When it comes to Kashmir, Pakistan has always supported Kashmiris’ struggle against India, specially after the abrogation of Article 370 of its Constitution which stripped Kashmir of its status as an independent state back in 2019.
The Kashmir issue is a long-standing dispute in the United Nations, unfortunately, it has not been solved yet. Exactly two years ago, the Modi government removed the special status of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK).
On the other hand, the Pakistani government rejected the illegal move made by India and also mobilized the international community to draw attention against this.
Articles 370 and 35A
On 5th August 2019, the Indian government revoked Article 370, repealed the special status accorded to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 allowed the state constituent assembly to make its own Constitution and hence gave it an autonomous state power.
Additionally, the state was diverged into two union territories Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Political leaders in the state such as Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were put under house arrest in the strife-torn region.
Importance of Kashmir
The primary reason for this conflict between the two countries is due to how valuable Kashmir is in terms of national security, geography, and resources. The largely important Indus River, extremely crucial to agriculture in Pakistan, flows through Kashmir.
Similarly, India depends on the Indus for irrigation. Hence, the Indus and its tributaries are highly sought after.
Indo-Pak relations
The nations of India and Pakistan have fiercely contested each other over occupied Kashmir, fighting three major wars and two minor wars. It has gained immense international attention given the fact that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers and this conflict represents a threat to global security.
India’s stance on Kashmir
According to India, Kashmir in its entirety belongs to it, and Pakistan is falsely laying claim on Indian territories.
Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir
Pakistan believes that Kashmir has a majority of Muslims so Kashmir should belong to Pakistan.
What exactly can we do to support Kashmir’s cause?
As a nation, there are several things we can do to support Kashmir. Pakistan should continue to raise the Kashmir issue globally and avail the opportunity to bring to the attention of the people in the world and the governments and international organizations the terrible situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
By addressing the issue of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to the United Nations platform with more power, Pakistan can save Kashmir.
Pakistan needs to convince the international community that according to the Indian Independence Act 1947 passed by the UK parliament, every princely state was allowed to either join India or Pakistan or stay independent.
The country also needs to analyze how to counter the Indian narrative on the diplomatic front, and redesign our foreign policy on a priority basis.
