By Ameer Tarin 08-01-2023
The most powerful force in the world today is neither communism, nor capitalism, neither the H bomb nor the guided missiles. It is man´s eternal desire to be free and independent. President John F. Kennedy (1957)
In the recent past, yet again India tested a nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni V days after a new clash on Kashmir’s border with China. Indian Hindutva regime feels demoralized because of continuous battering by China in Kashmir’s Ladakh province, Arunachal Pradesh and the whole of north-eastern region. China’s total trade surplus with India surpasses $ 1 trillion, an indicator that India hugely depends on China on the economic front and not the other way round.
It is widely understood that China has too much at stake as it maintains decades old bonded strategic relationship with Pakistan and will not allow India to impose a war on Pakistan or even disturb it politically. Modi regime, promoting fascism by pouncing on minorities especially Muslims, needs to realise that India also depends hugely on many years developed economic relations and energy needs it receives from the Muslim world.
In retrospect, the world in mid seventies witnessed India’s implosion of a nuclear device that pressed the panic button regarding nuclear proliferation in South-Asia. In an act of undoing the partition of the sub-continent in 1947, India unnerved Pakistan to nurse the wound inflicted to dismember the country in 1971 and the country’s survival faced a grave threat due to growing conventional military and nuclear might of its five times bigger hostile neighbour. India with a track record of fighting wars; three with Pakistan and one with China in 1962 in a span of its twenty year independence is part of history now.
The new development had direct impact on the political movement of Kashmir as Indian intelligence agencies, aided by embedded well groomed and trained operatives proved a catalyst to strengthen, though temporarily, the roots of occupation. It also allowed Indian notorious RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) to keep a vigil on all households, using improved technical surveillance, of defenceless Muslim majority population of Kashmir.
One million strong Hindutva Indian army armed to teeth has turned Kashmir into an open prison. The pretext of massive search operations, empowered by draconian laws allows them to harass, browbeat and intimidate innocent defenceless families. And as bonus, commit loot and plunder of anything of value owned by the householders. Fascism, the driving force, gives Indian army a licence to use rapes as a weapon to humiliate the populace. The terror by uniformed infantrymen, particularly during the nights, has turned people into psychological wrecks.
Indian machinations, crafty schemes and intrigues let lose a reign of terror; rounded up thousands of stone-pelting teenage boys, termed as a nightmare for Indian army. Various Indian intelligence agencies put unprecedented curbs to throttle print and electronic media allowing the establishment to carry on with merciless and malevolent treatment towards Kashmir’s intellectual class who, for fear, have gone into hiding now. At times, Kashmiri freedom fighters in successful attempt give Indian army a bloody nose and in frenzied retaliation a few teenage boys randomly selected from, held in Indian prisons become handy to finish them off in fake-encounters and conveniently label them as terrorists.
Kashmiris alarmed by new Indian conspiracy did not reconcile with the imposed political arrangement and decided to rise up in arms against India (1989). The legitimate struggle using arms, being the fundamental right to resist occupation, would not be acceptable and Indian fascist regime and ruthless army decided to crush the uprising with an iron hand. Killings, torture and cold–blooded murders in fake-encounters became order of the day. India also, systematically, resorts to damaging and burning of properties and businesses to weaken the resolve of Kashmiris hitting them hard economically.
Most of the Indian controlled media generally reports neutralising Kashmiri freedom fighters in encounters and habitually declare having eliminated two, three or four militants. But they would never reveal the number of Indian heavily armed commandos ambushed, killed or injured. The impression among people of Kashmir is created that the freedom fighters willingly commit suicide by facing ‘valiant’ Indian army.
India, after exactly 27,468 days occupation of Kashmir State declared it as the Union Territory. No country in the comity of nations accepts India’s hyperbolic statement that “Kashmir is an integral part”. Again copying Israeli model India hopes against the hope that one day the not so sure Indian alliances might accept union territory status as factuality.
Unlike Kashmir under Pakistan where everyone globally are welcome to visit, the UN, Human-Rights groups, Amnesty International, NGOs are never freely allowed to visit occupied Kashmir. India, on purpose, hypes-up hosting the next G-20 meet in Kashmir but very well knows that the far-fetched idea will not be acceptable on international level. The time is not far when the international community again will be obliged to impress upon India that people of Kashmir must be accorded the legitimate right of self-determination as per various UNSC Resolutions.
