Forty Years of Kashmir Conflict: Myths and Realities
The diverse region of Kashmir famous for its beauty and rich resources has always remained a contested area in the world. Two great nuclear powers India and Pakistan have been fighting over its control for more than 70 years now. They have fought three major and two minor wars and have been involved in several skirmishes. The main reason behind the chaos initially remained the rich resources and the geostrategic location of Kashmir but the reality is clouded by the myths and false narratives spread by deceitful Indians which makes it difficult for the ordinary person to understand this complex issue. The articles try to unravel the myths regarding the Kashmir issue which are purposefully crafted by Indians to mislead the world.
To understand the roots of conflict it is necessary to look deep into the history of that area. During the partition plan of 1947, all the princely states were given the choice to accede to either India or Pakistan. The Muslim-majority states acceded to Pakistan while Hindu-majority states acceded to India. But the future of some princely states such as Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Kashmir was unclear. Later, India annexed Junagadh and Hyderabad while Mountbatten suggested Kashmir to join India as India was a secular nation. The ruler Maharaja Hari Singh wanted to maintain an independent status despite having a Muslim majority that wanted to be part of Pakistan.
The undecided status led to riots across the state due to which Hari Singh flew to Delhi to seek military support, he signed an Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947. In that Instrument of Accession, it was quite clear that Kashmir will not be forced to accept the future constitution of India, but India claimed that through this Instrument of Accession, Maharaja Hari Singh gave India control over Kashmir. Since the very beginning, the indigenous Kashmiri Muslims were not willing to accede to India so they started a peaceful struggle for the right to self-determination. The United Nations also sent its military observer group to monitor the situation and create an environment feasible for the plebiscite. But India since the very start has rejected the call for a plebiscite by claiming that Kashmir is its integral part because Kashmir has voted in India’s national elections.
While studying the conflict one may find false claims made by India to mislead the world so here is the detail of some of the major myths associated with the Kashmir conflict and the reality behind the conflict to dispel those myths with historical facts. India unabashedly claims that Kashmir is India’s internal matter so whatever India is doing in Kashmir is justified. India is unwilling to accept any foreign intervention which is quite evident in the fact that it has turned a blind eye to all the UNSC resolutions such as UNSC resolutions 51, 80, 91, 96, 98, 112, 123, 126, 209, 210, 211, 214, 215, 303 and 307 calling for demilitarization and peaceful settlement of the dispute by providing the right of self-determination. These resolutions imply that Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory and India has deliberately misled the public by inculcating the narrative that “Kashmir is India’s Integral part”. Based on this false notion the fascist Modi regime is committing so many blunders such as the revocation of the special status of Kashmir to suppress the voices of Kashmiris. Due to this adamant approach, Indians are unwilling to make any move toward a negotiated settlement.
In support of the previous claim, India put forth another claim that there is no indigenous Kashmiri resistance within Kashmir all the unrest is sponsored by Pakistan. But if we look deep into history, we came to know that the Kashmiri struggle for freedom has a long history as Kashmiris were never happy to accede to India so right after the independence of India and Pakistan Kashmiris started a peaceful struggle to gain the right of self-determination. By and large, the movement remained peaceful and political but it turned violent in 1989 when the Indian state rigged the elections and declared the pro-Indian party as the winner aggravating the sentiments of hatred in Kashmiris. Thousands of protestors took to the streets against the injustice and India responded violently which further give rise to the insurgency. At that time Kashmir has seen a rise in insurgency which was a response to India’s repression and mulish behavior of not providing the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people. It was merely India’s stubbornness that forced Kashmiris to stand up for their rights but India blamed Pakistan for it.
Pakistan has only provided political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiris while the Indian government and media were remorselessly blaming Pakistan for providing support and training to violent non-state actors to fight against the Indian army. It is generally assumed that Pakistan has sponsored insurgency in Kashmir while, in reality, it was the rising insurgency in the state that forced Pakistani involvement to provide support to Kashmiri Muslims. India blames Pakistan for sponsoring Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) to spread terror and violence in the state in 1989. But JKLF was providing support to Kashmiri Muslims to resist Indian oppression. Indian responded to them with a heavy crackdown and arrested their colleagues.
It is now a well-known fact that by and large, the Kashmiri freedom struggle has remained peaceful for almost 70 years and when they turned violent it was merely against the occupying Indian troops and paramilitary. However, the claim that there is no indigenous freedom struggle itself is paradoxical because if there is no freedom struggle in the state then why the fascist Modi regime has revoked the special status of Kashmir in 2019 and imposed the worst lockdown of history to suppress that movement.
India unilaterally revoked the special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and called it a temporary arrangement done for the economic development and prosperity of the state but in reality, this unilateral move has now become the real reason for discontent among Kashmiris as they have been deprived of their right of self-determination. India turned blind eye to the political demands of the Kashmiri people and legitimized its move in the name of economic prosperity but the question here is how the prosperity will come through economic means when the grievances of the population are political. Furthermore, if the main motive was to bring economic development to the region, then why the indigenous population was locked up in their houses, why there was a rise in extra-judicial killings, violence, torture, enforced disappearances, ban on journalism and media blackouts by introducing draconian laws. It means that the so-called-largest democracy in the world is afraid of the voices of Kashmiris asking for freedom from oppression.