M Roshan
On the day of 05 February 2019, Pakistani community across the world will display unity and solidarity with Kashmiris. This day is being observed every year since 1990 as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ through which, the gestures of love and affection (one soul two hearts) are extended to the Kashmiris living across the Line of Control who are going through a very critical time of the history. Kashmiris had decided their future to be the part of Pakistan on 19 July 1947 wherein the General Council of All Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference (majority party in the State) had passed the historic Resolution to accede to Pakistan (ALHAQ-e-Pakistan) in true spirit of 3rd June partition plan of the sub-continent/Indian Independence Act 1947. The resolution ‘Accession to Pakistan’ was passed in Srinagar at the residence of Sardar Ibrahim Khan (late) but that resolution could not materialize so far in its totality as dominant part of the State is still under Indian subjugation.
The issue of Jammu & Kashmir is probably the unique issue on the agenda of the UNO which remains unresolved since January 1948. Thereafter, till May 1971, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had passed over two-dozen resolutions and carried out many debates/discussions concerning Jammu and Kashmir. In all of those resolutions, including resolutions of United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), UN asked for a fair and impartial plebiscite to decide the future status of Jammu and Kashmir as per the wishes of the people but India failed in compliance. Prime Minister of India Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru (late) though agreed during Sino-India war of 1962 to follow the UN Resolutions but declined to implement after the war. On this core issue, besides many border skirmishes / local encounters, Pakistan and India had fought four wars and in the same perspective, both have become nuclear powers. On diplomatic front, number of bilateral talks/parleys; including Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) have been held but India always tried to sideline whereas, contrary to that Pakistan have made serious and sincere efforts to crystallize the issue with a view to resolve the conflict under UN Resolutions.
Kashmiris, after having been disappointed from the outcome of UN Resolutions, opted for armed struggle in December 1989 indigenously. On this, the Indian government, instead of handling the situation through political means, pumped additional troops to Kashmir to crush the movement with ruthless operations. In this scenario, Pakistan- a party to the case, could not see this development just as a silent spectator and thus multiplied her diplomatic efforts to rescue Kashmiris from Indian onslaught. This diplomatic support was augmented with political and moral support also wherein the political government in Pakistan with the overwhelming support of ALL political parties of the country decided to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day on 05 February 1990. Since then, this day is observed every year as an obligation because Pakistan and Kashmir have eternal bond of geography, culture and religion. Similarly, this year, the day will be observed with traditional fervour.
The day will have more importance this year due to the ever-worst situation in occupied Kashmir where Indian security forces have intensified their operations and are using coercive tactics to suppress peaceful and legitimate struggle of Kashmiri people. The year 2018 passed with a blood bath in occupied Kashmir where more than 440 people got martyred during the year; the highest death toll in a year since 2008. The human rights violations taking place in held Kashmir by Indian security forces are unprecedented of their worst kind. The Indian forces operating in Kashmir have been empowered through the draconian laws to shoot the Kashmiris at will, wherein the occurrence of heart-wrenching incidents have become order of the day and children are traumatized by separation from their family members. The details of Human Rights violations in Kashmir also have been documented by high repute international Human Rights organizations. The reports compiled by All Parties Parliamentary Kashmir Group of British Parliament (APPKG) and United Nations Human Rights Commission have exposed the Indian brutalities to the world at large.
On this day, besides making symbolic human chains and holding seminars to show solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters, we should call upon the international community that mere condolences or issuance of condemnatory statements over the perennial woes of Kashmiris are not enough as the situation in held Kashmir has gone to an alarming extent and warrants world’s intervention to stop this genocide. A strong message be sent to Indian civil society as well reminding them that spilling of innocent blood and holding people against their will, would destroy their own country sooner than later, hence, they also must rise to the occasion and play their role in ending the incremental genocidal project. We must persuade world important capitals to use their influence on New Delhi and compel her to engage with Pakistan in a meaningful dialogue for resolution of core issue of Jammu & Kashmir .We must emphasize the international community to send fact finding missions to Indian-occupied Kashmir so as to make a fair assessment of the ground situation where Indian forces, in fact, have broken all records of tyranny and oppression.
