A Short Introduction to the Kashmir Issue

Thesis Statement

Kashmir is a disputed region between India and Pakistan, which has vitiated the
political environment of the Indian Subcontinent. The Kashmir issue stands as a
debacle for nearly six decades and there has been almost no progress in resolving
the problem.

Introduction

Kashmir is a mountainous region, which enjoys a very important geo-political

situation. It is surrounded by Pakistan in the west and China embraces it in the east.
The Indian provinces of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab are in the south. Its northern
fringes touch the borders of Afghanistan too. The area is famous for its extra-
ordinary natural beauty and resources. Presently, the northern and western sides of
the region are occupied by Pakistan while the southern and eastern parts are
controlled by the Indian Union. For over six decades, the region has been
devastated by confrontations between the two countries. Both India and Pakistan
are nuclear powers and in the case of another shooting war between them; the
entire subcontinent including Kashmir may be destroyed. Presently, it is at the
diplomatic hyper point of the bilateral relationships between the two countries.

Pre-history of the Conflict

The British Indian Empire was formed of hundreds of princely states spread all
over the Indian Subcontinent. After the World War II, when the British finally
decided to bring their rule to an end, the fate of these princely states was brought
under scrutiny. The Princely states were now supposed to join either India or
Pakistan after the British authorities leave. In regards of this process of the
evolution of India and Pakistan, Jyoti Trehan remarks, “The process of integration
of princely states was not without its highs and lows.”(Trehan 201)

Finally in June, 1947, the British accepted Pakistan Plan. But the Hindu Maharajah
Sir Hari Singh (the ruling monarch of the erstwhile princely state of Kashmir) was
hesitating to join either Pakistan or India. However, the census of 1941 shows that
almost 77% of the population of Kashmir was comprised of Muslims (Das 264).
Since the Maharajah had acceded to neither side until the formation of India and
Pakistan in August, 1947, Pakistan decided to act along communal lines. Being a
Muslim dominated state, it decided to ‘liberate’ Kashmir and backed the Azad
Kashmir Force. In October, 1947, Pakistan invaded Kashmir and captured its
northern and western parts. On the Maharajahs request and accession to India, the
authorities in Delhi now reacted by sending troops to the region and Pakistani
advances were arrested soon. Thus, the southern and eastern parts of the region
were retained in the Indian Union and constituted as the state of Jammu and
Kashmir.

Causes of the Conflict

To understand the causes of the conflict, the historic Partition of India has to be
referenced. Under the British Rule, Indian Subcontinent was mainly inhabited by
the two major religious groups, Hindus and Muslims. The two communities had
friendly relationships and they offered a united struggle to achieve independence
from the British Rule during the later half of the Nineteenth Century. But
undercurrents of tension between the two communities became forceful with the
lapse of time. Power politics between All India Muslim League and Indian
National Congress (the two major political powers of the undivided India)
culminated at widespread communal tension and violence during the 1930s and
early 1940s. Consequently, the colossal task of partitioning India became
unavoidable. After the Partition in 1947, Pakistan emerged as a Muslim dominated
state while India emerged as a secular, democratic country. And the province of
Kashmir, which is situated at the border of the two countries, got tangled and
entrapped between them.

The Course of Indo-Pak Confrontations

1940 – In the Lahore Resolution, M. A. Jinnah puts forward the Two-nation

Theory and the demand of Pakistan is raised.

1946 – Muslim Conference takes on the Azad Kashmir Resolution.

October, 1947 – War breaks out between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir
issue.
1965 – Indo-Pak War breaks out again. Pakistan is defeated and the Tashkent Pact
is signed.

1971 – Indo-Pak War breaks out once again over the East Pakistan.

1972 – East Pakistan is liberated and the Bangladesh Republic is formed.

1978 – Military Rule in Pakistan. Proxy war with India begins. Pakistan affirms its
support for the separatist organizations in Punjab and Kashmir.

