FREE ESSAY ON KASHMIR: PARADISE EXPOSED TO HELL

KASHMIR: PARADISE EXPOSED TO HELL

Our group topic: "Causes and Effects of Wars" provoked me to write about the threatening
dispute of "Jammu and Kashmir" which has become more threatening after the nuclear
capabilities of India and Pakistan. My main claim revolves around the theme that the
burning dispute of Kashmir, between India and Pakistan can play a vital role in the
emergence of third world war and can act as battle-field for a nuclear war. Due to
geographical and social impacts on the world these countries have realized some big
nations to resolve the issue. 
South Asia, a land of deep historical and cultural representations has more than one
billion population. Dominated by British colonization for nearly a century, this region
contains a variety of imprints of British rule. 
South Asia is the region that holds evidences of one of the ancient civilization of the
world. The unsettled conditions of the eighteenth century provided an opening for the
European imperialism in this region. In 1957, British Empire took hold of the Indian
sub-continent and South Asia was colonized by British Empire. In 1947, when British
Empire surrendered control of the Indian sub-continent, the land was divided into two
major parts. The Hindu majority area became the independent nation of India and Muslim
majority area became the independent nation of Pakistan. Since then they have fought many
wars and several battles that have affected the both nations as well as the neighboring
countries. Now as both nations have gained the nuclear capabilities so they are predicted
as the battleground for a possible nuclear war. 
" If one were to take to praise Kashmir, whole books would be written…Kashmir is a
garden of eternal spring, or an iron fort to the palace of kings-a delightful flower-bed,
and a heart expanding heritage for dervishes"(Danger In Kashmir 3). Kashmir, with its
lush valley nestled among some of the world's most spectacular mountains, was once one of
the South Asia's premier tourist destinations; now, however, it is a battle-scarred war
zone. Kashmir is an area on the northern borders of India and Pakistan: officially known
as Jammu & Kashmir. Kashmir is famous for its natural beauty and has often been referred
to as the "Switzerland of the East". "The population according to latest data exceeds
than fourteen million inhabitants" (Diversity Amid Globalization 505). The heart of the
area is the fertile Valley of Kashmir, which lies between the Himalayas and the Pir
Panjal mountain range. Here the climate is mild and the soil well watered. "Kashmir
covers an area of 222,237 Km2 (85,800 square miles). Mount Godwin Austen/K2
(8,611m/28,250 ft) and Mount Nanga Parbat (8,123m/26,650 ft) lie in Northern Kashmir"
(http://www.ummah.org.uk/kashmir). 
The root causes of the Kashmir problem are to be found in the events leading to the
partition of the Indian subcontinent and the ideological perspectives of the All-India
Muslim League (AIML) and the Indian National Congress (INC). The AIML stood for Muslim
separation and the creation of a Muslim homeland while INC stood for the Hindu separation
and the creation of Hindu homeland. During the British rule on South Asia, Kashmir was a
large province having a majority of Muslim population. Kashmir also included a Hindu
district named as Jammu in its territory. Due to the difference in religion, culture,
social life, customs and opposite traditions and believes it was very hard to mix the
both religions. At the time of partition, Kashmir had being ruled by a Hindu Maharaja
(King) who was sharing Kashmir as a legacy of his forefathers. The people of Kashmir
wanted get rid of their Hindu ruler due to the difference in the religion. At that time
the Maharaja called on India to help him. He knew that he could not count on Pakistan for
help, as Pakistan was a Muslim country. On the contrary, India was willing to help him.
They sent their troops into Kashmir to help Maharaja. India soon took over the Kashmir by
deploying its army. At that time, Indian authorities, which had good relationships with
Viceroy from British Empire, conspired against Pakistan and Kashmir. Due to this secret
conspiracy, Kashmiri inhabitants were left alone. India stated that it would arrange fair
elections and that kashmiri inhabitants would be able to choose their own leader. Till
then, neither an election nor a referendum has been introduced by Indian government. 
"The partition of Indian continent, as was to be expected, did not resolve the problem of
two communities. Instead of ending the Hindu-Muslim conflict, the division of the country
merely elevated the inter-community blood-bath into inter-state rivalry. By the time
India was partitioned, considerable venom had been injected into the body politics of
both countries. Partition itself was accompanied by some of the worst carnage in Indian
history and all semblance of goodwill, decency, and sanity disappeared" (Perspectives on
Kashmir 48). 
Pakistani authorities did not accept the partition of Kashmir and objected the decision
made by Viceroy. Ultimately they decided to fight. In the first war that was fought in
1948, Pakistan gained a slice western and northern Kashmir, but the main territory's core
remained under Indian control. Since then both nations have fought several wars and
remained locked today in bitter animosity and has caused an extreme political instability
in the region. The two main wars between these two nations were fought in 1965 and 1971
respectively. These two wars, accompanied by several battles and extreme exchange of
military attacks on the line of control (border between India and Pakistan) are the
outgrowth of the burning issue of Kashmir. These two wars resulted as serious political
tensions, economic disaster and loss of property and lives. These two wars proved as
nightmares for the inhabitants of this region and stopped the development of the two
nations, that is why, the region is one of the poorest region in the world. 
