Expressing Solidarity With The People Of Kashmir
13 March 2016By Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
The Kashmir problem has remained insoluble for a long time. Several wars have
been fought over the issue but they have only served to further aggravate the
misery of the people of Kashmir. The United Nations as well as other
international or regional organizations have not been able to find a solution
to this problem despite the relentless efforts which have been made.
The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a symposium to
express solidarity with the people of Kashmir. Several prominent leaders of
the Pakistani community in Jeddah participated in the function. The speeches
and poems recited at the event focused on the right of the Kashmiri people to
the self-determination of their future in line with the agreements signed
between the British authorities, the leaders of the Indian National Congress
and the All India Muslim League at the time of partition of the subcontinent
into two nations –India and Pakistan. The partition was based on the
two-nation theory under which the Muslim majority regions would become part of
the new nation of Pakistan while the Hindu-majority regions would remain part
of India.
The princely states, which enjoyed autonomy, were left to choose whether to
join India or Pakistan after taking into account geographical and demographic
considerations. Considering the fact that the majority of its people were
Muslims, Kashmir was supposed to join Pakistan. However, the princely state
was ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh, a Hindu king. It was illogical and unjust
for the king to exercise the right to take a decision on the fate of Kashmir
without taking into consideration the will of the Kashmiri people. But he
agreed to Kashmir's accession to India in contravention to the Independence
Document and the Partition Plan, agreed by both sides as the basis for
partition of the subcontinent.
This led to the first war between the two countries immediately after the
partition, and subsequently there was intervention by the United Nations as a
mediator to enforce a ceasefire and end the conflict. The United Nations
passed a number of resolutions to hold a plebiscite so that the people of
Kashmir could determine their own future but none of these resolutions have so
far been implemented. The failure to hold a plebiscite has led to the further
worsening of relations between the two countries, resulting in more wars. It
was India, which suggested a plebiscite as a solution to end the crisis, but
later it backtracked on this position.
India's main justification for not holding a plebiscite was the result of the
elections held in Kashmir in which the National Conference, led by Sheikh
Abdullah, who favored Kashmir's accession to India, was victorious. But this
election, which foiled the UN-sponsored plebiscite, was not acceptable to the
United Nations, Pakistan and the majority of the people in Kashmir. There will
not be any stability in the region unless there is a peaceful resolution of
the Kashmir problem in line with UN resolutions.
The speakers at the symposium called on the United Nations, the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other international bodies to redouble their
efforts to find a solution to this problem in a way that guarantees the
Kashmiri people their right to self-determination in line with international
laws and UN resolutions.
The speakers at the symposium also dealt with the issue of the stranded
Pakistanis in Bangladesh, who are languishing in squalid and overcrowded camps
where they have been deprived of even the basic amenities of life for more
than 44 years. These people are fighting against poverty, illiteracy and
disease in their camps which are scattered all over the country. The stranded
Pakistanis are living in extremely pathetic and destitute condition with the
hope of being repatriated one day to Pakistan. However, the successive
governments in Pakistan have failed to fulfill their promises with regard to
their repatriation and rehabilitation in the country of their choice ever
since the creation of Bangladesh. These people made great sacrifices to
realize their dream of living in Pakistan, and later stood by the Pakistani
army to safeguard the unity of Pakistan.
There were renewed hopes for them to be repatriated during the rule of
President Zia-ul-Haq. The Zia government, in cooperation with the Makkah-based
Muslim World League (Rabita), created the Rabita Endowment to solve this
problem. Zia took over the presidency of the endowment, of which Prince Talal
Bin Abdulaziz and other prominent Saudi and Pakistani figures were members.
But the tragic death of Zia dashed all hopes of repatriation as successive
governments showed no interest in the matter.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exerted efforts to resolve this problem in his
previous tenures as prime minister of Pakistan. He expressed his keenness and
desire to enliven the endowment and took charge as its president. However, the
coup staged by Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf, resulted in halting the
project. There have been renewed hopes of reactivating the MWL endowment for
stranded Pakistanis with Sharif's return to power for the third time. It is
hoped that Sharif will accomplish the mission that he embarked on earlier to
find a permanent solution to the ordeal of more than a quarter of a million
Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh.
It would be ideal if a proposal by PRC Convener Syed Ehsanul Haque was
adopted. The proposal stipulates the repatriation and rehabilitation of the
stranded Pakistanis under a self-financing scheme for the homes allotted to
them. Leaving these people in such a pathetic condition is not only an
injustice to them but it is also an affront to the very ideals upon which
Pakistan was founded.
Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast
Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
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