By: Devender Jain.
The News Item published in Pakistani paper Dawn on 7/8/20, refers:https://www.dawn.com/news/1572980
Basically, it welcomes a motion tabled in New South Wales Parliament of Australia, expressing concern over human rights violations and calling for respect to the right to self-determination of Kashmiri people.
I wish to throw some light on the above motion tabled in NSW Parliament on the Kashmir issue:
1. Whatever has been done in Kashmir has been done by Government of India under the provisions in the Constitution of India and is absolutely legal.
2. Pakistan occupied Kashmir has an open land border with Indian part of Kashmir. Because of this Pakistan has used Indian Kashmir as a launching pad for terrorists in India.
3. Pakistan wants Kashmir because its majority is Muslim. India is a secular State and cannot let Kashmir go on those grounds.
4. When British left India in 1947, they left most Indian States free and to be ruled by kings from whom they had won these. Some States signed accession to Pakistan whereas some other States, including Kashmir signed accession to India. Lord Mountbatten of the UK commanded both sides of the Army. Since Maharaja Hari Singh of India signed accession to India, he did not allow Pakistani Army (under one British General who reported to Lord Mountbatten) to enter Pakistan. Pakistan then raised an army of tribals and sent it to Kashmir to occupy it. Lord Mountbatten then allowed Indian Army to enter Kashmir. In this battle Pakistani Army soldiers (tribals) lost the battle. However, PM Nehru (PM of India at that time) called for a cease fire and took the matter to the UN. By this time part of Kashmir had been occupied by Pakistan. Un Security Council resolved that Pakistan will withdraw its forces first from Kashmir as it was the aggressor and then India will withdraw its forces paving the way for a Plebiscite. India agreed to it. However, Pakistan did not agree and did not withdraw its forces. Therefore, a plebiscite has not been held. UN Security Council resolution on Kashmir provides evidence towards Pakistan withdrawing forces from Kashmir first.
5. Pakistan has not been able to hold Bangladesh (previously East Pakistan) with it on religious grounds and claims Kashmir on these grounds. Also rising in Balochistan and Sindhi against totalitarian regime of Pakistan, accused of killing those innocent people who want freedom from Pakistan, is a clear proof that Pakistan’s call for Kashmir has no basis. Pakistan is run by Army and they own most of the industry and prime land in the country. They have to continuously justify their presence to their people by portraying India as an enemy by claiming Kashmir.
6. Since then it has been raising a proxy war against India by sending terrorists. It struck agreement with the USA to carry on with these training camps in lieu of Support for American war against Afghanistan. However, Bin Laden was being given a safe haven in Army’s Cantonment area in Abbottabad. Recently, Pakistani PM called Bin Laden a “Shaheed” been a great soul who gave his life to protect Muslim people.
7. Things have changed since then. It has become clear to the West that Pakistan is a terrorist State. The USA has withdrawn its funding of money and arms to Pakistan. It has gone in the arms of China a similar autocracy.
8. India is a stable and secular democracy and believes transparency, human rights, free speech etc as is known throughout the world. This has brought western governments, including Australia, closer to India.
9. In 1992, 30 percent of Kashmir’s people were Hindus. In 1992, when GOI was weak in New Delhi, islamists terrorists forced them to leave. There was mass scale murder and rapes of Hindus. No one in the world talked about human rights in Kashmir then. Since it was orchestrated by Pakistan, there were no complaints. Hindus are now almost nil in Kashmir.
10. PM Modi took on himself to set the situation right in this State. Temporary provisions of article 360 and 35 A were removed legally and democratically by Indian Parliament, whereby Kashmir is now governed by the same laws as the rest of India. This has brought immense benefit to people. As an example, Women have the right to study and work, which they did not have in an islamists set up.
11. GOI is spending 4 times the money on Kashmiri citizens as compared to rest of Indians.
12. The social security benefits were earlier paid through the corrupt Kashmiri government by GOI. Now they are paid directly into bank accounts of beneficiaries.
13. Terrorism has been curbed to a large extent and high voltage fence equipped with cameras have been installed to prevent jihadi infiltration from Pakistan into Kashmir. Because of this produce of Kashmir like apples, walnuts, silk carpets and other handicrafts can go into big tourism places like New Delhi, Jaipur, Cochin to name a few. This has brought immense prosperity to the people of Kashmir.
14. New schools, roads and a railway line are being built to provide connectivity to the rest of India. In Fact it has a huge highest altitude railway and road bridge is under construction.
15.Terrorists are being “unearthed” and caught. This is bringing peace and prosperity to this terrorist infected state, thanks to Pakistan. However, this all has upset Pakistan
16. On reports of human rights violation, a group of European Union Members of Parliament visited Kashmir and came back satisfied that people of Kashmir are happier like never before.
16. President Trump has told Pakistan in clear terms to stop its terrorism training camps in their part of Kashmir and have therefore stopped all financial and military support. Same with UAE. Saudi and other Middle Eastern countries too.
17. What about human rights of Kashmiri Hindus? GOI is slowly trying to bring them to their ancestral homes. When they were ordered to leave Kashmir, there were instances where a man was shot while hiding behind a heap of rice bags in his home and his wife was asked to cook the blood-soaked rice and eat. This story was told in the USA Govt’s White House Cttee on human rights by the daughter of that man, which rejected the claim of human right abuses in Kashmir.
18. Kashmir consists of three main regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, all together called KASHMIR. Jammu is primarily Hindu majority and Ladakh (which has the largest area) is Buddhist majority. People in Jammu and Ladakh have welcomed the change as shown by dancing on streets with indian flags in hand. People of “Kashmir” are also happy because terrorists had made their life tuff in the past and put an end to tourism in the State. Both Indian and Foreign tourists used to go to this most beautiful valley in summers. As there are still “Sleeper Cells” of terrorists, tourism has not yet reached its full potential.
I hope I have been able to throw some light on this often-misunderstood stand of GOI.
Davender K. Jain
