India’s struggle to get Non-Permanent Seat in the UNSC

Political statements coming from the office of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are not very encouraging. Analysts have started a renewed debate on the future of Jammu & Kashmir state and seriously ponder if Kashmir is not an issue at all and mere related to Kashmiris’ grievance regarding governance and development. In fact India wants to stick to its stubborn position that any talks had to be within the Constitution. If we recall, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee took a historic bus ride to Minar-e-Pakistan in 1999 but that was sabotaged by powerful pressure group because they knew that India is not going to change its position. Then there was Kargil conflict which ended in sheer wastage of time and energies. The year 2002 witnessed Indian Parliament attacks followed by mobilization of Indian troops along Indo-Pak border by Vajpayee. Finally there were Mumbai attacks of November 2008, which parallelized the talks on Kashmir issue between the two countries. One wonders, what is the real motive behind the so called talks between the two countries? Governments in India and Pakistan had been fooling their nationals, the Kashmiris as well as world at large.

For so many years India had been bluffing the world that they are serious in holding discussions with Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir. All of a sudden India came up with a new idea that breakthroughs in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) platform in the shape of Resolutions on Kashmir have lost their significance after Simla Agreement between Pakistan and India, claiming that onwards all issues will be solved bilaterally. In this way over two and a half decades were wasted. On the Pakistani side, General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf made some “out-of-the-box” proposals which indicated his willingness to accept the permanence of the Line of Control, with slight readjustments. Pervez Musharraf also proposed to withdraw the dispute from the UN Security Council.

All these development had neither any support by masses nor the Pakistani Foreign Office. The elected government in Pakistan which came into power in September 2008 followed the line of action of military General and addressed Kashmiri militants as “terrorists” which is unprecedented in history of Pakistan. Last year, a new issue of Mumbai attacks erupted, which is seriously hindering discussion on Kashmir. The Indian Premier has categorically refused to discuss Kashmir issue with Pakistan till the Mumbai attacks perpetrators were brought to justice and also all the terrorist camps along LoC (Line of Control) are dismantled with a view to halt all terrorism coming across from the Pak borders. On international forum, US President Barack Obama, before he was elected as US President, showed eagerness to resolve Pakistan’s dispute with India but on the contrary, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her recent visit to Pakistan, reiterated US policy without disturbing India. Thus the Kashmir issue is at the same place where it was on the day of partition of India and creation of Pakistan.

It is a bitter truth that since independence, Jammu & Kashmir is being indirectly ruled by Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) which was later joined by Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Indian government in the fog of disinformation and lies by its intelligence and so called foreign intelligence experts, made some unrealistic and undiplomatic decision that ultimately led to popular Kashmiri armed struggle against Indian brutal occupation in 1989. Indian Intelligence had been bluffing authorities at New Delhi by concealing the popular slogans on the tongue of all the Kashmiris including Kashmiri Pandits that Kashmiris do not consider themselves Indians. Side by side the government and people of India were also misguided that Kashmir is India’s ‘Atoot Ang.” Today it is exactly 20 years that Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley in 1989 but they are not allowed to return. It is an open secret that as a state policy India is not allowing Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes in order to prove the international community that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together, thus leading to another division of Subcontinent, this time a ‘Muslim Kashmir’ and ‘Hindu Kashmir’. If this had not been the case than why despite presence of bulk of Indian Army, Security forces and Civil administration Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan could not return to their houses in Indian side of occupied Jammu & Kashmir sate.

The plight of Kashmiris living on both sides of LoC often makes me weep. The average life span in India and Pakistan is 63 years, which means that complete generation of Kashmiris have died without enjoying their right of self-determination. Ironically, the United Nations Security Council passed resolutions for granting right of self-determination to Kashmiris in the shape of plebiscite on the very first year of Kashmir dispute in 1948 but no one has time to get them implemented. It is so cruel on the part of India, Pakistan and the world community that they failed to organize even a onetime plebiscites in Jammu and Kashmir state. The members of the International bodies including, United Nations, Human Rights organizations and so called Super Powers, have no right to move around in expensive brand new vehicles and lodge in five star hotels to give a patience hearing on Kashmiri issue. One feels very perturbed over the aggression and tyrant brutalities committed by Indian state forces in disputed Jammu and Kashmir. India is continuously refusing to obey the resolutions of UNSC on Kashmir issue but considers its rights to contest for non-permanent seat in UNSC. One wonders, if the countries which are backing India to get Non-permanent seat in the UNSC in 2011 and later a permanent seat in the same world body, would ever be able to justify their lobbying with such horrifying record of India. US President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples; isn’t it now his obligation to get United Nations resolutions on Kashmir dispute implemented so that Kashmiris can get their right of self-determination and lasting peace is restored in the region. Despite dark past record of US administration in solving issues like Kashmir and Palestine, the people of Jammu and Kashmir state are still hopeful that the President Obama is going to take personal pain in providing an opportunity to Kashmiris to express their right of self determination on the basis of UNSC Resolutions. It is the responsibility of world community to pressurize New Delhi to abide by UNSC Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir state before any thought is given to the question of India’s inclusion in UNSC. Won’t it be a big joke that UNSC’s own non-permanent member is not ready to obey its UN’s resolutions?

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This guest blog is written Afshain Afzal who is a freelance writer by profession and has an experience of writing freelance for both the online and the print media. His articles regularly appear in Pakistani newspapers including The Frontier Post, Pakistan Observer, The Post and The News. In foreign press, his articles have been published in Bangladesh Today, Holiday International and Sri Lanka Guardian. Besides completing Masters in History and International Relations, he is also pursuing M Phil in Rural Development.