A fire in any part of a house, that requires immediate, swift and deliberate action, and if not taken seriously, it takes over all the house within a matter of time and burns everything to ashes. No matter how much the residents of the house talk about and make commitments about peace, safety, and a prosperous future.
Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint between Pakistan and India. It is a burning fire that has not been cooled. Till now the only aid that has been directed towards controlling this fire is repeated commitments, assurances and promises.
A long history of Indian oppression and violence in Kashmir, that started with the occupation of a large territory of Jammu and Kashmir based on a fraudulent Instrument of accession, is only getting worse with time.
From agreeing to holding a free and fair plebiscite (although just in words) in Kashmir as per the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions to stripping Kashmir of its special status and considering a disputed territory as its internal part, India moved away from the promises made by its founding fathers in a bid to force the International community to accept the status quo on Kashmir.
A status quo that is against the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and neither acceptable to them nor Pakistan.
Joseph Korbel, a member of the UN Commission for India and Pakistan, in his book Danger in Kashmir, pointed out this in these words ” The accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India cannot be considered as valid by canons of International law… The issue itself cannot be sidetracked. The history of the case has made it clear that time has only aggravated, not healed the conflict; that neither the Pakistanis nor the Kashmiris will accept the status quo as a solution”. The book was published in 1954. But, his assessment of the situation remains valid.
Pakistan has repeatedly asked the world community to play its part. It has tried multiple times to better relations with India but every time received an evasive response. The stubborn, hostile and hegemonic attitude of India has put at risk the peace of South Asia.
The issue of Kashmir would not have existed for so long had its fate been decided by its people.
When the Nawab of Junagadh, who was a Muslim, announced accession to Pakistan on 15 August 1947, India protested and called this move a violation of the principle of partition as a majority of the state’s population was Hindu. Pakistan agreed to a referendum, but India occupied the state by force. The state of Hyderabad, the largest and the richest state in India, under a Muslim ruler, was also forcefully annexed by India.
But, for Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state, the principle was denied.
Events that have taken place in the last 74 years have testified that encouraging and peaceful bilateral relations between Pakistan and India, and peace, development and prosperity in South Asia is not possible without the solution of the oldest and the most dangerous dispute between the two countries.
The world marks the “International Day of Human Fraternity” on 4th February. The day was first observed by the United Nations on 4 February 2021.
It is an effort to promote peace, friendship and understanding between different religions and cultures for a healthy and prosperous global community. It is an attempt to spread interfaith and interreligious harmony, acceptance and love.
The document “Human Fraternity for World Peace & Living Together” signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib, in a meeting in Abu Dhabi on 4 February 2019 became the basis of the International Day of Human fraternity.
The document calls upon the world community to “unite and work together” for a better and harmonious world and create a “culture of mutual respect” by promoting freedom, equality, harmony etc.
These initiatives are appreciable and must be encouraged. But, to further peace and stability in the world, the promotion of a culture of tolerance between different nations, religions and cultures is mandatory.
But, for the development of a culture of tolerance, it is imperative to have a conflict-less society. To achieve peace, it is important to end conflicts and disagreements.
Pakistan and India are home to more than 1.5 billion people. Both countries have huge cooperation potential. Be it the fields of art, culture, trade, technology or development.
But, Kashmir is the bone of contention between the two states. Both states have fought 3 full-scale wars, spent billions of dollars on enriching military capabilities and lost thousands of lives. And, above all, there is a definite threat of nuclear war in case of escalation in tensions.
People of both states are not close to each other. They are skeptical, unfriendly, aggressive and hostile towards each other. The reasons for this animosity are continuous Indian aggression and hegemonic designs in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and the bitter silence of the world, and the suffering of the generations of Kashmiri people.
Pakistan has geographical, religious, and cultural proximity with Kashmir. The Quaid-i-Azam called Kashmir the Jugular vein of Pakistan. Kashmir is very important to Pakistan. But, above all Kashmir is a humanitarian issue that deserves the support of all kind-hearted and humane societies.
The Kashmiris have suffered the worst forms of violence in the last 74 years. They have been tortured, killed, and massacred. Their women have been assaulted, abducted and raped. The children have been beaten to death.
The human rights violations and abuses in Indian-Occupied Kashmir have been reported by all human rights organizations and they continue to do so.
Pakistan has repeatedly asked the world community to play its part. It has tried multiple times to better relations with India but every time received an evasive response. The stubborn, hostile and hegemonic attitude of India has put at risk the peace of South Asia.
Pakistan observes February 5 as Kashmir solidarity day to show support to the people of Kashmir and remind them of Pakistan’s commitment towards their cause.
The International Human fraternity day observed on 4th February will hold no significance if the burning conflicts are not solved peacefully. Because peace overall cannot be achieved without peace everywhere.
People in Pakistan and India who belong to different religions and cultures cannot come close to each other unless their differences are resolved. The inherent hate is spread and exploited by the fascist and extremist parties of India to come to power and serve their agendas. For example, the hate spread by the BJP has resulted in the rise of Islamophobia in India. Hindu extremists are victimising all minorities, specifically Muslims and Christians by following Hindutva ideology. The social life of all minorities, specifically Muslims in India, is extremely miserable.
Kashmir Day reminds the world of its role and is a challenge to the world and the UN which looks for a harmonious world.
