Independence is not an option

Recently the MJC (Muttahida Jihad Council) a conglomerate of jihadi groups based out of Pakistan, met to discuss their kashmir strategy. Interestingly the group decided not to press for the implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir adopted by the UN security council more than fifty years ago. Instead they decided to plump for the "Independent Kashmir" slogan.

How innovative !!!

Meanwhile the President of Pakistan comes up with his usual sound bite solutions. This time is to have the Indian army move out of certain areas in JnK thereby assuring in peace in these regions. Oh! what a dead giveaway. Just stopping short of saying, we would rein in the jihadis.

Then we have our good old APHC (The All Parties Hurriyat Conference) that just does not know what it wants. All that it keeps saying is that JnK is a disputed territory and that its an unfinished agenda of partition. All words picked up from the Pakistani Kashmir doctrine, verbatim. All decisions to be taken keeping in mind the wishes of the Kashmiri people. Not sure what this "keeping in mind" means. Who should keep it in mind ? They, the APHC or the elected JnK government or the folks across the border in PAK and POK !

So here we have the major players from across the border and on the wall who have hidden agenda's but play with words to show that they are united. Pakistan wants to "liberate" and annex JnK as part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The MJC now wants an independent Jnk (I suppose it also includes the AJK - aka POK). And the APHC wants the people to decide what they want although the people they are refering to are the ones on the Indian side of the LOC and not the Pakistani side.

The quandry that APHC is in, is understandable. They not only have to be different, they should also seem different to the people of JnK. They cannot be seen toeing the Pakistani government line, they cannot support the MJC and nor are they willing to listen to their own people through elections.

In the meantime, groups such as Lone's People's Conference, Yassin Malik's JKLF (JnK Liberation Front), Abdullah's National Conference are chipping away at the APHC block. Added to this the Indian government has allowed them to go every year to the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) to plead their case before fellow muslim nations with dollops of help from Pakistan. And ofcourse every year they come back satisfied that the member nations have given them a patient hearing, only to be shown as Pakistani puppets.

Would they ever learn !?

One, JnK has no oil. So the conflict in JnK does not hurt the economy of any major country.

Two, the major sponsor of terrorism in the region, Pakistan, is not in good shape. Especially after Sept 11 when the United States threw out its bosom buddy in Afganistan. Added to that we have our friendly neighbourhood AQ Khan who has gone around the world Nuke shopping and nuke selling. Pakistant now has absolutely no credibility.

Three, an independent Kashmir which lies at the center of four nuclear powers not so well disposed to each other and with the world's super power breathing down heavily close by, makes one wonder what new great game could be in the making.

I come from India that gained independence from colonial UK. And it would be damn silly to compare India's freedom struggle to that of JnK. For one, India is not colonial UK nor is JnK a British India. There is a vast difference and for starters India was not equal to England or Scottland in the UK parliament. Whereas, JnK is fully represented in the Indian Parliament. India also had a Home Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister from the state. Why, one day we could also have Prime Ministers from the state of JnK.

People yearn for Independence when they are subjugated, not treated equally but as second class citizens. When their distinct culture and faith are progressively or violently eroded by the subjugating country or majority people. If one were to find places in the world that fit this description one need to only look for flash points in autocratic and dictatorial countries. Places like Tibet, Stalinist Russia, Pre War Germany, etc.

Not in democratic India. India invites the very leadership that nutures the ambition to secede from the Union, for talks. The very separatist group whose aim is to dismember the republic. Think of something like this happening in any one of the OIC countries. What would the Saudi leadership do ? Have they ever realized just how lucky they are to be talking to tolerant leadership.

Speaking of tolerance, the suggestion of Germany's pre-war leader comes to mind. He suggested that the only way Britain could keep her crown jewel India from getting away is to round up all the top leadership of the Indian National Congress and have them shot. And when the second rung leaders propped up, round them up too and have them shot. And go on shooting the upcoming leaders until none is left.

Perhaps even the so called hawks in India would not subscribe to such methods of crushing a separatist movement.

The APHC only needs to look at the Baluchi movement in Pakistan and how it is being crushed with an iron hand by the army. I dont hear even a whisper from the Americans !!

So what should the JnK people be offered. They have three options -

1. An Independent JnK. Which, due to its unfortunate location, would forever become the playground of the worlds major powers.

2. Get annexed by Pakistan. A country that did not have a democratic past, is not having a democratic present and has an uncertain future. A country that is the bedrock of terrorist violence that could soon possibly engulf its own sponsors.

3. Integration into the Indian Union. A democratic India where all cultures are respected and revered. Where all get their space to practice their faiths. An India that is economically growing lifting its poor out of poverty. A country where every state in the Union participates and contributes to advancing India closer to her tryst with destiny.

People of Kashmir, the choice ofcourse is yours but think with your head not just your heart.

courtesy : College of Liberal Arts - California Polytechnic State Univ, Univ of Rochester.