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India’s Continued Oppression of the People of Kashmir: War Crimes Committed by the Occupying Force in IIOJK, its Racist Leaning and Call for Genocide Against the Minorities
India is continuously set on alienating the people of Kashmir from their rights and subjecting them to violence from every corner – actions that have clearly taken the shape of war crimes.
Ever since 1947, when the British granted independence to the two states, India and Pakistan, the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) with remarkable resilience and fortitude have been striving for their independence from India’s subjugation. Since Prime Minister Modi assumed office, the oppression of the people of Kashmir has been stepped up and acquired a horrific dimension. At the policy level, defying all major United Nations (UN) resolutions and international norms, Prime Minister Modi abrogated the status of Kashmir and declared it as an integral part of India. This act was a gross violation of the UN resolutions and bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan and above all, extreme injustice done to the people of Kashmir.
India’s atrocities against the people of Kashmir are clearly war crimes and have gone past the stage of human rights violations. These are being committed by the Indian occupying force and militias against the people of Kashmir as a part of a greater design to change the very character of the state by altering its demographics. Regrettably, this cruel methodology has been a common feature and the primary tool of India’s BJP government to suppress the freedom movement. These statutes would normally come under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court of War Crimes Tribunals, but great power politics and indifference of the major powers makes it difficult to pursue these indictments judiciously. The Kashmir issue had gained international prominence when India militarily and through draconian laws deprived the region of its autonomy in 2019, but soon due to expediency it was pushed to the back burner.
India’s atrocities against the people of Kashmir are clearly war crimes and have gone past the stage of human rights violations. These are being committed by the Indian occupying force and militias against the people of Kashmir as a part of a greater design to change the very character of the state by altering its demographics.
The methods used to crush the resistance by the Indian security forces have made the life of Kashmiris extremely hard that defies international law and all humanitarian considerations. There are hundreds of checkpoints in Srinagar and other cities and it takes hours to travel even small distances. Security operations have been intensified since 2020 and it would not be an exaggeration to claim that the last two years have been the bloodiest in the history. According to Human Rights Watch report, published in July 2021, in Indian-occupied Kashmir over 100 military operations were undertaken in which several Kashmiris were martyred. The Coronavirus has further added to the misery of the beleaguered Kashmiris. The internet, where accessible, is slow and seriously affecting the educational programs and ability of the Kashmiris to communicate with each other. Another damaging legislation has been passed that has granted tens of thousands of people from outside the region the same rights as the Kashmiris. This will provide them the opportunity to buy land for the first time. This is such a damaging move that it will change the very demographic character of the region and a ruse at fully integrating it with the Indian Union.
The silence of the international community at all these illegal actions to absorb Kashmir is baffling and is in such sharp contrast to the criticism that is levelled against China and Russia for their treatment of the minorities. Sanctions and penalties have been imposed on these countries for these perceived violations of human rights whereas there is not a word of official condemnation against India. Even the U.S. Human Rights report of this year fails to mention India, whereas Pakistan, China, Russia and several other countries with far less violations are included. This shows the prejudice and different yardsticks for different countries depending on their quality of relationship with the U.S. The entire leadership of Kashmir has been put behind bars and in fact, IIOJK is a prison and torture house for the Kashmiris. Muslims are being pushed out of their homes and lands which are then given to the outsiders who are encouraged to settle in Kashmir. Educational opportunities to Muslim students are being denied and a major population readjustment in favor of the Hindus, who have been a minority, is taking place. What is most distressing is that thousands of Kashmiri freedom fighters have been killed or seriously injured in the conflict since 1989. Not a day passes when there are no casualties and the international community remains silent. Apart from a few articles in The New York Times or The Washington Post, the inhuman treatment of Kashmiris has failed to stir the conscience of the Western world.
There are hundreds of checkpoints in Srinagar and other cities and it takes hours to travel even small distances. Security operations have been intensified since 2020 and it would not be an exaggeration to claim that the last two years have been the bloodiest in the history. According to Human Rights Watch report, published in July 2021, in Indian-occupied Kashmir over 100 military operations were undertaken in which several Kashmiris were martyred.
Religious bigotry combined with strong racist tendencies have altered the very character of India and is in complete contrast and contradiction to the letter and spirit of the so-called secular constitution of India. Although in reality, India’s secularism has been a façade ever since its creation and has never been practiced by any political party in power, but Modi’s RSS has broken all records of maltreatment of minorities. It seems it is going with a vengeance against them and has the clear intention of reducing their political status to second class citizens and economically deprived of opportunities that are being lavishly offered to the Hindus. Thus, the Muslims who were already lagging behind will soon be pushed to a second-class status if they are not already there. The places of worship and sacred monuments of Muslims have been desecrated and remain under a constant threat of being vandalized or demolished. Treatment of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is perhaps the worst. Ever since the destruction of Babri Mosque in which the RSS had a major role, several mosques, sacred places of Muslims, and graves have been desecrated with law enforcement agencies looking the other way. Even the Christian community has not been spared with their churches being desecrated and Christians humiliated and their life under a constant threat.
