THE surest way to taint a legitimate, necessary and morally correct protest is to involve illegitimate, unnecessary and morally reprehensible actors.

The violence in Indian-held Kashmir against ordinary Kashmiris rising up in protest against the Indian state is a significant event in the disputed region’s troubled history.

This is also the moment for Pakistan to throw its diplomatic weight behind the people of Kashmir and to mobilise domestic and international support for them.

It may be a long time before Pakistan can expect to be heard fairly on the international stage given global narratives about this country, but what is fair and right must be pressed at every opportunity.

Unhappily, internal events are already tainting what ought to be a national, legitimate push for recognition of rights of Kashmiris.

The so-called Kashmir caravan led by Hafiz Saeed from Lahore to Islamabad and onwards to AJK has already grabbed attention in India and other parts of the world, while protests by banned organisations, such as the ASWJ, in favour of the Kashmiris will certainly have raised eyebrows internationally.

Instead of rallying even the sympathetic parts of world opinion to the plight of the Kashmiris, protests by banned militant groups inside Pakistan may only end up tainting by association the Kashmiri cause.

There are at least two questions that need to be raised here. Given that banned outfits on watch lists are openly holding rallies it is reasonable to ask if elements within the state apparatus have given the green light to such events.

Have those elements considered the costs of their actions, not least in terms of international opinion, which matters in the case of the Kashmir dispute?

The other question is for civil society and the political leadership across the country, including AJK: why have they left the field open to militant groups to once again raise their profile and identify themselves with the Kashmir struggle? A muted response by peaceful well-wishers and concerned citizens only opens the door to non-peaceful elements.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2016