A Free Kashmir: Random Thoughts-67

Pakistan stresses Kashmir Resolution

In keeping criminal silence over the Kashmir issue, India hopes to "win" the Kashmir terror war in its own way. India still expects the issue to be died down "naturally" after the uprising in Kashmir reclaiming sovereignty, but will that be realistic after the sacrifice of thousands of innocent Kashmiris for decades and the death process is still on? Indian lobbyists pressure other countries not to raise the issue every where because, it argues, those who are fighting for independence in Kashmir are Pakistani "separatists" and Pakistan inspired "terrorists" and "cross border terrorists" at that. Israel supports Indian case and sells weapons by bribing the patriotic middle men in New Delhi. Indian tells USA and Europe that Kashmiris are "terrorists" (Muslims) and they should not support them, since, as the so-called "democracies" they are make one unified gang against the divided Kashmiri freedom movement.

India still employs terrorist methods to keep the freedom groups cut of the Kashmir national politics. The move by the Kashmiri parties to re-energize the Kashmir cause from a united platform would receive full backing from all shades of opinion and they would dispatch their representatives to world capitals and international forums and succeed in eliciting support for their just cause. India misuses its IAS and IFS officers posted abroad to pursue Indian hidden agendas by tracking the politicians, lobbyists and others on payment basis to support Indian case in Kashmir, among other issues.     

However, Pakistan remains at the forefront for the demand of Kashmir resolution and that makes India go wild. Kashmir re-independence has been one of the key policy goals of Pakistan for decades now over which it lost hundreds and hundreds of its citizens in wars and other wise. India continues to resist Pakistan's insistence on return of Jammu Kashmir to Kashmiris at the earliest. Neither India states it would surrender Kashmir sovereignty if Pakistan leave the matter to New Delhi alone nor does it ask the new JK regime to prepare the necessary documents final settlement with India for gaining re-Independence. New Delhi, on the contrary, is seen busy appeasing world leaders with cash, awards and dinners to stress the same old brandy theme that JK is a part of India.

I

India and Israel follow similar paths with regard to their neighbors under their brute custody. After the establishment of Indo-Pakistan Commission the relationship was making some progress, but India does not want to proceed with full commitment, because of the Kashmir issue. There were a few accords between them to find reliable solutions to the bottlenecks. The latest Lahore Declaration was signed by Vajpayee and Sharif in early 1999, shortly before the Kargil war. The hostilities were triggered by the occupation of strategic heights in Kargil by Indian forces, opposed by freedom groups and Pakistan Army troops. Hundreds of innocent Pakistanis and Kashmiris laid their lives for Kashmir.

Already Pakistan president Zardari has compared the plight of the Palestinians with that of Kashmiris and sought to free Kashmiris form Indian terror clutches. Former president Musharraf has also insists that both Kashmir and Babri Mosque issues need quick resolution for peace in the region. Former ruler of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, who heads the main opposition PML-N party, said India intentionally delaying the resolution and "other events" had overtaken the spirit of the Lahore Declaration but he remained hopeful that "it will be restored sooner or later". He added: "But this issue is the core issue, this issue needs to be resolved in right earnest and also (in line with) the aspirations of the people of Kashmir." Hoping that the "spirit" of the Lahore Declaration will be "restored sooner or later", former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif said in Lahore that the 1999 agreement should be made the basis of the resolution of Kashmir issue. "Kashmir is a core issue between Pakistan and India and this issue needs to be resolved in the same spirit as was expressed between the two prime ministers when Vajpayee came to Pakistan and signed the Lahore Declaration," Sharif told reporters after meeting a delegation of Kashmiri freedom leaders. Senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat, who led the delegation that called on Sharif freedom at his residence in Raiwind, said there was no alternative available to India and Pakistan "other than talking and resolving the dispute on Kashmir".

