On February 5, every year, the Pakistani nation remains all set to express its unshakable commitment to the just cause of Kashmiris who are struggling against the Indian occupation of their motherland. Like always, this year too, the people of Pakistan will hold seminars, conferences and demonstrations to reaffirm their political, moral and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir. On this day, all-important dimensions of the Kashmir dispute would be highlighted and human rights violations perpetuated against the people of Kashmir by Indian troops would be projected in a factual manner.
The purpose of observing this day is meant to send a variety of signals to a varying audience: To the Kashmiris, “we are with you through thick and thin”, to the world at large, “nothing but justice can help make this planet a safe abode for the entire human population” and to New Delhi, “oppression may prolong but not sustain”.
Nevertheless, the support that the Pakistani nation extends to the Kashmiris and recommits itself to their cause on February 5 owes its consistency and steadfastness to the Kashmiris' own unshakable commitment with their cause. Kashmiris have inspired not only the Pakistanis with whom they share cultural, religious, historical and geographical bonds, but also the conscientious and peace-loving societies across the world through their steadfast commitment. Thus the 5th of February is also a day of recognition for Kashmiris who have become symbols of struggle for justice, peace, truth and basic rights.
Pakistanis are more concerned, more consistent and more committed to the Kashmiris and their struggle because for them the issue of Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of the political movement, which resulted in the birth of their country, Pakistan. For majority of them, this movement will ultimately conclude when the Kashmiris would exercise their birth right of self-determination.
Historically speaking, the dispute on Kashmir has made Pakistan face four wars including that of Kargil. During the last six decades, Pakistan had to allocate major share of resources to boost up defence to prevent the looming threat to its security due to its support to Kashmiris' inalienable right of self-determination, rightly endorsed and backed by the United Nations and international community.
According to the letter and spirit of the partition plan of the subcontinent and subsequent Indian Independence Act, passed by the British Parliament on 18th July 1947, the bifurcation of all territories into sovereign India and Pakistan had to take place on the basis of two-nation theory i.e. Hindu-majority areas had to fall in India whereas Muslim-majority areas had to make Pakistan. The princely states had to accede either to Pakistan or to India considering the geographical situation and communal demography. Jammu and Kashmir with 87 percent Muslim population and geographically contiguous with Pakistan had naturally to accede to it. However, the Indian Army occupied the state in quite disregard to Kashmiris' aspirations.
India's illegal occupation of Kashmir led to the widespread and violent public uprising. On 1st January 1948, India approached the UN Security Council, which in its successive resolutions, approved of a ceasefire, demarcation of ceasefire line, demilitarisation of the state and asked for a free and impartial plebiscite. The demarcation of ceasefire resulted in dividing Kashmir into two; Azad Jammu and Kashmir (liberated Kashmir) and Indian occupied Kashmir. The one phase of the UN resolutions was implemented i.e. ceasefire while demilitarisation of the territory and holding of plebiscite under UN umbrella remains unimplemented to date.
India's founding fathers were also mindful of the fact that their occupation of the Kashmir will fail to win any approval from any quarter of the nations' comity, so they had to pledge Kashmiris, their right to self-determination at the UN platform while they kept on consolidating India's illegal occupation through intrigues, military might and in violation of all legal and moral principles.
Forty-two years of deceptive diplomacy by New Delhi forced the Kashmiris to conclude that India was not ready to extend them the birthright to self-determination. It resulted in an uprising on the pretext of which India unleashed worst state terrorism against the Kashmiris. Today not a single household is left that had not lost, a woman, a child or a man, to this blood thirst of occupation forces. Indian troops have killed 92166 civilians from Jan 1989 till Dec 2007 in Indian occupied Kashmir.
However, escalating violence and state terrorism could not silence the Kashmiris and coupled with Pakistanis support this determination resulted in frustrating the Indian designs of having the 'Finally Settled' stamp affixed on its illegal occupation without giving Kashmiris the right to self-determination.
Moreover, acquiring nuclear capability by India and Pakistan also raised alarms across the world capitals and the world declared Kashmir a nuclear flashpoint.
This scenario demanded wise and pragmatic statesmanship in this region that could help steer out the Kashmiris and the two governments in particular and the entire subcontinent in general of the messy situation that the Kashmir dispute has caused for six decades. This gap was rightly and courageously filled by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf who announced a four-point formula that offered honourable paths for reaching perennial resolution of this dispute that could be acceptable to all parties to the dispute. One should hope that India seizes this historic opportunity that was possible because of President Musharraf's political wisdom and the process gets strength.
The fact of the matter is that observing February 5 will go a long way when history of the Kashmir dispute will be written.
(The writer is working as the editor at Kashmir Media Service in Islamabad. He can be reached at info@kmsnews.org )