The Future of Kashmir

Written By: Rajat Pareek ugc.wionews.com
NEW DELHI Updated: Jul 06, 2022, 01:44 PM(IST)

Kashmir Photograph:( Reuters )

Story highlights

In Pakistan, political parties use the Kashmir issue to gain support from their citizens.They make false promises to their citizens by collecting heavy taxes from them in the name of development and infrastructure and using this money to fund the terrorists in the liberation war in Kashmir.

Many people say that Kashmir is the most beautiful place in the world. They say if there is heaven on Earth, it is in Kashmir. But its beauty sometimes attracts people from enemy countries towards Kashmir. They came here to rule the Kashmiri Aawam, but our security forces shattered their dreams and sent them to the place where they actually belong.

The issue of Kashmir has been around since the creation of Pakistan when Jinnah demanded a separate country for the Muslim majority people. At that time, the current Governor General, Lord Mountbatten, offered princely states either to merge with India or Pakistan or to remain independent. At that time, Raja Hari Singh was trying to negotiate with India and Pakistan to have an independent status for his state. Since the majority of the population of the state was Muslim, Pakistan thought Kashmir belonged to them.

On August 15, Raja Hari Singh offers to sign a Standstill Agreement with both countries for free movement of goods and people. Pakistan signed that agreement but India didn't. This made Pakistan impatient and they started violating the agreement.

The war was initially fought between the J & K Police and tribal militants of the North-Western province. As the pressure increases, Raja Harisingh demands help from India, but India can only send its troops after the state signs a formal Instrument of Accession. On October 26, the Maharaja signed the instrument of accession, which was later corrected in 1954.

In spite of its advantageous position, India accepted the UN resolution on ceasefire and agreed to Peblicite in Kashmir under 2 conditions:

1. Pakistan should withdraw its forces from the state of Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir).

2. The Srinagar administration's authority over the entire state should be restored.

The Kashmir Issue is Now a Political Agenda for Pakistan's Government.

In Pakistan, political parties use the Kashmir issue to gain support from their citizens.They make false promises to their citizens by collecting heavy taxes from them in the name of development and infrastructure and using this money to fund the terrorists in the liberation war in Kashmir. In reality, Pakistan fought 3 major wars with India in 1947-48, 1965, and 1971, respectively, and an armed conflict in Kargil (1999). After a brutal defeat, they try different methods in order to achieve their agenda.

Pakistan's Modus Operandi shifted gears from conventional to non-conventional warfare. They use different techniques to cause chaos in India's North West province, like radicalisation of people, converting Sangbaaz into militants, hiring of hybrid terrorists, etc.

Some of the most famous start-ups of terrorists founded and funded by Pakistan are:

1. Jihad-e-Mohammed

2. Lashkar-e-Taiba

3. Hasqani Network, and so on.

These organisations use radical ideologies to convert young Kashmiri youth into militants, starting with stone pelting (Sangbaaz) against India's security forces. By targeting local poor families and their youth, they hope to instil resistance in security forces operations and administrative work in Kashmir.

India's counter, current situation, and future aspects

After the curious case of Burhan Wani, India's security forces and government worked on a multi-pron approach to deal with terrorist activities in Kashmir. Their primary targets are to stop illegal foreign funding from enemy countries, run awareness programmes in Kashmir and Like Operation Maa, under which they convert Sangbaaz into a normal youth with the help of their mother, so that they can come back to their families without being killed and live a new normal life. Operation All-out was also launched by our security forces in 2017 until there was complete peace in the state.

The major change came in Kashmir when Article 370 was removed in 2019. Experts believe that this will bring a major change in the development of Jammu and Kashmir and also give a massive punch in the jaw of the Pakistani government and their terrorist organisations. Many schools, colleges, research centres, malls, and hospitals are soon to be constructed in Kashmir. This will bring a massive change in the lives of Kashmiris. In his recent interview, Army General KJS Dillon Sir said that Kashmir is now changing. People have now changed their agenda from free Kashmir to infrastructure development. After all, they also want good education, better healthcare facilities, and good jobs in their areas. Their faith in India's security forces also increases now with their support. Terrorist activities in Kashmir decreased abruptly, and hopefully, in the coming future, Kashmir will become a terrorist-free state or might be the next startup hub like Bengaluru. We never know.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Neither WION nor ZMCL endorse the writer's viewpoints.)

Read in App