II

Recently, leaders of Kashmiri political parties and religious groups have reached an accord to jointly re-energize the lingering Kashmir dispute at the global level for its final settlement. Political parties on both sides of the Line of Control are re-embracing themselves up as Barack Obama has taken over in the United States and world powers especially Europe feels that solution of the decades old dispute was essential for peace and stability in the South Asian region. At its meeting in Islamabad, the All Parties Ad hoc Committee on Kashmiri people's right to self determination stressed that the unresolved Kashmir dispute was threat to peace and that there was need to work actively to mobilize international opinion in favour of right to self determination for the Kashmiris. In a related development, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar has decided to dissolve its existing constituent units for converting it into a single party to represent Kashmiris in any international parleys aimed at seeking Kashmir settlement. There is also a greater realization even among those Kashmiri leaders who had in the past sided with the Indian Government for a final settlement of Kashmir dispute.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani has urged the US and UK to help in resolving the Kashmir issue. The fact that the two countries fought three wars on the issue highlights the need for solving the problem as soon as possible. All previous attempts to find a way out of the imbroglio proved fruitless. Since both the countries have failed to resolve the issue on their own, the intercession of the international community can prove to be a helpful initiate. Meanwhile, by using usual rhetoric of confusion, the new Chief Minister in India occupied Kashmir Umer Abdullah, after taking over, declared that the dispute of Kashmir existed between Pakistan and India and that he would try to draw both the countries closer for an amicable settlement of this dispute. This is usual stuff expected of pro-India outfits who rule Jammu Kashmir on behalf of India. Omer should ask India to invite the freedom leaders for negotiations.

III

Resolution of Kashmir dispute, the major irritant between New Delhi and Islamabad, would allow them to divert their scarce resources for the welfare of poverty-stricken masses and spare the region and the world from the threats of war.  Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC and settled abroad had been actively pursuing their cause yet did not receive the required global support that could have forced India to agree to surrender sovereignty back to Kashmiris and go beyond a plebiscite promised by it at the United Nations. Now that a new President having an open mind to world issues is in the White House, it is time to raise the Kashmir dispute emphasizing that its solution would contribute tremendously in building confidence between nuclear armed neighbors, Pakistan and India, who are even today gripped by a serious crisis in the aftermath of Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Apparently, India is not keen to resolve the Kashmir issue for reasons known only to itself. Each successive Pakistani government has tried new ways to build a better relationship with India and resolve the Kashmir issue, but the Indian government's rigid stance on Kashmir has proved an insurmountable hurdle. India has throughout refused to implement the United Nations Security Council's resolutions has further aggravated the situation. The Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that were initiated by the Musharraf regime and the start of a bus service between Azad Kashmir and occupied Kashmir helped in normalizing the situation to some extent. But with the latest Indian allegations, blaming Pakistan for the Mumbai Nov26, the Kashmir issue is once again in limbo. Obviously, Indian cannot be expected to declare culprits since no country would admit being the terrorists.

The international community and the UN should force India to put an end to the atrocities against the hapless Kashmiri people. In the last few years, thousands of Kashmiris have lost their lives suffering at the hands of the Indian army. The people of India and Pakistan are suffering from excruciating poverty because the bulk of resources of both the countries have been consumed by the conflict in Kashmir. Thus, the resolution of Kashmir issue is not only of great importance for the Kashmiris, but also for the people of India and Pakistan.

Today, the UN, UNSC, USA and UK are in a position to make New Delhi see reason on Kashmir issue. The Arabs nations could also play pro-active role in the resolution, although they are unable to find a lasting solution to the Palestine issue by themselves. India has to shed its complexes both superior and inferior and come forward to talk to the freedom leaders and decide the issue without even waiting for all these organizations to give final whistle in this regard. It has to understand clearly that the involvement of Kashmiri leadership in multilateral dialogues is necessary to reach an agreement over the issue.  

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Yours Sincerely,

DR. ABDUL RUFF Colachal

Columnist & Independent Researcher in World Affairs, The only Indian to have gone through entire India
South Asia.