Today, February 5, the annual ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ in Pakistan is being observed at a time India has unleashed a reign of terror in Occupied Kashmir. Hundreds of protesters confronting the might of Indian army, paramilitaries, and police with mere stones have been killed, dozens of young men blinded by the use of pellet guns, and countless others arrested and subjected to extreme torture. Since the present phase of the uprising against Indian rule erupted in 1989, an estimated one hundred thousand Kashmiris have lost their lives. International as well as India’s own rights organisations have been expressing deep concern over custodial killings, use of rape as a weapon of war, discovery of mass graves, and house demolitions. India, of course, blames Pakistan for its troubles, but few dispute the fact that the Kashmiri uprising began as an essentially indigenous movement. For a time, Pakistan is believed to have played a role in encouraging the movement, but that harmed rather than helped the Kashmir cause.
A new generation of Kashmiris has since taken over the independence struggle. The present wave of protests was triggered by the July 2016 killing at the hands of Indian security forces of a young resistance leader, Burhan Wani. Those killed are swiftly replaced by new fighters. It is worthwhile to recall here what a senior BJP leader and a former external affairs minister, Yashwant Sinha, had to say after visiting the valley twice on a fact-finding mission at the head of a “concerned citizens” team. Having held meetings with a cross-section of the people, including the Hurriyat leaders, Sinha released a report, which among other things said: “India, many believe, is deliberately pretending to be ignorant of the aspiration of the Kashmiri people. Most Kashmiris claim that their protests are neither ‘sponsored’ by anyone nor are their youngsters being paid to come out in the streets.” The report called for initiation “at the earliest” of multi-dimensional talks, that should include the Hurriyat, also urging improvement in the human rights situation. Notably, former BJP prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also started a process of three-way talks, i.e., between Kashmiris and New Delhi, Pakistan and India, and Kashmiri leaders on either side of the LoC, leading to significant progress. Unfortunately, things fell through due to a political upheaval in this country.
At present, even pro-India leaders in the Occupied Kashmir, including the current chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and the previous two CMs, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, have been calling for dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue. But the Delhi government refuses to listen. A few months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed a single-member commission to see what could be done to deal with the situation. The ‘commission’ did not bother to meet with any of the Hurriyat leaders, or to come up with its report, which if it exists is known only to Modi. Bloody repression may buy his government some time, but the Kashmiri people are making it amply plain that they are not going to give up their fight for freedom. He would be wise to pay heed to sane voices in his own country and open dialogue and discussion with the other two parties to the dispute, the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
