It is with a great deal of regret that we have to admit Pakistan failed in its policy for Kashmir. India doesn't believe in democracy and has just erased the invisible autonomy that existed. ( see https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kashmir-erased-article-370-scrapped-indian-democracy-in-darkness_uk_5d47fbd5e4b0ca604e35128a
The two reasons for this desperate action by the Indian government is
1. The UNHRC Report Recommendations for self determination
2. President Donald Trump's offer of mediation.
It is essentially a showmanship of BJP Parliamentary majority and power. Obviously, it's a short cut to land grabbing. This isn't unexpected given its always been in the BJP manifesto. It's simply that Pakistan has not countered it.
I have repeatedly outlined all the failures in the past and they've never been corrected. Instead, our pleas to Pakistan fell on deaf ears. Notably their arrogance has always been their downfall. I shall list Pakistan's failures once more
1. Imran Khan supported Modi to be the next elected PM. We stated that if this was done, there would be doom for Kashmir. Yet, the rationale by Pakistan was that Modi was self destructive to his country. That logic doesn't assist Kashmir
2. Pakistan has engaged in under the table deals to bring India to the mediation table. India would always agree then double cross at the right time and that's what's happened. So Imran's concessions to India have gone nowhere
3. Imran Khan allowed the captured Indian pilot to go back without bartering an LoC peace treaty or any terms for Kashmir. His showmanship has resulted in nothing.
4. Pakistan supported India in the Non Permanent Seat at the UNSC. This indicates to the world that Pakistan believes India meets all the UN criteria.
5. Pakistan supported India during Yoga Day diplomacy. Again telling the UN that it believed India was a country of peace.
Having made all these overtures in support of India, Pakistan now believes the universe will listen to them when they say India's a human rights violator. Pakistan has been brazen and lacking in regret for this position on the above. It has now come to bite them back. Pakistan cannot say we didn't warn them at each juncture.
6. My previous updates here has repeatedly specified Pakistan's failures to
A. Report India to the UNSC for an Emergency Review.
B. Report India to the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute in Kashmir . No applications were ever made.
C. Trigger the Human Rights Council Resolution for full inquiry into Kashmir
D. Define the crimes against humanity as a war crime and request the UNSC make such a referral to the ICC.
Pakistan Defence online has sadly engaged in defaming us (Jasmine and I) as supposed RAW agents when we were instrumental in exposing India's activist network in Kashmir. They've had to sheepishly agree we were right after they embarrassingly believed one of India's paid activists.
Pakistan has also refused to assist us during the multiple threats and attacks we have been subjected to. This includes a tweet by Mission RAWs author to have me shot in the head. Then I suppose our campaign for Kashmir was used and thrown away as used tissue paper. Pakistan's own online defence team hasn't been protected at all. They've allowed India to assassinate thousands of accounts. The same has occurred with the online social networking accounts of Kashmiris.
It is with the greatest regret that we have witnessed India's draconian action on Kashmir. We saw all the warning signs and begged many to act but they did not do so. I know India is a great propaganda master. It's created/invented a terror threat, inflated the numbers of troops in each article and pushed the erasure of autonomy. In reality there was never any autonomy. Kashmir therefore should remember that India's psy ops ( psychological operations)is currently working. They should remember that the status of Kashmir is just as it always was ( with zero autonomy). Moreover, the fear by the threats techniques is something that India wants to be effective. This is why they operate the "shoot to kill" policy. They want silence while they achieve their silly little political move. India's always inflicted various methods of psychological warfare on Kashmir causing widespread fear and panic to achieve their political aims. India has no other way of controlling Kashmir.
I have not fought against the erasure of autonomy because in my view it was all artificial. It's merely a piece of legislation that never operated for Kashmir. The status and right for freedom remains the same. If Kashmir and Pakistan refuse to take the above steps to legally address the problem, Kashmir has no alternative but to keep calm and get on with their lives until such time as they want to make the relevant effective applications to challenge India. At present,there is no point in dying or protesting because it's counter productive while Kashmiris have become too dependant on India. By this I mean, taking India's jobs in the military and a army. Using their schools and goods. Joining their civil service etc. One cannot collude with India in this way and then ask for freedom. Pakistan and Kashmir have a cultural flaw in that they both spend too much time engaging in nest building instead of applying themselves to tactics to achieve an advantage in the International forums. I believe the Kashmir leadership is a spectacular failure. It will take the people of Kashmir a long time to figure out that the key to their wishes lies in their own hands. The huge amount of evidence they have plus their ability to be like the Chagos Islanders and make that application to the International Court of Justice to gain their rights as recommended by the UNHRC Report.
India is unlikely to commit massacres with the United Nations breathing down its neck. We have achieved that much. India will though ensure every Kashmiri is forced into a state of paranoia and fear. You can either play India's game or simply refuse to play it and continue with your lives. I don't believe there is any point in placing your lives at risk given your culture is still behind the times in terms of achieving your rights in the modern world. So far too many have died with zero result.
Pakistan is scrambling around for International support on Kashmir at the 12th Hour. Any attack by them will result in India sacrificing more Kashmiris. Pakistan really hasn't played the game well then it's never listened to anyone but it's own skewed logic. India's a dictatorship now, it's always been so and this result was not unexpected. Indeed all the warning signs were there. Pakistan will no doubt want to threaten war but at what cost? It will risk destabilising the entire area. As we know Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint. If this move is made by Pakistan then it will be to everyone's detriment. The Pakistan military will be acting as a result of catastrophic diplomatic failings.
We all pray for Kashmir but prayers and empathy are not results. Today, elite and educated Kashmiris have failed their people by aligning with India to achieve society success. Pakistan has failed Kashmir by its broadly selfish arrogant neglectful attitude towards it. In the end, it took a foreigner to complain to the Human Rights Council because all these people sat and feathered their nests. And while people in the West sign petitions in their millions, our petitions have only reached 28K since 2016. Just goes to show how lazy people are with respect to Kashmir. This includes those in Pakistan who are too busy tweeting about their love lives rather than engaging in something constructive. You simply have to look at the number of selfies their women take for Twitter.
It's time for introspection. Whatever I'm accused of, I've always been truthful and blunt from my extensive experience of Kashmir. If attitudes aren't changed and tactics applied to win, there will be no success in Kashmir. Deaths do not bring success. Remember that in Kashmir. You're in a hybrid disinformation propaganda war. Death is not a solution but living and thinking properly will result in a way forward. India may have won their pyrric victory today but in the long term, Kashmiris hold the key to winning the final intellectual showdown. They have afterall pushed India into its current desperate state. Only a desperate country takes desperate measures.
Regards
Dr Rita Pal
UNHRC Complainant for Kashmir www.kashmirhumanrights.com
NB. As of this evening, I've not seen any verified evidence of civilian killings. Many are running past images and the Gaza image ( cited as Kashmir) is still making its way around which is poor show on Pakistan's side. Kashmir is on a communication blackout as India thinks it hides its conduct. Usually, there are still leaks from Kashmir but so far no credible leaks of human rights abuses.
Articles of interest
https://www.newsweek.com/china-pakistan-warn-india-border-1452896