Er P L Khushu
It is repeatedly being said by some of the most prominent political leaders of Kashmir that ‘Talk to Pakistan’, irrespective of the fact as to what to talk about and why. This repeated corroborative verbose of proposing that ‘Talk to Pakistan’ has been the one sentence dictum of sympathy of these leaders for Pakistan from Indian soil and apparently will continue to use it in future too. Reasons are apparent. It is an illusory ploy by them to confuse 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 veteran leaders of Kashmir, Pakistan in its fairness and obligatory gesture to these leaders, as is being suspected obliges the situation by creating one or other problem in Jammu and Kashmir through terror routes and the like. One of the tall leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should hold talks with Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
The import of the language was that if Prime Minister is talking to leaders from Kashmir, he should talk to Pakistan too, thus equating their level of talks with the Prime Minister, to be equally repeated with Pakistan too. Let it be known that Kashmir is India and anybody living in India is an Indian. So the wisdom speaks that in talking to the various political leaders from Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister was talking to political leaders of a region of India and not of any other country, as they are living in India as Indians. There should be no doubt about it. Ironically enough, after the meeting of about 14 leaders of Jammu and Kashmir with the Prime Minister on 24th June, amongst which most of the political leaders were from Kashmir, who are very much desirous of India talking to Pakistan on Kashmir issue from Indian soil, a sensational terror attack took place. This sensational terror attack took place just the next day, when two drones were used to target IAF Station in first such strike in India. Pakistan made a drone attack on Jammu air base, just in first instance, through terrorists used low-flying drones to drop two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in technical area of the Indian Air Force station in Jammu in the early hours of June 27.
Subsequently, on 27th June, terrorists shot dead a special police officer, his wife and daughter in Pulwama district. The ultras barged into house of SPO Fayaz Ahmad at Hariparigam in Awantipora area at around 11 PM on Sunday and opened fire on the family. The injured were rushed to a hospital where the SPO succumbed. His wife Raja Begum and daughter Rafia also died later on. The attack on a Special Police Officer and his family by terrorists of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) sent shock waves across Jammu and Kashmir.
On 2nd July, 5 Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) terrorists, including a district commander, were killed in an encounter between ultras and security forces in Pulwama district, wherein an Army Jawan was also martyred, as per reports of J&K police. So impliedly doubts arise in the minds of the peace loving people of Jammu & Kashmir that are such statements related to subsequent terror disturbances of sorts directly or indirectly or impliedly conducted by Pakistan to enliven such unwarranted statements of such leaders. There is a big question mark about it.
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. There is a feeling in Kashmir, right or wrong, that with the mass arrests of political activists of various political parties for a long period of time, after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A, the authorities are demonizing the people of Kashmiri. These political leaders have a distinct right to agitate on such issues and the like, but how and why to get Pakistan involved in all such issues, by asking the central government to talk to Pakistan. It is an internal matter of India, what standing Pakistan has in it. In fact unfortunately such statements of these leaders who have ruled Jammu and Kashmir for decades are demonizing peaceful conditions in Jammu and Kashmir, to keep the pot of Kashmir dispute boiling for their own political interests.
It has a tangential evidence, which gets prominence as no common Kashmiri came on streets of Kashmir to resent their arrests, when all such leaders of top denomination, had to cool their heels in absolute detention. It should be an eye opener for all of them. They have no political standing minus the ‘Gupkar-Link’. Did they condemn Pakistan and its terror links in Kashmir, for these gruesome acts of terror and its devastation which occurred immediately after their envious statements of advising India to talk to Pakistan? In fact these tall leaders should have visited the ground locations where all such terror acts of drones were executed 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, they have no tangible following of people.
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 terrorism 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 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 youth of Kashmir, which is still continuing. It is now almost 32nd year of such a proxy war through terrorism in Kashmir, which Pakistan is still bent upon to depend upon.
There have been numerous attempts by India, to improve the relationship, notably the Simla 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 terrorists 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, martyred 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 terrorist attacks on Indian security forces. Since 2016, the ongoing confrontation sponsored by Pakistan and its ISI, with continued terrorist attacks, 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 the then 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.
There was an attack at the Parliament of India in New Delhi on 13 December 2001, during which fourteen people, including the five men who attacked the building, were killed. The perpetrators were Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists. The attack led to deaths of five terrorists besides martyring six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel and a gardener, in total 14, which increased tensions between India and Pakistan.
The 2008 Mumbai attacks by ten Pakistani terrorists killed over 173 and wounded 308. The sole surviving terrorist gunman Ajmal Kasab, who was arrested during attacks, was found to be a Pakistani national. This fact was acknowledged by Pakistani authorities. In May 2010, an Indian court convicted him on four counts of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism offences, and sentenced him to death. 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. Terrorism 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’.
A vertical question needs to be asked from these political leaders of Kashmir, under the circumstances, as to what is to be talked about for restoration of peace in Kashmir as per their statements. Pakistan has tried its best to agitate and aggravate the Kashmir issue both diplomatically, militarily and then through proxy war of using terror outfits in Kashmir, which has devastated Kashmir and its economy. But it has miserably failed. It has even used the stinging tool of possessing of nuclear arsenals too, which is probably now eaten by rats under the circumstances of India’s potential strength both economic as also military, to combat all such evil eventualities of a war by Pakistan. 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 remains in any dilemma.
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer, who loves his Motherland, the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir).