Kashmir and Denuclearization: India versus Pakistan or together?
-DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL
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(Draft)
There is one thing common between India and Pakistan: both as nuclear powers appreciate praises and hate any criticism.
Clearly it not just the Kashmir issue that makes them vulnerable to illogical assertions about military postures.
But more than that, their nuclear arsenals that have given them special terror status along with other nuke giants in the world, like all powerful USA, Russia, China, Germany, Briton, France, among others, including those that still refuse to admit their stolen nukes, like Israel.
In fact, it is their nuclear status that has given “honorable” position to India and Pakistan where most people are poor and starving for food, clothing and shelter, among big powers, and both consider this as great prestige.
While Palestine in West Asia is burning with the a series of Israeli terror attacks on Gaza strip to effect holocaust of Palestinians in a step by step and quick phased manner, in down South Asia, Kashmiri Muslims seeking sovereignty back from occupation forces of India, Pakistan and China – thousands of Muslims also have lost their valuable lives in these parts of Asia and face similar existential predicament due to illegal, brutal occupational methods of colonialism.
Just like in Mideast where Israel and Palestine prolong talks and mutual attacks, India and Pakistan also deliberately prolong the occupation by military -media tactics.
It appears both India and Pakistan play a joint political game with Kashmiris since they jointly occupy major pats of Jammu Kashmir. While Indian regime and media blame Pakistan and its military for failures in talks and deficit of trust between them, Pakistan blames India and ultra fanatic media and thus both continue the mutually blaming game.
And, like on Palestine, on Kashmir also the UN and Security Council have not take any worthwhile position, thereby leaving the explosive issues to the mercy of global dictator USA and regional military powers to decide.
The role and relevance of UN and UNSC have been denied by the world which remains the target of colonialist imperialist forces like NATO.
All these years the freedom groups Hurriyat have demanded to include representatives of Hurriyat in Indo-Pak talks, but India turned down that plea, saying that Kashmiri representatives are not needed as India represents Kashmiris as well.
A readymade answer and a big full stop!
Recently, India has called off the foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan talks between Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh and her Pakistani counterpart AA Chowdhury after the latter’s envoy in New Delhi Abdul Basit had invited Kashmiri separatists to the talks. In doing so, Indian government has given a clear message to Pakistan, stating that they must engage with the official government and not “separatists”
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik met Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit in Delhi on August 19 triggering protests in New Delhi. Angered by the meeting, people protested outside the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi with some protesters being detained. Clashes were also reported between the police and protesters outside the high commission. The protesters want the Pakistan high commissioner to be sent back. Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that Kashmir is an international issue and not an internal issue of India. He said India is not trying to resolve the issue and suppressing it.
When India cancelled the talks between Foreign Secretaries in Islamabad on August 25, telling Pakistan bluntly to choose between an Indo-Pak dialogue or hobnobbing with the separatists, Pakistani regime just took it casually as it knows India is also not eager to return sovereignty to Kashmiris
And both want the dialogue cannot go on for another very important reason.
India and Pakistan obtained nuclear arms thanks to Jammu Kashmir which occupy jointly along with China. Both don’t want to lose nukes
India strongly objected to consultations Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit had with separatist Hurriyat leaders from Indi occupied Kashmir. .
Yes, not only Pakistan but some Indian leaders, like senior CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury criticized the government for calling off the Indo-Pak talks after Kashmiri separatists met Pakistan High Commissioner, saying the decision was “inexplicable” as these meetings could be held only after the authorities permitted them. “Whenever some Pakistani leaders come, the separatists meet them and they do so in our country itself. And this is not possible without the permission of our government”
Why did it permit the meeting first? And after giving the permission, to call off the (Indo-Pak) talks is inexplicable. It can’t be understood.
In order to show anger, the Indian government called off the August 25 foreign secretary-level talks, calling Pakistan’s engagement with the Kashmiri separatists unacceptable. India slammed it as continued efforts to interfere in its internal affairs. A day after India cancelled Foreign Secretary-level talks over Pakistani envoy’s meeting with Kashmiri separatists, Pakistan reacted strongly saying it was “not subservient” to New Delhi and was a “legitimate stakeholder” in the Kashmir dispute. Arguing that High Commissioner Abdul Basit did not interfere in India’s internal affairs, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam claimed that Kashmir was not part of India. “That is just a pretext. It was not the first time that meetings with Hurriyat leaders took place. It is been happening for decades, the High Commissioner of Pakistan did not interfere in India’s internal affairs. Pakistan is not subservient to India. It is a sovereign country, a legitimate stakeholder in the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” she said replying to Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh telling Basit to not to go ahead with the meeting in New Delhi and to choose between dialogue with India or with the Kashmiri separatists. Aslam, who has previously served in India, asserted that “Kashmir is not part of India”. “It is a disputed territory. There are numerous UN resolutions,” she said.
