India to Invalidate UN Role in Kashmir

                            
By Sajjad Shaukat

Muslims inside India and the Indian-held Kashmir including Pakistan are well-aware of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda to reduce the Muslim community in India to second class citizens. Muslims’ anxiety in the region is multiplying due to the fact that during the election campaign, Hindu majority was mobilized on anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan slogans.

Now, the fundamentalist ruling party of India, BJP has started showing its real face. In this regard, in his interview to an Indian TV channel, its leader Dr. Subramaniam Swamy, a staunch promoter of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) said on July 12, this year that India needed only two years to defeat Pakistan militarily, and it would not shy away from a nuclear war because ultimately there would be no Pakistan left. He elaborated, “May be 100 million will die; no problem.”

Swamy added that the only solution of Kashmir was war, as “there is no peaceful, democratic solution.” About the aftermath of the withdrawal of the US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan, he remarked, “Americans will hand over Afghanistan to Taliban and go…India should send at least 200,000 troops to Afghanistan…their [Taliban] appetite is Jihad and Kashmir is the obvious place…so we should be ready to go to war.” He further pointed out that Modi won the elections 2014 on the basis of Hindutva, and “those Muslims inside India who do not accept Hindu ancestry should be disenfranchised.”

In these terms, we cannot see the remarks of Dr. Subramaniam Swamy in isolation, as the BJP rulers have especially been implementing their nefarious designs in relation to the occupied Kashmir, even without caring for a nuclear war with Pakistan. They also neglect the fact that Pakistan lacks conventional forces and weapons vis-à-vis India, so, in case of a prolonged conflict on the issue of Kashmir, Pakistan will have to use nuclear weapons and missiles which could destroy whole of India.

However, soon after assuming power, Modi government, hurriedly decided to forcibly annex and integrate disputed territory of the State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), uncovering its intentions to wrap up the article 370 of the Indian constitution which ensures a special status to J&K. The aim behind is to fortify measures to strengthen and continue its illegal occupation in the J&K. Hence, as part of its extremist policy, United Nations Military Observer Group India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in New Delhi was asked to vacate official accommodation, claiming that its role had become irrelevant, thereby insulting the world body and indicating its intention to violate UN Security Council’s resolutions on Kashmir dispute, and to further commit human rights violations in the India-controlled Kashmir.

It is notable that since partition of India in 1947, United Nations has played significant role in maintaining peace and order in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian intransigence, expansionist designs and open violation of the partition formula for princely states created tension between India and Pakistan, and a territorial dispute erupted on the question of accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan. India, having occupied major part of Kashmir, quickly took the dispute to the United Nations. Consequently, United Nation Security Council (UNSC) passed resolution 39 in 1948 and a UN Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was established to investigate and mediate the issues between both the countries.

Afterwards, UNSC, on the complaint of the then Indian government, concerning the dispute over state of J&K, passed resolution 47 in 1948, thus paving the way for withdrawal of forces by India and Pakistan—creating conditions for a free and impartial plebiscite to decide the future of the State. The UNSC resolution 47 also upgraded membership of UNCIP and its role to observe ceasefire. In March 1951, Karachi agreement was signed by India and Pakistan, establishing a ceasefire line to be supervised by UN military observers. Nevertheless, UNCIP was terminated and UNSC passed resolution 91 in 1951 and established United Nations Military Observer Group India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to observe and report violations of ceasefire between both the countries.

Later on, after the Indo-Pakistan War-1971, Simla Agreement was signed in 1972 by the two neigbouring countries, and a Line of Control (LOC) was defined in Kashmir. Since then, New Delhi wickedly started opposing UNMOGIP, arguing that its role has elapsed, as ceasefire was now being observed through Simla Agreement.

On the other side, in order to prevent war between the two countries, the UN Secretary General, however, maintained that UNMOGIP will continue to function, as no UNSC resolution has been passed to terminate it. Therefore, it remains valid. Particularly, by honoring UNSC resolutions, Pakistani military has continued lodging complaints with UNMOGIP on ceasefire violations by India which disregards UN mandate in this respect. And UNMOGIP also continues to monitor and investigate complaints of ceasefire violations, and submit findings to India and Pakistan including the United Nations.

Nonetheless, it is the right hour that Pakistan’s high officials and media must support UN which is displaying firmness on UNMOGIP’s relevance and UN resolutions in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.

For the purpose, our internal entities must keep on pointing out that Kashmir is a disputed territory and cannot be annexed to India, under coercive strategy and wicked tactics, adopted by the BJP-led Indian government, as UNSC resolutions on Kashmir are still relevant and so is the case with UNMOGIP which is playing a very important role in maintaining peace and order in Kashmir.

Pakistan’s entities must also reject Indian illogical argument that role of UNMOGIP has also become irrelevant after signing of Simla Agreement between both the countries. Indian such stand is totally ridiculous and has already been criticized by the UN Secretary General including other peace loving people of the world.

In this connection, New Delhi has actually insulted UNO by telling the military observers to vacate their official accommodation from Indian capital, because their role has become unrelated. Pakistan’s media and high officials must focus on the UN Secretary General who is justified in snubbing India on the issue of UNMOGIP, asking the military observers to vacate the official accommodation, given to them in New Delhi.
It is quite irrational that now, the Indian government is opposing the role of UNMOGIP to maintain peace in the region, while UNMOGIP was established through UNSC resolution 51, on the complaint of the Indian government. Hence, Indian duplicity and double face must be uncovered and its sinister designs to fortify its measures to continue its illegitimate occupation of Kashmir be denounced, especially through our media.

Particularly, the civilized western nations must take note of the Indian intransigence and high headedness in violating UN resolutions and causing rudeness to UN on the issue of maintaining UNMOGIP which must continue to monitor and investigate complaints on violations of ceasefire across the LoC. In this context, India deliberate attempt to invalidate the UN role in Kashmir must be strictly opposed, as role of UNMOGIP is significantly valid and vital to maintain peace in Kashmir as well as between India and Pakistan in wake of war-mongering diplomacy of the BJP government.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com