Jammu and Kashmir was and still is famous for its enthralling beauty and natural scenery throughout the world. According to its history, the Mughal Emperor Jahangir once said: “If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.” However, after the partition of the subcontinent, unfortunately, the paradise has turned into hell, underlining a sad saga of human rights violations, extrajudicial killings and gang rapes.
The occupied valley is a heart-breaking tale of oppression, atrocities and woes; whereas, those who are living there have to face misery and anguish, and go through traumatic experience almost daily. The most melancholic feature of this saga is that the Kashmiris have yet to articulate their fundamental rights like the rest of the world. That is, to exercise the right of self-determination to decide their future; this was guaranteed by the UN resolutions.
There is a plethora of academic work based on empirical findings, which aim to highlight human rights abuses and genocide in the disputed valley. For instance, the 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary troops stationed in Held Kashmir are acting in sheer violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted on December 1948 - in particular Article 3 that “guarantees right to life, liberty and security”; Article 5 that states that “no one shall be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”; and Article 9 that prohibits “arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”
The question, however, is: Despite this, why has the world’s conscience remained mum? Of course, the answer is simple: Double standards and commercial convenience. The human rights violations in the occupied territory of Kashmir are a real test specifically for those nations, who claim to be torchbearers of human rights and maintain their positions as champions of democracy.
Nevertheless, Kashmir is the bone of contention and a potential nuclear flashpoint between two nuclear powers - Pakistan and India - that definitely needs an amicable solution in accordance with the UN resolutions. It seems that the idea of sleeping over the Kashmir issue is just not acceptable to the Kashmiris as well as Pakistanis. For them, as witnessed since decades, it is a matter of life and death. The Kashimirs of IHK, too, deserve to live in peace, since they are as good human beings as people living in other parts of the world and not regarded as “terrorists”, as portrayed by the Indian authorities.
Article 1 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Likewise, the official website of the Azad/independent government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, headed by its worthy Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, calls upon the world’s conscience in following words: “It is incumbent on the international community in general, and governing world bodies in particular, to intervene and force India to stop shedding innocent Kashmiri blood. Kashmiris should have the right to decide their fate according to the UN resolutions, which were adopted to resolve the issue.
“Without any doubt, Kashmir is jugular vein of Pakistan and it cannot evidently abandon it under any conditions. With both the South Asian neighbours armed with nuclear weapons, another conventional war on Kashmir has the potential to turn into a nuclear exchange that could be disastrous not only for South Asia, but also for the world at large.”
But the million dollar question is: For how long will the world remain silent over the miseries of the Kashmiri people, who are being butchered by the Indian troops almost every day. It is necessary that the international community play due role resolving the Kashmir issue. However, Pakistanis are unequivocally determined to continue rendering their political, moral and diplomatic support to their brothers in flesh and faith.
The writer is a barrister based in Islamabad and has been visiting lecturer of law at NUST Business School and Bahria University, Islamabad.
Email: barristerafzal@gmail.com