KASHMIR SITUATION

Sarmila Bose on Freedom to Kashmir

The fundamental problem in Kashmir looms as steadfastly as ever what Kashmir needs and Kashmir lacks is freedom,

It is a cliche to say that most problems are complex, especially those as entrenched and contentious as Kashmir. It is true the people of Jammu, Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley may have different visions of what they wish for themselves. It is true that there are multiple groups operating in Kashmir, sometimes fighting one another as ferociously as they fight the Indian state.

India and Pakistan have long been locked in their own rhetoric over Kashmir that is rooted in their identity insecurities and has a political life of its own. Yet for all its complexities, the Kashmir issue also has some beguiling simplicities that stare one in the face. To endlessly chant the list of complexities and pitfalls is to miss the fundamental simplicities which contain the pointers towards what might resolve the conflict.

Most fundamental is the simple fact that the Kashmir problem exists because the people of that territory have long been denied the freedom to decide their own political destiny. Another simplicity is that the entity most responsible for the creation and sustenance of the Kashmir problem is the Government of India. It follows that regardless of Pakistan, the key to resolving the problem also lies primarily with India.

However, the actual resolution of the conflict can only come through international participation, in the form of pressure, supervision and peace keeping. Finally, there is no long-term solution without a popular referendum that includes the option of independence for all or part of the territory. The Kashmir conflict is the defining political and moral issue of these times in this region. It is not India's only problem, but without resolving it the country can have no peace, security or prosperity of any lasting value in South Asia, nor any pride in the strength of Indian civilization.

For many who live far away from the conflict and have plenty of their own problems to worry about, it may seem easier to let Kashmir grind in the background or to believe the official assurances about what is going on there and what is being done about it. But this is an illusion.

The Kashmir conflict not only inflict unspeakable suffering on all its people; it affects the well-being of the rest of India. It weakens India's constitutional structure, pollutes the political system, drains the economy, misplaces security forces, destabilizes regional and international relations, and destroys India's moral position in the world community. India can and should honestly recognize who are responsible for this state of affairs and who are in a position to change its course for the better.

The information void has been filled largely by relentless official propaganda about Kashmir, structured around nationalistic and jingoistic rhetoric between India and Pakistan. Thus, in spite of some notable exceptions among Indian intellectuals and journalists, the Kashmir issue has typically been reduced to a crude "patriotism" test.

Accession to India was conditional upon a plebiscite to ratify it. This was guaranteed by the Government of India and personally by Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, clearly a repeatedly, in statements to the press, to Parliament and to international bodies. It is a fact that this plebiscite was never held. India's claim to Kashmir is thus founded on deceit.

New Delhi would not allow Kashmir to be ruled by the leaders and governments of the people's choice.

Deprived of the freedom to choose who would govern them and how the Kashmiris finally rose in revolt in 1990. New Delhi has tried ever since to militarily crush the people whose political voice it repeatedly stifled. Inevitably, the exercise of military might has solved none of the political problems, but unleashed a reign of repression, detention, torture and killing that has made a travesty of the political and human values India is supposed to stand for and shamed India across the world.

The talk of elections in Kashmir has a hollow ring. The ritual of elections does not constitute true democracy and the paraphernalia of statehood do not amount to true freedom. Repeating "Kashmir is an integral part of India" ad nauseum is an irrelevance in this context. So is the...claim that the Kashmir dispute is a "bilateral" matter between India and Pakistan.

The reality is, that India raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations in 1947 and it has remained an international issue ever since. Nor is there any prospect of the conflict being resolved without mediation by other countries without the third party to the dispute - the Kashmiris in some representational form.

Finally, there is no getting away from that elusive plebiscite, updated to reflect current realities. The plebiscite must include option (of independence) along with a well-considered constitutional arrangement within the state of India. It is up to India to offer Kashmiris a convincing package of self-rule and security. But true freedom requires the inclusion of all options and the readiness to accept the verdict of the people, whatever that may be the political exit of any part of Kashmir will not cause the rest of India to fall apart. Rather its forcible inclusion insults India's professed political values, obstructs the economic prosperity of the whole region and disgraces Indians in terms of morality, humanity and civilization. India should own up to its shameful record in Kashmir and start to set things right. It is the only way forward and it is the only decent thing to do.

(Courtesy: The Telegraph, Calcutta, 5 April, 1996)