Besieged Kashmiris

Pakistan Army arranged a visit for foreign diplomats and representatives of various countries to the volatile Line of Control (LoC). On the contrary, India has stopped independent observers and media from even stepping foot in the restive region.

India has committed 2,333 ceasefire violations this year and targeted civilians including women and children and damaged homes, shops and bunkers. There is no respite for the innocent people who are living in the crosshairs of an active conflict and are the biggest victims.

Much worse, India has used cluster bombs which are prohibited under international laws. This blatant aggression exposes the Indian army’s true character and moral standing. It is unfortunate that the international community is not even taking action against violations of global treaties and conventions.

India should also allow international media, UN observers and humanitarian organisations in occupied Kashmir to know the ground realities. The situation there is so worse that a prominent Kashmiri politician has stated that besieged Kashmiris would rather prefer to be ruled by China.

Former chief minister of Indian-occupied Kashmir Farooq Abdullah has stated Kashmiris do not feel Indian nor they want to be part of India. He said the gap between Kashmiris and rest of India is widening and they would prefer to live under Chinese rule. These comments should be an eye-opener for the fascist Indian government that is under the delusion that its nefarious designs to alter the demography can succeed.

The BJP government is under the misimpression that the Kashmir issue had been settled just because there are no protests. It is clear that India’s move to scrap the autonomous status had led to disastrous results and its worst fears have been confirmed.

The matter is being internationalized more than ever before. It was raised by Turkish President Erdogan at the UN General Assembly who called it a ‘burning issue’ and urged the global community to mediate and resolve the dispute. India has alienated every Kashmiri and even leaders like Farooq Abdullah who believed in the dominion of India have lost all hopes.

India should realise that situation can worsen and it cannot hold a blockade indefinitely. The people of Kashmir are looking at the China-India border standoff with keen interest hoping that they might find some reprieve and an end to Indian occupation.