Kashmir: Wake up Pakistan

The Kashmir Youth Movement for the liberation of Kashmir is gathering strength by the day. It has, by now, continued for more than three months. More than 100 young men have given the supreme sacrifice of losing their lives.
Brutal repression including curfews and siege of homes, mosques, schools, hospitals and bazaars, besides point blank shooting of protesting teenagers, has failed to stop the indigenous uprising. In fact, it has further boosted it. What has all the more irked the Indian government is the way the world is beginning to take notice of the flagrant violation of human rights and unabashed use of force. New Delhi has further come under pressure from the voices rising within India against the oppression inflicted on the protesting people. In this context, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says that he is deeply worried and distressed. Sometime back he had advised the Indian security forces to deal with the protesting youth humanely. But his advice and concern fell flat on the army and the police. Then much was expected from the all parties post-Eid conference. The meeting did take place without arriving at any meaningful decision.
Even the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was not withdrawn, despite an appeal by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. And all that the conference yielded was a move to send a fact-finding group to the “occupied” state. In other words, the meeting was a damp squib.
Although the international media has woken up to the unresolved decades-old festering problem in Kashmir, there is a little of positive reaction on the part of major world powers. This almost criminal neglect is mainly due to the influence India increasingly wields internationally. Indeed, the international community overwhelmingly accords more importance to their economic and strategic interests than human rights and state excesses. (Washington’s latest statement about the nature of the current resistance in Kashmir is totally disappointing).
Linked to these considerations is the general feeling after Nine Eleven, in the world capitals that agitations or uprisings even for legitimate causes should be discouraged or ignored, as such activities could grow into acts of terrorism and violent behaviour. But in the case of Kashmir - India’s 63 years of occupation, holding of fake elections in the occupied territory, preventing and repulsing of Pakistani attempts to intervene (particularly after the Kargil misadventure), plus the rising stature of the so-called largest democracy with its rapidly burgeoning economy, as well as mounting military prowess - all these factors have served to consolidate its stand on the disputed state.