Feb 5: A day to remember Kashmiris’ sacrifices

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto announced in 1990 to observe February 5 as Kashmir Day to show solidarity with the people of Indian-held Kashmir. Kashmiris and Pakistanis around the world observe this day to express solidarity with Kashmiris, who have been the victims of the worst Indian state terrorism rendering unparalleled sacrifices to achieve their birth right, the right to self-determination, since 1947. There are several reasons why Pakistan is expressing solidarity with Kashmiris. The most striking is the strong cultural, religious and geographical bond which has tied them into one unity. Moreover, the people of Pakistan rightly feel that Kashmir is the unfinished business of the partition of the subcontinent.

To understand the importance of the observance of Kashmir Day, one needs to understand the history of India’s occupation of Kashmir. According to the Partition Plan of June 3, 1947, the subcontinent was to be divided into two sovereign states. The Hindu-majority areas were to form India and the Muslim-majority areas were to be included in Pakistan. Under the criterion of partition, the princely states had to accede either to Pakistan or to India, keeping in consideration the geographical situation and communal demography. Being a Muslim-majority state, with 87 per cent Muslim population, Kashmir had a natural tendency to accede to Pakistan, but the evil designs of its then Hindu ruler and the Indian National Congress paved the way to destroy the future of millions of Kashmiris. India occupied the state by deploying its troops there on October 27, 1947, in total disregard to the spirit of the partition plan and against the wishes of Kashmiris.

On January 1, 1948, realising that its troops could be defeated by the Kashmiri freedom fighters, India approached the United Nations Security Council, which in its successive resolutions, accepted by Pakistan and India, approved a ceasefire, demarcation of a Ceasefire Line, and demilitarisation of the state and called for a free and impartial plebiscite to be conducted under the supervision of the UN. The demarcation of ceasefire resulted in dividing Kashmir into two parts, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Indian-held Kashmir. Phase one of the UN resolutions ‘the ceasefire ‘was implemented while demilitarisation of the territory and the holding of a plebiscite under the UN umbrella remains unimplemented till today. India’s first Prime Minister, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, whose government took the Kashmir issue to the UN.

India has committed numerous human rights violations in Kashmir. And still it tries to project itself as a secular and peaceful country. If India is so confident that Kashmiris have full faith in the Indian Constitution and that the overwhelming participation of Kashmiris in recent elections is proof of that, and then let it hold a plebiscite in line with the decades-old UN resolutions. What is India afraid of?

Freedom of thought and expression is the most fundamental of human rights. There are a few countries that claim to be democratic but are actually barbaric. They hide their war crimes by using their media as a war machine. India is one of these countries, which has used all types of brutal force against Kashmiris but has been evading criticism because of the worst press censorship.

Despite committing grave human rights violations, India tries to deceive the world by presenting itself as a ‘secular and the largest’ democracy. For how long will the world stand by and allow this genocide to continue? UN should wake up to the blatant violations of the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter by the Indian troops. These troops have been given a free hand to kill, detain and torture any person irrespective of their age and gender under the draconian and black laws, such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act – 1958, Public Safety Act (PSA) – 1978 and the Jammu And Kashmir Disturbed Areas Act – 1992. Indian forces have killed nearly one hundred thousand Kashmiris. Youth have suffered the most as the Indian troops suspect them to be freedom fighters. Fake encounters, custodial deaths and enforced disappearances are common. However, the steadfast Kashmiris are, in fact, writing an inspiring golden chapter in their epic history by making supreme sacrifices. Nowhere in the world, has such a ghastly state terrorism existed.

On the other hand, Pakistan is very sincere in resolving the Kashmir issue. Pakistan has always invited India for starting the peace dialogue again after the 26/11 attacks but India has always backed out of it. Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised that it would never accept any option for the resolution of the core issue, which goes against Kashmiris’ aspirations.

The core issue of Kashmir has led Pakistan to fight three wars with India. World leaders have stressed India and Pakistan to solve the Kashmir dispute. Kashmir is the nuclear flash point of Asia, surrounded by three nuclear powers. It is incumbent on the international community in general and governing world bodies in particular to force India to stop shedding Kashmiris blood. Kashmiris should have the right to decide their fate according to the UN resolutions, which were adopted to resolve the issue. Without any doubt, Kashmir is jugular vein of Pakistan and it cannot abandon it under any condition.

The formation of the US war on terrorism provided the Indians the perfect excuse to turn back on their promise of finding a just and lasting resolution to the Kashmir issue based on the wishes of the Kashmiris. They tried to confuse world opinion by pinning the blame on Pakistan for aiding the ‘militants’ through ‘cross-border terrorism’. The observance of the Kashmir Day is, thus an unambiguous manifestation of Pakistan’s commitment to the veracity. Thus February 5 is a day to acknowledge Kashmiris’ struggle for justice, peace, truth, and fundamental human rights