Dr Muhammad Khan
AUGUST 5, 2020 marked the completion of one year of clampdown, curfew and siege of the India-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK). On August 5, 2019 once India imposed curfew throughout the state, it shut down everything; people were not allowed to come out of their houses, even shops with food items and medical centres were completely closed for a few months, later opened partially for essential food items and medicines. Indian security forces had very strict monitoring over the residential areas and the business centres throughout. The siege is continuing in IOJK even after passage of one year without any let-up. In the last one year, there have been killings of hundreds of Kashmiri youth who protested clampdown and violated the curfew. Thousands have been arrested and jailed outside the state boundaries.
Upon imposition of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act-2019, India made massive changes in the Constitution of IOJK. The Domicile Law was changed, allowing Indian nationals to claim the Kashmiri citizenship. So far over 50,000 non-Kashmiri Indian nationals have been given Kashmiri domicile. This all is aimed to change the demography of the occupied state by converting Muslim majority into minority. In the wording of Badar-ul-Islam Sheikh, a 29-year-old resident of Srinagar, “The decision to provide non-Kashmiri residents with a domicile certificate is certainly the beginning of the end. This is the beginning of Kashmir becoming another Palestine.” Al Jazeera news has repeatedly highlighted the India strategy of converting majority into minority. Jammu province has already been converted into Hindu majority. Now, this strategy is being implemented in Valley area of IOJK.
In the last one year, there have been massive arrests of the Kashmiris in IOJK; those arrested were put into jails and torture centres. The New York Times, in its January 17, 2020 Op-ed has unveiled the Indian planning for establishing concentration camps for the Muslims of India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, whose only fault is that they are demanding their right of self-determination. Entitled as, “Indian General Talks of De-radicalization Camps for Kashmiris”, Jeffrey Gettleman and Kai Schultz has quoted new Indian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat who advised Indian Government to establish concentration camps and shift the Kashmiri youth there for re-education. Since concentration camps established for the Muslims in a neighbouring country has attracted widespread condemnation, therefore Indian CDS has recommended that these concentration camps be named as, ‘De-radicalization Centres’. However, these centres will be used for forced conversion of ideology of the youth and their love for freedom and Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the world generally remains insensitive to the continuous siege and curfew in the India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the last one year. At the global level, this callousness towards Kashmir and Kashmiris which Indian Government has actually converted into a prison without food and medical care is an indication that global standard of human rights and humanity are dedicated to selective faiths, designated communities, specific races and certain areas and communities. The worst part of this inconsiderateness is that Muslims of the occupied Jammu and Kashmir are the real target of Indian brutalities and Muslims of the Arab world have been decorating the Indian Prime Minister with their highest national awards. Mr Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, is known as Butcher of Gujrat and killer of the Muslims in India.
This speaks of down-fall of Muslim world, which is being exploited by global power centres; owing to lack of providence, the imprudent luxurious form of life driven by other’s directives. While not uttering a single word against Indian actions in IOJK, especially the post August 5, 2019 Indian ruthlessness, it is unclear as what message Muslim world especially the GCC states wanted to give to Muslims in general and Kashmiris in particular. The so-called Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is also quite. Unfortunately, no Muslim state except Turkey and Malaysia demanded India to end the siege of Kashmiris in IOJK.
Indeed, Arab Muslim world is encouraging Israel to expand into and annex the Palestinian land, declaring them as terrorists. Today, the illegal state of Israel is acceptable to Arab world, but, poor homeless and legal Palestinian State and its Muslims population is not acceptable to their brothers in Arab. The Israeli influence over Arabs has now brought these monarchs closer to India. The realities is both India and Israel are making inroads in the Arab world. There are over ten million Indians living in Arab world, controlling the economy and other nerve centres. Some of the Indian Hindus have raised their voices against Islam and Muslims while being on Arab land. The monarchs remained largely quite over comments of Hindutva activists.
It was in the same context that Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, had to say, “Today I will once again make a humble request to the leadership of the OIC: calling a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers is our expectation. If you cannot call it, then I will be forced to tell my Prime Minister that those Muslim countries who want to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and who want to side with the oppressed people of Kashmir. , let’s call a meeting of them, whether that is on the OIC forum or not. Time has come that the OIC come out of this avoidance, this hide and seek.” At this trying time of Indian brutalities in IOJK, Pakistan and Kashmiris need a fair response from OIC and all Muslim states. Besides, they need a clear support of international community and world’s power centres.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been protesting against Indian occupation of their state since 1947. They want their right of self-determination as per UN resolutions. Kashmiri fought against Dogra Rule in 1947 to join Pakistan and today in 2020, the people of IOJK are protesting and facing 900,000 Indian military might to join their dreamland Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan must realize that legally Pakistan stands at higher position than India to pursue the Kashmir dispute at UNSC, ICJ and United Nations Commission on Human Rights. After issuance of new political map, Pakistan must come out of rhetoric of moral, diplomatic and political support of Kashmiris. Let’s take concrete steps to free Kashmiris from Indian occupation.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