1999 – Kargil War takes place between India and the Pakistan backed infiltrators.

2008 – Successful Assembly Elections in the Jammu and Kashmir State in India.
National Conference emerges as a major political power in the state.

The Current State of Affairs

With the lapse of time, Pakistan has shown tendencies towards Military Rule and
autocratic governance. On several occasions, India has alleged that Pakistan has
sponsored the different terrorist organizations in Kashmir. Moreover, India holds
Pakistan responsible for several devastating terrorist attacks directed against India.
On the other hand, Pakistan affirmatively sticks to its policy of extending ‘moral
support’ to the separatists in Kashmir. In such a state of affair, the common
Kashmiris are suffering most. The innocent people are being victimized by baneful
separatist propaganda. Confrontations between Indian military and armed
separatists have caused huge loss of property, money, and lives so far. Moreover,
the specter of Al Qaeda and Taliban has made the situation more complicated and
dangerous in this part of the world.

Conclusion

Kashmir issue has been the primary cause of diplomatic, political, and military
stand off between India and Pakistan. Of late, both the sides are showing interest to
begin bilateral talks once again. According to Farah Ibrahim, the solution of the
issue lies in a planned conflict Resolution (Ibrahim 289). The way to this conflict
resolution lies in the methods of psychological intervention. Psychological
perspective of the problem is more propound than its military, political, and
diplomatic dimensions and interpretations. Unlike the “sharp rise in the ideal of
Hindu nationalism” (Wirsing 163), solution to Kashmir issue lies in the acceptance
of the fact that the common Kashmiris deserve to live a normal and peaceful life.
India and Pakistan both must come forward to eradicate the terrorist organizations
functional in Kashmir, and continue the bilateral talks. The confidence building
measures must be initiated meaningfully. In this way, by mutual goodwill, the
political authorities of India and Pakistan can bring peace to the doomed province

Article 35A which stems from Article 370 was introduced through a
Presidential Order in 1954. This article empowers the legislature of occupied
Kashmir to define the state’s permanent residents and their special rights and
privileges.

Under Article 35A, Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or
property in occupied Kashmir.

on 5 August 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind issued a constitutional

order superseding the 1954 order, and making all the provisions of the
Indian constitution applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.[10][11][12] Following the
resolutions passed in both houses of the parliament, he issued a further
order on 6 August declaring all the clauses of Article 370 except clause 1 to
be inoperative.[13]
In addition, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed by the
parliament, enacting the division the state of Jammu and Kashmir into
two union territories to be called Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
and Union Territory of Ladakh.[14][15][16] The reorganisation is scheduled to
take place on 31 October 2019

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Why water is essential for economic stability of Pakistan ?????

Water is increasingly essential for the sustenance of human life; people’s

livelihoods, food security and socio-economic stability as well. In addition,
Pakistan is absolutely dependent on water resources because they fuel
agriculture. Likewise, economic growth and advancement of agriculture and
economy truly lies in water availability. But the depressing fact is that
Pakistan is facing severe water shortage at present. Whereas, water
availability is emerging as a matter of serious concern in Pakistan. There is
not only an acute drinking water scarcity but also the irrigation water
crisis which in turn, are adversely affecting the agriculture sector and the
livelihood of the common people. Resultantly, the socio-economic
development and growth of a country has been hampered to great extent.
There are multiple reasons behind this extreme water shortage including
lack of water reservoirs and storage dams, wastage of water and poor
water resource management an preservation policies. On the other hand,
climate change is also one of the root causes of water shortage in Pakistan
which has caused drought like situation in rural and remote areas.

READ MORE: Federal govt plans to take action against CEC Sardar Raza

Keeping in view large chunk of Pakistan’s population have no access to

safe and clean drinking water. Besides, according to the news report ‘70
percent water in Pakistan is not suitable for human consumption’. There is
no denying the fact that Pakistan is the water stressed country at the stage
but if the visible measures are not taken in this very direction, resultanly,
Pakistan will be water scarce country from water stressed by 2025(policy
makers predict).

