The Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat has yet again issued a highly controversial statement wherein he had blatantly tried to undermine the political nature of Kashmir dispute thereby comparing situation in Kashmir with that of Syria. In a message to Kashmiri youth, Rawat has said that Azadi [freedom] is not possible as “we will always fight those who seek Azadi”. “I want to tell Kashmiri youth that Azadi isn’t possible. It won’t happen. Don’t get carried away unnecessarily. We will always fight those who seek Azadi, those who want to secede. (Azadi) is not going to happen, never,” he said. Gen Rawat said that he is perturbed by the killings. “We don’t enjoy it. But if you want to fight us, then we will fight you with all our force. Kashmiris have to understand that the SFs (security forces) haven’t been so brutal — look at Syria and Pakistan. They use tanks and air power in similar situations. Our troops have been trying their level best to avoid any civilian casualty despite huge provocation,’’ he said. “I don’t understand why people are coming out in huge numbers to disrupt our operations. Who is inciting them? General Rawat said that he understands that “there isn’t a military solution to this issue”.
General Rawat has asked why Kashmiri youth pick up guns and why people come out in huge numbers to disrupt military operations. Rather than asking these questions to Kashmiris Gen Rawat should take some time out and revisit the pages of the bloody history that is a living testimony about the nature of Kashmir dispute and the ongoing resistance movement going on in the region. The Indian General’s memory is either so bad that he had forgotten the genesis of Kashmir dispute or he is deliberately trying to distort the history. The history is that Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised the Kashmiri people in a famous speech at Lal Chowk in Srinagar that their wishes would be consulted in a plebiscite or referendum regarding the future of J&K. Nehru repeated this promise time and again in his various speeches from 1947-1951 and 1948 but despite the passage of 70 long years Kashmiris are still struggling for their legitimate right the right to self-determination, which was guaranteed to them by no less an authority than the United Nations several years ago. And Kashmiris, as a last resort, pick up the guns after India refused to implement the UN resolutions seeking referendum in Kashmir.
Gen Rawat must bear in mind the fact that Kashmir is a disputed territory, Kashmiris are fighting for their legitimate rights and as per the international covenants they have every right to fight for their freedom. Since Kashmir issue is an internationally recognized dispute any attempt to undermine its political nature by comparing Kashmiris’ indigenous freedom movement with that of insurgent movements elsewhere in the world would be a travesty of justice that would have serious implications on overall political and security situation in the region. The Indian military leadership must acknowledge this reality that there is no military solution to this imbroglio. Kashmir is purely a political issue that needs to be addressed politically. APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq had rightly said that Indian army will have to abdicate because the will and desire of people to be free to choose their destiny and be masters of their fate is far stronger than every military power.
