The Express Tribune Editorial 15 August 2019

Solidarity with Kashmiris

The whole nation stands by the Kashmiris — the government, the opposition, the armed forces and the general public. All of us marked Pakistan’s Independence Day (14th August) anniversary yesterday as Kashmir Solidarity Day with Kashmir Banega Pakistan as our official theme, and today we are observing Black Day on India’s Independence Day (15th August) anniversary — to register our rejection of India’s illegal attempt to annex occupied Kashmir.

Our Prime Minister visited Azad Kashmir yesterday and addressed the legislative assembly there, telling the Kashmiri brethren: “On the day of Pakistan’s independence, I am with my Kashmiri brothers and sisters.” Our President, in an address in Islamabad, made it loud and clear: “We will not leave them alone at any step.” Our Foreign Minister has written to the UNSC, seeking an emergency meeting to discuss India’s “illegal actions” which also “violate UN resolutions on Kashmir”. Two days earlier, opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto celebrated Eid with people in Azad Kashmir in an expression of solidarity and support. And people from all walks of life contributed to highlighting the cause of Kashmir while celebrating the Independence Day anniversary.

So we continue to extend our moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris for attainment of their birth right to self-determination. While we are showing our national unity on Kashmir to the whole world, it’s pertinent to take a realistic view of how far such a display of unity will serve the purpose. How valuable is it for Kashmiris in their struggle for freedom from the yoke of Indian subjugation? How far can it pressure the world powers into taking the Kashmir issue seriously? Well the answer, unfortunately, may not be much pleasing. After all, the number of veto-power wielding UNSC members having a tilt towards India is pretty evident. The value of a one billion-plus consumer market to the economy of the Muslim Ummah heavyweights cannot be over-emphasised either. Much, if not all, will depend upon how much headache can the never-say-die Kashmiris give to the Indian occupation forces. And that there is a Burhan Wani in almost every house of occupied Kashmir holds out great hopes.

Clouds of uncertainty

The attack on Kashmir’s limited autonomy by India was carried out ruthlessly, somewhat haphazardly and without considering the implications. While Modi and his fellow Hindu nationalists would like the world to turn a deaf ear to the realities in the occupied territory, his government’s actions have exposed India’s longstanding violations in the region. This latest move by the Indian prime minister has not only brewed distrust between New Delhi and Islamabad, but it also distracts the latter from its efforts to broker a peace deal between the US and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Dictated by domestic politics, Modi’s action in Kashmir will surely have regional repercussions. As tensions between India and Pakistan continue to build up, Islamabad may soon be forced to focus its attention and troops on its eastern border with India, not its northwestern border with Afghanistan. While peace in Afghanistan and Kashmir have no direct relation, Modi’s unilateral decision to downgrade Kashmir’s status to a colony coincides with Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan peace process, which is in its final stages. The ongoing unrest in the occupied territory can delay Washington’s push for a deal to end its longest war in Afghanistan. And if the Pakistan-India tensions become a lasting distraction or spill over to a military conflict, peace in Afghanistan will become unachievable for President Trump, who is relying heavily on Islamabad to help with the endgame. For Modi and his cohort, nothing matters more than their political survival in India, which wouldn’t have been possible without such an extreme move against the already oppressed Muslim minority in Kashmir.

By changing the contours of the India-Pakistan engagement on Kashmir, India may have cast uncertainty over the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan, which is unachievable without Pakistan’s support. And without mediation at this point, this recent escalation with India could delay, if not derail, the end of nearly two decades of American military entanglement in Afghanistan.

Libraries in lock-ups

In line with the saying that there is no darkness but ignorance, a police official in Sindh has introduced an innovative idea of setting up small libraries in police lock-ups. This is aimed at enabling suspects lodged in lock-ups to spend their time on broadening their vision by reading books and magazines. In the past one month, SP Sukkur Irfan Samo has set up small libraries in around 10 lock-ups within his jurisdiction. Every morning the inmates are provided with daily newspapers too. The books in the libraries have mostly been donated by authors and civil society groups. The police officer himself selects the books and he has a good idea of what kind of books the inmate should read.

The books are on topics that can help create or increase enlightenment. The official says, “It is like a rehabilitation concept. The inmates should be treated like human beings; they should be provided all the rights guaranteed in the constitution.” He plans to replicate the initiative at all police stations in his jurisdiction, and looks forward to replication of the idea all across Pakistan. He says the first-time offenders should be kept separate from the habitual offenders in order to protect them from the bad influence of the latter. In fact, prisons are meant to be reformatories. Paying attention to the mental improvement of inmates will go a long way in reducing the crime rate. The initiative will also help improve the police’s image. Generally, the police are seen as oppressors. The authorities need to be more focused on this aspect of governance.

There is, however, a caveat here. The idea is based on the assumption the literate inmates will be interested in reading, which may or may not be true. So there is the need to motivate the literate inmates to read books, magazines and newspapers