The present Indian ruling class is so consumed by the hatred of Muslims and general discrimination of other minorities that they fail to see the long-term adverse consequences of it on Indian polity. Indian leadership is not realizing that pushing the minorities in a corner and spreading venom against them will recoil and come to haunt them in the future. Their docile response cannot be taken for granted. There are lessons to be drawn from how discriminated minorities or groups have reacted, eventually turning to violence when they lose hope and despair. Ever since 1948, some Kashmiri groups have been fighting against the Indian rule and demanding either unification with Pakistan or seeking independence. This is the level of their resolve and they are not going to give up.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly emphasized the need for engagement with India. The military leadership too fully endorses a peaceful resolution of Kashmir and other bilateral issues. Previous political and military leadership have pursued the same policy. Whereas, Prime Minister Modi refuses to engage and has blocked all normal avenues of dialogue. This has encouraged the hardliners in India to take up a tough position on Kashmir and maintain the stalemate with Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi refuses to agree to third party facilitation and has also taken up a position that as long as the Kashmiri resistance movement is supported by Pakistan there will be no engagement. The fact is that the movement is indigenous and Pakistan’s political support is a valid position and is backed by political parties across the political spectrum. To expect that Pakistan would remain an idle spectator while Kashmir burns is an unthinkable proposition. The central question is how to move forward with an intransigent Indian leadership that even declines to discuss the relatively lesser complex issues of Siachen and Sir Creek. It has placed all important Hurriyat leaders under house arrest or put them in jail and they have no means of redressing the injustice and their misery. The unilateral action of annexing Kashmir has further complicated the relationship and was a signal that it has settled the lingering issue by annexing what was in its control and probably messaging that Pakistan can do likewise.
Although in reality, India’s secularism has been a façade ever since its creation and has never been practiced by any political party in power, but Modi’s RSS has broken all records of maltreatment of minorities. It seems it is going with a vengeance against them and has the clear intention of reducing their political status to second class citizens and economically deprived of opportunities that are being lavishly offered to the Hindus.
The present Indian ruling class is so consumed by the hatred of Muslims and general discrimination of other minorities that they fail to see the long-term adverse consequences of it on Indian polity. Indian leadership is not realizing that pushing the minorities in a corner and spreading venom against them will recoil and come to haunt them in the future.
Without the settlement of the Kashmir dispute that has the approval of all the three parties — India, Pakistan and the Kashmir leadership, there can be no forward movement on India-Pakistan relations. There will have to be a compromise from all sides to reach an agreement. True, no one expects quick results but for the talks to make progress, a supportive environment is a prerequisite. More importantly, talks have to be result oriented and not merely a way to prolong the stalemate and agony of the Kashmiri people. No foreign policy can succeed unless there is dialogue and engagement. The Indian leadership is advised to rethink and reassess its hostility towards Pakistan which at present is a road to nowhere.
It is important to realize that peace has to be an everlasting phenomenon for which the leadership of the two countries will have to change their mindset and seriously engage in meaningful dialogues with an earnest effort at resolving disputes. India’s accusation of cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s justified demand that India should yield to its commitment to the Kashmiri people’s aspirations are the two faces of the same problem but looked at through different lenses.
Fortunately, the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control is holding and the nuclear agreement not to attack each other’s nuclear facilities is renewed every year. It shows that where there is will, there is a way out.
It is such a paradox that the Indian leaders and several of their intellectuals speak and write about the so-called radical and toxic thought process of Pakistan and fail to discern the extreme radicalization of the Hindu elite and highly prejudicial treatment of the Muslims in India – especially during the present Modi era. In this frame of mind of the Indian leadership, there is a very scant chance of any change in the relations for the better. There was expectation that opening of the historic Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian pilgrims visa-free access to visit Sikhism’s holiest shrines in Kartarpur would give a strong signal from Pakistan of its sincerity in building bridges of peace between the two countries. It certainly has promoted goodwill among the Sikh community, but the larger goal of the message registering on the Indian leadership has not happened.
India’s Continued Oppression of the People of Kashmir: War Crimes Committed by the Occupying Force in IIOJK, its Racist Leaning and Call for Genocide Against the Minorities
India is continuously set on alienating the people of Kashmir from their rights and subjecting them to violence from every corner – actions that have clearly taken the shape of war crimes. Ever since 1947, when the British granted independence to the two states, India and Pakistan, the...
The writer is a retired Lieutenant General from Pakistan Army and an eminent scholar on national security and political issues.
E-mail: talatmasood186@gmail.com
