Kashmir the paradise on earth has been changed into hell by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government by scarping article 370 and 35 (A). Now special status of Kashmir has been bulldozed through a presidential act endorsed by both the houses of Indian parliament. India’s BJP-led government is hailing its decision to strip the state of Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy after seven decades, characterising it as the correction of a “historical blunder.
Planned Genocide
Giant cruel process of planned genocide has now been geared towards the majority dominated Muslim population of Kashmir. It is now feared that due to this unilateral, undemocratic and unconstitutional act of the BJP government another Palestine may be emerged in the future in another continent.
Fall of Indian Secularism
Government of India has now demolished its own so called prestigious basic core of secularism by not accepting the right of rule of a majority in Kashmir and abolished article 370 & 35 (A) in a just five minutes by presenting the bill in its parliament. It was one of the main promises or agenda of the BJP during the recently held elections which has now been fulfilled by bypassing all norms of constitutional rights. They argued it needed to be scrapped to integrate Kashmir and put it on the same footing as the rest of India. After returning to power with a massive mandate in the April-May general elections, the government lost no time in acting on its pledge.
False Execution
According to original 370 & 35 (A) any change in its utility, nature, composition, definition and execution, the Union Government of India (UGI) will have to consult with state government which has now been violated and BJP government has now put RSS stamp even in Kashmir. The article allowed the state a certain amount of autonomy i.e. its own constitution, a separate flag and freedom to make laws. Foreign affairs, defence and communications will be remained the preserve of the central government.
Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 & 35 (A)
Furthermore, Jammu and Kashmir could now make its own rules relating to permanent residency, ownership of property and fundamental rights. Kashmir will no longer have a separate constitution but will have to abide by the Indian constitution much like any other state. All Indian laws will be automatically applicable to Kashmiris, and people from outside the state will be able to buy property there.
Abrogation of the article 370 & 35 (A)
Abrogation of the article 370 & 35 F (A) has opened the gates of hell to indigenous Kashmiris in terms of ownership, geography, demography, political, economic, civil and last but not the least, social association. Rules of the game has been changed which has sever spillover repercussions for all the major power brokers in the region.
Now every Indian has the right to purchase land and property in Kashmir and settle. The population of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir is more than 60 percent Muslim, making it the only state within India where Muslims are in the majority. Majority of Kashmiris think revoking Article 370 is an attempt to change the territory’s demographic character, by allowing non-Kashmiris to buy land there. It is the beginning of indianization process in Kashmir where people have been struggling for the right of self-determination.
Division of the Federally Administered Territories
The Indian government is also planning to break up the state into two smaller, federally administered territories. One region will combine Muslim-majority Kashmir and Hindu-majority Jammu. The other is Buddhist-majority Ladakh, which is culturally and historically close to Tibet. The Congress party termed it catastrophic step” and warned in parliament that it could have serious consequences.
The Indian government says it is well within its rights to bring in the changes and that similar decisions have been taken by federal governments in the past. Legal experts are divided on this issue but most of them termed it unsound that could be challenged in the Supreme Court.
Historic Perspectives
Historically, the disputed area was once a princely state called Jammu and Kashmir, but it joined India in 1947 when the sub-continent was divided up at the end of British rule. Both the countries subsequently went to war over it and each came to control different parts of the territory with a ceasefire line agreed. Afterwards, there has been violence in the occupied Kashmir for 50 years due to a separatist insurgency against Indian rule.
BJP Stunned the Region & World
Most recently, there were signs of something special afoot in Kashmir. Tens of thousands of additional Indian troops were deployed, a major Hindu pilgrimage was cancelled, schools and colleges were shut, tourists were ordered to leave, telephone and internet services were suspended and regional political leaders were placed under house arrest. But most of the speculation was that Article 35A of the Indian constitution, which gave some special privileges to the people of the state, would be scrapped. The Indian government then stunned everyone by saying it was revoking nearly all of Article 370, which 35A is part of and which has been the basis of Kashmir’s complex relationship with India for some 70 years.
Indian Brutal Unilateralism
Government of India is now projecting this act of brutal unilateralism as its internal matters among the power capitals of the region and beyond. But it is not so. Things are not so simple and straightforward rather things are complex and complicated. There are sever violations of international law because it has been on the agenda of the United Nation for the last 70 years which termed it “disputed issue”.
