WE STAND WITH KASHMIR
IT all started when Burhan Wani, social media activist, was martyred by the Indian security forces. Shortly after his death protests erupted across the state and India resorted to ruthless killings of the innocent Kashmiris. Apart from using heavy handedness methods, the Indian armed forces are also responsible for the information blockade to the disputed territory while seizing newspapers and disrupting cable TV network transmissions.
The curbs placed on Kashmiri media are designed to foil independent reports from emerging from the troubled region, so that the international community may not be aware of the simmering situation.
Reacting to the violence and deaths, Pakistan strongly condemned the brutality and according to the Pakistani government, oppressive measures such as these cannot deter the valiant people of occupied Kashmir.
Against the backdrop of the growing Indian violence, many countries including Russia and US have showed their concerns against the brutal killings of Kashmiris. Russia showed its concerns and expressed that apportioning Kashmir to India was a grave mistake on part of Great Britain. Similarly the spokesperson US foreign office, John Kirby, in a press conference expressed his reservations regarding a spate of violence against innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces. He conveyed that the US wants a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue and expressed great concerns over killing of innocent people.
China has also supported the peaceful resolution and expressed concern over the loss of lives in the valley which is aligned with Pakistan’s stance. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the killings of Kashmiri protesters. Responding to a letter written by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the UN chief offered his good offices to facilitate dialogue in order to achieve a negotiated settlement.
With so much condemnation going on against the aggressiveness, India should now come to its senses sooner than later to realise that more than six decades of brute force should come to an end now.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is blamed to be the architect of the 2002 Gujrat riots and as a result of his personal beliefs, views, ideological and party affiliations, is not viewed as someone who can deliver peace. This viewpoint gains further credence with his election manifesto that was heavily antiPakistan and also spoke of the revision of Article 370 of the Indian constitution pertaining to Kashmir’s special status. But it seems recently that better sense has prevailed over him as Modi has finally broken his impasse and showed his consent towards talks with stakeholders regarding Kashmir. It is due to the increasing international pressure on India that Modi has finally spoken about the resolution of the issue.
While on the other hand, the Pakistani government has always taken up the cause of the Kashmiri people. At almost all the UN General Assembly sessions, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif highlighted the plight of the Kashmiris, much to India’s displeasure, because the Indians are forever haunted by the K-word.
The National Assembly of Pakistan extended complete support to the Kashmiris and it was vowed that Pakistan will continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiris till the achievement of their goals. The world community should pay attention to the increasing human rights violations in the scenic valley.
Kashmir is the most dangerous flashpoint in the South Asian region. The people of Pakistan are committed to providing moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris in their just struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination. Pakistan has always wanted a non-military resolution of the issue and the UN should play its role to give the right to self-determination to Kashmiri people because it is the only international guarantor of human rights. The brutality of India is a mockery to its claim of being the world’s largest democracy as freedom of expression is a key pillar of the democratic structure.