Late ZA Bhutto’s fiery speech at UN Security Council (December 15, 1971) to fight one thousand year war and back in his country a resolve to “eat grass and develop the bomb” was not taken seriously especially by India. The international political conspiracy to eliminate Bhutto was thought to put curtains on any Pakistani effort to develop a nuclear bomb. But General Zia soon after at the helm entrenched his boots firmly in power and in a clever and clandestine manner developed the bomb and acquired latest missile technology. But to do all this he paid the price losing his own life and the life of various other local and international dignitaries.
Imran Khan, ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan in the recent past was removed from power and the mishmash of corrupt political parties put in power by an intrigue on international level. The conspiracy was supported by depraved elements from army, judiciary and political mafia. Khan’s three and a half years of rule gave Pakistan political stability, an improved economic infrastructure and a robust foreign policy that helped the country recover from great depression.
Putting the country back on the track made Imran Khan into an overwhelmingly very popular leader and the political pundits’ on local and international level predict Khan’s political party a definite two-third majority in the upcoming general elections. The efforts put in by Imran Khan’s government yielded tremendous moral and political support for Kashmir and a dire need to solve this long standing problem received backing and endorsement from many quarters internationally.
Much to the chagrin of Prime Minister Modi, Indian intelligence agencies, led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, erroneously sought advice from Israeli intelligence to use Israeli model for Palestine to deal with Kashmir. The only secret Israel did not share with genius Doval was that Palestine was surrounded by Arab nations having no military strength and more importantly Israel enjoyed full backing of the super power and with it the support of whole western world.
On the contrary, India is surrounded by inhospitable nuclear powers China and Pakistan and the Muslim majority population of Kashmir is no basket of fruit. No nation on the face of earth would come to India’s rescue if a full-fledged war breaks out. India’s balloon of nuclear option will deflate and the only option available will be to somehow save Akhand Bharat from definite fragmentation and balkanisation. Now India hopes America to engage China in Taiwan imbroglio like a situation created in Ukraine, but that is very unlikely and improbable.
India to start with, after occupation on October 06, 1947, used trump cards, Maharaja Hari Singh and then Kashmir’s popular leader Sheikh Abdullah to keep the global community at bay and in good stead. The duo was used to justify the Indian right and legal position to occupy Kashmir. Maharaja, soon after, was exiled and Abdullah shuttled from one prison to another for umpteen years. Another sharp practice trickery committed was to extend Article 370 of Indian constitution which after seven decades was removed by Modi regime without any ceremony.
The leadership or people of Kashmir had no role in either removing Maharaja or Sheikh Abdullah. Kashmiris were never consulted on the mischief Article 370 nor had they given any approval for extending it to their State of Kashmir. India is an aggressor occupier and has absolutely no legal right to occupy Kashmir using military power. The Indian action gave China a right to intrude into Kashmir territory converting Kashmir now into a trilateral issue.
UN Secretary General Antonio GUTERRES in a very sincere endeavour offered mediation between nuclear powers India and Pakistan to solve Kashmir as per the wish of Kashmiri people. Pakistan welcomed the proposal but India as usual brazenly snubbed His Excellency, the Secretary General and warned him to keep his hands off Kashmir. The world needs to understand the stubborn comport of India with utter disregard for human rights, rule of law and maintenance of peace. UN must impress upon India to respect international obligations and adhere to the commitments made to people of Kashmir through various UN Resolutions.
The people in the sub-continent have been emotionally charged up by various political parties of India and Pakistan for which State of Kashmir paid a huge price in men and material. The world must wake up and realise that the only solution to solve this long standing problem is to declare Kashmir as an independent nation like it was before October 06, 1947. It will, undoubtedly, be acceptable to the people of both countries as there will be no sense of defeatism, disgrace or moral obloquy. It will, for sure, guarantee peace in the region and the world at large.
Meanwhile United Nations Organisation (UNO), UNSC, International Court of Justice, Amnesty International, Human-Rights Watch, Genocide Watch and diplomatic staff of High Commissions and Embassies must ask India to allow their Representative, Delegations, NGOs to visit Kashmir to get information of ground realities from the original source, the people of Kashmir.
Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone, but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to cemetery …………..
KASHMIR 