The current state

For the last two or three months the country has been in the grip of commotion. On the one hand, we had the news of the martyrdom of Pakistanis due to oppressive attacks by Indians on our border towns and on the other hand the unilateral action of the Modi government in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Through an executive order, India has gone ahead with new laws for this disputed territory, endeavouring to make it part of the Indian Union. This unlawful Indian action ends the special rights the Kashmiris had under UN Security Council Resolutions, international conventions and other bilateral and multilateral treaties. This means that Indians from outside Kashmir can now buy property in Kashmir, obtain domicile there and dream of marrying native Kashmiris.

These steps of ethnic and religious cleansing have infuriated the Kashmiris, who have already been waging a resistance movement in Kashmir against Indian occupation for over seven decades. Unarmed Kashmiri men and women – young and old – have come out on the streets demonstrating against the Indian actions.

Armed Indian military personnel have killed countless unarmed demonstrators, igniting violence and bloodshed. The prolonged curfew in the valley and elsewhere has deprived people of food and medicines and of their fundamental human rights of religious worship. Recently, on Eidul Azha earlier this month, Kashmiris could not say their prayers in mosques or make the traditional sacrifices. Children are not going to school and daily wage earners cannot make a living. Under these appalling conditions, only time will tell how long the Kashmiris can continue with their resistance before they perish and their leadership is totally eliminated.

The constant Indian bombings have made people in Azad Kashmir realize that, had our armed forces not been there, India would have captured their land as well. It is a blessing from Allah that my colleagues and I were given the facilities to work day and night and were thus able to arm Pakistan with atom bombs and missiles, thus making the defence of our beloved country impregnable. Had that not been the case, we would most likely be facing a security situation worse than those of 1965 and 1971.

Since ancient times, wise men have always advised refraining from wars and fighting. Queen Saba told her commanders that wars promoted destruction and all – noblemen and public alike – are dishonoured during wars. Our economy cannot sustain a full-scale war. The current inflation and unemployment have already broken the backs of the common man. A war at this time would be like none before and both countries would be irretrievably destroyed, both in physical and material terms. We possess powerful offensive and defensive capabilities and could inflict huge human and material loss on India. The Western powers should understand that our two countries stand at a critical juncture. They should use their power and influence to arrive at a settlement acceptable to the Kashmiris, for which they have been struggling since the Dogra Raj.

It is unfortunate that Muslims all over the world, including India, are being targeted and persecuted and there is no one to step forward to give any meaningful help. Instances of double standards discriminating against Muslims are there for all to see. Non-Muslim territories in South Sudan, East Timor and Papua New Guinea all gained independence in the recent past with swift support from the West while the Palestinians have been persecuted and their land taken for the past seventy years.

We Muslims are also at fault. The Arab countries are ever ready to persecute the own co-religionists but are not willing to extend support to the Palestinians to retain possession of a small piece of the West Bank.

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com