Periscope On Pakistan Kashmir Revisited

The visit of UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon has drawn attention to the Kashmir issue and some old interpretations of the Accession and Pakistan’s illegal occupation have been dusted out and made to look like new. The fact remains that the UN Secretary General could not, and did not, deviate from the UN resolution that mandated that the invaders leave the land before a reference to the “will of the people” could be made. No amount of glorification in the name of Islam and the use of terms like ‘jihad’ and “mujahid” for a bunch of cut-throat thugs involved in something nefarious can change the reality of Kashmir. Pakistanis are beginning to see the futility of raising these rascals to the level of sainthood especially since it is clear that after the first illegal usurpation of a large chunk of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir they could not convince the Kashmiri Muslim to throw in his lot with a degenerate Pakistan. The operative part still remains functional: “…and her soil cleared of the invader” before the choice of being with Pakistan or India (not independent) can be exercised.

Khalid Iqbal in NATION (7/5/12): “Excerpts from the Governor General of India’s letter of October 27, 1947, to the Maharaja of Kashmir make an interesting read: ‘Your Highness’s letter dated October 26 has been delivered to me by Mr V.P. Menon. In the special circumstances mentioned by Your Highness, my government has decided to accept the accession of Kashmir to the Dominion of India. Consistently with their policy that, in case of any state where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state, it is my government’s wish that, as soon as the law and order has been restored in Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of the state’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people.

‘Meanwhile, in response to Your Highness’s appeal for military aid, action has been taken today to send troops of Indian army to Kashmir to help your own forces to defend your territory and to protect the lives, property and honour of your people...’.

“The pro-India parties, including Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist), have also welcomed the statement. The Chairman of United Jihad Council (JUC), Syed Salahuddin, said that peace and stability in South Asia hinges on a just and equitable settlement of the Kashmir dispute. ‘The UN Secretary General’s statement on the issue of Kashmir is quite optimistic, however, there is dire need that the world body should take practical measures to settle this long-pending issue in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris’, he said.”

A R Siddiqi’s View in DAILY TIMES (7/5/12) titled “Siachen and the Jihadi Lore”: “Print media is resonant once again with the passionate jihadi lore reminiscent of the 1965 war. As against the single PTV channel in 1965, however, there is now a cluster of channels, each projecting more or less the same jihadi image of a soldier, a mujahid, a holy warrior at the dizzy Siachen heights.

“What one sorely misses is the vibrant voice of the late Shakeel Ahmed — the doyen of Radio Pakistan newscasters. The sheer force of his voice made his listeners hope for the best, even when the war had lost its edge after the failure of our tank infantry thrust to Amritsar via Khemkaran. For his avid listeners throughout the country, Ahmed’s vibrant newscasts could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Albeit too real for his listeners, his crusading and jihadi pronouncements bore little relevance to the actual state of the war, getting darker by the day.

Himalayan Affairs attempt ongoing analysis on India Pakistan, Indo Pak friendship and the survey indicated in Pakistan news papers. If you want to know more about Terrorism and India, visit - Himalayanaffairs.org

Survey Reports On Kashmir Reveal Azadi To Be Myth

The Pak newspaper Dawn had recently reported the findings of a survey done by a UK-based think-tank which has found a higher percentage of discontented people in occupied territory (POK) than in Azad Kashmir (Indian held side).This surely must bring a smile to all Indian policy makers as it’s a pat on their backs and a slap on the POK establishment.

Among all the surveys conducted so far, the one conducted by ‘The Institute for Research on India and International Studies’ (IRIIS) revealed the most diverse definitions of ‘Azadi’. The Jammu and Kashmir division of the Ministry of Home Affairs had commissioned IRIIS to carry out ‘A Perception Survey of Media Impact on the Kashmiri Youth’ in June 2010. The survey was finally administered in Jan 2011, in six districts of the Kashmir Valley-Srinagar and Budgam in Central Kashmir; Anantnag and Kulgam in South Kashmir; Baramulla and Bandipora in North Kashmir.

As per the IRIIS findings, 54% of youth identified `Azadi’ as the preferred final status of Jammu and Kashmir. That implies 46% don’t believe in Azadi. It is worthy to note that the definition of Azadi varies among those 54%. For 56% of these 54% youth, Azadi means rights of Kashmiris ie political rights, civil rights and economic rights. Those whose idea of Azadi is based on ‘territorially separate Kashmir’ include 8% who see a sovereign and independent state of Jammu & Kashmir, 11% wanting ‘freedom from India’ and 10% who said Azadi means a separate Kashmir without giving any further details.

Also, 67% of Kashmiri youth, under the age group of 15-35 years, rank `corruption’ among the three top most problems, 48% put `human rights violation’ (by security forces) at the top, while 34 % gave top priority to ‘employment’ nd 28% to `education’.

Among past surveys,, the most widely accepted is the one done in 2009 by Chatham House (a London-based International affairs think-tank).Conducted by Dr Robert Bradnock, at the behest of Dr Saif-al -Gaddafi, son of the slain Libyan leader Mohd Gaddafi, as part of research for his PhD degree from Kings College London. This comprehensive survey was conducted on both sides of the Line of Control, with the target population being Kashmiri Muslims (3700 individuals). In its findings, only 2% of people in J&K favoured whole of Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan and most such views were limited to Srinagar and Badgam districts. Also, 43% in J&K voted for ‘independence’ of whole of Kashmir, implying 57% not in favour of ‘independence’. It is important to note that 87% people in J&K considered unemployment as most significant problem followed by 68% for corruption, 45% blaming poor economic development, and 43% saying human rights abuses were the cause. By the way, Dr Saif had been advocating ‘independence’ for Kashmir, uptill now.

In 2002, another survey by MORI, an independent market research company based in UK, had revealed that on the issue of citizenship, overall, 61% Kashmiris said they felt they would be better off politically and economically as an Indian citizen and only 6% as a Pakistani citizens, and 33% said they did not know. Again, economic development of the region (job opportunities and reduction of poverty) was proposed by 93% of the respondents.

Himalayan Affairs attempt ongoing analysis on Pakistan India Kashmir, Indo Pak partition and the survey indicated in Pakistan news papers. If you want to know more about Terrorism and India, visit - Himalayanaffairs.org