Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo
Ever since Pakistan came into being and Kashmir becoming its negative obsession, it hardly left any chance to rake up the issue of Kashmir at the international forums including the UN bodies, global summits, regional conferences and bilateral meetings. Pakistan made use and misuse of all the opportunities available to it to pursue both its obsessive and possessive line on the issue. Though initially it succeeded to impress upon a major section of the global players during the cold war period about its position regarding Kashmir yet it failed to make an impact in the long run diplomatically.
A number of wars with India, incursions and insurgency followed by giving its anti-India stance a formal recognition as its state foreign policy dried up virtually all options for Pakistan eventually. It is due to this strong feeling and conclusion that the state of Pakistan adopted terrorism as an important strategic asset against India during the volatility of geo-political developments of the eighties of the last century. The success and failure of the sponsored terrorism in Eastern Punjab (in India) for Pakistan paved way for terrorism for its next destination in Kashmir.
Pakistan, irrespective of the change of Governments in Islamabad pursued a consistent policy to destabilize and destroy peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir. With the passage of time, Pan-Islamic fundamentalism based terrorism, ethnic cleansing of minorities in Kashmir and the cultural genocide founded the ideological basis of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The think-tank in Pakistan adopted strong measures to provide an umbrella of facade on its dubious actions against India in Jammu and Kashmir by seeking refuge under the banner of Human Rights. Funds, diplomatic protocol, strategic connections via Pakistan citizenry in US & Europe and political maneuvering of international affairs was meticulously done by the Pakistan thinking-coterie in collaboration with political and military bosses in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
But everything has an age, and negative things have lesser. Pursuing and following a negative line continuously for seven decades, right from its inception, against a country in the international arena was always a tough gamble for Pakistan. It cost it heavily both at its domestic level as well as at global level. 9/11 was a major shift in the West’s thinking about terrorism and Pakistan. World political and diplomatic icons, one after the other, including the British Prime Minister, David Cameron called Pakistan the epicentre of global terrorism. India’s advocacy for elimination of global terrorism and indictment of terror regime sponsors and abetting forces received international support and recognition. India was seen as a major player facing and fighting terrorism on its soil and Pakistan was recognised as a state allowing the land under its control to be misused for terrorism against India.
Pakistan continued to pursue it’s old jargon on human rights, Kashmir and terrorism notwithstanding the fact that a notable change has taken place at the international level. India made important advances under the leadership of PM Modi in this context and the developments in the Kulbhushan Jadav case at the International Court of Justice, The Hague should have been an eye opener for Pakistan. But Pakistan, as usual, refused to learn the lessons and continued to waste its money, manpower and international narrative on Kashmir and terrorism under the shadow of “human rights violations banner” without any gains whatsoever. Over the last a couple of years, India has tightened screws on its campaign at United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva. Its official delegations and representatives have done their duties well and thus made an indelible mark perpetually and persistently.
The 43rd session of the UNHRC at Geneva this time brought a number of developments to the fore. Major among them is the Pakistan bashing by India, Western representatives, various NGOs, individuals representing religious minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh, people belonging to the JK areas illegally occupied by Pakistan and even the representatives of Sindh, Baloch and Pakhtoons. History took a turn when the Chief of the UNHRC made some castigating remarks against Pakistan about its failure to protect its religious minorities. This is a big shift in the thinking at UNHRC, post CAA in India. In a way, the Indian strategy on CAA at international level has played well to the detriment of Pakistan and has brought a hidden fact to the limelight about Pakistan which it always tried to underplay or put under the carpet.
The presentations made by the Indian official delegation at the 43rd session of the ongoing UN Human Rights Council at Geneva has been outstanding and truthful of the factual human rights situation, particularly in the Jammu and Kashmir state. The main argumention made by Vikas Swaroop, Secretary West in the MEA, New Delhi and the Right to Reply option exercised by Vimarsh Aryan, First Secretary, MEA to Pakistan are completely in tune with the ground realities and reporting of the human rights situation in India and Pakistan. References made in context of Jammu and Kashmir were also remindful of Pakistan’s interference in the internal affairs of the Indian state. Terming India as the biggest victim of the cross border terrorism, Pakistan has been named as the epicenter of global terrorism repeatedly in the session.
Pakistan’s attempts to bring death and destruction in Jammu and Kashmir and particularly in the Kashmir valley has been responsible for devastating its socio-political scenario for the last more than three decades. Though references to the mayhem and terror unleashed by the terror merchants sponsored and supported by Pakistan in J&K could have included genocide of minorities in the Jammu and Kashmir that has rendered the Indegenous people of Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandits, as refugees in their own land for the last three decades.
The abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and Article 35A through the parliamentary action in August 2019 were fundamentally aimed at to restore human rights and the fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution of India to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It not only brought the women of the state at par with the men but also gave long pending justice to a large number of people called West Pakistan refugees and the Dalits who are part and parcel of the social milieu of Jammu and Kashmir for the last several decades. In this context, Syed Tehmina, a social activist was outspoken in her briefing on and admitted that the women of the Kashmir valley are enjoying the rights like men after abrogation of Article 370.
The JKNAAP Chief from PoJK, Mohd. Sajjad Raja categorically termed Pakistan as the occupier of the land of Jammu and Kashmir. He didn’t mince words and termed the nomenclature of “AzadKashmir” as a myth and said that the people of PoJK have no constitutional or social rights and since he belonged to that area, and was thus aware of the freedom that was enjoyed by the terrorist organisations in that part of Jammu & Kashmir.
The UNHRC Chief Michelle Bachelet was categorical in her assertion on February 27, 2020 that religious minorities in Pakistan continued to face violence and repeated attacks on their places of worship. She also said that the government’s failure to amend the blasphemy law provisions in Pakistan led to violence against the minorities. She cited the case of the death sentence of Junaid Hafeez, a university lecturer in Pakistan in the last December in this context.
Bachelet further said, “Religious minorities in Pakistan continue to face violence, repeated attacks on their places of worship, and discrimination in law and practice” and added “The Pakistan government, despite recommendations from international human rights mechanism, has not amended or repealed blasphemy law provisions which have led to violence against religious minorities, as well as to arbitrary arrests and prosecution”.
The recent visits of the foreign envoys and diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir and their statements about the situation therein have also made an impact globally. The UN human rights umbrella also needed to correct its position regarding India and the human rights scenario in the whole region of Jammu and Kashmir including the areas under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Well begun is half done. All representing the Indian concerns in Geneva, this time as well, directly or indirectly, reiterated and brought before the UNHRC in the most unambiguous manner the historical fact that “Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India”.
The GHRD sponsored religious minorities’ activism (of Pakistan and Bangladesh) also contributed to the overall scenario against Pakistan. Their activism involved programmes in the press galleries, discussion in the splashing compounds of UNHRC, hoardings against Pakistan as an indictment, lectures at the session and public programmes outside the UNHRC complex. In their endeavour to highlight the genuine issue, the minority Christian-Hindu axis activism made a good impact during the 43rd session of the human rights body.
Pakistan would do well to look to it’s own house and try to put it in order. It is also right time for it to introspect, review and reform the overall scenario. Whipping Kashmir is too much now and it is not going to fetch the mirage it expected all along. India is in a driver’s seat undoubtedly and its political narrative both at the domestic level and at international level has made a difference, possibly, and hopefully for ever. Satyam-Ave-Jayatey: Truth always triumphs.
(Feedback: ashwanikc2012@gmail.com)
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