5th of February every year is the day when a country of more than 202 million people come out in large numbers in support of Kashmiri people who are struggling against the illegal occupation of their lands, yet solidarity show by a country with people who resist the colonisation of their territory goes unnoticed in the comity of nations. The champions of human rights have long maintained a criminal silence over the Indian accesses in the Kashmir valley. It is this silence by countries like America, Britain, Russia and France that exposes not only their double standards but also the inability of the United Nations (UN) to assist the Kashmiris in exercising their right to self-determination.
It is the sad truth that the world community has failed the Kashmiris as it has accepted the Indian account over Kashmir. The UN’s silence over Indian brutalities and inability to support the indigenous militant struggle show that the international body has chewed its own words that “people reserve the right to overthrow illegal occupation even by militant tactics.” Despite a global betrayal that the Kashmiris have experienced for a free Kashmir, the resilience, valour and courage of Kashmiris have not faded even for a single moment.
It is the hope of seeing Kashmir free from Indian shackles that re-energises the people of Kashmir every day against Indian aggression. The extreme energy and liberated psyche of Kashmiri people have successfully defied Indian tactics and brutalities of all sorts that India used to break the determination of Kashmiri people, in general, and that of the youth in particular. This unrelenting desire for self-determination of the people has exposed India as one of the states who is experiencing a moral crisis. The Indian unwillingness to let Kashmir go has turned it into a “demon-crazy”, as one of the placards by a protestor in Kashmir once stated. However, with the respect-demanding perseverance of the people, Kashmir will be a free land one day.