Therefore, water shortage is truly a big challenge for Pakistan which needs
to be paid due attention on urgent basis. Furthermore, there is the dire
need to formulate an effective water resource management agenda, a
uniform water distribution policy and an efficient plan for the prevention of
water wastage. Most importantly, the government should take concerted
efforts for building water reservoirs and storage dams in the country so that
the real issue can be addressed
Highlights include: calling on the political leadership to actively take up the
water cause, improving agricultural water use efficiency, maintaining and
upgrading existing water infrastructure, expanding the irrigation network
to semi-arid and arid districts in order to utilize arable land, depoliticizing
water management, raising community awareness about water
conservation and water rights, improving transboundary communication,
and bringing the private sector and institutes of higher learning into the
water discourse.

If prioritized, water can serve as the engine of economic growth and

regional trade expansion. With agriculture being Pakistan’s major sector
(constituting 20% of GDP) and largest water consumer, it is estimated that
even if a billion-dollar output is achieved for every million acre-feet of
water utilized for agriculture, the water economy has the potential to
increase total annual agricultural GDP to $200 billion from its current $50
billion.

Similarly, the country has exploited only 6,500 megawatts of hydro energy
generation capacity of the Indus river system which stands at a potential of
generating 59,000 megawatts. To realize the potential of the country’s
“water economy,” a paradigm shift in reframing the national water policy
and management is required at national level where all stakeholders are
engaged and demand side measures are emphasized that promote
conservation, water use efficiency, and controls excessive groundwater
exploitation.

3. Rights of minorities in Pakistan: Issues and Solutions

The Constitution describes Pakistan as an “Islamic State”. It is a predominately

Muslim State but there are several non-Muslims groups living here as citizens.
Pakistan’s Constitution stands for equality of all citizens irrespective of religion,
caste, region, tribe language and gender. Islam the state religion of Pakistan stands
for respect and toleration for all religions. This paper examines the population and
constitutional position of religious minorities in Pakistan. It also provides a general
picture of major religious communities the Hindus, the Christians and the Sikhs.
The paper also explains the Ahmadya community was declared a minority in
September 1947. Despite the handicap of small population, Pakistan’s religious
minorities have freedom to practice their religion and pursue their cultural heritage.

Treatment with the Minorities in Pakistan There have been two competing views
about how to treat religious and cultural diversity in Pakistan. One is the liberal,
democratic and progressive vision that the creator of the country, Quaid-e-Azam
Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and some of his close associates held. On the question of
character of the new state, the Quaid had no ambiguity about it, resting on the idea
of citizenship rights, irrespective of JPUHS, Vol.27, No.1, January - June, 2014 8
the religious affiliations of groups and individuals. He understood the logic of the
modern nation-state and its fundamental constitutional principle- that the state will
be inclusive and will not discriminate against any religion or community of faith.

Despite its flaws the elections held in the Gilgit-Baltistan region showed an
increase in media coverage, greater interest displayed by many political parties and
a largely transparent electoral process. However, out of 99 candidates put up by the
political parties, there was only one woman. There is also no indication that non-
Muslims were given a chance to participate in the elections.36 These omissions are
a glaring testimony to what still needs to be done in order to ensure free, fair and
inclusive elections within Pakistan. Women and non-Muslim minorities are not
given adequate representation in parliament and local councils. In addition, special
attention needs to be given to internally displaced persons and people of
disabilities, especially as there is no formal legal framework that deals with issues
related to these groups. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has drafted a
five-year plan to implement laws that will take into account minorities’ rights.37 It
is important for the government to pay heed to the ECP’s suggestions and put them
into action. Central to any significant change is the need for the state and political
institutions to work independently rather than under the banner of religion.
Pakistan’s laws and regulations have become mired by rules that some consider
‘holy decrees’. However, it is these dictums that need to be reevaluated and
restructured in order to have an inclusive electoral system.