As a usual; gimmick, India cancelled the talks, raising strong objections to consultations held with separatist Hurriyat leaders by Pakistan’s High Commissioner. Pakistan also criticized India as a usual tactic. In exercising its diplomatic rhetoric, Pakistan had described the cancellation of next week’s Foreign Secretary-level talks as a “setback” to Indo-Pak ties.
Pakistan cannot bluntly to choose between an Indo-Pak dialogue and hobnobbing with the separatists.
Both India and Pakistan do not want to go denuclear by dismantling all nuke arsenal that they have managed to build up for decades of their mutual animosity and by misusing the resources meant for utility by the people, especially common people.
Interestingly, by agreeing for credible friendship and mutual trust based relations, these South Asian nations will have to agree to US controlled IAEA to dismantle the nuclear installations- a situation both Indi and Pakistan do not want.
Already USA has asked India and Pakistan to quit nuclear regimes to make South Asia a peace zone. but they refuse.
While it could not send military to Indian soil to make entire India a safe haven for NATO terrorist gangs like in Pakistan, USA has been trying to steal, like Libyan oil, all Pakistani nukes by prolonging NATO- Pakistani war targeting Muslims for clearing energy routes to benefit the prospective customers, and fueling the civil war but have so far failed.
With a peaceful atmosphere in the region USA would push for denuclearization of entire world minus the veto powers.
In order to escape the situation and seeing nukes as its prerogative, New Delhi has been pestering all western powers to make it also a veto power. India thinks if can get the support of many countries it can enter the veto regime comfortably. However, Americans have their own ideas to sustain its superpower status with the terror veto. .
Yes, it is high time Pakistan should step in to break the ice by declaring its intention to arrange for the peaceful transfer of power of Azad Kashmir to Kashmiris on both sides if India agrees to quit military occupation of Jammu Kashmir, enabling the Kashmiris in JK to rejoin their brethren in Azad Kashmir on northern border.
Also, China should also make similar declaration of returning to Kashmiris the part of Kashmir now under their occupation. Musharraf had no authority to hand over a part of Kashmir in Azad Kashmir to China as a friendly gesture in return for the China favors or for any other reason
That is to say there should a credibly comprehensive solution for the Kashmir issue. All three parts of earlier Kashmir should be brought together and returned to Kashmiris.
It is now clear, unless India as well as Pakistan get rid of their nukes, there is no chance for regional peace, no chance for the resolution of Kashmir issue.
Denuclearizaton would eventually lead to demilitarization of Kashmir as well. Conversely, demilitarization of Kashmir valley could also lead to denuclearize the region.
It is strange that while India and Pakistan r continue to work to retain their dangerous nuclear arsenals by sustaining the illegal occupation of the then neighboring Jammu Kashmir jointly, the Kashmiris do not seem to know that truth. Of course, those Kashmiris who know or have an idea of the hidden nuclear problem also do not open their mouths to fellow Kashmiris.
And those Kashmir Muslims who sacrifice their valuable lives for freedom should have the right to know the nuclear truth.
In other words, neither India nor Pakistan would return the Kashmiri lands to Kashmiris unless less their nuclear arsenals are destroyed or taken away the international nuclear watch dog. Both have set up the necessary additional “safeguards” to prolong the occupation and related crimes. For India, the pundits act as a powerful force to support Indian case, while Pakistan has got many Kashmiris of Azad Kashmir to side the official occupation.
Both India and Israel claim ownership of Kashmiris and Palestinians, respectively, and kill them to quell their freedom movements and silence them.
Since bilateral talks have yielded any fruits so far, it is better India and Pakistan agrees to include a couple of Kashmiri representatives in their talks hereafter so that they could thrash out the illegal occupation issue once for all.
Kashmiris are also humans deserving dignity and they should be allowed to live in peace.
One gets the impression that there are more security forces and allies than Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir with special law for military brutalities.
Time is over due to establish a special international court to exclusively decide the freedom related issues, including genocides, destructions, and war crimes!
