Armed struggle

This refers to the article ‘The Kashmir challenge’ (Sep 11) by Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. It reminds me of what Jinnah told the British High Commissioner on plebiscite in Kashmir, “I have no doubt that India intends to retain control of Kashmir and to accept no form of plebiscite unfavorable to that end. Without the guarantee of a plebiscite, I can’t ask the Muslims of Kashmir to lay down their arms”. Jinnah did not exclude armed struggle by the people of Kashmir for liberation from India. Ashraf’s article also reminds me of what Prime Minister Zhou Enlai told me in 1963. He talked about the long march, the Vietnam War and the Algerian war of independence from France, and said that armed struggle was the only solution to secure liberation from imperialist powers.

Today, the Indian government is not ready to give up Kashmir. The West is insensitive to the suffering of Kashmiris and is disinclined to take any effective action against the Indian usurper. The Security Council resolutions remain unimplemented. Kashmiris have exhausted all legal, political and diplomatic options during the last 70 years. Perhaps Kashmiris should take up arms to take back their country, as a parallel track to whatever Pakistan is doing on the diplomatic front.

Roedad Khan

Islamabad