Summary America itself will have to pay a price for its policy shift. Photo: Dunya News
Analysis (Salman Ghani): After Syed Salahuddin, the declaration and ban of ‘Hazb ul Mujahiddin’ – a Kashmiri organisation, as a terror outfit by the United States has exposed America’s opinion of the Kashmir issue and how much it values resolutions passed by the United Nations.
United States’ terming of the Kashmiri organisation as a terror outfit is a great contradiction to its stance over human rights and freedom. This reversal in policy of the United States, which is forced to oppose its age old standpoint, will raise questions on its democratic character and affect the ongoing freedom movement in Kashmir. If these facts are to be viewed in a regional perspective, the reaction that came over the death of Burhan Muzaffar Wani ignited a new flame of struggle within Kashmir and the liberation movement against India’s state terrorism turned into a strong resistance. Hundreds of deaths like that of Wani made India nervous because instead of disappointing the Kashmiris, it added fuel to the fire, and disappointed its military forces and lowered their morale. The democratic and civil segments of the society also raised their voice against their state’s oppression resulting in India being exposed in front of the world and brought the Indian Government to a position from where the only way out was to defend itself.
This is why, in his address on India’s 70th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi had to state that the Kashmir conflict could not be resolved through violence. In other words, Modi wanted both the countries to take a step backwards and resolve the Kashmir conflict through mediation. In reality this validates Pakistan’s long standing stance on the issue. The situation is out of Delhi’s control. The big question, however, is why the United States is now making declarations which had been made by India in the past that failed to affect the freedom movement in Kashmir? It appears that the Indian government has lost its political case. The Kashmir situation has not only brought India to a point of conflict, but violations against human rights have also exposed it globally.
These statements coming directly from Washington undoubtedly will affect its global image and democratic character, regardless of whether it aids India in the current crisis. Because history tells us that it was the same US, under President Roosevelt after World War II, which supported every freedom movement across the globe and continued to do so till President Regan’s tenure. Former President Obama during his Presidential campaign declared the Kashmir the burning issue of South Asia. But now Trump has shifted that policy in the region. This that is a result of a Trump-Modi nexus that aims to put an end to all ongoing Islamic freedom movements, whether it is an anti-Israel Palestinian organisation or the Kashmiri right to struggle against the Indian state oppression, the right to which the United Nations itself has provided through its resolutions.
Burhan Wani’s death has brought the Kashmir’s freedom struggle to a point not different from that of the armed freedom movement of 1979. Not only the youth and men are a part of the movement but now, women and children are also fighting for a free Kashmir. Social media – the most powerful weapon of the modern world, has brought India’s oppression to the limelight, and Pakistan too has raised cognisance about the Kashmir issue on the UN’s platform. But Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Gillani has raised the real issue several times. According to him until and unless Pakistan is on the pathway to prosperity and has a strong stable political system, it cannot make a major breakthrough than this. The ball, though, is now in America’s court. Unless the United States fails to put an end to injustices and abstains from unilateral measures, like those in the Middle East, and keeps on acting as Indian government’s spokesperson, both the United States and India will have to pay a heavy price.
