The heart of the problem

For several months now the matter of Kashmir and increased atrocities within the Indian occupied portion of the valley have been the subject of headlines, notably in Pakistan. But in some ways it seems we have as a society become indifferent to the fate of Kashmir or to the suffering of the Kashmiri people.

As a consequence of the territorial dispute that began with the violent partition of the Subcontinent in 1947, Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC that was drawn up in the same year have suffered enormous hardships. The human rights abuses inflicted on people living in the larger Indian held area have mounted since the 1990s when people in Kashmir stepped up efforts to acquire the right to autonomous choice guaranteed to them by the UN and as a part of the Partition agreement.

Unfortunately, in the past this indigenous struggle became tied up with the question of jihad and the use of extremist groups by us for strategic purposes. But this does not eliminate the reality that the majority of Kashmiri people seek freedom and an end to the situation of conflict they have lived in for years.

The two issues should not be confused and it is also true that a louder voice needs to be raised for Kashmir from across the world and also from within Pakistan where civil society groups often push it aside on the basis that the matter is too closely linked to other interests.

As a kind of tit-for-tat approach to the Indian strategy adopted on Kashmir with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attributing it almost entirely to what we and his government call “cross-border terrorism”, Pakistan has levelled accusations of Indian intervention in Balochistan with increased frequency over the recent past.

Again, it is almost certainly true that India has attempted to take advantage of the unrest in Balochistan. We know Indian agents are present in that vast territory. But just as is the case with Kashmir we need to remember that Balochistan has its own very grave issues.

In our minds and within our media a differentiation needs to be made between the role played by terrorists or outside agents in both Kashmir and Balochistan as opposed to the real issues of people. The war-like situation Kashmiris have been forced to live under for years and the recent tactic used by Indian security forces to use pellet guns, leaving scores blinded, naturally has an acute impact on lives.

Thousands of Kashmiri children are unable to attend schools because these buildings have been occupied by the security forces deployed in the territory under the controversial special security rule sanctioned by the Indian government in 2002 after much debate. In Balochistan lives are also lived with a lurking sense of fear. Whereas there has been very limited coverage of this in recent months the reality is that in the province people have disappeared and mutilated bodies appeared on street corners periodically.

Human rights bodies have repeatedly sought a full investigation into events in Balochistan. Even protests staged in the province against violence and extrajudicial killings have received almost no coverage. Such cover-ups eventually do more harm than good.

It is always easier to lay the blame on other quarters rather than to try and tackle the essential problem. There has been a failure to do this in Kashmir. That territory has in fact been failed by the world including Pakistan which has not done enough to speak out for it.

A month ago, after New Delhi turned down a proposal for foreign secretary level talks, the Pakistan Foreign Office conceded it has not been able to successfully draw world attention to Kashmir or to mobilise global community into taking a stance against the blatant abuses carried out there.

We have also struggled to cope with Balochistan. The complexities within the province have grown over the years and are aggravated by the sense of deprivation perceived by people. Some figures at least suggest their perceptions are not entirely inaccurate. According to a new report compiled by the World Food Program and Pakistan’s Planning Commission, malnutrition exits within 83 percent of households in Balochistan. In other words, the people of the province simply do not have enough to eat.

Addressing these factors or at least drawing attention to them may be a far more effective strategy in calming the Baloch insurgency. The problems of under development and also complaints about the misuse of Balochistan’s natural resources have to be taken on. By setting such an example we would be in a stronger position to criticise India on its brutal treatments of Kashmiris and the many injustices inflicted on them.

The whole problem of course becomes more complicated when the military engages itself in decision-making. While the Pakistan Army deserves applause for its commitment to the national interest and its valiant war against militants across the country, as an institution it would be best advised to leave policymaking in the hands of the government and the parliament that has been elected for this purpose.

Yes, our government may not be the most competent in the world but under our constitution it is in charge of making decisions including those on issues such as the CPEC and related matters. This task should then be left to government and the responsibility of determining policy on Balochistan or foreign relations with countries including Indian left up to it.

The failure to do so simply creates a greater and greater level of confusion. Today we suffer as the result of this lack of certainty when there is a sense that an institution can interfere in the sphere of another it becomes harder to run a state or manage its affairs. We have seen this in the past, and we are seeing it again.

With Indian and Afghanistan moving closer together it becomes all the more important that Pakistan develop a clear vision on its internal and regional issues so that it can put forward a strong argument before the world while thrusting aside criticism that is directed its way.

We have over the past 60 years not been very successful in this. A change is needed; otherwise there is a real risk that the sufferings of people in various parts of our country and in Kashmir will simply increase. This is something that should not be acceptable to anyone and the effort to fight it needs to be made stronger so that the impact can be felt both within our borders and beyond them.

The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.

Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com