People grieve near the corpse
of Abrar Ahmad, a Kashmiri man, in
Srinagar, Indian-occupied
Kashmir, July 6. Indian police fired at
stone-
throwing protesters,
killing three people. Over a dozen people have
been killed in recent
weeks, triggering large-scale anti-India protests.
The Nation, Pakistan
America's Lawless Position on Kashmir Favors India
"For Pakistan, the latest U.S. position on Kashmir is just one more reflection of its complicity with Indian designs in the region. ... The United States will always push Indian interests, which is why Pakistan needs to decouple itself from U.S. policy and revaluate its options beyond subservience to American designs."
A Muslim man in Srinagar, Indian-held Kashmir, throws a rock at a police vehicle after a teenager was allegedly killed after being struck by a rubber bullet fired by police, June 12.
Once
again, the United States has come to the defense of its strategic ally India, showing
little regard for the United Nations or international law. In response to a
question on the killing of 17 Kashmiris by police during protests against the occupation
and for the right to self-determination in Indian-occupied Kashmir, U.S. State
Department spokesman Mark Toner called it an "internal Indian matter."
In a
further display of political arrogance, he actually went on to commend the
Indian government for its "efforts ... to resolve the current situation"
in occupied Kashmir! Almost as an afterthought, he expressed "regrets"
at the loss of life. With thousands of Kashmiris pouring into the street to
protest Indian occupation and demand self-determination as was promised under U.N.
Security Council resolutions, and with the Indian government imposing a curfew
and sending its troops into the streets of the occupied area, the situation demands
immediate global attention and U.N. intervention.
Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US
Nevertheless,
this U.S. State Department statement clearly shows that America has chosen to
ignore Kashmir's legal status as seen by the U.N. Security Council - as a
disputed territory awaiting a U.N.-sponsored plebiscite to which India gave its
commitment.
So legally
under international law, in no way can anything that happens in occupied
Kashmir be an internal matter of the Indian state. But then again, particularly
since September 11, the U.S. has shown scant regard for international law. Since
then, it has abused the human rights of Muslims and cast aside any respect for the
sovereignty of Muslim states. Given how the United States is so quick to
comment on what it sees as abuse of minority or human rights in Muslim states, murder
by Indian police and troops can't simply be ignored on the basis of it being an
"internal Indian matter."
Map
of Jammu and Kashmir: Perhaps the most
ignored
and least understood potential flash
point
on earth. [click for map jumbo version]
[Editor's Note: India and
Pakistan have fought four wars over what was once the "princely state of Jammu
and Kashmir," and which, from 1846-1947, was ruled by a British Satrap
called a Maharaja. When
India and Pakistan became states, Jammu Kashmir became disputed territory
between the two. While Jammu Kashmir is majority Muslim, it wanted to maintain
its independence, which led to the first Indi-Pak war. Eventually, Maharajah Hari
Singh signed the Instrument of Accession
"acceding to the dominion" of India. Pakistan rejects the agreement
because of the area's majority Muslim population. Other countries that came
into being as a result of the Partition of India
were Burma, Napal, Bhutan, and the Maldives.]
For
Pakistan, the latest U.S. position on Kashmir is just one more reflection of
its complicity with Indian designs in the region. Islamabad needs to accept the
fact that this is also reflected in the context of the Pakistan-India
relationship - be it within the process of dialogue or the issue of transit and
trade with Afghanistan. The United States will always push Indian interests, which
is why Pakistan needs to decouple itself from U.S. policy and revaluate its
options beyond subservience to American designs.
The
U.S. is already pushing Pakistan into giving India land access to Afghanistan
and beyond. Since India will get what it seeks without any move toward
resolving the core issue of Kashmir, this will not only undermine our own
economic interests but retard conflict resolution with India. But America's position
on Kashmir itself, which directly threatens our national interests and security,
is the most damaging of all for Pakistan.
