India landed its armed forces on October 27,1947 in Kashmir to suppress the Kashmiris who were protesting over the Hindu ruler’s delaying tactics in announcing accession to  Pakistan, as per agreed partition formula. The Indian forces carried out massacre of said to be about 250000 Kashmiri Muslims. Since then India is continuing occupation and brutalities against the Kashmiris, and till now over 7 million kashmiris have been killed, maimed and blinded.

Worst form of human rights abuses are being blatantly committed by the Indian armed forces while entire world’s witnessing the brutalities and except formal resolutions ,reports and condemnations nothing has been done to stop it. In fact this is impunity that has emboldened India to continue with Might is Right policy. The economic and political interests have made the world, particularly the West, silent  which  is nothing short f  condoning India in its brutalities against humanity. Passiveness of Muslim world is astounding.

Kashmiris are continually fighting against this occupation and Indian atrocities, though they are no match to about 9 lakh well trained, well equipped Indian forces. Over a million of kashmiris have embarrassed martyrdom, lost properties and sources of earnings and bearing all sorts of afflictions that make living unbearable. Besides routine daily killings Indian forces have carried out many massacres in different parts of Kashmir during this reign of terror. Despite all the terrorism from Indian army Kashmiris are resolute and committed with freedom from India at all costs. Kashmiris deserve salute for their bravery, bearing the sufferings and their commitment.

Despite all the bravery and sacrifices they need diplomatic offensive, physical and financial support for continuing their resistance to get rid of  Indian occupation and terrorism. Masood Ahmad Khan, ex-president of Azad Kashmir, assessing and realizing the ground realities  has sagaciously suggested that,” we have to fight against an environment of real politic which condones and underwrites Indian blatant crimes against humanity in Kashmir. The challenge is to break the vicious cycle of impunity, which empowers India to violate the rights of Kashmiris without any fear of prosecution or accountability. We need to revisit our strategy and form the policy as Masood has suggested wisely.

All that Pakistan has done till now to help Kashmiris right to self-determination has failed to achieve the goal .Pakistan definitely extended much support to them by all possible means, even fought twice with India sacrificing lives and finances but could not achieve the goal of freeing kashimiris from Indian clutches.  Why so? It is better to analyses our own actions and failures to point out the weaknesses to improve future planning and strategy.

The strategy Pakistan adopted looks more emotionally dominated rather lacking rationality .The actions and action plans were, sorry to say, not well planned, without taking overview in depth. For the reasons we suffered a lot and in fact gave India full chance to accuse Pakistan of meddling in Kashmir affairs and spreading  violence there..

Pakistan launched operation Gibraltar, it is incredible that the authorities had no cognizance of repercussions, which resulted in 65 war which was not envisaged by the authorities that cost us heavily then we had another misadventure in Kargil. These adventures brought us on back foot and India successfully converted these misadventures to its interests globally.

Militant outfit were sending manpower, though scanty, across Line of Control to help Kashmiris but again India succeeded on global stage accusing Pakistan of terrorism and UNO proscribed these outfits. The real issue of denial of human right to kashmiris by India turned into an issue of land between Pakistan and India. The world must, however, not confuse the Kashmiris right to self-determination as it is on the UNO agenda.

India unilaterally revoked the article that provided autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir under Indian constitution, in August 2019.Fearing the backlash from the Kashmiris Indian authorities clamped down curfew or complete lockdown, which is still existing. These situations have made the lives of Kashmiris a hell. The world digested it with no ach and Pakistan issued just condemnation statements.

Besides killing, looting, arson, rapes , tortures in custody and forced disappearance  India has bereaved Kashmiris of even two times meals. Their sources of income have dried down. This is a well planned lockdown depriving Kashmiris of sources of income to put them under unbearable living conditions  to make their resolution weak and cow them down. Sufferings of kashmiris are unimaginable.

Human Rights Watch in a report, some time back, has stated that unilateral revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir, dividing it into two separate parts, both federally administered, has caused enormous sufferings and human rights violations of Kashmiris, by the BJP government. It further says India has failed to protect the rights of religious minorities, used draconian sedition and counterterrorism laws to silence even peaceful dissent and has also invoked foreign funding regulations  and laws to discredit and muzzle non-government organizations critical of government actions and policies.

It further states,” The Indian government has tried to shut down Kashmir, hiding  the extent of harm caused there. Instead of addressing the growing attacks on minorities, Indian authorities bolstered their efforts to silence critical voices.”

Occasionally reports appear showing Indian brutalities in Kashmir and apart from formal condemnation nothing takes place to put India under pressure. Though US congress, the UNO and European Parliament has also taken notice of the horrible situation prevailing in Indian held Kashmir, but to no avail.

India does not take any notice of such reports and observations knowing these reports and observations do not carry any weight and are   just formal ones. Until some real effective sanctions are not put over India it will feel impunity to carry out brutalities in Kashmir. A UN body sent five letters to India expressing concerns over “cruel, inhuman or degrading or punishment, atrocities, detentions, forced involuntary disappearances, extra judicial summary or arbitrary executions.”, India did not bother to reply even one letter fearing no repercussions at all.

UNO, US, European states and human rights bodies have occasionally expressed concerns over the Indian denial of human rights to Kashmiris and  carrying out brutalities against them, this all looks just a formality to keep their record updated, if there was really any concern  about human values  the world must have risen to the occasion and Kashmiris would have got their rights and freedom from India.

Indian effrontery can be seen by her efforts to change the topography of Kashmir. It has settled thousands and thousands Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir to reduce the majority of Muslims. India is following the pattern Of Israel in Palestine in connivance of Israel. Both are sure that criticism from other counties and bodies is just show off.

All the Human Rights protection bodies, though reluctantly and occasionally, have given their observations about the denial of basic rights by India to Kashmiris. These organizations have openly accused India of killing, torturing, raping and forced disappearance of hundreds of Kashmiris. India all the times denies these reports and the issue ends up here. Such formal reports have no effect on India, until some sanctions are put on India it will not budge from its ongoing brutalities this is the fact that makes these reports ineffective.

There seems no resounding voice to impress upon the world the  findings of these organizations and call for punitive steps to stop Kashmiris’ killings and sufferings. Actions and response from the world looks are a formality than sincere efforts to save humanity from barbarity.

Despite all unfavorable circumstances and heavy odds Kashmiris are still fighting occupying Indian army .But how long a few hundred freedom   fighters, who are without training, armament and ammunition, can fight 900000 Indian  soldiers who are  trained professional and well equipped. This is a big question that has to be sorted out with practical and effective measures and urgently. Only commending them and extolling them will not help kashmiris in their cause. They desperately need practical diplomatic efforts  from Pakistan to muster global support for them.

Pakistan will have to come forward with very well considered long term planning to impress upon the world the plight of Kashmiris. A pragmatic, effective and narrative is  to be evolved  and to be presented all over the world emphatically and consistently. Pakistan must not reach with this narrative to the governments only but surely to media, opinion makers and common people as much as possible.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 29 2023

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