According to famous generalist: Alastair lamb (US), " In one sense the Kashmir problem
can be seen as a consequence of British failure to find a satisfactory method for the
integration of the Princely States into the independent India and Pakistan which
succeeded the British Raj. There were 562 Princely States in British India by the time of
the transfer of power, and they covered over one-third of the total area of the Indian
Empire" (The Kashmir Problem 3). 
So it can be assumed that issue of Kashmir has proved the bone of contention between the
relationships of both nations and has resulted in the bitter animosity. Each country
claims Kashmir as a part of its territory. As a result of a rebellion in 1947 and the
subsequent wars between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the area is separated by a
Line-of-Control (LOC or cease-fire line). To the east of the LOC lies the vale of
Kashmir, Jammu that is administered by India. To the west lies the area now known as
'Azad [Free] Kashmir' that is governed by its own government with strong ties with
Pakistan. Inhabitants of the Indian side of Kashmir or Occupied Kashmir are fighting for
the freedom for last fifty years. They have been sacrificing their lives and are being
martrayed by Indian Army for last several years. There are many freedom-movements working
in the area that has also resulted a large number of innocent deaths. They are fighting
for their freedom and as the result inhabitants have to face the brutal violence by
Indian Army. There are many other movements working in the area for the independence of
the region. Indian government has always blamed Pakistan for its involvement in that
movements and Pakistan has always regretted the objections. 
"The US State department, Amnesty International and Human Rights watch have recorded
varying categories of human rights violation in Kashmir by Indian army. These include: 
Disappearances. 
Rape. 
Torture and custodial killings. 
Use of Excessive force and violations of humanitarian laws. 
Political and extra judicial killings. 
Arbitrary interference into privacy, family, home and correspondence. 
Denial of fair trial. 
Suppression of religious freedom. 
Suppression of freedom of peaceful assembly and association. 
Suppression of freedom of speech and press. 
Opprobrious treatment of elderly. 
Repression against holding peaceful demonstrations. 
Due to these excesses, more than 60,000 Kashmiris have been killed since 1990, with a lot
more unaccounted for. Thousands of helpless Muslim Kashmiris have fled across the
Line-of-Control to Azad Kashmir and Pakistan are now living in refugee camps"
(http://ummah.org.uk/kashmir). 
According to Amnesty International, following data shows the number of deaths and number
of violent activities by Indian troops in the dispute valley of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the latest information, more than sixty thousand inhabitants have been
mercilessly butchered to death since 1989 in the valley. 
"Kashmir has suffered an in-human violence since the partition of South Asia, but 1989,
the violence is increased and has resulted in the deaths of innocent inhabitants. The
following chart shows the number of inhabitants that were made disabled by extreme and
brutal violence by Indian army along with the precise number of deaths for last ten
years"(http://ummah.org.uk). 
More recently, India has increased its army in Kashmir to suppress the Kashmiri
Inhabitants. " The deployment of 600,000 troops to silence the voice of Kashmiri people
is seen as the only solution by the Indian government, resulting in gross violations of
human rights" (Divided Kashmir 2). According to the United Nation, "About ten to twelve
innocent people are killed every week by Indian paramilitary forces. There is only one
soldier to every six Kashmirs and approximately eight thousand Kashmiris are martrayed
every year" ( http://www.un.org). 
The Amnesty International is trying to draw attention of world's big nations towards this
issue. According to their data, since 1992, indiscriminate firing caused the deaths of
59,170 Kashmiri people. 585 were burnt alive, more than two thousands Kashmiri people
lost their lives due to extreme torture, record cases of deaths caused by throwing in
rivers reaches to four thousand, more than 100,000 were forced to leave their homes and
seventy thousand are still missing. Is this what India was called for? Is this what
Indian government calls "peace". Human rights violations that includes extra judicial
killings, rape, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, disappearances, destruction of
homes and shops, denial of fair trial and excessive paramilitary force and violation of
humanitarian laws, suppression of freedom of speech. Due to the self-determination of
Kashmiri people, Indian army can't control them so they are using illegal and brutal ways
to control them. Killing can't solve the problem. Indian troops kill young children right
in front of their parents. They rape innocent girls in front of their brothers and
fathers. The extent of torture, killings and rapes perpetrated on Kashmiri people by
Indian forces are already creating a new record of atrocities. Gouging of eyes, cutting
off of men's genitals, use of ever-new methods of torture and endless curfews would shame
Hitler's SS death squads. The Indian occupation army's deviltry such as gang rapes,
burning of entire villages and crops, destruction of economic life of whole communities
and genocide of the Kashmiri people in defiance of international human rights laws, are
everyday affairs. According to UN, "An estimated one million women have been bereaved,
tortured or humiliated and beaten up or killed; many hundreds have been subjected to
barbaric sexual assaults. Sexual harassment is used as a weapon to subvert people into
submission" (http://ummah.com/kashmir/atroc). This database represents only a minute
proportion of the Indian atrocities in Kashmir as the majority goes undocumented. 
