In the heart of solidarity

People of Kashmir have fought through years of oppression, barbarity and negation of their identity

For over past three decades, the people of Kashmir and Pakistan have been expressing their solidarity for the Kashmir cause. These echoes of sympathy reverberate beyond borders in the Indian-occupied Kashmir and amongst the Kashmiri diaspora abroad. The people of Kashmir are witness to countless sacrifices and bloodshed that have been not so much their unfortunate fate but a result of India’s action. On February 5, the martyrs of the Kashmiri freedom struggle are commemorated and people reinforce their solidarity for Kashmiris’ struggle for the right to self-determination.

The international community increasingly agrees with people’s right to freedom and identity; however, not all people have the opportunity to enjoy this privilege. Kashmiris are a people that have been struggling for their autonomy ever since the states of Pakistan and India came into being. It is not only the disputed territory but also the disputed identity that the Kashmiris inherited as a result of it. Identity is always multi-layered but some aspects of one’s identity are always more overpowering than others. For Kashmiris, being born in the State of Jammu and Kashmir comes with a lot of baggage. For them, being drawn into the struggle for the right to self-determination is only natural.

The people of Kashmir have fought through the years of oppression, barbarity and negation of their identity. They have kept their movement alive not only through armed struggle but also through processions, story-telling, poetry and scholarship. Kashmiri men and women equally share the cost and burden of this freedom struggle. Target killings, forced abductions, administrative detentions, rapes and raids have become a norm in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Despite this, India could not quash the fervour with which the Kashmiris have been demanding their rights.

After India unilaterally and illegally changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir, the people of Kashmir not only lost their lands and jobs but also their political identity and autonomy. Many would back India’s claims of higher investments and development in IIOJK but the absence of Kashmiri voices supporting these claims makes them baseless. India’s assertions of being the largest democracy are tainted by the detention of Kashmiri leadership, suspension of political processes and excessive military deployment in the IIOJK. In facing exploitation and brutality by India, Kashmiris lost their lives but not their honour. In respect of their valour and steadfastness, February 5 is celebrated as the Kashmir Solidarity Day.

On Kashmir Solidarity Day, people express their unflinching support for the Kashmiri cause. Pakistan has always supported UN resolutions on Kashmir and demanded their implementation by India. Despite the politico-economic challenges, Pakistan observes this day every year to express diplomatic, political and moral support for the Kashmiri struggle. Through this day, Pakistan underscores the cultural and geographical proximity that it historically shared with the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmiris on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control did not face armed oppression while India had to rule IIOJK with an iron fist to maintain its illegal control over Kashmir. When it had difficulty suppressing the voices for freedom in Kashmir, it shifted the blame to Pakistan for flaming the freedom sentiment in Kashmir. Using security concerns as an excuse, India operated with impunity in Kashmir and gave a free hand to Indian forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir. When this became insufficient, India militarised the civilian population in Jammu and Kashmir against their fellows seeking an end to Indian oppression. India tried to endorse its illegal rule through judicial and constitutional manipulation but this has made the issue of Kashmir more pertinent and all the more eminent.

India has made all possible efforts to break the backbone of the Kashmiri struggle and exterminate their identity but it could not be successful in the face of resoluteness manifested by the Kashmiris. Pakistan has only stood by the Kashmiris to encourage them on their path to autonomy. Pakistan is the only advocate that the Kashmiris have to present their case before the international community and unmask the inhumane treatment that the Kashmiris have been suffering. On Kashmir Solidarity Day, many Kashmiris in India are detained for hoisting the Pakistani flag to express their cohesion with Kashmiris inside Pakistan. Had there been so much normalcy in IIOJK, as is claimed by India, why would there have been any need for stringent rule over the Kashmiris?

The world has largely failed the people of Kashmir in calling out India for its wrongdoings in Kashmir. This Kashmir Solidarity Day offers everyone a chance to make up for not criticising India and supporting Kashmiris duly. Pakistan has sponsored a resolution in the UN General Assembly for the Universal Realization of the Right of the People to Self-determination. This resolution is supported by 72 countries but it is yet to be seen how far these countries succeed in upholding the right of Kashmiri people to self-determination.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2024.

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