BHUTTO, KASHMIR AND FREEDOM

BARRISTER AAMIR HASSAN (THE NATION) February 06, 2018

Kashmir is a prick of world conscience and the world needs to set its conscience free from the piercing pain by resolving the Kashmir issue. The issue surfaced after the Second World War which brought about political as well as geographical changes around the world. There was no exception to subcontinent where emergence of Pakistan and India on world map was the most significant development. Interestingly both the countries were quick in developing their relations with different countries of the world. However, they could not mend fences between them after independence due to the different issues. Off all, the Kashmir issue being most sensitive is still a flashpoint between them.

Nobody can think of durable peace in the region without establishing friendly relations, developing social as well as economic ties, resolving outstanding issues between the two major nations of the world in the South Asia. That’s the reason the dream of 1.5 billion people of the region for peace and prosperity is still elusive. The peace can only be ensured in the region if the civil and military leadership of both the countries resolve to sort out all the outstanding issues. For this purpose, they need to adopt measures for solution of Kashmir issue keeping in view the self-determination of Kashmiris.

We know that the Kashmir problem has been the unfinished agenda of  partition since 1947. Renowned author, Arundhati Roy has rightly said, “How carelessly imperial power vivisected ancient civilizations. Palestine and Kashmir are imperial Britain’s festering, blood-drenched gifts to the modem world. Both are fault lines in the raging international conflicts of today.” It was Maharaja of Kashmir who proclaimed annexation of Kashmir with India without the will of Kashmiri people. The Kashmiris resisted his unjust decision and India employed brute force to crush the will of Kashmiris. The level of resistance compelled Mr. Nehru to knock the door of the newly born United Nations for the solution of Kashmir. Mr. Nehru was of the view that the United Nations would accept his stance on Kashmir and the Pakistani viewpoint would be rejected. However, all his hopes ended in smoke when the United Nations accepted  a resolution against his expectations but in favor of Kashmiris people. The resolution binds India to hold a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir areas to know the will of Kashmiri people and decide the fate of the region in the light of the result. Unfortunately, the Kashmirs are still struggling despite lapse of six decades.

Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah called Kashmir as jugular vein of Pakistan. But after the demise of Quaid e Azam, the Kashmir issue could not be properly advocated on international forums. It was none other but Zulifqar Ali Bhutto who learnt the importance of Kashmir for Pakistan and  reinvigorated the founder of the nation’s stance on the issue. He contended it on international forum uprightly time and again.

Mr. Bhutto believed that peace is the key for mutual survival and development for India and Pakistan. Both the countries being neighbours need to develop good relations between them. War and aggression in any forum would not help matters. The aggression would add to the problems of the people and complicate the relations. Both the countries should boost their economies in the best interest of their masses. It is not predestined that the people dwelling in Africa and Asia would and should remain poor. We shall have to break the vicious cycle of poverty and hostility.

Mr. Bhutto realized the fact that without resolving the Kashmir issue, the dream for durable peace and prosperity cannot be translated into reality in the region. The best solution of Kashmir is nothing but to hand over Muslim majority areas to Pakistan since it’s an unfinished agenda of partition. But the India’s leadership obduracy is the major obstacle in this regard. Mr. Bhutto knocked world’s conscious in the United Nations. His address was monumental and represented the will of Kashmiri people. Mr. Bhutto’s speech summed up everything, no further explanation required. He said,  “Jammu and Kashmir is more a part of Pakistan than it can ever be with India, with all her eloquence and all her extravagance with words. Jammu and Kashmir is part of Pakistan, in blood, in flesh, in culture, in history, in geography. In every way and in every form.” Mr. Bhutto was well aware about the nuclear designs of India. That’s the reason, he reportedly said, “Pakistan will fight, fight for a thousand years. If.. India builds the (atom) bomb…. (Pakistan) will eat grass or (leaves), even go hungry, but we (Pakistan) will get one of our own (atom bomb)…. We (Pakistan) have no other Choice!”. It was the Kashmir issue which made Mr. Bhutto averse to Ayub rule and he bid farewell to his  government. He founded his own party. Later on, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto carried on his shaheed father’s mission on Kashmir and revitalized the issue in 1989. Since then Kashmiris freedom movement turned over a new leaf. Now his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is committed to highlight this issue on international forum. In 2014, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the United Nations had failed to resolve the Kashmir dispute while, “the Kashmiri people continue to await the realisation of the promise the world made to them.” On another occasion he repeated his stance, “I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because, like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan.” He believes that the terrorism has damaged much to the Kashmir cause. That’s the reason his stand on Kashmir and terrorism is loud and clear. After the elimination of monster of terrorism, Kashmir will certainly be freed from the clutches of slavery.