ER. P. L KHUSHU
During the latest spurt in militancy in Jammu, at places like Rajouri, Kathua, Riasi, Doda, etc, by the militants trained and armed in Pakistan, dynasty based politicians from Kashmir working as a PRO”s of Pakistan in Kashmir, ever since the start of militancy in J & K, has again started crying and advocating for talking to Pakistan to avoid such militant acts by the Pakistan trained militants. There are some habitual spokes persons of Pakistan in Kashmir, probably feeling that some people of Kashmir will consider them as a diehard Muslim leaders of Kashmir, maintaining that Kashmir is still a problem between India and Pakistan. An old saying, that one should learn from one’s mistakes, but such politicians are not still learning from their historic mistakes about Kashmir to en cash such a slogan for their political purposes to remain in power on their dynastic sticks for ages. What is behind such utterances which are almost anti India? Some times one feels such repeated statements can be called as seditious statements.
People of Kashmir have rejected them in the recent elections, by coming out to vote in highest percentages since decades and thus neglect them as superfluous entities with zero political values and faces. Even such dynasty based political leaders have lost miserably in the recent elections, yet, this again is not avword of caution for them that they lost their utility and worth amongst the masses of Kashmir as their representative leaders. An English proverb which says, “Once bitten twice shy”. Probably they should get advised and inspired by such a saying and feel the pricks of the ground situation in Kashmir, that Jammu and Kashmir is now a full India and the people of Kashmir have endorsed the action of the Abrogation of the Article 370, by participating in bulk in the recent elections with a broad and a bold face. Even some prominent and so called eminent political faces amongst these high power politicians, calling themselves as the only political faces of Kashmir, having ruled as monarchs’, while having remained as the chief ministers for longer durations in Jammu and Kashmir, have miserably lost in the recent elections.
Should they know it now that the people of Kashmir have rejected them, smelling that these politicians were actually working for their self interests and not for the welfare of the people of Kashmir.
The rut of talk to Pakistan, Pakistan is not wearing bangles , Pakistan has superior bombs and the like, often being talked about by such a regional politician, belonging to a particular dynasty, having been ruling Kashmir ever since 1947, through the various lord heads of that family, from time to time as heir apparent legacies by birth, has been blunted with a brazen slap on the face of such a politician, by the voters of Kashmir by voting in bulk and in big clusters breaking all the records of the past in such elections. It is writing on the wall for all such politicians with dynasty bases to opt out from ruling Kashmir as their legacy and monarchy. Enough is now enough.
This repeated corroborative verbose of proposing that ‘Talk to Pakistan’ has been the one sentence dictum of sympathy of these leaders for Pakistan from the Indian soil and apparently will continue to use it in future too, for reasons which are obvious. Reasons are apparent. An illusory ploy by them to confuse the people of Kashmir, for their vote bank politics. Thank God they have not said so for that “Talk to Pakistan-otherwise”. Alas, this “otherwise” is always visible and its repercussions are felt on ground instantaneously. Whenever such a proposition has come from such opportunist leaders of Kashmir, Pakistan in its fairness and obligatory gesture to these leaders, as is being suspected obliges the situation by creating one or the other problem in Jammu and Kashmir through the terror routes and the like.
Presuming though not conceding that enough credence should be given to their statements that India should talk to Pakistan for peace in Kashmir. But let them pronounce as to what to talk about. Should it be conveyed to Pakistan with folded hands that please pardon us and take this part of Kashmir?
That being so, why did they not do so then when they were in power in Kashmir and ruled Kashmir through dynastic limbs for decades?
Or as true politicians, in the alternative why did not they convey to Pakistan that stop the militancy in Kashmir and its devastation through terror modules, which has devastated Kashmir in each and every respect. Did they feel shy to do so for remaining in power for decades? The famous proverb goes “Better said than Done”.
What to talk about and why? Pakistan started the trouble and is thus the perpetrator of the Kashmir situation, with an obsession about Jammu and Kashmir to have it, while resorting to almost four wars with India including tribal raiders attack on Jammu & Kashmir in the year 1948, without any gains by Pakistan, yet, India had to defend which it did with all its might. India has been equivocally telling Pakistan and the world over that Kashmir is an integral part of India.
If at all there is some dispute, it is about the forced invasion and the captivating of Pakistan over Indian Territory known as Pak Occupied Kashmir (POK), which is under the forced occupation of Pakistan.
In addition to such wars Pakistan in its utter frustration laid the foundation of the proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir through its trained and well equipped terrorists, apart from instilling the concept of insurgency in some of the innocent youths of Kashmir, which is now curbed to a greater extent. It is now almost the 35th year of such a proxy war through militancy in Kashmir, though restrained and curbed now to a larger extent, which Pakistan is still bent upon to rely on.
