Author: Dr. Syed Mohammad Inayatullah Andrabi

President General Parvez Musharaff’s recent proposals on Kashmir spelt out on an Iftar reception on 25th October, 04 in Islamabad are highly important. Their real significance and productive value needs to be grasped by all those who have a sincere and genuine commitment to the Kashmir Cause. In the following lines I will try to, first, put these proposals in perspective, and second, argue for a proper response.

What is Kashmir issue? A lot of confusion surrounds this basic question. Quite often, we come across the statements that Kashmir problem is not a border dispute between two states, it is the question of the basic right of self-determination of seventeen million Kashmiri people. This statement typifies the confusion: it states the fact, while betraying the truth in a very fundamental sense. Mere self-determination is not what Kashmir issue is all about; it may find expression in those words, but in meaning and essence there is something deeper and more profound to it.

Kashmir issue has moved from being a mere truth to a crystal clear fact. As such one only needs to point to it to explain it—–things are so manifest and self-explanatory. In the past, a person in my position here, would have to put in some effort to explain what constitutes the issue of Kashmir. There are books, papers where Kashmir problem has been dealt with. But now we have a concrete situation that expresses the whole truth, all one needs is to look at it without bias or prejudice.

Coinciding with the 63rd death anniversary of the great poet-visionary Allamah Iqbal, Mahazi-Islami (occupied Kashmir) in collaboration with Al-Ansar (U.K.) is organising a one day conference on 21stApril, 2001 on the theme mentioned above in Brunei Hall of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London, U.K. Prominent political personalities and academic luminaries are expected to attend. The purpose of the conference is to highlight the need of a permanent resolution as opposed to ad-hoc solution of the Kashmir problem, so that peace is achieved on the basis of an equitable solution and not at the cost of it.

Commemorating the 63rd death anniversary of the great poet-visionary Allamah Iqbal, a one-day Conference on Kashmir was held on 21st April, 01 at Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, U.K. The Conference was organised by Mahaz-Islami (Occupied Kashmir) in collaboration with Al-Ansar(U.K.), to highlight the more fundamental aspects of the Issue of Kashmir. The registration of guests started at 10.40AM, and the proper deliberations starting at 11.45AM, ended by 5.30PM, with a one-hour break for Lunch and Zuhr in between.

National Conference’s recent move of passing the so-called autonomy resolution could be easily ignored as a non-event, but what merits attention are the motives behind this futile exercise. Anyone in his or her normal senses will have absolutely no doubts about the fact that the exercise not only had a positive nod from Delhi, but was actually carried out on the behest of it: National Conference (NC) merely obeyed instructions from Delhi, and staged a noisy drama. The question that must be addressed is what is the game plan of the Brahmin establishment in Delhi? After liquidating a full generation of Kashmiri Muslim youth, what is the state of India up to? In the following lines let us look at some possible answers, and in the light of that, our response.

Mahazi-Islami, Occupied Kashmir, in collaboration with Al-Ansar, UK is organising a one-day world Conference on Kashmir in July, 2000 in London. A conference paper entitled ‘A Case for Holding World Conference on Kashmir’ describing, in some detail, the need, objectives and the themes for discussion, has been written by Dr Syed Inayatullah Andrabi, Convenor-in-exile, Mahazi-Islami, Occupied Kashmir, and is available on request. The conference will be the first of its kind, in the sense that it will seek to focus on the issues instead of mere events (Indian excesses or the heroic acts of mujahideen) in a non-partisan and rational way.

The ghastly murder of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir some days back has shocked the freedom-loving people in and outside Kashmir. Since the killings took place on the eve of President Clinton’s visit to India, it made far more impact than otherwise it would have. The other reason for the big-bang effect was the fact that Sikhs had become the target for the first time during the ongoing movement in Kashmir. The unfortunate event has been widely commented upon during the past 3-4 days. Most of the commentaries have, however, chosen to focus on ‘who did this?’, and that is quite natural, because in such an unusual case this is where the human mind points first.

The human rights debate, as a matter of fact, has got firmly entrenched in the contemporary academic and political agenda. There are definite reasons for it, to which we shall come in a moment, but what has to be noted at the very outset is, since the issue of human rights has been brought up by the West which is presently the dominant civilisation, the attitudes towards this issue by the rest of humanity are likely to be largely determined by the standard rules of power: anything coming from the West comes from a power-position and as such evokes two types of responses, namely, Conformist—mere acceptance for the sake of it, or Rejectionist—mere rejection—- again for the sake of it, both of which speak of defeatist complexes and an inability to independently look at the reality of things.

Kashmir has been in the news for almost a decade now. The present uprising that started in 1989, is not the first expression of Kashmiri peoples’ anger against India; there have been anti-India movements—secret and open both—–all along since 1947. However, the present mov’t being characterized by the radical method of popular militancy, did create a big bang effect, both, in and outside Kashmir. In Kashmir it gave a fresh hope to the masses and a boost to their imagination, and among the Muslims outside, it created excitement, sympathy and enthusiasm. The organized sections within the Ummah—political and other parties swung into action, organising conferences, mostly called Jehad conferences, mobilising good will and support for the movement in Kashmir. All this focussed on the ongoing mov’t. remaining confined to the description of the present situation, that also in terms of day to day events. One can safely make some general points regarding all this Kashmir related activism