Three Conflicting Parties
There have been three conflicting parties in the regional context i.e. India, people of Kashmir and of course Pakistan. India cannot alone bring any change in its basics. It is an act of state terrorism under the umbrella of so-called secularized constitution of India. It is an act of Nazi regime which wants to change the basic demography of Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Parliament Joint Session
There is hue and cry in Pakistan parliament during its joint session. United we stand, divided we fall. Divided house, polarized political parties and directionless nation is not doing any good cause to Kashmiris struggle for self-determination and freedom. Oratory achieves nothings. Words may not be replacement of wounds of Kashmiris. Unarticulated speeches may not streamline indigenous struggle of Kashmiris. Kashmir is burning and our representatives are busy in blasting one and other in the joint session of the parliament. It is time to stand firm and show ultimate solidarity with people of Kashmir. It is time to stand first and rise above self-notion of dirty politics and blame game. At last a joint resolution has been adopted to show solidarity with people of Kashmir.
Prime Minister of Pakistan’s Courageous Response
Prime Minister of Pakistan while addressing to joint session of the parliament has strongly rejected the scraping of article 370 & 35 (A) by the BJP government. He has condemned annexation policies of India which may bring havocs to regional stability and international peace in the larger picture. He showed his full commitment towards the noble cause of Kashmiris and reiterated his government’s political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris. He warned India not to go beyond point of no return otherwise; war will be the only option to reach out any conflict resolution wherein nuclear capabilities may play a vital role. He rightly termed it an act of white-supremacy which has now put on fire even the basic core of humanity. Opposition leader also delivered a passionate speech having no substance which has no value in the “art of engagements”.
National Security Council
Various sessions of National Security Council (NSC) have been chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan in which important decisions have now been finalized. Downgrading of diplomatic ties (Indian envoy has been asked to leave the country & not to send its high commissioner to Delhi), suspension of trade with India and reconsidering of all matters with India have been finalized and subsequently executed. Moreover, Prime Minister of Pakistan has ordered the armed forces to be ready for any unwanted circumstance/ internal aggression. Prime Minister Imran Khan has “directed that all diplomatic channels be activated to expose the brutal Indian racist regime, design and human rights violations”. He also directed the armed forces to remain vigilant. In addition, Pakistan is asking the UN Security Council to consider the dispute.
LOC/ International Border in the Line of Fire
LOC/ international border have been in the line of fire for the last so many days. Life has become difficult to people living near the LOCs. Armed forces of Pakistan is stand first to fight against the expansionist designs of India and ready to match any befitting response to Indian hegemonic scheme. The current domestic insurgency in occupied Kashmir started in 1989, violence surged again in 2016, with the death of a young militant leader, Burhan Wani. Last year, more than 500 people were killed including civilians, security forces and militants the highest such death toll in a decade. China has strongly opposed India’s move to revoke the article, calling it “unacceptable”.
UK Foreign Secretary
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reportedly said he had spoken to India’s foreign minister and “expressed some of our concerns around the situation and called for calm”.
It has been reported in Pakistan as well as Indian media that troops on the border had exchanged heavy fire.
Concluding Remarks
Kashmir, heaven on earth is bleeding. Every important political leader of Kashmir has been arrested. Every street and road has been militarized by more than 700,000 Indian army and paramilitary forces. India’s Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah has revoked, with the stroke of a presidential pen, the special status of Jammu & Kashmir guaranteed under Article 370 of the Indian constitution.
UN Resolution No. 47 of 1948 provided that the “United Nations would conduct a free and impartial plebiscite” in the disputed territory. Most recent India’s action in altering the status quo of Jammu & Kashmir has implications which go beyond the illegal brutality of the act itself. It is a unilateral abrogation of the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999, both of which have bound India and Pakistan to pursue peaceful means and neither side shall unilaterally alter the situation and both shall prevent the organisation, assistance or encouragement of any acts detrimental to the maintenance of peaceful and harmonious relations.” In addition, both countries “resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them.
The Foreign Office of Pakistan must launch a marathon diplomatic effort to get engaged the OIC, the EU, and the UN. On its part, armed forces of Pakistan are ready to offer a befitting response in case of any external aggression. It is the lesson of modern political wisdom that brutal unilateralism is the extension of Nazism which promotes policies of state terrorism and annexation. Kashmir is our life-line as stated by father of nation which has now become endangered because of scarping of Article 370 & 35 (A). It is the replication of Israel Model on the soil of Palestine. It is now feared that this act of BJP led government may start a new struggle of freedom among the general masses of Kashmir with a new meaning, purpose and direction. It is feared that it may begin a new martial struggle in the valley with a new velocity.
Essence of political wisdom and statesmanship demands that any violent act must be avoided to alter the geographical and demographical equations in the Kashmir valley. Every constitution stands for protection of basic rights of common people in the world which should not be misused for gratification and self-glorification. Humans are real, permanent and provisions of law are mere political tools for extension of once dynasty. BJP led government must realize that people of Kashmir will prefer to die than to live under Indian rule anymore. Self-projected secularism of India, so-called diversified ethnic diversity and multiculturalism are on stake. Let us hope sanity may prevail.
