A nation that fails to recognize its heroes is likely to find the hollow hinges of any support
Dr Syed Nazir Gilani
People in Kashmir have been over politicized and their collective defences have been spread thin. They have been reduced to a process of life. While as people around the world continue their efforts (politics) to move to next most important stage, that is, a quality of life.
The spill over of over politicization manifested itself between 15-17 August 2010 when the people of Kashmir lost all command of their reason and hailed a head constable Ahad Jan as their new and super hero. They did not wait for a single minute to reconcile the merits of his anger with the broad police culture of oppression which he had continued to represent and support until he decided to hurl his ‘shoe’ at the chief minister. Our leaders, opinion makers and concerned citizens represented in all disciplines of life need to move fast and re-set the ‘wisdom compass’ which seems to be badly failing the people.
People of Kashmir seem to be losing the dignity of their case and once one loses the dignity of person, there is no cause. One of the serious defects in our approach has been trivialization of our political phrase and the midstream change of horses to mount new heroes. Chief Minister has helped the people to take to other credible issue and leave Ahad Jan as part of ‘police culture’. The system has reclaimed its lost ‘sheep’ and the streets continue to be soaked with fresh blood.
Every heart bleeds on the daily loss of life in Kashmir (Valley). Two such meritable concerns have come one each from India and Pakistan. Congress President Sonia Gandhi on August 19 expressed her condolences to each family which has lost its loved ones and expressed anguish over the killings in Valley and said Kashmiri youths' pain and anger must be addressed. Government of Pakistan in its weekly briefing on the same day has asked India to read writing on the wall. It informed Delhi that Kashmiri people were resolved to get their right to self-determination and New Delhi should read the “writing on the wall”.
A support from Pakistan or any part of the world is welcome. However, Pakistani spokesperson was overtaken by a strange intuitive sway and he said “It is our firm belief that when (Kashmiri) people are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their cause, then nothing can stop them from reaching their destination.” He further said that the government and people of Pakistan will “continue to stand by the people of Jammu and Kashmir through thick and thin by providing full diplomatic and moral support to their struggle”.
Sonia Gandhi has a higher burden of responsibility and connectivity in Kashmir. She needs to examine the situation on the basis that Indian Security Forces have been admitted into the State to discharge a duty (fully specified) as long as the State Government required this supplement. Security forces are in Kashmir to protect ‘life’, ‘honour’ and ‘property’ of the people of Kashmir, in this case from any outside invaders. As a consequence the security forces are there on invitation, as a supplement and subordinate to State Government. Therefore loss of life accrues a criminal liability for the State Government. The loss of life caused by the Indian security forces vitiates the basis of their presence and stay in Kashmir. Any act or duty performed outside the terms of the agreement would be a breach of the agreement and the death would incur a criminal liability for the Command of these forces. The concern shown by Sonia Gandhi may be welcome but it does not come near enough to the practical steps needed to address the situation.
One should not doubt the concern shown by Pakistan’s spokesman for the situation in Kashmir. However, one is encouraged to question the intuitive content of his statement that “It is our firm belief that when (the Kashmiri) people are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their cause, then nothing can stop them from reaching their destination.” The spokesman seems to have doubts in the substantive merits of the rights movement of Kashmir. May be he looks at it through the tenure based programme, to which he has remained exposed (post 1990) and has failed to go back to October 1877 when the people of Kashmir raised their voice against social injustice. He fails to reconcile the 62 deaths with the death of a generation in the last 19 years.
At the same time the reiteration of a pledge that the government and people of Pakistan will “continue to stand by the people of Jammu and Kashmir through thick and thin by providing full diplomatic and moral support to their struggle” can’t hide its hollow hinges. Pakistan has yet to reconcile its role as a party to the dispute for its own interest and as a member nation of UN obliged to support the Right of Self Determination as a Charter obligation. Unfortunately, the Government of Pakistan has been choosing different time zones to express its interest in the rights movement of the people of Kashmir. They have used Kashmir to exact more political and diplomatic advantage from Delhi and have done very little to contribute in moving the process of life towards a quality of life in Kashmir. Encouraging an engagement between unarmed civilians of Kashmir and the Indian security forces has no wisdom.
The government of Pakistan endured a complete lull on Kashmir from 5 November 1965 to 15 September 1996. It did not raise the right of self determination of the people of Kashmir at the UN for 30 years and 11 months. Kashmir attracted rule 11 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council in August 1996 and suffered deletion from the UN Security Council as a regular agenda item. It had continued as a regular pending agenda item for 48 years from January 1948 to 15 September 1996. It is unfortunate that some Kashmiri leaders and a Pakistan sponsored spread on Kashmir has been helping Pakistan more in embarrassing India for tactical reasons and the common interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have continued to suffer.
Pakistan Governments have failed to agitate the Kashmir policy for 30 years and 11 months at the UN. Governments do not follow their Kashmir policy in accordance with article 257 of the Constitution of Pakistan and the Trust Obligations assumed under UNCIP Resolutions and AJK Constitution. Foreign office spokesperson or a visiting leader at the General Assembly of UN has the same outdated one liner for Kashmir, that is, the government and people of Pakistan will “continue to stand by the people of Jammu and Kashmir through thick and thin by providing full diplomatic and moral support to their struggle”.
So far the support in the last 19 years has caused Kashmir the death of a generation and the death of self determination. The fabric of plural civil society is in tatters and the ’wisdom compass’ has grown so defective that it pointed out to add a head constable to the list of our heroes. A nation that fails to recognize its heroes is likely to find the hollow hinges of any support. Support expressed by Pakistan is welcome. There is no harm to test its hinges.
Author is London based Secretary General of JKCHR – NGO in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations. He can be mailed at dr-nazirgilani@jkchr.com.
