Moreover, since the events of August 2019, India
has tightened its grip over the occupied territory, removing the
limited rights the held region had under the Indian constitution. Though, the hardline
BJP government may think the Kashmir dispute is a thing of the past, the fact
is that the territory remains internationally disputed, and no amount of
constitutional tinkering and attempts to alter occupied Kashmir’s demography by
New Delhi can change this reality.
The BJP
government may like the world to think that it has transformed held Kashmir
into a proverbial heaven on earth, but the dark reality of the Indian
occupation cannot be hidden.
While
Pakistan has long been raising the Kashmir issue at international forums,
neutral observers, too, have pointed out the Indian state’s excesses in the
disputed region.
For example, Human Rights Watch has said that journalists in
IHK remain vulnerable to state violence, including physical assault and the
threat of “fabricated criminal cases”. It adds that “hundreds of Kashmiris”,
including journalists and human rights activists, remained in detention.
On the other hand, Amnesty International has also criticized India’s
“arbitrary detentions” and “stringent anti-terror laws” in IHK. It also says
that repression in the region has escalated since Article 370 was
scrapped in 2019. These descriptions are a mere glimpse of the ugly reality of
the occupied region.
The fact is that the only principled and peaceful solution
to the Kashmir dispute remains the plebiscite the UN Security Council called
for in 1949, after India had taken the Kashmir case to the world body.
Over the decades, no Indian government has taken any serious
steps to implement the UN’s resolution, with the result that the Kashmir
dispute has become a source of permanent discord in the subcontinent.
However,
until there is a long-term solution in light of the aforementioned resolution,
an alternative option for peace in Kashmir and the entire subcontinent would be
the implementation of the four-point plan hammered out during the Musharraf
era.
That scheme envisaged a ‘soft’ LoC, with free movement of
people and goods across Kashmir, and eventual demilitarization.
If both sides, particularly India, are serious about peace,
reviving this formula could be the starting point for fresh negotiations. The
important thing is to continue the dialogue process, on bilateral disputes as
well as the Kashmir issue, and move beyond rigid positions.
On Kashmir Solidarity Day today, Pakistan should reaffirm
its support for the people of Kashmir. It should also keep the door open for
India in case it decides to resolve the Kashmir question through dialogue.
Dawn Editorial of February 05 2025
