The two elected demagogues as the rulers of their respective countries Modi and Trump met on Monday. According to one expert the two leaders emphasized strategic cooperation on counter terrorism, on defence, on moving forward in a fair and reciprocal way on trade. To appease the Indian government, the Trump administration has declared Salahuddin, leader of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, a global terrorist. Declaring popular resistance movements as terrorist ones is a favourite tactic of global powers. Be that Palestinian resistance or Kashmiri, the global powers shut their eyes and ears to the violation of human rights because of their vested interests in these regions.

The international community often pays no heed to the legitimate resistance of Kashmiris because they see India as one of the biggest markets for their products. It’s ironic that current American Administration is trying to delegitimise a popular resistance movement to make happy a right wing government in India, all for decreasing the trade deficit. This was the only real demand from the US in exchange for ignoring rights violations in Kashmir – reduce the trade deficit and allow for US goods to penetrate the Indian market.

The United States has championed itself the bearer of human rights cause across the globe. However, the recent step declaring the leader of Hizb has badly exposed the double standards of American rhetoric on human rights. Modi was on a US terrorist watch list in 2008, before he came to power. A lot of serious commentators held him responsible for the Gujarat massacre. It is sad to observe that international relations are run on the basis of upholding national interests supreme rather taking a principled position.

Kashmiris have been struggling for the established right of self-determination guaranteed to them under the United Nations’ Charter. Resisting Indian occupation of their lands militarily is not terrorism. It is the utmost duty of a people to resist if a foreign aggressor occupies them. And they have the right to fight the occupation by any means necessary.

South Asia is a region where two regional powers have claim on the territory of Kashmir. India and Pakistan have fought four wars on Kashmir. Given that both countries are nuclear powers the global powers need to gauge the regional situation very cautiously. Any move by global powers by which one of the two countries feel threatened will deteriorate the security situation in the region.

The US should learn lessons from the unfolding situation in the Gulf – Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both US allies that have used the backing from the superpower to work against each other. That must not be allowed to happen in the subcontinent.