In the heart of the Himalayas, the mountains covered with snow in some places and grasslands in others lies the beautiful valley of Jammu and Kashmir. Where the grass in grasslands is more comforting than soft carpets, the snowy mountains make the scenery heart-pleasing and the fragrance in the air spreads everywhere making every cell of the body feel fresh. In the land of saffron fields, each blossom tells a story of perseverance. And as the sun sets in the mountains, the whole valley gives a golden look. The beauty of the night in the valley is also one of the great sights. Although the night is beautiful, but there is one dark shadow of fear, oppression, and hopelessness over the valley. This dark shadow is enough to shatter the whole beauty of the valley.
The longstanding conflict has resulted in political, social, and humanitarian challenges, not only for the people of Kashmir but also for two nuclear power states, home to over 150 million people, this makes the combined international efforts a must thing to achieve peace for the whole region. This essay is an effort to explain the struggle for freedom and the way toward peace in a simpler word.
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The Kashmir issue is a complex one with deep historical roots. The issue started with the idea of partition of the subcontinent. As British India partitioned, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh, remained undecided. Pakistan claimed the state based on the fact that it was a Muslim-majority state. Whereas, the maharaja feared an invasion from India, assessed India. This Set the stage for the conflict and divided the region, resulting in the first Indo-Pak war (1947-1948). The war ended with the UN coming in between for a ceasefire. After this, the whole state was divided into three parts, Indian-administered Kashmir, Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir, and a sliver administered by China. Further, the UN resolution called for a plebiscite to decide the future of the Kashmiri people. It offered a potential path to resolution, but the plebiscite never happened. Two further wars between India and Pakistan were also unable to solve the issue of Kashmir. The complexities and tensions remained the same. In the 1989 and 1990s, the Indian state mentioned the insurgences of the Pakistani military in the disputed region. The Indian military in response started counterinsurgency causing the matter to become worsen. The violation of human rights, oppression of the people of the area, and civil-military conflicts increased dramatically in this era. International human rights bodies raised concerns about abuses by both sides. Similarly, the Kargil war also made the matter more complex. From the point when the issue started, several peace initiatives have been attempted but none of them proved to be fruitful. The political instability and cross-border activities in this period are the main reasons for this failure.
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The struggle of the Kashmiri people is worth praising. The self-determination of the people can be explained by the fact that many Kashmiri advocates stood for their rights to choose their political future, questioning the legitimacy of Indian rule, and advocating for their independence. The people of Kashmir have presented their lives and efforts for their freedom. One area where the Kashmiri struggle may lack is its political involvement. There are only a few political personalities worth mentioning in this struggle. Kashmiri people have also absorbed damage socially during their struggle for freedom. Freedom of speech is very rare in the valley, often observed the disconnection of internet services in the whole valley. Women also face several vulnerabilities due to the conflict, including sexual violence and limited access to healthcare and education. The conflict has damaged the economic structure of the valley. This has increased unemployment, poverty, and unavailability of basic human services. Disturbance due to regular military activities and operations affects the production in agricultural areas, transportation in trade, and also tourism affecting the day-to-day life of the people of Kashmir. The conflict has threatened cultural heritage sites, traditions, and languages, raising concerns about loss of identity and cultural expression. Freedom in religious activities has also faced limitations creating not only tension for the people but also the government and military due to the religious riots. Thousands of civilians and military personnel have lost their lives in this long conflict. Millions of people have been displaced internally or across borders due to violence and insecurity. The consistent threat of violence and oppression has seriously impacted the intellectual fitness and well-being of Kashmiris. The conflict has disrupted families, communities, and whole societies worsening existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. Children are in particular exposed, experiencing violence, displacement, loss of education, and psychological trauma.
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Establishing peace is not easy but we must not stop making our efforts for it. Many efforts have been made for the establishment of peace, the intervention of the UN, and proposing a plebiscite, greater autonomy has been given to the area for self-governance, and many ceasefire and confidence-building measures have also been a part of the peace-building process. Civil society, religious leaders, and youth in peacebuilding initiatives are also worth mentioning. Further, Direct dialogue between India, Pakistan, and Kashmiri representatives, including separatists, is also crucial. Third-party involvement by neutral actors like the UN or other countries has also been proposed. All these efforts are important and proved helpful at a particular time but none of them seems to be the fixed solution for the dispute. Some of the challenges and obstacles in the way of peace that made all these efforts fail are, the deep-rooted mistrust and grievances between both states, the prioritizing of national interest before peace by both countries, involvement of external countries also produce tension sometimes, Human rights violations in the valley, and violent activities done by Military.
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Decades of war have wounded the state with great scars, which cannot be healed so easily. But before thinking for the wounds to heal some sort of solution must be provided to make peace first. In my opinion, one of the ways through which peace can be established is, the involvement of Kashmiri people in politics so that they can represent their country at national and international levels. Open dialogue including all the stakeholders, India, Pakistan, and Kashmiri representatives, and national interests should be shaped in such a way by both the countries that it does not affect the dialogue. The last one is the holding of a fair plebiscite in the valley under the UN to ensure the government and circumstances that the people of Kashmir want.
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This article has been submitted by Varda Mehmood.
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