This India Can Never Solve Kashmir Problem
CPIM's Sitaram Yechury can easily confess "Kashmiris speak of Azadi passionately even in hospitals" (interview, Times of India, Sept 26, 2010). Ms Sushma Swaraj and Mr Rambilas Paswan were seen to be castigated by a bullet-ridden patient, openly, in front of reporters, who shouted his demand of Azadi lying on a bed, when they, together with Yechury and company, went as All Party Parliament Delegate to trouble torn Kashmir to 'start off the process to bring about an environment of peaceful talks' and 'win the heart of Kashmiris'. And nervously the parliamentarians saw how that slogan ignited the ward and the hospital, how hundreds suddenly started shouting slogans for Azadi. It cannot be said that those ladies and gentlemen didn't know that why and how Kashmir is fighting since 1947-48 in general and since the Shopian case of May 2010 in particular. But every time Kashmiris start fighting the government of India starts shouting about Pak conspiracy, Islamic Terrorism etc, and only after a prolonged battle they partially confess that Kahmiris have 'problems' and promises sops for Kashmir; this time also there was no exception.
What was the government of India's prescription after hearing the reports of the delegates? The same age old mixtures: ?compensation to the families of those killed, ?appointment of a group of interlocutors for peace process talk, ?allocation for development of infrastructure and educational institutions, ?reopening school & colleges, ?to release students detained for stone pelting and withdraw charges against them ?'to withdraw detention order' of individuals under Public Safety Act 'if appropriate' and ?appointment of task force to study infrastructure projects in Kashmir - and that's all! It is like arguing - 'well they are demanding Oxygen, that's molecular weight 32, isn't it; but we'll not give them that, let's start bargaining with molecular weight 2, that is Hydrogen; that's after all a gas'! As expected, the stone pelting youth were not moved at all by this gesture and so are Kashmiris at large. Indian rulers are playing the same game as they did in history time and again.
It is a well-known and well-established fact that Kashmiris, majority of whom were and are Muslims, did not opt for Pakistan during the partition years. They gave a humiliating 'welcome' to Mr Jinnah. They were averse to partition of country in religious line. Kashmir remained quasi independent in spite of being a Muslim majority state till cross border push by various tribal Muslims in the apprehension that the Hindu king was in his way of joining India. To fight htem with India's military the Maharaja of Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession that was accepted by the government of India on 27 October 1947. And thus Kashmir became a 'part of India', but not an unconditional, 'undisputable' 'integral part', as Government of India assured that final fate of Kahmir would be decided by a plebiscite or mass-vote. When Jawaharlal Nehru visited Kashmir on November 2, 1947, he addresses a mammoth public meeting in the Lal Chowk saying, "We have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given and Maharaja has supported it; it is not only a pledge to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not, and cannot back out of it" (Why Indian leaders are afraid to address K-issue?Maasid Sidiq, Wednesday, September 08 at rising Kashmir dot com). An UN resolution was also made in 1948 which promised plebiscite to determine the fate of Kashmir. But surprisingly, the Indian authority never fulfilled its promise, rather, ridiculously posited voting turnouts in Kashmir as votes for India and pretended that thus the question was settled forever! When things came head on under the regime of Sheikh Abdullah, he was arrested. He was put in custody from1953 to 1964, and then again from1965 to 1968. This happened in spite of him being the most popular of the state, a leader who was thoroughly against partition based on religious lines and against joining Pakistan. The public reaction can easily be guessed. So much 'autonomy' Kashmir had that repeatedly Indian govt routed elected government of Kashmir and replaced that by its chosen slave-like government there.
It is perhaps no coincidence that Indian rulers inherit the British colonialist plus old feudal attitude to the area under the 'map' bestowed upon it by British imperialism. Indian rulers see this land as their 'own zamindari', and throttle any voice of dissension in terms of loosening its iron rule. This was seen in every struggle of oppressed nation (or nationality).
The speciality of Kashmir was reflected, to a degree, in Article 370 of the constitution. But it was trampled by Indian authority, and now almost nothing of that article survive in life. The chief minister recently demanded, whatever may be his purpose, to withdraw Armed Forces Special Power Act from Kashmir, and the military bureaucracy of India just brushed it aside, gave it a phew! This is just one example of mockery in the name of Article 370, by which India cannot impose laws on Kashmir. So the military is ultimately deciding whether to demilitarize a little - and for this kind of democracy the Kashmiris are called to be obliged to India! For other kind of special privileges and autonomy enjoyed by Kashmir, another example is there - Kashmiri is not the medium of instruction in Kashmir up to standard 10, and it is an optional language in school! Officially, English, Hindi and Urdu were sponsored. It is almost impossible to find a regular journal in Kashmiri.
