The 1948 United Nation’s Resolution clearly states that accession of Jammu and Kashmir will be decided through plebiscite; however, India has remained consistent with use of force to dictate its unlawful occupation. As the Kashmir solidarity day approaches, Kashmiris are again hopeful that international community will consider the sacrifices they have made, the carnage they survived, the bloodshed they suffered and pressurize India to discontinue its human rights violation in Kashmir along with its decades’ long illegal occupation. With every passing day, the bloodshed of the Kashmiris by the hands of Indian forces makes the Kashmiri people more determined and resolute to attain their long-standing right of freedom from Indian forces. India deceptively projects itself as the world largest democracy, on the contrary, such proclamation seems absurd when the same country disregards the international laws, continues its illegal occupation over Jammu and Kashmir and subjugates its minorities.
India under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule has increased the intensity of vicious atrocities and violence in Kashmir. The current ruling elite in India are those who earlier carried out inhumane massacres of Muslim in Gujrat and are likely to continue the same in Kashmir. Mass defiance against the repressive Indian regime is becoming more and more frequent since the brutal killing of Kashmiri freedom fighter Burhan Ahmed Wani. An army of more than 600,000 armed soldiers is permanently deployed in Indian Occupied Kashmir, making it world’s most militarized zone. The international Human Rights bodies have failed to understand the bloodbaths faced by the Kashmiris in demanding their right of freedom. Their silence over the brutal occupation in Kashmir is depressing which shields the Indian aggression.
Figures speak for themselves, where thousands of Kashmiris killed, millions wounded, children orphaned and love ones lost, yet the violence from occupational forces continues. Kashmiris have suffered permanent eye damage and many have been blinded by pellet guns during protests, yet the human rights organisations remains silent. A Kashmiri journalist rightly pointed out that if the year 2010 was remembered as “year of killing youth” for Kashmiris, the year 2016 will be reminisced as “year of dead eyes”. However, the violence never subjugates, neither will it suppress the Kashmiris to demand for their independent identity. The expression of freedom reverberates in the valley as a deafening roar, indoctrinating fear to the Indian illegal occupation over Kashmir, defying the customs built on the narrative of subjugation and burnishing the forlorn hope of luminous liberty.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has always supported peaceful resolution of Indian held Kashmir according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people, and as per the UN resolution. Furthermore, the new government in Pakistan has taken bold steps in engaging with India at bilateral level and offered to resume comprehensive dialogue to address all outstanding issues along with the Kashmir dispute. However, the Indian belligerent attitude towards Pakistan and Kashmir never guaranteed any optimism.
Hostile aggression of Indian forces over the Muslim Kashmiris, especially in a disputed territory, also questions the UN efficacy to implement its resolution. UN has failed to implement its own resolution in Kashmir, which shows signs of its failure against aggression on oppressed. The international community must realize that India remains fixated with its use of illegal force, denying any peaceful resolution of Kashmir or bilateral engagement with Pakistan. Rather India continues to carry out the border violations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, killing innocent Kashmiris living along the peaceful border areas in Pakistan. While engaging in dialogues with Pakistan, the Indian administration cannot fulfil its belligerent mantra against Pakistan; a pre-requisite for winning elections in India. Considering this, there exists no hope that the current governing elite in India will respond to any peaceful settlement of issues with Pakistan.
The writer is a Assistant Research Officer (ARO) at Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).
The current ruling elite in India are those who earlier carried out inhumane massacres of Muslim in Gujrat and are likely to continue the same in Kashmir.