- Syeda Mazhar
Today, the word Kashmir has become synonymous with death, destruction and religious genocide in South Asia. Although the roots of the Kashmir issue lie in a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, it has evolved into a multi-faceted issue over the years.
Kashmir being strategically important to both India and Pakistan also provided Pakistan with much needed waters to irrigate the fertile plains of Punjab. The Indus and its tributaries flowing in from Kashmir comprise the primary source of fresh water in Pakistan. As a result, control of the flow of water in these rivers through dams and canals has been a very important issue for decades. Furthermore, the Silk route also passes from the region making it a prime spot from both, economical as well as geographical point of view, not to mention the immense potential of tourism industry with in the valley.
Additionally, the strategic importance of Kashmir extends beyond South Asia and onto the global stage. The annexation of Kashmir by Pakistan or the creation of an independent state would create a continuous block of potential Islamic fundamentalist regions extending all the way from Morocco to Malaysia. Amongst other things, this would have a detrimental impact on the global strategy in the ‘war on terror’.
Kashmir, already somewhat of a harbor for terrorists worldwide could also become a fundamentalist state like Iran and support undesirable activities. According to recent declassified documents, the west also had strategic military interests in Kashmir. Some analysts believe that an independent Kashmir, neutral between India and Pakistan, would be dependent on the west due to its land locked nature. This would give the west an opportunity to establish a military presence in the valley, thus enabling it to extend its influence beyond the Middle East to Central Asia and the western border of China.
The history of Kashmir is bathed in blood since centuries – a beautiful valley, which has always been a prize to acquire. The British sold Kashmir to Maharajah Ghulab Singh in 1846. Subsequently, Maharajah Ghulab Singh established himself as the independent princely ruler of Kashmir. This was done through the famous treaty of Amritsar4. After Ghulab Singh’s death, his kingdom passed on to his successors and was ultimately ruled by Maharajah Hari Singh until 1949. These rulers were known to be tyrannical and oppressive.
In 1931, there was even a revolt and general unrest amongst the majority Muslim population. In 1948, The UN Security Council passed a resolution saying that Pakistan must withdraw all Pakistani citizens and tribesmen from the area and that a plebiscite be held to decide the future of the state3. However, due to a lack of interest from the international community neither objective of the resolution was achieved. And the valley of Kashmir had remained divided into Indian occupied Kashmir and a part of it is under the protection of Pakistan.
The question still resides as to why so much unrest inside the Indian part? It is common knowledge that many people in the territory do not want it to be governed by India, preferring instead either independence or union with Pakistan. The population of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir is more than 60% Muslim, making it the only state within India where Muslims are in the majority. The Indian government and Army is, also, notoriously known for the atrocities inflicted onto the civilians. Incidents like firing pellets into the eyes of masses of young children and randomly picking up kids, kidnapping them, raping the young girls and women in the state, are very rampant causing a lot of resentment towards the Indian state and its governing bodies in total.
High unemployment and complaints of heavy-handed tactics by security forces battling street protesters and fighting insurgents have aggravated the problem. Not only the Kashmiris within the state have been protesting but Kashmiris abroad have also been actively trying to draw global attention to the tyrannical attitude of the Indian Army.
The Kashmiri community of Los Angeles organized a car rally to highlight the human rights violations and atrocities by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir. The rally started at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles and passed through several cities, ending at Santa Monica Pier and Beverly Hills. The rally covered about 30 kilometers. The protest rally also included a hired truck with three sides of digital screens showing Indian brutalities in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. A participant concluded the success of the rally with the fulfillment of its objective to spread awareness about the torture unleashed onto the Kashmiris but the Indians and also by the acknowledgement of the locals that the world really doesn’t know about the reality faced by the Kashmiris.
As ignorant as the world’s population maybe, the Muslims of Kashmir deserve justice and it has been long awaited. The disinterest of the political world of resolving this long standing issue is depriving the Kashmiris a chance to be able to lead a normal life while the officials sit comfortably discussing the fate of at least four generations of people indefinitely.