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Observation: Let them now try trilateral talks
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Pakistan High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit went ahead and met Hurriyat leaders despite being specifically asked by New Delhi not to do so. In order to show its unhappiness, India unilaterally called off the bilateral talks. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi had this angry response to Pakistan envoy’s actions: “At a time when serious initiatives were being undertaken by the Government of India to move bilateral ties forward, including towards the resumption of a regular dialogue process, the invitation to so-called leaders of the Hurriyat by Pakistan’s High Commissioner does indeed raise questions about Pakistan’s sincerity, and shows that its negative approaches and attempts to interfere in India’s internal affairs continue unabated.
Indian foreign secretary conveyed to the Pakistan High Commissioner in clear and unambiguous terms that Pakistan’s continued efforts to interfere in India’s internal affairs were unacceptable. Singh had told Basit over the phone that Pakistan needs either to engage with the Indian government or with the Hurriyat, failing which consequences would follow and it followed.
Emphasizing on the need for effective dialogue to find peaceful solutions to the problems, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit said that they stand committed to improving ties with India and he did not breach any protocol by holding talks with Kashmiri separatist leaders. . “We have good neighborly relations with India. We are convinced in Pakistan that problems with India can only be resolved through peace process and meaningful dialogue” Basit said, Kashmiris are legitimate stakeholders in finding a peaceful solution to the issue. We have been reaching out to Kashmiri leaders for the last 20 years. Kashmir is a dispute which needs to be resolved peacefully, both countries committed to resolving it. While his move to meet Jammu and Kashmir separatist leaders has drawn immense criticism, the Pakistan envoy defended the meeting. ” Basit also said that he was disappointed that the Foreign Secretary-level talks have been cancelled but added it should not discourage the two countries to find a peaceful solution to the the Kashmir issue. “We understand it is a complex situation. We in Pakistan are very positive and will not allow distractions in normalising ties,” he said.
India had called off the talks between Foreign Secretaries, telling Pakistan bluntly to choose between an Indo-Pak dialogue or hobnobbing with the separatists.
The Kashmiri separatists for freedom are themselves unfazed by the talks being called off. Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani said: “Despite this development, we will go to New Delhi and meet the Pakistan high commissioner.” He added that India doesn’t want peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue. The moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too slammed Delhi over the decision and he too will be meeting the Pakistan envoy today and said that they will put forth their view on Kashmir. They met the Pakistani high commissioner as scheduled. Jammu and Kashmir’s ruling National Conference meanwhile termed the decision to call off the talks “strange” while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party called it “a negative development”. Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah who had met Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit told reporters after his meeting that there was need for trilateral talks to resolve Kashmir issue
Noting that Pakistan wants to improve ties with India, he said there was no need to be “pessimistic” about cancellation of the Foreign Secretary-level talks and that both the countries should move forward. So the setback should not disappoint us, discourage us to finding ways and means as to how to take the process forward in line with our leadership’s visions on both sides of the border. So we will try our maximum to see as to how this process can be taken forward,” Basit said. He said Pakistan understands that it was a “complex situation” but added it was positive and will not allow distractions to come in the way of finding solutions to the problems.
It is a fact that Kashmiris in Sri Nagar who fight for freedom from India yoke don’t say thing about Jammu and Leh regions a maybe because these regions have lots of Hindus ad Buddhists, respectively and Kashmiris perhaps want to establish an Islamic republic .
While underlining that Pakistan had termed the cancellation of talks as a “setback”, the envoy stressed that the time has come for the two countries to move from confrontation to co-operation. Pakistan stands by its commitment to peace and attaches enormous importance to peaceful bilateral relationship, he added. “We are convinced that our problems with India can only be resolved by result-oriented and meaningful dialogue,” Basit said further.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment that SAARC countries needed to work together in tackling regional challenges, Basit said if Pakistan and India work together and if SAARC is vitalised, the sky is the limit.” Commenting further on the peace dialogue, Basit stressed that there is no reason why we should lose hope on building a strong bilateral relationship. “We would not allow this process to be distracted, Dialogue is not a favour by Pakistan to India or vice-versa. Both countries need to work together,” the envoy stated.
The envoy, meanwhile, informed that no meeting has been finalised between PM Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York next month.
True, Kashmiris are legitimate stakeholders in peaceful and viable resolution of the problem. But are Indi and Pakistan serious?
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