The Kashmiris’ current “freedom struggle,” like all such movements, is confronted by dangers internal as well as external, The external dangers include conspiracies being hatched to divide the State and to deprive the Kashmiri people of their night to opt for “independence” of the whole State. Yet another danger comes from the Indian Government’s reported intention to have ‘elections’ in the occupied part of the State to hoodwink world public opinion. The danger from within comes from confrontation between “freedom-fighting” organizations on ideological grounds, i.e., independence versus accession to Pakistan,
Several external quarters suggest division of the state. One way, they say would be to let Pakistan have the Muslim majority areas and India the rest. Another suggestion is to let Kashmir Valley emerge as an independent State, with “Azad Kashmir” and Gilgit Baltistan becoming permanent part of Pakistan and Jammu and Ladakh that of India. These suggestions usually come from Western quarters and Pakistan seems to agree with the first suggestion. On the other hand, India would like to make the present division permanent, restoring to occupied part the internal autonomy that it enjoyed in 1953. But no patriotic Kashmiri would agree with any of the three types of division of their motherland nor can he accept election in “Indian-occupied Kashmir” as a substitute for the inherent and internationally recognized right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people which was also pledged to them by India, Pakistan and the United Nations. As for depriving the Kashmiris of the option for independence of the whole state, which Pakistan and some Kashmiri elements are trying to do in the guise of adhering to their ‘principled stand’ of making the UN resolutions as a base for solution of the issue, no patriotic Kashmiri or any outsider believing in the right of self-determination of enthralled nations can accept it as the right of self-determination of a nation cannot according to its internationally recognized and practiced interpretations either be limited, conditioned or circumscribed. Moreover, the present armed struggle was started in 1988 by the pro-independence organization, JKLF, which was alone in the field for the first 15 months and thousand of its “freedom fighters” and supporters have sacrificed their lives since 1988 for the “independence” of the whole state. As such, depriving the Kashmiris of even the right to opt for independence is tantamount to a betrayal of these “martyrs.”
Some Press reports from Washington suggest that a radical change has taken place in the US “erstwhile pro-Indian stance” on the Kashmir issue.
According to these reports the US administration has realized that (1) no solution of the Kashmir against their will can prove long lasting (2) besides India and “Pakistan Kashmiris” are a party in the issue, (3) political notables from both parts of the state be facilitated to meet and evolve a practicable formula to solve the issue peacefully and equitably and (4) pending final settlement of the issue, India should establish in “her occupied part of Kashmir” a Government on the pattern of the “Azad Kashmir” Government now functioning in Pakistani-controlled part and enjoying “full internal autonomy” with its own President, Prime Minister, Supreme Court, Election Commission and legislature. If these Press reports are correct, every reasonable and
patriotic Kashmiri” would welcome and appreciate the new US attitude towards the Kashmir issue, provided the purpose of establishing a “semi-independent” Government in “Indian-occupied Kashmir” is aimed at reunification of the state followed by conceding its people their unfettered right of self-determination and a declaration to that effect is made in advance. We are happy the importance and fruitfulness of our plan has received recognition and appreciation on the international level,
The above-mentioned facts and the US administration’s “changed approach” to the Kashmir issue notwithstanding, we are still of the opinion that the best, peaceful and equitable solution of the issue is to give the entire state (both Indian-and Pakistani controlled parts) under UN control for five to 10 years (with personnel from small and strictly neutral countries supervising the state administration during that period and every Kashmir political party free to project its views about the future of the state). After that period, the people of the whole state be given the opportunity to determine through the French system of elections, under UN supervision and without any kind of external influence, coercion or pressure, whether the whole state should emerge as a fully independent country or become part of Pakistan or India. It is sometimes argued that the UN is not financially in a position to take this responsibility. If that is so, the expenses of the UN supervision during that period can be borne by the Kashmir state exchequer, which will be capable of doing so once her tourism, trade, etc., function normally, which they definitely will after “withdrawal of foreign forces,” end of the present turmoil and normalcy.
The Governments of India and Pakistan owe it to their present and particularly future generations to end the continuous strain in their relations with each other, which is eating into the vitals of both of them, economically, politically and diplomatically. And it goes without saying that once the Kashmir issue is solved to the satisfaction of the Kashmiri people, this strain will vanish. The UN and the US also owe it to the concept of peace with justice which forms the basis of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights and the US’s declared global policy, to persuade and pressurize India and Pakistan to accept and implement the above Suggested recipe to solve the issue.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 23, 1992
