By Ameer Tarin October 12, 2022
OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) reference to Kashmir as occupied territory causes a ripple effect in India and an official level statement is issued to calm down the charged up public and then copy the behaviour of an Ostrich. However the right thinking people of India upholding values of human and political rights have had memories of slavery and bondage. The long list of these noble souls past and present include Jayaprakash Narayan, Chandra Shekhar, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Justice Tarkunde, Morar Ji Desai, Shanti Bhushan, Yashwant Sinha, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and now the likes of Arundhati Roy.
Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)
India refers to freedom fighters of Kashmir as terrorists and separatists in the likeness of British-India labelling Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev as terrorists and separatists. Kashmir has had a long history of betrayals and the last one, in a crafty manner, was offered by Pandit Nehru in 1947 using the services rendered by Mountbattens, Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Dwarkanath Kachru, V P Menon, Mehr Chand Mahajan assisted and abetted by a caucus of elite Kashmiri Pandit bureaucrats.
India, generally, quotes examples of Muslim countries devoid of democracy to justify its actions as a viable democracy but we have seen how this “largest democracy” worked vis a vis Muslims of Jammu, Meerut, Jabalpur, Aligarah, Thana Bhiwindi, Jaipur, Christian belt of North-East, Naxalites, Maoists, Assam, Modi’s Gujarat and above all razed Babri Mosque to satisfy sentimental Hindutva mythological nostalgia.
Kashmiris visiting abroad have no alternative but to travel on Indian passports out of compulsion, in the same manner Gandhi travelled to South Africa as an employee of Abdullah Seth or Nehru and all other Indians who travelled on British-Indian passports. Kashmiri Muslims traveling in and out of Kashmir have huge stories to tell about the hardship and treatment meted out to them at India High Commissions, Consulates and Indian airports by its Hindutva staff.
India’s military machine and nuclear arsenal has led to arrogance for some even to brag about a dressing down formulae to intimidate and browbeat any OIC member but the saner elements do realize that India needs petro-dollars, oil and gas to survive like any other nation and cannot afford adventures or political jingoism.
Popular leader of Pakistan Imran Khan
Kashmiris can opt for Independent Kashmir; a statement issued by Pakistan’s popular leader Imran Khan in Muzaffarabad on July 24, 2021 before a mammoth gathering, reiterating that Islamabad would grant Kashmir the right to live as an independent nation. Without mincing words Imran Khan hit out at his opponents brushing aside the allegations that he wanted to convert Kashmir into a province of Pakistan. He assured and stressed that he supported a plebiscite sponsored by United Nations Organisation.
Pakistan, having China on board, can simply march into Indian occupied Kashmir and soon after hold plebiscite involving United Nations. The result will have an obvious advantage for Pakistan and Kashmir question will be solved once and for all. Pakistan will have to come out of Sharif/Zardari syndrome and work on the god-sent opportunity. The nuclear option for India will become irrelevant as facing two nuclear powers will mean end of Akhand Bharat for good. India faced with two nuclear powers will have no option but to surrender to the new development.
Robin Raphel met with Imran Khan at Bani Gala
President Bill Clinton government’s Assistant Secretary of State Robin Raphel, in the recent past paid a considerate and discreet visit to Pakistan and the only political luminary she met was Imran Khan and after the meeting quietly left the country. Ms Raphel is known for her stance on occupied Kashmir.
Throwing light on the plight of hapless Kashmiris, Ms Raphel stated “Let me clarify by saying simply we agree that the people of Kashmir have got to be consulted in any kind of final settlement in the Kashmir dispute, because we believe at this point there is no way that any resolution can be stable and lasting unless agreed to by the people of Kashmir.
What we have said to the Government of India is; you need to make security forces accountable for their own behaviour. And making people disappear, encounter killings, extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, all this stuff; frankly, there is no excuse for.”
On October 29, 1993 while stating the political status of Kashmir Ms Raphel further stated “We view Kashmir as a disputed territory. We do not recognise, and that means we do not recognise that instrument of accession as meaning that Kashmir is forevermore an integral part of India. We are very concerned about Kashmir and the potential for instability in the region caused by the tensions over Kashmir between India and Pakistan. We view the whole of Kashmir as disputed territory, the status of which needs to be resolved.
Punjab’s senior Akali Dal leader, Simranjit Singh Mann believes that India-Pakistan dialogue on Kashmir issue could not be resolved as forcible occupation renders the exercise futile and the problem cannot be solved without mediation of any third country. The Akali Dal leader further added that “It is a harsh reality that Kashmiri people want freedom from India and India is ruling over this piece of land by military might, and that India has let loose a reign of terror in Kashmir and it is following the policies which it had followed in Punjab”.
Indian unilateral action on August 05, 2019 opened the doors for several options for Pakistan. Now that India is holding Kashmir using its military might; any country in the neighbourhood militarily stronger than India can walk into Kashmir challenging cornered Indian army and occupy it. So India is at the risk of losing more than the State of occupied Kashmir.
Way back on July 16, 2014, Ved Pratap Vaidik, a very well known Indian political analyst, hit the headlines saying “India and Pakistan should stop fighting over Kashmir and make it an independent nation.” He added that both these warring countries should work to build a bridge rather than a gorge. They (Kashmiris) should have the same freedom that I have in Delhi and any other leader or journalists in Lahore. Both Kashmirs should be made one.
Annalena Baerbock
Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany on her recent maiden visit to Pakistan supported UN resolutions on Kashmir and stated that Germany has a role and responsibility with regard to the situation in Kashmir. Therefore, we support intensively the engagement of the United Nations to find the peaceful solutions in the region; reports Press Trust of India (June 8, 2022).
Donald Blome with Azad Kashmir Prime Minister
US Ambassador to Islamabad Donald Blome visited Azad Kashmir on October 04, 2022 to strengthen U.S.-Pakistan Trade and People-to-People Ties. The visit is considered symbolic keeping in view the developing situation in Indian occupied Kashmir after Narendra Modi’s unilateral illegal action of declaring Kashmir as “Union Territory”. Mr Blome met with Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Tanveer Ilyas and other representatives of his government to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern.
Amit Shah visits Indian occupied Kashmir
Meanwhile Indian home minister Amit Shah amid heightened security dashed to Kashmir’s Hindu dominated Jammu province (October 03, 2022) to address rally of Hindu community joined by army and their families in civilian clothes. Shah lashed out at US Ambassador Donald Blome and reminded him of cross border terrorism. Mr Shah should have used this as an opportunity to demonstrate to the world the popular support India enjoys in Kashmir and invite UNO to conduct a promised plebiscite.
The lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been sacrificed by callous and corrupt politicians to stay in power for the last seventy five years. An independent Kashmir can bridge the differences between the two people as there will be no sense of defeatism leading to cordiality and bonhomie. On the contrary, a nuclear war is no option as it will take the whole world back to the stone-age.
Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone, but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to cemetery …………..
KASHMIR 