Pakistan, India, major powers and the

Kashmir dispute

In the post-cold war era and especially after 9/11, India gave up its cold war policy of
nonalignment and chose to align with the US, as a sole superpower. The US was also inclined to
court India in its latest policy of containing rising China. With the offer of the US, India signed a
hard-bargained nuclear deal in 2005 and 2008. Both countries signed an agreement on strategic
partnership. Subsequently, both countries have signed many important military-related
agreements and finally, the US declared India as its close defence partner.

By getting closer to the US, India was exploiting the US’s interest of containing China, just to
acquire the US military technology and equipment, and the diplomatic support of the US, the UK
and France for getting a veto power seat in the UNSC to become an equal power to China. But
India was not interested in joining the US’s effort of containing China. Although the US also had
apprehensions about India’s resolve to act as a bulwark to contain China, still its policymakers
thought it beneficial to make India a major power, as a competitor to China in Asia.

And, by becoming a partner to the US, India also wanted to dominate Pakistan by acting as a
spoiler of the US-Pakistan relations by blaming Pakistan for supporting terrorism in Afghanistan
and the Kashmiris’ peaceful freedom struggle, which India terms as terrorism. Because India
wanted to crush the freedom struggle in the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir by the use of
force and winning over the sympathies of the US, the UK, France, EU and Japan so that they do
not hold India responsible for committing human rights (HR) violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite that the US had termed India a lynchpin to its Indo-Pacific strategy, India was reluctant
to toe the US’s line on its sanctions on Russia and Iran. Rather, India also maintained its deeper
strategic and military relations with Russia and its burgeoning trade relations with China. India
was also lucky all the major powers were also interested in making investments and selling their
arms and military equipment to India to earn profits.

China was also expanding its trade and investment relations with India to engage it to constrain it
from getting involved in the US strategy of containing China. Moreover, with the introduction of
the Belt and Road project and the CPEC, through its investments, China wanted to facilitate
peace and prosperity in South Asia and wanted Pakistan and India to build mutual peace by
resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the light of the UNSC resolutions, through a
dialogue. India too wanted to engage China in wider trade relations for maintaining tranquillity
on the borders and diluting China-Pakistan strategic friendship.

India was also lucky that all major powers were also interested in making investments and
selling their arms and military equipment to India to earn profits
Given its close relations with the major powers, India’s Prime Minister, Modi has chosen to
abrogate Article 35-A and 370 of the Indian constitution to integrate the UNSC recognized
occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of India. And, to rule out the chances of the Kashmiris’
expected response, the unprecedented lockdown, telephone and internet blockade clamped on
August 5, 2019, in the Kashmir Valley, and the genocide being committed there by the Indian
security forces is continuing for the last three months.

Due to the PM Imran Khan’s strong advocacy of the restrictions imposed in the Kashmir Valley,
the genocide being committed there and the Kashmir dispute requiring its resolution based on the
UNSC resolutions, and that the Western media has strongly highlighted the Kashmiris plight, the
world leaders have not supported India’s stance of terming the Jammu and Kashmir as its
internal issue, and have asked India to lift the restrictions, stop HR violations and release the
detained young men. But due to their strategic and commercial interests linked with India, the
world leaders have remained reluctant to take concrete action against India in the form of a
binding UNSC resolution. But China, Turkey and Malaysia’s unwavering support of Pakistan’s
stance on Kashmir were highly laudable.

However, President Trump’s repeated and standing offer to mediate the resolution of the
Kashmir dispute against India’s wishes, the statements of the UN congressmen asking India to
ease restrictions in Kashmir, and the statements of the UK, France, Germany and Russia, asking
India to resolve the Kashmir dispute by holding a dialogue with Pakistan are very encouraging.
That indicates that these major powers, in view Pakistan’s major contribution in fighting the war
on terror in Afghanistan as a non-NATO ally of the US, also realise the strategic significance of
Pakistan for peace in Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East.

In view of the fact that despite their lockdown and genocide being committed in the Kashmir
Valley, the Kashmiris are more determined to continue with their freedom struggle, and that the
world powers’ support for the Kashmiris is gradually increasing, Pakistan should continue to
provide a strong political, moral and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir till the world
leaders become convinced to ask India to resolve the Kashmir dispute in the light of the UNSC
resolutions by holding a dialogue with Pakista