The Kashmir cause

Ever since 1990, Pakistanis have observed Kashmir Day on February 5 in solidarity with their sisters and brothers under illegal Indian occupation. When Kashmir Day was first marked, an indigenous freedom movement had sprung up to resist occupation. Although India had predictably denounced the resistance as terroristic and directed by Pakistan, the fact that it is being waged even more forcefully now – nearly 30 years later – shows just how deep the desire to throw off the yoke of Indian oppression truly is. Coincidentally, just two days before Kashmir Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to review development work. Thousands of Indian security forces commandos blocked off roads across occupied Kashmir, hundreds of activists were jailed or put under house arrest and internet and mobile services were shut down. That Modi only felt comfortable giving a speech in Hindu-dominated Jammu while security forces were even more violent than usual in shutting down any demonstrations in the rest of Kashmir gives the lie to Indian claims that the region is an integral part of its country and that the resistance only exists because of terrorists and Pakistani support.

Given the undisguised pro-India bias of countries that want access to Indian markets and see it as an emerging superpower, there is a limit to how much Pakistan can do to advance the Kashmiri cause on the international stage. Still, there have been some successes recently. For the first time, the UN called for an investigation into abuses by Indian security forces and has asked for observers to visit both Indian-occupied and Azad Kashmir. India has naturally resisted this.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, it needs to continue to raise the Kashmir issue at international forums and to remind the UN of its duty to uphold resolutions allowing the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination. More urgently, attention must be bought to the daily human rights abuses committed by Indian forces, including the use of rubber bullets that have blinded hundreds of children. An occupied people will resist the occupying force. Be it in Kashmir, Palestine or any other part of the world where an imperialistic power subjugates the local population, it is the duty of global human rights defenders and democratic nations to stand not with those who have might on their side but those whose cause is just.