IMAGINE that you were a Kashmiri born in Srinagar on Jan. 5, 1949. You are 73 years old, and you have lived through almost every stage of your life. You have made decisions about what you will study, where you will work, how you will contribute, and you are preparing to retire. A full circle of life. But at every stage, you were reminded that you were not free, that you were under Indian rule, some kind of colonial empire. That is the story of all the men and women who live in the Kashmir Valley or in the region of Jammu. You feel helpless and angry.
Kashmiris the Across, Jan 5 each year is a reminder that the promise given to them on Jan 5, 1949, has not yet been fulfilled. On that day, the United Nations Commission on India and Pakistan adopted a resolution calling for free and fair protests in Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, as is customary, the Kashmiri mark the day of independence, hoping that the world will listen. But year after year, frustration has grown. Understandably, it is difficult for the Kashmiri to maintain faith in international justice, or to remain optimistic. However, the Kashmiri struggle continues. The light of freedom is always on.
National or civil liberties are the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. When the UN was born in 1945, it had only 73 members. Over the years, many nations gained independence as a result of independence, increasing their membership of the UN to 193. Two people who could not achieve their independence were Palestinians and Kashmiri.
I am from the heart of Punjab. My mother's mother was a Kashmiri. Most Kashmiris have close ties with the Punjab people in central and northern. Our rivers have flowed from Kashmir to modern-day Pakistan for centuries. All roads from the Kashmir Valley to the north of the Punjab. Kashmir's mandi (market) used to be Rawalpindi. How can all these links be cut off simply because India does not want to allow the people of Kashmiri to decide how they want to live? It amazes me that even after seventy years of Kashmiri opposition to Indian rule, the Indian leadership cannot conclude that the Kashmiri simply do not want to live with India.
Jan 5 is a reminder of the unfulfilled promise to Kashmiris.
Over the past two and a half years, the situation has worsened. The Indian government abolished Article 370 of the Indian constitution, stripped the Kashmiris of its status, and embarked on an extravagant campaign against extremists. I have always wondered what India’s ultimate goal is with Kashmir. Can it really maintain its colonial rule over eight million people? Probably not. India is already experiencing centrifugal trends in a few parts of the country; How can India maintain its internal stability by continuing its work of other 8m troubled souls?
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Some analysts say that India does not want to allow the people of Kashmiri to make their own decisions because if that happens, other regions of the country will also demand independence. This argument contradicts the historical process. No nation can rule forever without people willing. Some strategists assert that the Kashmir region is important to India. Also, how can an unwilling population become a strategic asset in India? Some BJP activists who love prominence are happy that after the actions of August 2019, and with the introduction of a new local law, Kashmiris will no longer be a Muslim community. This approach would also not work as all the Kashmiris, including groups supporting India, are united in opposing the invasion of the Kashmiri region and their identity.
It is important that the Indian leadership and its ideological leaders take this into consideration. Oppressive rule, undermining their identity, and blaming each Kashmiri for independence because of its people, will never include the Indian settlement in Kashmir. One better way is to find ways to resolve the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan in accordance with the wishes of the people of Kashmiri. The decisions of the UN Security Council provide a sound framework for resolving this dispute.
Can we all imagine what life would be like for everyone in South Asia, if India chose to lead the region, not by coercion, but by mutual respect and mutual trust? Today, South Asia is a relatively small and conflict-torn region. Can all of this change? Perhaps resolving the Kashmir dispute could be a good start to calming tensions, and let South Asia emerge as a place of peace and tranquility. Will India listen to Kashmiri and Pakistani voices on Jan 5 for now? I'm not sure, but one has hope that one day it will happen.
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