a time when the two countries should have been work for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people on both sides of the LoC, they are engaged in virulent and dangerous confrontation along the borders thereby multiplying the miseries of the people, whose lives have been shattered by the devastating deluge.

For the people of Jammu & Kashmir peace along the borders and within the mainland is of immense significance and I hope the political leadership of the two countries would also treat it with the same spirit and the ceasefire initiative of 2003 had proved to be an event of unrivalled importance for not only the two countries but also for the people in all the regions of Jammu Kashmir.

The LoC ceasefire, had not only given the much-needed  relief to the people living along the borders, but it had, as well, provided the broad umbrella for the peace process to flourish.  The ceasefire brought, after decades of tension and destruction, relief and normalcy into the lives of people residing in the State’s forward areas, at the same time it also made historic initiatives like opening up of LOC for bus service possible in J&K.

Peace between India and Pakistan, therefore, is crucial not only for stability, progress and economic prosperity of the South Asia region, but also for the peaceful development of India in all respects and sustainment of the budding democratic institutions and forces in Pakistan.

While the people in Jammu Kashmir are grappling with the aftereffects of the devastating flood tragedy, the mutual military escalation along the borders has only added to their miseries. Kashmiris are among the most unfortunate nations on earth, having lost their freedom, sovereignty to neighboring nations on account of joint mischief by their former ruler-king, Britain, India and Pakistan.

Calling for immediate de-escalation of tension along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir on 10 Oct 2014, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Patron of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which made maximum gains recently in Jammu Kashmir region by winning seats in parliamentary polls, today urged the political leadership of India and Pakistan to show greater magnanimity and replace the hawkish rhetoric with talk of friendship and peace.

Former central home minister and JK chief minister, Mufti said instead of resorting to the blame-game or sounding jingoistic with slogans of strong retaliatory action, the political leadership of the two countries must immediately resume the snapped process of composite dialogue for resolving all the issues including the recurrent ceasefire violations along the borders. Recalling Vajpayee’s speech at Srinagar on April 18, 2003 wherein he had extended hand of friendship towards Pakistan at the time when there was eyeball to eyeball situation on the borders. Had Vajpayee not taken that historic step, there would have been no peace on the borders for the past 10 years. Sayeed expressed the hope that the new NDA government headed by Narendra Modi would follow the path shown by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee while initiating historic steps to normalize relations between India and Pakistan. 

India’s strength is both Pakistan and Azad Kashmir because they are aiming at one nation - Pakistan - and don’t want make an independent Kashmir.  More over they also exert their joint influence over Kashmiris who living in India occupied Jammu Kashmir. Above all, USA has also extended its support for Indo-Pakistani colonization of Kashmir as per its imperialist designs.

When the Nobel peace committee chose an Indian and Pakistani for this year’s Nobel peace prize, it did so for promoting peace between the neighboring nuclear powers.  However, the same  committee had chosen the US president Barrack Obama a couple of years ago for  peace  award knowing that he would  advance the  US interests by expanding and escalating wars in Mideast, thereby making a perfect mockery of peace. So, Nobel  peace is  big joke.  It should have chosen the Islamic organizations that help and promote poor children all over the world.  Nobel  committee  works as a powerful anti-Islamic agent to  promote anti-Islamism with  their awards. 

New Delhi and Islamabad must without delay open the channels of communication realizing the dangerous consequences of any escalation of ongoing confrontation along the borders; there is no other alternative except resumption of peace process and revival of dialogue for establishing lasting peace in this region.

The present political leadership of Indo-Pak nations shall have to snub and keep at a distance those elements responsible for deliberate war hysteria.

Then, India and Pakistan should leave Jammu Kashmir because that nation does not belong either to India or Pakistan. Those Kashmiris who love Pakistan more than Kashmir could go and live in Pakistan and, similarly, those Kashmiris who love India more than Kashmir should leave JK and settle down in India proper.

Leave Kashmir to true Kashmiris and let them make a home for themselves  to live peacefully as a responsible islamist nation.

Alternatively, let the present Indo-Pakistan status-quo of mutual occupations remains intact but end hostilities for lands and blood.

Injustice cannot be the basis  for justice!

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