Let’s revive Kashmiriyat

I recall Day One, October 27, 1947, when we landed at Srinagar airport to rescue the people of Kashmir. The enemy was several-thousand strong at Baramulla, engaged in rapine and plunder. We were only 300-strong in Srinagar on that fateful day. Much water has flown down the Jhelum in the last nearly seven decades, but the Kashmir imbroglio continues to fester and has become worse.

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral and his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, shared a linguistic bond. Mr Sharif told him that he knew India could not give Kashmir to Pakistan nor could Pakistan take Kashmir from India. This continues to be so, with increasing enmity. Of late the hostility of Kashmiri youth towards India has increased considerably. Intolerance and fanaticism have poisoned their outlook. Providing employment and economic development alone will not change this. The poisonous virus has to be drained out.

In 1947, Sufi Islam was dominant in Kashmir. The Holy Quran was taught by Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Muslims looked after Hindu shrine. Today Wahhabi Islam is dominant. Maqbool Sherwani was crucified in October 1947 at Baramulla for trying to save Hindus and Sikhs. Three decades later his namesake, Maqbool Bhat, massacred Hindus, leading to the ethnic cleansing of five lakh Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

Pakistan maintains that Kashmir is its jugular vein and that it is incomplete without Kashmir. “P” in Pakistan stands for Punjab, “K” for Kashmir, “S” for Sindh and “N” for the erstwhile North-West Frontier Province, it says. When the subcontinent was partitioned on the basis of religion, Pakistan says it cannot be legitimately denied the Muslim-majority state of Kashmir. India claims that from the dawn of history Kashmir has been her soul and an integral part. The Indian Independence Act of 1947 required the ruler of the princely state to choose the dominion to which to accede. Maharaja Hari Singh acceded to India. The United Nations Resolution of August 13, 1948, accepted the legality of Kashmir’s accession to India. It asked Pakistan to withdraw all its forces from the state before plebiscite, while India could retain her forces till a plebiscite.

Both Pakistan and India have missed golden opportunities in Kashmir. Had Pakistan started the invasion of Kashmir 10 days later, say November 1, 1947, the story would have been entirely different. The grass airfield at Srinagar would have become unserviceable due to snow and the road from Pathankot over Banihal Pass, at 9,000 feet, blocked with snow. There was no Banihal tunnel then. Pakistan would have consolidated its rule over Kashmir, Gilgit, Baltistan and Ladakh that winter.

By November 14, 1947, the Indian Army cleared the Valley and reached Uri, pursuing decisively defeated Pakistani forces in disarray and full retreat. Had the Army not been stopped from going to Muzaffarabad, India could have secured the whole Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh in 1947.

India has not had a roadmap to resolve the Kashmir issue beyond asserting that Kashmir is her integral part. India has been reacting to situations, but has never made any attempt to recover the strategically important Gilgit-Baltistan region. Its mainly Shia population has risen against Sunni oppression and attempts to change the demography of the region by Punjabi and Pathan Sunnis. Their struggle is being crushed by the Pakistan Army. India has never extended even moral support to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan has now virtually outsourced the region to China, making the latter a party to the Kashmir dispute.

Pakistan has exploited its geostrategic location to serve its interests, whether during the Cold War or Taliban operations in Afghanistan. Despite its perfidy over Osama bin Laden, Islamabad continues to get US assistance. It has been the epicentre of terrorism. Terrorists based in Pakistan frequently attacked US troops in Afghanistan, yet US munificence for Pakistan continued. China and Pakistan have a common anti-India agenda. Beijing is developing the Gwadar port and is investing $40 billion on “one belt one road” to reach the Arabian Sea. It is also poised to exploit the natural resources of Balochistan, particularly its large copper deposits.

Pakistan has violated every single agreement over Kashmir starting with the Standstill Agreement in 1947. Every effort by India to start dialogue with Pakistan has been followed by a cross-border terrorist attack. Atal Behari Vajpayee’s bus journey to Lahore was followed by Kargil; Manmohan Singh reaching out to Yousaf Raza Gilani by the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and Narendra Modi’s visit to Lahore by the attack on the Indian Air Force’s Pathankot airbase. Conflicting and discordant signals are coming from Pakistan. On the positive side, for the first time Pakistan has not denied its terrorists are attacking India and not blamed India for the terrorist attack on Easter in Lahore Park. Jaish-e-Mohammed’s involvement has not been denied, but Masood Azhar is being shielded by China. Kulbhushan Jadhav is being projected as an Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) spy, and so on. Foreign secretary-level talks were held but the logjam continues.

Neither India nor Pakistan can alter the border in Jammu and Kashmir. They have to live with the Line of Control as the border. India must never lower her guard but should continue to take initiatives to improve relations. Pakistan has suffered over 50,000 casualties at the hands of its home-grown terrorists in recent years. The peace lobby within Pakistan is growing. The assassin of Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who was being hailed as a hero, has at last been hanged. There is growing realisation in Pakistan that the country is imploding and requires course-correction. Numerous articles in Pakistan newspapers confirm this.

The situation in Srinagar Valley has of late worsened. Other stakeholders, spread over 90 per cent of Indian-administered Kashmir and little short of majority, cannot be ignored, particularly after the 2015 Assembly elections. The People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance with diametrically opposed ideologies is in power. Law and order must be ensured. Good administration and economic development are required. But we must also strive towards a change of heart and mind on priority basis. Good relations with Pakistan and promoting better understanding of the Kashmir problem by world powers are necessary for this.

India as a growing world power must play her due role in promoting world peace without jeopardising her national security. She should give full support to the world community in the fight against international terrorism. A multi-pronged internal and international effort by India is necessary.

In 1947, the people of the Valley were rescued from a brutal invasion and barbarous massacre. Today our brethren in the Valley have to be rescued from intolerance and fanaticism, to lead a life of dignity as part of a prosperous nation. Their precious heritage of “Kashmiriyat” must be revived.

The writer, a retired lieutenant-general, was Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir