PERHAPS feeling miffed by the waving of Pakistani flags and the raising of slogans in favour of this country by the protesting Kashmiris, as well as Islamabad’s moral support for them, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj made some claims (July 24). First, that what the Kashmiris in Indian-Occupied Kashmir were doing was terrorism; hence Pakistan was backing the act. Second, that Pakistan would never be able to make occupied Kashmir a part of itself.

British writer Christopher Snedden has observed in his new book, Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris:

“Soon after the (Pakistani) Pukhtuns’ (1947) invasion of J&K, New Dehli began to successfully employ a clever tactic to discredit local people opposing India in J&K. Indians began to use the term ‘raiders’ to incorrectly insinuate that all people fighting Indian forces were looters and plunderers from outside the state. This enabled New Dehli to seriously embarrass Pakistan”, (Books & Authors, Jan 3).

They have again started using the same tactic. I would ask them what about the rebellions going on in several north-eastern states of India for many decades and the Naxalite violence, which their previous prime minister Manmohan Singh had described as India’s most serious internal security threat?

British philosopher Bertrand Russell, who called himself India’s `lifetime’ friend and had worked for its freedom, back in the 1960s, had accused it of having double standards when it came to dealing with the Kashmiri and Nagaland.

The global icon of freedom struggle, Nelson Mandela, had warned: “When a man is denied the right to live life he believes in, he has no choice but to become am outlaw.”

As far as her claim that Pakistan will never be able to get Kashmir, one would remind her that at independence, many Indian leaders were saying that Pakistan would be stillborn or survive no more than six months. We are not only here today, but have visibly better living standards than the Indians. Even now we have an edge over them in nuclear deterrence. Colonial powers couldn’t retain their colonies, nor will India be able to keep Kashmir in chains. Ms Swaraj, “(Wo) Man proposes, God disposes”!

Hafeezullah

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2016