Kashmir, the place that has been internationally recognized as a disputed territory. International community has also acclaimed that this part of the world is a conflict zone that is being illegally occupied by military power. More than 700,000 troops have been placed here, excluding the state sponsored militia. On October 27 in 1947, Indian army landed in Kashmir that preceded the hysteria that was created through a well planed propaganda. The first Indian troops to land at Srinagar came from Sikh unit commanded by Colonel Ranjit Rai. People were made to believe that Pakistani aggression was on stands and Pakistanis were going to kill all the non Muslims of the land, which finally resulted in the disguised invasion of Kashmir by India. Actually the tribesmen came to the rescue of the people of Jammu who were subjected to the appalling atrocities by the army of the Maharaja and rose against his tyranny. Surprisingly, the “tiger of Kashmir”, Sheikh Abdullah, had no teeth when it came to the Jammu region and failed to control the situation. The revolt then spread to Mirpur, Kotli and other towns, and soldiers of the state army rebelled. It was for this reason; the Maharaja was made to join the dominion of India. It seems like the conspiracy was being hatched and followed to clear the whole Muslim population of Jammu first and then of Kashmir. Before the revolt, the maharaja called off the Stand Still agreement that was signed between Pakistan and the maharaja. Such an agreement between Pakistan and Maharaja was not emotional or sentimental rather a need, because of the railway line that connected Kashmir and Pakistan was used by the two parties for trade purposes because it was a hectic job and lengthy process to import goods from India as there wasn’t any feasible medium to carry goods. This agreement gave Pakistan the right to run railways and postal services, and Pakistan’s flag flew in Srinagar. Hoisting the Pakistani flag at Srinagar proved to be unbearable to the government of India and they immediately forced the Maharaja to step down and assigned Sheikh Abdullah and Mr. Mehar Chand Mahajan the job not to [run] but to [ruin] the landscape. The effects of the disaster done by Hari Singh and his aides swelled and are swelling with each passing day in Kashmir. Both before and after the accession, Kashmiris had/have been subjected to the most heinous human rights’ violations. On the day of accession a letter was sent by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Mountbatten to the Maharajah Hari Singh in which the then Governor-General accepted the accession with a remark, “it is my Government’s wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Jammu and Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader the question of the State’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people.” This remark was well accepted and reiterated by the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru to the people of Kashmir. Lord Mountbatten’s remark and the offer made by the Government of India to conduct a plebiscite or referendum to determine the future status of Kashmir led to a dispute between India and Pakistan regarding the legality of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India.
Everything in Kashmir since the partition of India went wrong. Each and every decision made by the so called care takers of the land proved to be catastrophic to this beautiful valley. The decisions like violation of Stand Still agreement between the Pakistan and Kashmir, the decision of Maharaja to accede to India and transferring the power to rule to the Sheikh family all proved to be wrong and deceitful. After the Pakistani tribesmen were sent back and the situation in the valley came back on track, the promise of referendum or plebiscite was claimed by the people of valley. But the deceitful government of India and their associates in the valley had already befooled the people of Kashmir. Indian troops had landed in this beautiful valley not to protect it but to carve it into a “beautiful prison”. The 1998 was the year when the patience had crossed the mark and forced the people of Kashmir to hold arms. Or maybe it was a pre planned conspiracy to bring all the lovers of the nation, (who were having enough courage to bring the tyrant down) to the forefront and mark them to hunt them down one by one. In 1990, Kashmiri Pandits had to leave Kashmir, but who stands responsible for their exodus is yet to be confirmed. It is obvious that whenever such events happen, the event that follows is the blame game. And the same happened at that moment. The government claimed that it were the terrorist groups backed by Pakistan who were responsible for the killings of Kashmiri Pandits. While the other side claims that it were the government owned militia, having local members recruited, that were responsible for the mass exodus of the Pandits. Till date it is being claimed that a total number of 399 Pandits were killed. Till the night of 19th of February Indian army dacotas plied on the roads of Kashmir that were used to ferry the Pandits towards Jammu. But the question that quite surprises me is why did the Indian government failed to