The world’s response and the lead taken by in United States to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait are commendable, Never has the free world been as united in the face of a crisis.
Iraq has forcibly occupied its tiny but immensely rich neighbor much as India had seized Kashmir in 1948 and Sikkim in 1976.
US economic interests in the Gulf aside, the confrontation today is of right against wrong. An arrogant bully cannot be allowed to annex a nation against the will of its people. Iraq’s intention is to assemble its quislings to forma puppet government. Only a month ago in a rigged Kuwaiti election a new Emir was installed. The prime minister and the Emir were engaged in a power struggle. The prime minister sought Iraq’s help. Saddam Hussein needed no other invitation to become the key player and beneficiary.
Its predominant position in the avoid has brought great pressure to bear on Iraq to undo its aggression. The United Nations approved a total trade embargo and a blockade of Iraq is in place. Even the Soviet Union is in line with Western nations in this crisis.
India’s opportunist role became increasingly apparent first when it refused to condemn Iraq’s action and then by sending its foreign minister to Moscow and Washington to plead neutrality on the ground that there were 172,000 Indians in Kuwait. While the world was talking of a blockade, India said it would want to send food to Kuwait before even proposing to pull its workers out.
The Kuwaiti ambassador in Delhi expressed his unhappiness at India’s stand. Now, Delhi in as vague terms as possible, has condemned the aggression and has said it would not support any action by the US if it is unilateral. Iraq has been on India’s side against Pakistan which is backed by Iran.
The chemical weapons with which Saddam Hussein proposes to hold the world to ransom are made from materials supplied by India. These chemicals were also exported to Iran for “pesticides.”
It is surprising that the world is not waking up to the fact that India is among the most repressive regimes in the world today. Saddam Hussein used poison gas against his own people but once, India is murdering its minorities in Punjab and Kashmir every day. Earlier, the jails were slaughterhouses and torture chambers, today no Kashmiri or Sikh is safe anywhere.
India walked into Kashmir just like Iraq did into Kuwait in 1948. The world did not protest. Unfortunately it still condones the blatant repression of the Kashmiri Muslim and Sikh minorities of India. For these struggling peoples the issue of self-determination is linked to their very survival.
Khalistan and an independent Kashmir will bring peace and stability to the region. All differences between Pakistan and India will then be resolved. The billions of dollars both these nations are currently spending on arms could be diverted to much needed development in the impoverished sub-continent.
As things stand, India is headed nowhere. All its energies and resources are spent in keeping the turmoil within its borders down. How long can it maintain this?
Article extracted from this publication >> August 24, 1990
