By Muhammad Faraz
The animosity of fighting neighbours in
the sub-continent is neither new nor surprising for the world. From super
powers to the most deprived nations of the world are aware of the bone of
contention between India and Pakistan.
The conflict started on division of India
under the British rule in 1947, when the princely State of Kashmir was
maliciously annexed to India against the popular wishes of its people who
wanted to go with Pakistan. Since then,India has used tremendous military might
to hold on the disputed state and curb the right of self-determination of the
Kashmiris which is rightfully acknowledged by the United Nations.
The
term Line of Control (LoC) refers to the military control line between Indian
and Pakistani - control parts of the former princely state of Jammu and
Kashmir. It is also known as, Asia’s “Berlin Wall”. The LoC, to this day does
not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto
border. Originally known as “Cease - fire Line”, it was re-designated as the
“Line of Control” after the Simla Agreement which was signed on 3rd July 1972
between India and Pakistan. The part of Kashmir controlled by India is known as
Indian Occupied Kashmir (10K) and two parts of the former princely state under Pakistani
control are known as GilgitBaltistan (G8) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).
All the Indian efforts through its 700,000
military troops stationed in the valley to subjugate the right of
self-determination of the Kashmiris, atrocities on them, her influence in the
comity of nations and defiance of UN resolutions on Kashmir, have failed
miserably to end the Kashmiri freedom struggle. Kashmir was, it is and will
always be an international dispute between India and Pakistan and can never be
resolved through brute force. Pakistan and India had their first war in 1948
which is also known as the “first Kashmir war”. This war resulted in freedom of
the areas now known as GiligitBaltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, but the
major areas of the valley are still occupied by the aggressive India.
The
international border between India and Pakistan has seen three full scale wars
(1965, 1971 and the Kargil war), including numerous short scale campaigns
initiated by India whenever she got frustrated by the never ending struggle of
the Kashmiris or Pakistan’s diplomatic and morale support to them.
Since 1947,India has violated the LoC many a
times to inflict heavy damage on the innocent Pakistani civilians in terms of
loss of property and valuable human lives. In addition, it has also planted
number of land mines alongside the Line of Control which has killed scores of
innocent people and has left thousands as disabled. Without compensation these
disabled people in Indian Kashmir are fighting hard for their survival. Not
only this, at times the Hindu extremist groups like BJP blocked the Srinagar
Jammu National Highway (NH1A) which is the only route that connects the Kashmir
valley to rest of India. These constant torture techniques inflicted by the Indian
government on the local Muslim population is enough proof of Indian brutality
and stubborn approach to deny the Kashmiris their right of self- determination
/ freedom which IS their birth right.
Most recently, India
has started a terrorism campaign through its Border Security Force (BSF) on the
LoC which is unprecedented and lethal. Since the 2003’s ceasefire agreement,
these new terror attacks on Pakistani villages along the LoC by the BSF have
broken all brutality and injustice records in the history of Indo-Pak border
conflicts. The Indians used heavy mortars and artillery guns not only to target
Pakistani forces and their posts but deliberately and especially / specifically
targeted Pakistani villages to strike terror in the hearts of innocent and
unarmed civilians.
The lethal use of brute Indian force did
not even stop on the festival of Eid-ul-Azha, rather the Indian .forces planned
and coordinated most lethal attacks on the religious festival by targeting the civilian
population which resulted in the killing of dozens of innocent children, women,
and others. The collateral damage also included killing of the live-stock,
destruction of houses, mosques, hospitals and schools in the Pakistani villages
along the LoC.
When Pakistan
raised voice on the havoc played by Indian forces in the United Nations
Security Council, the Indian Foreign Office without any evidence started a
vilification campaign, against Pakistan on different international forums of
being the aggressor.
Pakistan’s good intentions were made
public when its government arranged a tour of the UN observers to the LoC in a
bid to reveal the true Indian face, however, the same was denied by India on
the other side and UN observers were not allowed to visit the boundary.
International community must take
notice of the atrocities and brutality carried out by Indian forces on the LoC
and stop India from its terror campaign on the most volatile border of the
world.
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The
Writer MuhammadFaraz is an Islamabad based freelance writer, with a
background in Defence and Strategic Studies.