Indian government has made Kashmir a military camp or concentration camp for Kashmiris. And to safe guard barbarous actions like repeated 'encounter killing', custodial killing, even raping women, by the armed corps there are black laws like AFSPA and etc. Plus there are pro-Delhi politicians and bureaucrats to save them. More than 10,000 ordinary Kashmiris 'disappeared' since 1990. More than 100 unarmed youth were shot dead only within four months since the Shopian rape-cum-death case of two women. Mr. Kak, a columnist wrote acidly, "Two events will provide useful bookends for this exercise. In February 1991, there was an assault on Kunan Poshpura village in north Kashmir, where a unit of the Indian Army were accused of raping somewhere between 23 and a hundred women. And then, a troubled 18 years later, the June 2009 rape and murder of two young women in Shopian, south Kashmir. In the case of Kunan Poshpura, bypassing a judicial enquiry, the government called in the Press Council of India to whitewash the incident, allowing its inadequate and ill equipped two-member team to summarily conclude that the charges against the army were "a massive hoax orchestrated by militant groups and their sympathizers and mentors in Kashmir and abroad". The travesty of the investigations into last year's Shopian incident involved innumerable bungled procedures, and threw up many glaring contradictions, till the government of India roped in the CBI to put a lid on it. They promptly concluded that it was a case of death by drowning. (In a stream with less than a foot of water) The case remains stuck in an extraordinary place: charges have been filed against the doctors who performed the post-mortems, against the lawyers who filed cases against the state, against everybody except a possible suspect for the rape and murder, or the many officials who had visibly botched up the investigations." (The last option: A stone in her hand / Sanjay Kak, Aug 8, 2010, 01.00am IST / TOI August 9, 2010)
But what sort of malicious propaganda has been going on since 1947 regarding Kashmir! Misinformation came in such a deluge that it was able to deform Indian public opinion as regards Kashmir; like ?'they' get so much special privilege that 'we' do not get; ?Indians cannot buy land in Kashmir; ? they get cheap subsidised products like rice at 2 Rs per kg; ?then also they are not satisfied and want to join with Pakistan; and etc. BUT?We have seen what the 'special privileges' are like. ?Common Indians cannot buy land in some other states also, like Arunachal Pradesh, but BJP and others do not say so - why, because latter state is Buddhist dominated? And who like to buy land there? Ordinary Indians haven't that money in purse. Those who have, know how to grab 'conforming' law; like TATA-s are making a luxury hotel there allying with a small local hotel group - easy to guess who will have the controlling power. ?Rice at Rs2/kg is a sheer lie. Anybody can search Rising Kashmir or Greater Kashmir, the two English language dailies' websites to get recent market price there. Rice, a bit good quality, was selling at Rs2100 per quintal in wholesale. Wheat flour at 22 a kg, packaged lentil and moong Rs110 a kg, chana Rs70 a kg ... such were the prices there during April this year.
But the top most slander is the desire of Kasmiris to join Pakistan. A survey, conducted in the 1980s, showed more than 70% of them wanted 'Azadi' - neither India nor Pakistan. And now the youth are more vociferously anti-Pak as much as they are anti-India. Their dream is Azadi. In recent times the Azadi wave is at its peak and the degree of mass participation in fight can be judged by the greater than before participation of Kashmiri women which was well documented in many articles including the one mentioned above by Mr Kak.
We know it is difficult to sustain real freedom, from India, Pakistan, China, imperialist countries, etc for a small 'country' like Kashmir. Then, Indian Kashmir, Pak occupied Kashmir, China occupied Kashmir all together will not form a sufficiently big economy to continue smoothly on its own. But these 'knowledge' does not give anybody external to Kashmir any authority to browbeat Kashmir as a superior, as a guardian. But proletariat of India while supporting the aspiration of Kashmiris for true self determination (up to the point of secession) and opposing state terror and de-facto military rule in Kashmir will urge upon Kashmiris to join the revolutionary battle of proletariat and working peasantry of India for establishment of a true democratic India under the rule of proletariat and peasantry - and only the latter will ensure right of true self determination, up to the point of secession, for all oppressed nationalities including Kashmiris. Without this unified battle it is well nigh impossible for such a small nationality like Kashmiris to defeat Indian government and all the hawks who have already devoured parts of Kashmir and those who are waiting to do so in future.
But how the Kashmiris will hear this proletarian voice, let alone keeping faith on this line? In absence of a true communist revolutionary party, in absence of a sufficient mass worker base of communist revolutionaries, this voice is too timid to be heard by the Kashmir people. The CR camp, with whatever strength it has, should voice its protest against the military regime imposed on Kashmir by the government of India and will have to propagate its revolutionary idea of a truly democratic India or South Asia which will put an end to the national problems of minority nationalities. Only through this way they can win the heart of people of Kashmir and Kashmiri people will find their path of salvation.
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