SK Sinha
While the debate over evidence of the Army’s surgical strikes continues, we must not ignore the people of Kashmir, who feel alienated. It is essential that President’s Rule be imposed in Jammu & Kashmir, with a pro-active Governor in charge of administration
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi reached out to
neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, on day one of his taking oath. Saree diplomacy with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, followed by Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore on the eve of the former’s birthday, yielded no positive result.
Breaking bread at Lahore was followed by the attack at Pathankot a week later, and more recently, the attack in Uri, which killed 19 of our soldiers. Pakistan is sworn to eternal enmity with India.
The PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu & Kashmir has been a failure. Anti-India feelings have increased exponentially in the valley.
The situation has been mismanaged by the State Government, leading to widespread stone-pelting for over three months in five districts, aided and abetted by Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan is on a overdrive to show India in bad light for human rights violations in Kashmir. Pictures of young boys blinded by pellet guns went viral.
This gave India a bad image even though our human rights record has been much better than other countries in counter-insurgency operations — be it Pakistan in erstwhile east Pakistan and Balochistan, or the US in Vietnam and Iraq, or China in Tibet and Tiananmen Square. While these countries have been using offensive air support, artillery and tanks, India has never used these weapons for its counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir. We have been using only small arms.
In 1876, the British entered into a treaty with the Khan of Kalat. The British got the right of passage to Bolan Pass and to garrison Quetta. During the Second Afghan War, the British invaded Afghanistan along this axis and won a great victory at Kandahar, capturing Kabul thereafter. Balochistan was not a princely state within the British empire or a member of the Chamber of Princes. It was also not a British-administered province.
MA Jinnah was the Solicitor of the Khan of Kalat. Mountbatten, the then Viceroy of India, Jinnah, the Governor General designate of Pakistan and the Khan of Kalat, signed a tripartite agreement at Delhi on August 4, 1947, providing for Balochistan to revert to its 1876 status. Thus, Balochistan became independent on August 11, 1947. However, Balochistan remained independent till March 11, 1948, when the Pakistan Army invaded Balochistan and forced the Khan to accede to Pakistan. The people of Balochistan immediately rose in revolt.
Insurgency in Balochistan with varying intensity has continued to this day.
Pakistan Army’s use of offensive air power and artillery has perpetrated horrendous human rights violations. Pakistan was a favoured ally of the West during the Cold War. Till its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US was dependent on Pakistan for surface communications. Thus, Pakistan’s aggression and atrocities in Balochistan were internationally ignored. Pakistan’s legal claim to Balochistan has been dubious, Kashmir’s accession to India was perfectly legal as per the Independence Act of 1947, passed by the British Parliament. Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947, when Pakistan invaded his State, violating the Standstill Agreement. Pakistan has always been violating all agreements it has entered into since 1947.
Rulers of States signed a treaty with the British, ceding foreign affairs, defence and communication. On withdrawal of the British from the sub-continent, this treaty lapsed. The ruler had to decide the dominion to which he would accede. There was no provision in the Act for any State to become independent. The provisions of this Act conformed to the demand of Jinnah and the Muslim League.
Jinnah hoped that on this basis Hyderabad, the richest and largest State, would accede to Pakistan. As regards to Jammu & Kashmir, he was confident that on account of geographical compulsions and being a Muslim-majority State, Kashmir will fall like a ripe plum in his lap. In the event, he got neither Hyderabad nor Kashmir.
It was appropriate for Prime Minister Modi to refer to the Balochistan issue during his independence day address. A mirror was held to Pakistan of its Balochistan hubris. Concurrently, world attention was also drawn to this festering problem. It was a great morale booster for the Baloch people and they have expressed their deep gratitude to the Prime Minister.
Unlike Balochistan, where insurgency erupted from the day when it was occupied by the Pakistan Army, peace prevailed in Kashmir with a functioning democratic polity for the first 42 years after the State acceded to the Indian Union.
Balochistan constitutes 44 per cent of the land space of Pakistan. The Kashmir valley, on the other hand, is only 10 per cent of the land space of Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir and not even one per cent of India’s land mass. Insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir is confined largely to Kashmiri-speaking Sunni Muslims in the valley. The remaining population of the State, under Indian administration, comprising Shia Muslims, Gujjars, Bakherwals, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, constitute a majority. They are happy to remain as part of India. In the case of Balochistan, almost all Baloch people want to separate from Pakistan.
Undoubtedly, anti-India feelings have grown in the valley. But, despite all the stone-pelting and curfew all is not lost. While stone pelting continued, 25,000 candidates came forward to be appointed as Special Police Officers. Similarly, 2,200 Kashmiri Muslims in the valley came for the Army Recruitment Rally in July.
The composition of battalions of Jammu & Kashmir light infantry is 50 per cent Kashmiri Muslims and 50 per cent Dogras. India has never faced shortage of Kashmiri Muslims recruits. On the other hand, the Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army, which used to be 50 per cent Baloch at the time of independence, has very few Balochs who volunteer to join the Army. The current strength of Balochs in this Regiment is down to three per cent.
Modi took the crucial decision to have surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Our Special Forces carried out this strike on September 29, on a wide front, inflicting casualties to the terrorists. This was a highly successful operation, like the one by the special forces in Myanmar in June 2015.
In 1990, when cross-border terrorism started, India did not launch any internationally-accepted hot pursuit in PoK because of the possibility of nuclear bombs in Pakistan’s basement. In 2001, when terrorists attacked Parliament, India concentrated its forces on the border for offensive, but was deterred by the possibility of nuclear exchange between the two countries. In the last few years, Pakistan has developed tactical nuclear weapons and India was being deterred by the threat of use of nuclear weapons.
However, after the Uri attack, Modi rightly decided to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff and authorised the highly successful cross-border surgical strike. He also asked the people not to indulge in chest thumping. This created euphoria in the country with Opposition parties initially supporting the strikes.
However, some leaders from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have raised doubts about the authenticity of the strike. One leader even supported the Pakistan line, calling the strike ‘fake’. It is even being said that such strikes had taken place earlier. These were perhaps local-level odd cases of troops crossing the LoC and not surgical strikes as such.
We have to find a solution to the widespread alienation in the valley. Since the PDP-BJP alliance has failed to deal with the problem, Jammu & Kashmir requires immediate President’s Rule with a suitable pro-active Governor. We need to think of an out-of-the-box solution to win over the people of the State so that they can live a life of dignity and prosperity as part of the great Indian nation, upholding modern, secular values.
(Courtesy: dailypoineer.com) |
