August 5, 2019

It has been four years down the line since the Kashmiris’ special status and fundamental rights were stampeded under the Indian constitution itself. The politically berserk initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abrogate Articles 370 and 35A, on the premise of a brute majority on the floor of the house and in an attempt to appease the Hindu rightwing constituencies, is tantamount to treason under the law of land. But he is scot-free, and now his dispensation is aiming to violate the international airspace to intrude into Azad Kashmir as an electioneering stunt. Both of these jingoistic acts are aggression per se, and pose a grave threat to regional peace and security. What makes it more a horrendous proposition is the silence of the international community which apparently does not want to cross swords with New Delhi, and as a mark of appeasement are tolerating unprecedented human rights excesses against a million-plus populace of the occupied territory.

While the Indian Supreme Court is seized with public interest litigations, hearing the unconstitutional acts of the BJP government on August 5, 2019, little is expected from the top court as a relief. The point is that this treacherous act is in contravention of International Law as well, and a faux pas for the United Nations. The Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) today is the world’s largest ghetto and an open-air concentration camp. Post-August 5 2019, India has done what even the colonial powers were unable to do of their subjects, as it curtailed the numerical strength of Muslim population in the occupied Valley, and drastically changed its demography. Moreover, by allowing citizens across India to buy properties in the disputed region, it has sabotaged civic peace and socio-economic realities. These are acts of genocide in the context of human annihilation, and have unfortunately gone unnoticed.

The resolution on this day for all those who stand for human emancipation and civil liberties should be to rally for the Kashmiris. Pakistan on its part must relentlessly continue its support in the realms of diplomacy, and constitute a special lawfare division to highlight India’s transgression. It is an existential crisis for a million people and cannot be ignored. There are ample avenues available to tap the legal decorum, and this is where India can be put in the dock. Adoption of a single narrative by all Kashmiri groups and campaigning with a sustained policy approach to influence the international environment is the way to go.

It’s high time for India and the global powers to realise that their ostrich syndrome on Kashmir is not serving any purpose. India is gradually slipping into a communal quagmire, and the fissures from Occupied Kashmir possess the potential to derail the cross-currents of much-trumpeted trans-regional development. Last but not least, it must be noted that India has violated its own commitments on all for a — be they the world body, its own parliament or bilateralism with Pakistan. This simply means that Delhi is power-intoxicated and does not want to see the reality.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2023.

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