THE KASHMIR DISCOURSES
FOREWORD
Need for compiling relevant papers on an issue can hardly be overemphasized. Therefore, it was need of the hour to bring out a publication, containing documents on such an important issue as Jammu & Kashmir. Besides, there was also a demand from various quarters in this regard. Hence, staff of the Kashmir Committee was tasked to prepare a brochure, comprising important papers on Kashmir.
The present brochure does not contain all the documents, discussions on Kashmir. However, an effort has been made to place important papers together. I hope the publication will be useful for the readers, especially the researchers.
(FAZL-UR-RAHMAN)
Chairman
Parliamentary Kashmir Committee
July, 2011
THE KASHMIR ISSUE
The history of freedom struggle in Jammu & Kashmir is much older than the freedom struggle of the sub continent. In 1832, the Kashmiris revolted against the tyranny of the Sikh rule and their leaders were skinned alive. Thereafter, the Kashmiris kept on agitating. The Kashmir Valley (area in the east of the River Sindh) was sold by the British Rulers to Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu for 75 lac rupees under the ignoble of the Amritsar Treaty on 16th March, 1846.
The Kashmir issue is not only the oldest issue on the agenda of the United Nations, but is also an unfinished agenda of Partition of the sub-continent. As per the Partition Plan, option was given to the Rulers of the princely states (numbering 584) to preferably join either India or Pakistan, keeping in view the geographical contiguity and composition of population of their states. The Ruler of Hyderabad wanted to remain independent, whereas the Ruler of Junagarh acceded to Pakistan. However, India occupied both the states on the plea that the majority of their peoples were Hindus, who wanted to join India. But India was not ready to accept this formula in the case of Jammu & Kashmir, which was supposed to join Pakistan for its geographical contiguity and predominant Muslim population. India cajoled the Non-Muslim Ruler of the State, Mahraja Hari Singh to accede to India and sent its forces for the massacre of the Kashmiri Muslim, who were agitating to join Pakistan. The Kashmiris also took up arms, liberated some areas of the State and established an Azad Government of Jammu & Kashmir.
India went to the UN, seeking its help in resolving the issue. The UN passed quite a few resolutions, calling for holding a plebiscite in the State. The resolutions were accepted by India and Pakistan. The prominent leaders of India also repeatedly promised to hold plebiscite. However, they are not serious in fulfilling their promises. Rather, India has tried to delay the matter on one pretext on the other. It also engaged in talks with Pakistan and the Kashmiri leaders as a delaying tactic.
Disgruntled with the sham elections, non-implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir and affected by the wave of democracy spreading across the globe in the late eighties, the people of the Occupied Kashmir started agitating for freedom. India tried to crush the movement by force, which further ignited the fire of freedom. India has deployed around eight hundred thousand military and paramilitary forces in the Occupied Kashmir, empowering them with draconian laws, which give them a free hand to play an orgy of death. They have unleashed a reign of terror. By now, over 90,000 Kashmiris have been killed, some 10,000 women raped, over 10,000 persons disappeared and property worth billions of rupees destroyed. The recent discovery of over four thousand unnamed graves has further exposed the horrible dimensions of human tragedy. The human rights violations perpetrated by the Indian Security Forces in the occupied territory have been condemned by various leaders of the world, the human rights organizations, like Amnesty International, Asia Watch, Human Rights Watch, UN Human Rights Commission/Council, European Parliament, etc. A delegation of the European Parliament, after a visit to the Occupied Kashmir, has called it “the most beautiful prison in the world”. Even Indian organizations and intellectuals, like Gautam Naulakha, Arundhatti Roy and others have condemned these brutalities. The foreign dignitaries may visit both parts of Jammu & Kashmir to see the ground reality. In AJK, they can meet the refugees from the Occupied Kashmir also and listen to their tales of woe. There will be no restriction on them, as they face in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan is a peace loving country and desires to resolve all disputes with India peacefully. It has shown maximum flexibility. It has offered to talk to India at any time, at any level and at any place. However, despite all efforts of Pakistan to resolve the issue, Indian leaders are adamant.
During the last six decades, a number of rounds of talks were held between Pakistan and India on Kashmir, but all remained fruitless, because of the intransigency of India. It starts talks under pressure only and stops when the pressure is released. A number of years were consumed on the Composite Dialogue. Some progress has been recorded in the sectors of culture, sports, immigration, communications, etc. However, there is little progress on the core issue of Kashmir. If at all India is engaged in talks with Pakistan, it keeps on killing the Kashmiri people. It has also increased its defence budget enormously and is spending huge amounts on the enhancement of its firepower. Moreover, it is building dams in the Occupied Kashmir on the rivers, flowing towards Pakistan, in violation of the Indus Water Treaty 1960. This reflects the mindset of the Indian leaders against Pakistan.
The freedom struggle of the Kashmiris for their right to self-determination can’t be dubbed as terrorist movement, because this right has been accepted in the United Nations resolutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the international organizations, such as the Non-Aligned Movement. The peaceful mass movement, continuing since 2008, has also exposed the Indian propaganda, calling the upsurge in the Occupied Kashmir as a terrorist movement sponsored from abroad.
Kashmir is not a territorial problem. It’s a human problem, involving around 14 million Kashmiris. If the Kashmir issue is resolved, all other issues will automatically be resolved and both countries will save a lot of funds presently spent on defence, for bettering the lot of their peoples. Three wars have since been fought between the two countries on Kashmir. If atrocities in the Occupied Kashmir continue and the Kashmir issue is not resolved, situation in the nuclearized sub-continent can take an awful turn.
India desires to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council – the same body whose resolutions on Kashmir it is flouting with impunity for the last over six decades. Indian efforts to this effect are, therefore, no less than a joke and insult for this august body.
The world community should not remain a silent, disinterested spectator to the Jammu & Kashmir Imbroglio, because any conflagration in the sub-continent can affect peace and stability of not only the region, but the world as well. Hence, it should play its role in resolving the issue. The need of the hour is that India should immediately withdraw its forces from the Occupied Kashmir, release the detenus, repeal the black laws, stop state terrorism and allow human rights organisations to visit the Occupied Kashmir. The international community should monitor the Pak-India dialogue and compel India to be serious in making the dialogue meaningful and result oriented.
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