Resolution of the Kashmir Conflict: A Vital Step for South Asian Peace
Kashmir is a flashpoint and can trigger a fourth war between the two nuclear powers at any time. (Pakistan’s Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif)
The Kashmir conflict has been a bone of contention between the states of India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule 77 years ago. This dispute was initially started from the reluctance of Maharaja Hari Singh, the princely state ruler, to decide to join either Pakistan or India. The Maharaja acceded to India, but this state logically should have joined Pakistan because of the Muslim majority, its geography, and its religious and cultural factors. This transformed the country’s relations from neighbors to arch-rivals, and it has had significant ramifications for the entire region because this conflict has been considered a hanging fire, and it can hold the entire region hostage to nuclear war if left unresolved.
Over the years, the Indian efforts have been noticed to clamp down on the Kashmiri people. Discontent with its show of force, the Indian government took an unimaginable step on 5 August 2019 by revoking the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) under Articles 370 and 35(a). According to these articles, the people of Kashmir have been given the special status of a semi-autonomous state. There were restrictions on the purchase of property by non-Kashmiris in the state. There was a ban on intermarriages, and the Kashmir assembly was separated from the Indian National Assembly. By revoking these, India has formally annexed Kashmir into its territory. This limit cross-step by India has raised a question about its Indian democracy. Why is India, which claims to be the largest democracy, let off scot-free despite being in clear violation of the UN Charter and the Resolutions of the very body?
Arundhati Roy, a famous Indian writer who is now being prosecuted for her views, had this to say in 2006: “The biggest myth of all times is that India is a democracy. In reality, it is not. Several states in India are on the verge of civil war… In the Kashmir valley alone, some 80,000 people have been killed. In Iraq, there are 150,000 military personnel, whereas in the Kashmir valley, there are some 700,000.” [Criterion Quarterly- Kashmir: A flashpoint]
The leaders of Pakistan, on the other hand, have avowed never to abandon Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination. Pakistan has availed itself of every single opportunity to raise its voice for Kashmiris at all the forums of the world and has always taken concrete steps to ensure that their voice is heard. Even over the decades, Pakistan always takes the first step to resolve its issues with India, including this Kashmir dispute, in accordance with UNSC resolutions for Kashmiris to decide their own future, but India, as usual, is never serious in settling its dispute. They claim that Jammu and Kashmir is their integral part. Their policies have put South Asia on the edge of a precipice, and it is true that peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue.
Kashmir is the core part of Pakistan’s national and foreign policy, and Pakistan also believes in regional stability, so it is its utmost desire to resolve it through peaceful means. Now it is the responsibility of Indian authorities, being the biggest country of the region, to also take measures to promote peace in the region and must be serious in taking those steps that work for creating an enabling environment.
To conclude, the Kashmir dispute holds significant regional and global implications. If immediate steps were not taken to resolve this dispute, then the entire South Asia would be engulfed in the conflagration of a nuclear-armed struggle and war rhetoric, as the two countries have already fought three wars and several other armed skirmishes, so with no solution to this dispute, the peace would remain a nightmare in this region. Along with both India and Pakistan, the international bodies and communities must play their role in promoting peace and, most importantly, ensure that the rights of Kashmiri people are upheld.
Written By: FATIMA NISAR
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