Historical perspective on persecution of Kashmiris

The persecution of the people of Kashmir and their struggle against oppression has roots in history. The first chapter of blood-letting was written on 13 July 1931 when the forces of the Maharaja martyred 22 Kashmiris when they were agitating against the injustices perpetrated on them and the arrest of a young man Abdul Qadeer who dared to speak against the oppressive regime. The state of Kashmir, with the majority of its population Muslim, was ruled by Dogra Dynasty of Hindu Rajputs from 1846 to 1947. The Dogras treated the Muslim subjects badly and even interfered in their religious affairs. There was wide-spread discontent and resentment against the oppressive governance which kept simmering underneath.

According to the recorded evidence police fired 160  rounds of bullets into the crowd, killing 17 people on the spot while another five died later in hospital.

A Hindu writer, Prem Nath Bazz, in his work Inside Kashmir, published in 1941, wrote “The driving force behind the mass agitation till the 13th July was the discontent among the rank and file of the Muslims. The attack on the jail was in no way directed against the Hindus, and those who laid down their lives at the jail gate did so fighting against an unsympathetic government… It was a fight of the tyrannized against their tyrants, of the oppressed against the oppressors.” The incident marked the beginning of the modern-era Kashmir freedom struggle which has passed through different phases, including civilian protests, political struggle and armed struggle.

Unfortunately the plight of the people of Kashmir did not end with partition of the Subcontinent. The 52 princely states under the Independence Act were allowed to accede to any of the two newly created states of India and Pakistan, keeping in view the geographical proximity and demographic realities, or remain independent. Kashmir was a fit case for accession to Pakistan due to   geographical proximity, a majority Muslim population and cultural, religious and trade links with the areas that formed parts of the latter.

But the ruler of the state., Maharaja Hari Singh, announced the accession of the state to India. His action could be better understood in the backdrop of the Dogra rule in Kashmir before Partition rather than the ground realities. The people of Kashmir revolted against this decision. Lord Mountbatten, while accepting the accession temporarily, unequivocally said that the issue would be decided through a reference to the people.

Regrettably the world and the UN remain oblivious to the sufferings of the people of Kashmir. One really wonders for how long the people of Kashmir will have to suffer and endure the ongoing ordeal? Indian oppression in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and its defiance of the UNSC resolutions is indeed an affront to the conscience of the global community. How long it can afford to be indifferent remains to be seen. However it is clear that the people of Kashmir are determined to win their right to self-determination no matter how many more sacrifices they might have to render. History is a witness to the fact that freedom movements cannot be suppressed with barrel of the gun.

The situation however became very precarious, leading to the first war between Pakistan and India which took the matter to the United Nations. After thorough deliberations on the issue the UNSC passed a number of resolutions calling for holding the plebiscite under the auspices of the UN to settle the question of accession of the state to either of the two countries.

Both the countries accepted those resolutions and the then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in a number of communications with his Pakistani counterpart reiterated his commitment to holding of the plebiscite. He also in his speeches in the Indian parliament unequivocally stated that India would stick to its obligation under the UN resolutions. But India reneged on its commitment and tried to have the question of accession resolved through the constituent assembly of Kashmir in 1957. That move was repudiated by the UN through its resolutions 91 and 122, maintaining the issue could not be settled through any arrangement other than a UN-sponsored plebiscite. As is evident, the Indian position on Kashmir has no legal and moral basis.

The plebiscite unfortunately remains an elusive dream so far due to Indian intransigence to grant the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir. The partition of the SubContinent pushed the people of Kashmir into an unending ordeal. Indian refusal to give them the right to self-determination forced them to take up arms in 1989 to win their freedom.

The freedom struggle of the Kashmirs is also replete with myriad of massacres at the hands of the Indian security forces, including also the killing of some prominent leaders of the freedom movement after it was launched in 1989. Among them were Mir Waiz Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone who were martyred by the Indian security forces on 21 May in 1990 and 2002 respectively. The Day remains an Indian shame since then as the movement not only gained further momentum after their assassination but the people of Kashmir also started observing 21 May as their martyrdom day to make an unequivocal declaration that no amount of oppression could dent their resolve to win their right to self-determination.

India has been using its military might ruthlessly to quell the uprising. Its security forces have since then killed more than one hundred thousand Kashmiris besides raping thousands of women.  Kashmir remains a venue of oppression and persecution.

The Modi government has further aggravated the situation by ending special status of Indian-Occupied Kashmir, its annexation to the Indian Union in sheer violation of the UNSC resolutions, followed by the promulgation of a new domicile law to change the demographic features of the state which constitutes willful breach of international law and

fourth Geneva Convention. Kashmir was put under a complete lockdown. Since 5 August 2019, the people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir are leading a miserable life and the Indian forces continue the killing spree during the cordon and search operations. Hardly a day passes without the murder of the Kashmiris by the Indian security forces.

The world media has continuously been reporting about the blatant violation of human rights in the state. Pakistan has been raising this issue at all international forums and warning the world about the possible consequences. India has also adopted a belligerent posture towards Pakistan and the latter rightly feels that Indian disposition towards her and what it has done in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, inebriated by the RSS philosophy of Hindutva, constitutes a grave threat to the security of the region.

Regrettably the world and the UN remain oblivious to the sufferings of the people of Kashmir. One really wonders for how long the people of Kashmir will have to suffer and endure the ongoing ordeal? Indian oppression in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and its defiance of the UNSC resolutions is indeed an affront to the conscience of the global community. How long it can afford to be indifferent remains to be seen. However it is clear that the people of Kashmir are determined to win their right to self-determination no matter how many more sacrifices they might have to render. History is a witness to the fact that freedom movements cannot be suppressed with barrel of the gun.