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"Kashmir struggle" ...... ...... ..

MR M. P. Bhandara has spoken his mind boldly (Dawn April 30 and May 10). One craves for a Pakistani counterpart of the former diplomat and journalist Kuldip Nayyar or an Indian member of parliament who, like Mr Bhandara, could write similarly about the case and stakes of Pakistan and the Kashmiris in the Kashmir issue in any leading Indian daily to make it a two-way flow of ideas. Thanks to Dawn for publishing the views of Mr H. N. Akhtar (May 4) and Mr Khalid Hasan (May 5 and 16) in which they have taken note of and responded to the views of Mr Kuldip Nayyar and Mr Bhandara.When Congress leaders felt frustrated by Mr Jinnah in their programme of keeping India united without reservations/guarantees about the rights of the Muslim minority, they half-heartedly conceded a truncated Pakistan. Nevertheless, the Congress and Hindu Mahasabha vowed in their resolutions of June 1947 to strive for reunification of India. Besides other measures, they planned to occupy the Jammu and Kashmir state to control their defence parameters and the rivers of Pakistan. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhai Patel played their role in collaboration with Lord Mountbatten to achieve this national goal. These are recorded facts of history.So, holding on to the J&K state to harm Pakistan is a national policy of India, which has religiously been pursued by all Indian governments. Having used the military option in 1971 to cut Pakistan to its present size, they are now feverishly busy in constructing dams on three rivers of Pakistan in occupied Kashmir to economically strangulate us.India is exploiting the post 9/11 scenario. Mr Advani, then deputy premier of the BJP government, had dashed to Washington to offer India’s services to strengthen US-Israeli partnership which was happily accepted. This boosted the pride and arrogance of the new Indian nationalists committed to Hindutva. This is evident from India’s attitude and response to Pakistan’s peace overtures and flexibility. The people in Pakistan feel that now the US and India are hand in glove to thrust an Indian solution on Pakistan and the Kashmiris. It seems Pakistan is being intimidated, which is evident from its consistent caving in on the Kashmir issue, which has created doubts and a feeling of concern and disappointment among Kashmiris who have given more sacrifices for freedom from India than Congress workers during the “Quit India movement” against the British.Like many freedom struggles in the past, the Kashmiris’ resistance movement attracted the bona fide support and sympathy on personal or ideological grounds of some individuals and NGOs. These people numbered in their dozens and mostly belonged to ethnic Kashmiris of Pakistan and AJ&K. Mr Bhandara says Pakistan usurped the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle by “terrorism”, encouraging religious zealots and unemployed Afghans, Arabs and Pakistani “mercenaries” to take over the liberation struggle. Would Mr Bhandara say that some people of other nationalities who joined the Indian National Army (INA) of Subhash Chandra Bose were mercenaries and terrorists and that they took over the INA? Had he visited any graveyard in Srinagar and seen the tomb-stones there, he would have come to know about their identification. Molested and widowed women and orphaned children of occupied Kashmir have not been exported / infiltrated from Pakistan. They are Kashmiris living on the soil of their motherland.Mr Bhandara is wrong when he says that only Pakistan supported the Taliban. Pakistan recognized and supported them when even the US was going to do the same if they had accepted American conditions. Moreover, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (with which India has vast economic affiliations) also supported the Taliban. They had complete control over Kabul and 90 per cent of Afghan territory. Additionally, there was the Pushtoon factor which Pakistan could not overlook. By the way, were the Taliban worse than the RSS and VHP zealots?Every state in the world admits Kashmir to be a disputed territory. There is a lot of sympathy and support for the just cause of the Kashmiris in the world as evidenced by the recent EU Commission’s report and statements in many public forums in many countries.How can the Kashmiris accomplish the mission of their martyrs with scores of parties and groups? Can’t their leaders shed their personal egos and ambitions for the sake of their motherland? It is the clarion call of this critical juncture that all freedom-loving Kashmiri leaders should unite on one platform and struggle for their just cause. No power will be able to overlook or bypass their united demands. There is no substitute to unity. That is the only way to success. Otherwise, they and their people will be doomed and history will not forgive them.KHAWAJA MUHAMMAD BASHIR BUTT Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir .... daily Dawn, Karachi, Pakistan 6/01/2005