protect them? Indian government had sent a huge number of contingents to the valley, then why weren’t the Pandit families given security as it is now being offered and provided? It clearly depicts that Indian government wanted them to leave Kashmir. It is only after their departure, on January 21, 55 innocent civilians were brutally killed at Basantbagh and Gaw Kadal in Srinagar city by CRPF troops when more than 20,000 people took to the streets, defying curfew. On July 13, 1931, Kashmir witnessed its first massacre. A large number of Kashmiris gathered in front of the Srinagar central jail, at a time when the trial of a youth Abdul Qadeer accused of involvement in a case of agitation, was in progress inside the jail. The objective was to demonstrate solidarity with the young man. As the time for obligatory prayer approached a young Kashmiri stood for Azan (Call for the prayer) and the Dogra police opened fire on him, and he got martyred. Thereby, another youth took the place of the martyred young man and started the Azan. He too was shot dead. In this way 22 Kashmiris embraced martyrdom in their efforts to complete the Azan. It was just the beginning of the atrocities and tyranny that was initiated by the despot ruler and the tyranny was continued by the progeny of the Sheikh Abdullah. In June 1947, people of Poonch had launched a no-tax campaign against the heavy taxation of Maharaja. To curb the agitation, Maharaja Hari Singh, ordered the use of brute military force and on August 26 the protesters were confronted by the Dogra-armed forces. The troops opened bran-gun fire on the huge crowd of 5,000 civilians, martyring and wounding hundreds of them. Maharaja Hari Singh fled from Srinagar to Jammu on October 26th 1947, as the liberation activists were poised in Srinagar’s suburbs to capture the city. On reaching Jammu, he issued orders to his troops and police besides the Hindu extremist groups, to kill the Muslims. The Muslims were asked to gather in parade ground in Jammu so that they would be driven to Pakistan in lorries. While on their way, on October 20, 1947, eight thousand Muslims were massacred at Malatank Jammu. On October 22, 1947 at least 14000 Muslims were massacred at Saniya Jammu and 15,000 Muslims were gunned down near the bridge at Akhnoor. After this the Dogra ruler gave up the terrority and fled to India where he was given full protection. Until November 5 and 6, 1947, Indian army had landed in Kashmir and the power was transferred to the Sheikh Abdullah. On 5th and 6th, 1947, more than 100 lories, loaded with women, children and old men were taken into the wilderness of Kuthua forests. Hindu extremists and armed gangs were let loose on these innocent people and an unparallel butchery was perpetrated, killing thousands of them. Women were raped, molested and their valuables looted. All these bloodsheds were taking place in full view of the Indian army. In another act of butchery, a large gathering of 25000 Muslims, in Miran Sahib and Ranbir Singhpora, were machine-gunned. By then it had became clear that the troops of india were not to protect the innocents but to kill all the Muslims of the region. During migration to Pakistan in 1947, nearly 300,000 people were massacred in cold blood. A British daily “The London Times” wrote on October 10, 1947 in a report from its special correspondent in India that the Maharaja, under his own supervision, got assassinated 237,000 Muslims, using military forces in Jammu area. The editor of “Statesman” Ian Stephen, in his book “Horned Moon” wrote that “till the end of autumn 1947, more than 200,000 Muslims were assassinated. Right from 1947, the fury of mass killings was going on unabated. Kashmiris suffered massacres in 1965 and 1971. The cry for the plebiscite was repeatedly being ignored by the Indian government and repeatedly overlooked by the international community”. Since 1989, India increased its acts of brutalities and people were killed in mass groups. On January 8, 1990 more than 17 people were killed in Kashmir by indiscriminate firing by the Indian army at various places at Srinagar. On January 15, Handwara witnessed the massacre in which 17 unarmed and peaceful protestors were massacred that included a woman also. On January 21, 55 innocent civilians were brutally killed at Basantbagh and Gaw Kadal in Srinagar city by CRPF troops when more than 20,000 people took to the streets, defying curfew. On January 22, the Indian army and paramilitary forces resorted to unprovoked firing at Alamghari Bazar Srinagar and killed many unarmed civilians. On January 25, 26 civilians were shot dead in Handwara town of Kupwara district. The township was set afire by BSF after the latter was panicked by a bang. Some of the slain persons including women were roasted alive. The tail does not ended here, the mass killings in Kashmir continue till date. It continued parallel to the exodus of the Pandits. And such events made the exodus fishy. Recently the brute force was perpetrated by the same Sheikh progeny in 2010 when 120 innocent and unarmed youth were killed. The tyranny has no single face and there is no other folk on the earth other than Kashmiris who have witnessed them all. From rapes (of which Kunan Poshpora has a must-mention where the women of the whole area, irrespective of their age, were raped), to the draconian laws like public safety act (PSA) and armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) that give arbitrary powers to the police and army, even to kill an innocent without causing a legal proceeding on that trooper and from unjustified curfews to the illegal detentions, fake encounters and enforced disappearances. Kashmiris have witnessed and are witnessing them all. There is a quotation “power corrupts a man, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The same has happened with Kashmiri rulers. They have always favored despotism. The key to stay on throne has been retained by the New Delhi, since the 1947’s deceitful accession. And the atrocities on Kashmiris in general and Muslims in particular have always given the enthralling happiness and peace of mind to the Indian government. So anyone who pleases the New Delhi by offering blood of innocent kashmiris, will retain the throne. According to a survey conducted by All Parties Hurriyet Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir disclosed that from 1989 to 15 October 2012, there have been deaths of 93,274 innocent Kashmiris, 6,969 custodial killings, 117,345 arrests and destruction of 105,861 houses. Indian brutal security forces have orphaned over 107, 351 children, widowed 22,728 women and gang raped 9,920 women in the Indian held Kashmir. While, Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) and rights groups have stated that more than 10,000 people have disappeared, accusing government forces of staging fake gun battles to cover up killings. They also revealed that many innocent persons had been arrested and were murdered through arbitrary executions, and then buried in unmarked graves. Apart from pleasing the centre, it was the subjective satisfaction of the army and state owned militia that rendered them to become beastly. The monetary allowances or rewards offered by Indian state in lieu of killing a so called terrorist became the subjective object or motivational force for the army and state owned militia to commit such heinous acts. Kashmir is the only place on earth where people do not have any right. If their breath reaches to the ears of the tyrant, in return to that the barrels of the tyrants gun speaks.
Kashmiris have always believed that someday a phantom from west will come and rescue us all. Kashmiris believe that west including America and the European Union will do some good to them. They believe that the west will show some sympathy towards them. But nothing such has happened until now. The United States has always been saying that Kashmir is an issue between Pakistan and India and they will have to solve it by themselves. That does not come as a surprise to me; on contrary the President of America during his [CHANGE] slogan before being elected had mentioned Kashmir and had said that he will do everything possible to solve the Kashmir issue. But, he later deviated from his stance. Maybe, because he do not want to lose a ‘so called’ [DEMOCRATIC] cum capitalist ally in Asia, where a communist dragon is standing with an open wide mouth ready to engulf both America and India. Recently Germany has shown keen interest in symphonizing rather than sympathizing Kashmiris, obviously not by sending a phantom but an Orchestra band. The musician Zubin Mehta arrived in Kashmir on 6th and symphonized Shalimar Bagh on 7th of September. He played some symphonies in front of some VIP guests from Kashmir and other parts of the world, not to show the reality but with an aim to hide the reality. On the same day, 4 innocents lost their lives at the hands of tyrant forces in Shopian, a South Kashmir district. Hypocrite Indian media without wasting a moment framed 2 out of the four as terrorists. It was just a flop attempt of Indians to stage a show for the world to cast [foreign] terrorism. To make them believe that when India tries to take a leap towards peace, how some terror elements, probably from northern region of Sub continent, try to circumvent the peace process? Zubin Mehta has visited almost all the oppressed parts of the world including Palestine, just with an aim to show the world that such places are living in peace and do not have any problems with their occupiers. This is the kind of sympathy that west shows towards the oppressed and they are doing the same with Kashmiris. For instance America; it is being speculated that unless it would not intervene in Kashmir Conflict this conflict could not be sorted out. But every one of us has already witnessed the disasters that America has brought in pursuance of their peace keeping missions. All of us have witnessed how they have abused human rights for their own vested interests.
Freedom is not something that is demanded or asked for, from the oppressor. It is to be attained. Not by relying on a Western Phantom but we have to do it by our own. If people of Egypt, Libya and other ex-oppressed nations could do it without the help of any foreign nation, then why cannot we. Let us rise and make them pay for each drop of tear and blood. Let us rise to breathe FREEDOM.