Since freedom of speech in India is available to every citizen of India, these political leaders may give all such differential statements to address their individual political constituencies. But all such political leaders are very senior persons who have ruled Jammu and Kashmir, from time to time, they should refrain from giving such fiery statements which always jeopardizes the security scenario in J & K, resulting in loss of lives and civil disturbances of various natures, immediately after such ironical statements emanate from them.
It has tangential evidence, which gets prominence as there was a mass involvement of the people of Kashmir in the recent elections, which shows that these politically defunct leaders are now a political liability in Jammu & Kashmir, only to create noises of sorts with no material purposes. It should be an eye opener for all of them. Article 370 goes, please do not grab about it. People of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the people of Kashmir have endorsed it, with their mass involvement in the recent elections.
They have no political standing minus the ‘Gupkar-Link”. Did they ever condemn Pakistan and its terror links in Kashmir, for gruesome acts of terror and its devastation in Kashmir? In fact these tall leaders should have visited the ground locations where all such terror occur and assured the people and the administration that they condemn all such acts without any reservations. They should have visited the residences of the persons who were brutally martyred by terrorists after their fallible statements about talking to Pakistan and condemned Pakistan and its roots of terror in Kashmir, through a press conference, significantly from their “Gupkar Nest”, which would show their real sympathy with the people of Jammu & Kashmir. That is why that they have no tangible following of people now.
There have been numerous attempts by India, to improve the relationship, notably the Shimla Summit, the Agra summit, and the Lahore summit. But Pakistan has never been sincere in its approach to barter peace with India for its domestic compulsions. Since the early 1980s, relations between the two nations have grown increasingly sour, particularly after Pakistan’s the Siachen misadventure, and the intensification of the Kashmir insurgency in 1989. The 1999 Kargil War, was another major factor which spoiled the relations further. Certain confidence-building measures, such as the 2003 ceasefire agreement and the Delhi-Lahore Bus service, have been successful in de-escalating tensions. However, these efforts of peace by India were got impeded by periodic terrorist attacks from Pakistan. The 2001 Indian Parliament attack brought the two nations to the brink of a nuclear war. The 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Pakistani militants resulted in a severe blow to the ongoing India-Pakistan peace talks. Bilateral discussions between the two countries again got stalled after the 2016 Pathankot attack. In September 2016, a terrorist attack on an Indian military base, killed 19 Indian Army soldiers, the deadliest such attack in years. This attack had been orchestrated by a Pakistan-supported terrorists group, which was as usual backed by ISI of Pakistan. This attack on Indian army soldiers, sparked a military confrontation across the Line of Control , with an escalation in ceasefire violations and further militant attacks on Indian security forces. Since 2016, the ongoing confrontation sponsored by Pakistan and its ISI, with continued terrorist attacks, has resulted in the collapse of bilateral relations. Notably, following the 2019 Pulwama attack, the Indian government revoked Pakistan’s most favored nation trade status, which it had granted to Pakistan in 1996.
In November 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif agreed to the resumption of bilateral talks; the following month, Modi made a brief, unscheduled visit to Pakistan while en route to India, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan since 2004. Despite those efforts, relations between the countries have remained frigid, following repeated acts of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan.
These are referral incidents of terrorists attacks sponsored by Pakistan in the other parts of India, outside Jammu & Kashmir, to keep the so called Kashmir Imbroglio alive before the world community, when such incidents of terrorists attacks sponsored by Pakistan and ISI, in Jammu & Kashmir, particularly in Kashmir, are going on without break, having killed thousands of innocent people of Kashmir, the security forces and the local police personals. Militancy and terror has ruined Jammu & Kashmir and its people, particularly from the valley. Apart from that this Kashmir situation created and abetted by Pakistan has resulted in major debacles to the development of Jammu and Kashmir, apart from brain washing the misguided youth of Kashmir to take to guns to fight the Indian forces in Kashmir. It has taken a heavy toll of the youth of Kashmir, along with the devastation of so many families.
Should the political leaders recommending talks with Pakistan be reminded of the fact that more than six Lack Kashmiri Pandit families were reduced to devastation and thousand killed, their house looted and burnt, when they were made to flee from Kashmir resulting in their mass exodus from Kashmir due to pan Islamic terrorism fanned and abetted by Pakistan in Kashmir. Have they any sense of realization about this disaster of their fellow brothers the Kashmiri Pandits. Have they ever condemned Pakistan and their terror hubs in Kashmir about it? These political leaders should understand that while living in ivory towers of Gupkar, they should stop giving such sermons of talking to Pakistan which is nothing but rubbing salt on the bleeding wounds of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Let them stop it somewhere. They had their inning, let them take rest now in the golden nests of Gupkar, the “Acquired Gifts of Nature”.
The significant issue which India has with Pakistan is that it should handover the POK to India immediately without bragging much, when the political leaders arguing for talking to Pakistan should in a plan language convey to Pakistan that handover POK to India. That it is the only solution. Let nobody remain in any
dilemma.
(The author is a chartered consultant civil engineer, who loves his mother land the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir).