An Indian paramilitary soldier and Muslim
protesters throw
stones during an anti-India protest in
Srinagar, September.
Since summer began, over 100 protesters have
been killed.
The Nation, Pakistan
China, Norway, Iran
Shame U.S. Over 'Guilty Silence on Kashmir'
"Whereas
the concern of these states is commendable, President Obama, who has assumed
for himself the role of Messiah of global peace and stability, has turned a
blind eye to the Kashmir issue out of fear of displeasing the Indians."
Author and social activist Arundhati Roy may be charged with sedition by the Indian government, after stating that the territory had never been part of India. News reports say that her house has been attacked by Hindu activists for her comments.
Statements by the foreign ministers
of China and Norway and the Supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, are an
attempt to jolt the conscience of New Delhi and the international community on
Kashmir.
The advice of China that the
dispute with Pakistan needs to be settled should bring home to India that the major
powers are worried about the repercussions of its atrocious treatment of
Kashmiris. They want to see the issue resolved amicably rather than having it continue
to pose a threat to world peace.
Similarly, remarks by Iran's Supreme
leader [Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei] that it was the duty of the Muslim Ummah [community]
to help and provide assistance to Kashmiris resulted in so much anger from
Indian officials that Iran's ambassador to New Delhi was summoned on Friday.
Yet another embarrassment for
the world’s largest so-called democracy were the bold comments of Norwegian Foreign
Minister Jonas Gahr, who courageously asserted that the Kashmiri uprising
was indigenous and that the protestors who come into the streets should not be
fired upon. After all, criticism from a Muslim country might seem natural, but
from a country like Norway, it's an embarrassing event for the Congress Party-led
government.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Indians must see the writing
on the wall and end their brutal occupation as soon as possible. With the
stance of these three countries, not to mention intellectuals of the stature of
Arundhati Roy, it's
becoming increasingly clear that the dynamics of the conflict have changed. Given
the fact that both Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons, the imbroglio has ceased
to be a bilateral issue, assuming the character of a global tinderbox that
could engulf not only South Asia but the entire planet.
But whereas the concern of
these states is commendable, President Obama, who has assumed for himself the
role of Messiah of global peace and stability, has turned a blind eye to the
Kashmir issue out of fear of displeasing the Indians. But the United States, which
tends to see things in black and white and itself having been the greatest
source of misery in Muslim lands, as evident from its brutal wars on Iraq and
Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan, it would be folly to expect it to
view the issue without prejudice.
One ray of hope, however, is
that despite America's guilty silence, other voices and states around the world
are bravely stepping forward in support Kashmiris.
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.]