On the other side, Pakistani government thinks that it owes Jammu and Kashmir. Though
they haven't recognized that they are supporting freedom fighters in Jammu and Kashmir,
infect they provide them some ammunition and moral support. This resulted in extreme
violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan is spending huge money from its annual budget on
Kashmir and on its defense despite the fact that Kashmir is not under its control.
Similarly, "Indian government is spending 10.7 percent of its annual budget for its
defense in Kashmir" (Annual Budget of India 1999' 674). 
While South Asia grapples with the existence of nuclear weapons, ethnic conflict,
terrorism, and other threats, it also affords new opportunities for market reform, growth
of democratic institutions, and closer ties with the United States. In the fourth month
of 1999, when both nations conducted nuclear tests, the situation has become tenser and
has produced a threat of nuclear war in the region. Many experts and intellectuals have
pointed the region as the battlefield of the next world war that might be a nuclear war.
That is why, United Nation is trying to resolve this matter and stabilize the political
instability of South Asia. 
Since 1948, United-Nation has tried to solve the tense situation many times, but it has
not been able to resolve the dispute. Many experts criticize that UN hasn't played a
sufficient role to resolve the dispute. Security Council and General assembly have passed
twenty resolutions but all in vain and couldn't reach a peaceful settlement. The Security
Council promised a referendum, in the form of a plebiscite, to the people of Kashmir in
1948. India then accepted the principle of plebiscite but has since obstructed all
attempts at arranging fair elections or referendum. Since then the situation got out of
hands of United Nation and still UN is unable to provide a peaceful solution. 
Pakistani Information Minister in his interview with CNN in 1999 said, "We have been
saying that the United Nations and the secretary-general should intervene because this is
a threat to peace and regional stability"
(http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9905/27/pakistan.reax). 
On May 11, 1998 the Indian government announced that they had conducted a series of
successful nuclear tests at their test facility in the Rajasthan Desert. On May 13, the
Indian government announced that it conducted two further tests. The Pakistan government
responded with a series of there own tests. On May 28 the Pakistani government announced
that they had exploded 5 nuclear devices in the southwestern part of Pakistan. These
tests were followed by another test on May 30. As now both nations have gained nuclear
capabilities, it is a very critical situation for the whole world. Now their nuclear
capabilities have drawn the attention of the entire globe to this dispute and many
experts have pointed the region as the battleground for next world war. 
It is very important for both nations to have peaceful relationship because the dispute
of Jammu and Kashmir has played a vital role to make them one of the poorest regions in
the world. Pakistan: a populous country of 160 million inhabitants is spending twenty
five percent of its annual revenue for its defense capabilities. In 1999, Pakistan's
annual revenue was approximately eleven billion dollars. Out of which, approximately
three billion was spent on the army. It is a very huge amount for a poor country like
Pakistan. That is why, Pakistan spends two percent of annual revenue on education and as
a result sixty three percent of its population is illiterate (Kashmir in The Crossfire
46). Similarly in India, government is spending one-fifth of its annual revenue to its
defense capabilities and as a result it has become one the most poorest nation in the
world. They should spend money on the needs of ordinary citizens rather than wasting
money on their defense capabilities. 
Today the burning dispute of Jammu and Kashmir remains unsolved. It seems that both
nations are filled with bitter animosity for each other and as a result the dispute is
still there as it was fifty years ago. Both nations are escalating the conflict and it
seems that there might be no solution until any serious action is taken by United Nation.
The United Nation and The United States had arranged many table talks to resolve the
conflict. For a moment it was seemed that they would solve this issue, but as soon as the
talks were over, both countries started using propaganda's. 
To resolve this burning issue, all big nations should participate in the United Nations
peace programs and should stress India and Pakistan to solve the conflict as soon as
possible. United Nation should stress India to hold election in Kashmir. The best
solution will be the United Nation's contribution in the election to make them fair and
safe. All countries should try to establish good relationship between these neighbors.
Kashmiri people have suffered the loss of thousands of lives since partition and it is
the time that this issue should be solved according to the will of Kashmiri people. 
Works Cited: 
"Britannica Information Package" - http://www.britannica.com 
CNN - http://www.cnn.com 
"Danger in Kashmir" by Josef Korbel 
"Diversity Amid Globalization" (For World Regional Geography's Students) (Page 495-537) 
"Divided Kashmir" by Rahman Mushtaqur 
"Kashmir Websites" - http://www.ummah.org.uk/kashmir, http://www.kashmir.com,
http://www.klc.org.pk, http://www.jammu-kashmir.org 
"Kashmir in the Crossfire" by Victoria Schofield 
"Perspectives on Kashmir" by Raju G.C Thomas 
"The Kashmir Problem" by Alastair Lamb 
United Nation's official website - http://www.un.org