The world has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus. Almost everything has come to a standstill. Life has never been so calm yet uncertain. At this stage, the pandemic is testing our character even more than our immune system. Worrying about those around us who are hungry is the most humanistic aspect of our nature. Despite all our problems, we should remember that the pandemic is not here to stay. This crisis would be behind us one day.
Prime Minister Imran Khan rightly reminded the world to imagine the situation of the people of Kashmir, now that everyone has gotten a taste of how it is like to be under a lockdown. It is important to remember that this lockdown is willingly adopted and the means of communications are running as usual. The lockdown that India has imposed on Kashmiris is one that is against the will of the people — it is brutal and lethal — and there is no communication whatsoever with the outside world.
Read more: Fascist Indian regime is committing war crimes in IOJK, PM Imran Khan
This sadistic urge of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi serves well his persona and his mindset. He has a deep loathing not only for Pakistan, but for Muslims in general. Narendra Modi is not just an enemy of Muslims and Pakistan but also an enemy of peace and a clear threat to world stability.
Kashmir: India sows seeds for more Pulwama-like attacks
The threat of the virus is temporary. The threat of large-scale violence that is brewing in Kashmir is going to manifest itself in intensity the world may not be ready for. A little-noticed report published by Daniel Markey titled “How the United States Should Deal With China In Pakistan” made the case for the United States government to stay engaged with Pakistan and to work toward achieving workable peace between Pakistan and India. The problem with such reports and with the traditional mindset regarding Pakistan and India is that the issue of Kashmir is always overlooked and even if any attention is paid to it, it never reaches a logical conclusion.
Under cover of COVID19 global pandemic, the Modi Govt with its fascist Hindutva Supremacist RSS-driven ideology continues its war crimes in IOJK as it violates the Fourth Geneva Convention by continuing its genocide of Kashmiris: & by attempting to change https://t.co/ezFAQBhE7I
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 30, 2020
The problem this time is that Kashmir may become a boiling pot of its own. Unrelated to Pakistan and uncontrolled by India, Kashmir may just surprise the world with the rage of its people. It’s commonly believed that the suicide bomber who attacked the Indian reserve army personnel in Pulwama last year did so not because he was indoctrinated by some Mullah at a militant training camp. in reality, however, he took revenge for the humiliation he had faced at the hands of the Indian security forces when they brutally tortured him under arrest and then released him in a poor condition. His name was Ahmed Dar. That part of the story continues to go underreported.
With this strict lockdown of Kashmir, mothers have not seen their arrested sons for months and worse yet, they do not even know if their sons are alive. When young men are tortured and God knows what kind of brutal torture is being meted out to them, the result is going to be no different than Pulawma or even worse. This is not a threat. It is not even a warning. It is mere common sense.
Read more: Can the rise of Islamophobia in India unite the Muslim world?
Repeating the same actions and expecting different results is a fool’s errand. India is creating hundreds, perhaps thousands of Ahmad Dars as we speak. It is only a matter of time that the Kashmir valley explodes and gets out of control.
What creates terrorists?
Terrorism has been very well defined and very clearly understood to be a reaction to aggression. What India is doing in Kashmir is textbook aggression. Aggression is the supreme international war crime because it involves all types of crimes in it. For example, the sectarian violence in Iraq that culminated in the creation of ISIS is a direct corollary of the US invasion of that country.
This is a threat in the making, if not already made, that is to say, if we are still lucky. The United States and other world powers need to address this issue with India sooner because the resources and energies that would have to be spent later on in fighting the resulting terrorism would be enormous. This is organic terrorism the seeds of which India is growing actively and is also watering it on a regular basis. Blaming Pakistan is not going to cut it for India.
Eight months after India revoked Kashmir’s special status and jailed thousands of people, doctors say a state of hopelessness has morphed into a severe psychological crisis. https://t.co/59pvjyhZKu
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) April 26, 2020
The world should be focused on tackling climate change and the prevention of nuclear war; two major threats to our survival. Looking the other way while India continues to kill innocent civilians with impunity will only slow down the world’s efforts toward the two major threats facing humanity. And more importantly, given Indian belligerence toward Pakistan, the chances of a nuclear standoff between Pakistan and India only increases with the Kashmir situation worsening. Because every time bad luck shines upon India, it wastes no time in raising the prospects of war with Pakistan.
Read more: How God turned the whole world into Kashmir: Divine Retribution?
Pakistan’s peace gesture disregarded
Last year when Ahmad Dar killed about 40 Indian reserve army personnel in Pulwama, India instantly and quite falsely blamed Pakistan for it. It sent its fighter jets across the border violating Pakistani airspace. One such jet was brought down by Pakistan Air Force and its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was held in custody. He was handed over to India as a peace gesture, which is believed to be a colossal mistake because India does not want peace with Pakistan and does not understand civilized language. Hanging him publicly would have been a better option as it would register a sense of fear in Indian leaders.
The world cannot afford to wait or ignore. Big powers especially the United States must pressurise India to join the negotiation table. My guess is the language of pressure would work better. The clock is ticking. The threat is brewing. Once the lava erupts, be prepared for the Doomsday.
Imran Jan is a political analyst. He can be reached at imran.jan@gmail.com. Twitter @Imran_Jan. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.