The global inaction regarding state-sponsored violence in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, under Modi's administration, has grave implications for world peace. Urgent attention and tangible actions in line with UN Resolutions are necessary to address the issue and establish lasting peace in the region.
Kashmir has remained an unsettled agenda for over half of a century between two nuclear states and the international community. It has led to three major conflicts and constantly impedes South Asia's progression and regional prosperity. Moreover, the unilateral violation and utter disregard for international norms by Modi’s government in 2019 by abrogating Article 370 and 35A conferring special status to Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian constitution while safeguarding their citizenry rights, has accentuated regional instability. This reckless behavior by India has caused serious concern amongst the regional countries, but failed to attract due attention of the international community. Hence, this leaves us with the question of whether we are repeating the same mistake committed before WWII when Hitler was encouraged by the muted response of the world against brewing anti-Semitism and expansionism. Well, semblance is uncanny once we see the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by Modi’s government, which has led to the demographic alteration from only a Muslim majority to a minority state and denied the fundamental right of self-determination to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as promised through United Nations (UN) Resolutions. In addition, propagating ‘Greater India’ or ‘Mahabharat’ reflects interference policy and challenges the sovereignty of regional countries due to India’s expansionist desings. Now, this appears to be a perfect recipe for disaster in the context of regional and international peace, wherein such an unchecked nefarious agenda serves as a critical mass triggering chain of events, which threatens the security calculus of the region, structured around declared and undeclared nuclear states. Presumably, this unlawful abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by India did not come up as an overnight erratic thought; instead, this idea was ingrained in the very soul of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s manifesto and deeply rooted within the ideology of the ruling party since 1925. After the division of British India into two independent countries, Pakistan and India, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) started its violence against Muslims in India. Due to this long list of atrocities, the government banned the organization under pressure from the international community.1 Therefore, this militant wing ultimately transformed itself into a political entity viz-a-viz BJP to transform secular India into a Hindu dominated nationalist society. In pursuit of increasing political mileage and being an ardent supporter of RSS ideology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to the home audience to make IIOJK an integral part of India if he was reelected as the prime minister in 2019. This political mileage, coupled with India's global outreach, diplomatic relevance, and economic viability at the international level2, helped Modi’s government to lobby to sideline the Kashmir issue and mold international opinion in its favor.3 Moreover, the contemporary Western world’s overwhelming obsession with India as a counterbalance to contain China emboldened Modi’s administration to venture for the unilateral and illegal abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.
This unlawful abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by India did not come up as an overnight erratic thought; instead, this idea was ingrained in the very soul of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s manifesto and deeply rooted within the ideology of the ruling party since 1925.
Despite having more than 20 resolutions of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) for peaceful settlement of Jammu and Kashmir through a free, fair, and impartial plebiscite, right to self-determination and recognition by International Law, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights as well as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution No. 1514; abrogation of Article 370 and 35A shall remain unlawful. Conversely, this has not been the case so far as the following steps by the Indian government are in contrast to the established international resolution on IIOJK:
Human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and torture, continue with impunity while the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership remains in detention or under closed custody.
▪ With the territory of IIOJK now open to all Indian citizens, an effort would be made by India to alter the demography of a Muslim-majority state.4 Changes to domicile rules will convert a demographic majority into a political minority by giving voters rights to outsiders. It will ultimately impact the overall systematic erosion of Kashmiris' culture, language and religious identity.
▪ Since 2019, properties have been confiscated, and new land laws have been introduced to seize land from locals and give it to the outsiders.5 It would allow the settlement of Hindu nationalists and investors in the state, which would change the area's demographic profile in favor of Hindus.
▪ BJP’s attack on Kashmiri culture has also eroded Urdu’s status. For over a century, Urdu was the official language of IIOJK, but in 2020, Urdu's exclusive status was ended by a legislation that made Hindi, Kashmiri, and Dogri the official languages in IIOJK. Moves are now afoot to change the script of the Kashmiri language from Nastaliq to the Devanagari script.
▪ Media has been muzzled, journalists jailed, and prevented from traveling overseas.
▪ Human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and torture, continue with impunity while the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership remains in detention or under closed custody.
It may look like a bilateral territorial dispute between two states. However, it has much more severe and devastating repercussions for the world in general and the South Asian region in particular. Certain aspects that the world needs to ponder as it affects international peace and stability are:
▪ Demographic changes can potentially impact all minority groups, including Muslims, in any given region, including Kashmir, leading to insecurity and marginalization. The international community should be concerned about violations of minority rights in India, particularly IIOJK because it is a crucial human rights issue that has implications for regional stability, global values, and the protection of human dignity and equality.
BJP’s attack on Kashmiri culture has also eroded Urdu’s status. For over a century, Urdu was the official language of IIOJK, but in 2020, Urdu's exclusive status was ended by a legislation that made Hindi, Kashmiri, and Dogri the official languages in IIOJK.
▪ The perpetual oppression of the Kashmiri people is likely to alter a peaceful struggle for the right of self-determination to a more violent indigenous freedom struggle. They may feel frustrated and desperate in their struggle for freedom and justice, resorting to violent tactics such as a Pulwama-like false flag operation creating a casus belli between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. It would reverberate far beyond IIOJK, leading to a much bigger catastrophe. The nuclear war between the two countries has global implications which are not understood by many in the world.
▪ It is possible that such oppression of Kashmiris in India could fuel similar demands for self-determination among other minority groups, such as Sikhs in Punjab, who have long demanded greater autonomy or even independence. This could lead to further unrest and conflict in the country.
India’s ulterior motive to make IIOJK its integral part will further Pakistan's concern since it will give rights to India over waters into Pakistan, thereby strangulating its agrarian lifeline. Such eventuality can provoke a water war between India and Pakistan in a nuclear overhang environment.
▪ Utter disregard by Modi’s government for the UN Resolutions on Kashmir and bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan has upped the ante, whereby such insane and irresponsible actions can lead to a full-scale military conflict between both nuclear states. India’s ulterior motive to make IIOJK its integral part will further Pakistan's concern since it will give rights to India over waters into Pakistan, thereby strangulating its agrarian lifeline. Such eventuality can provoke a water war between India and Pakistan in a nuclear overhang environment.
▪ The expansionist design of BJP-RSS Greater India or Akhand Bharat builds a sense of insecurity within regional countries, forcing them to join anti-western blocs to guarantee their security. Therefore, this regional tug of war can adversely affect regional and international peace in times to come.
▪ Western support to project India as a responsible state amongst the world community will be seriously questioned over India’s absolute apathy for international obligations and values.
The international community needs to support efforts to promote peace, stability, and the resolution of conflicts in the region through peaceful and diplomatic means. This includes supporting efforts to resolve the long-standing Kashmir dispute through dialogue and negotiation. Last, the global inaction regarding state-sponsored violence in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, under Modi's administration, has grave implications for world peace. Urgent attention and tangible actions in line with UN Resolutions are necessary to address the issue and establish lasting peace in the region.
The writer is an Independent Researcher.
1. Chatterji, A. P. (2019). Remaking the Hindu/Nation: Terror and Impunity in Uttar Pradesh. In Majoritarian state (pp. 397-418). Oxford University Press.
2. Talbott, Strobe. Engaging India: Diplomacy, democracy, and the bomb. Brookings Institution Press, 2010.
3. Cronin, Audrey Kurth. "Behind the curve: Globalization and international terrorism." International Security 27, no. 3 (2002): 30-58.
4. Studies Ganguly, Šumit. The crisis in Kashmir: Portents of war, hopes of peace. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
5. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Fifth Order, 2020.
