India has announced ceasefire in occupied Kashmir, which will remain in effect until the end of the Holy month of Ramadan. However, the occupation forces deployed in the territory are free to retaliate to any attack from Kashmiri freedom fighters. “The decision not to launch any operations during Ramadan was taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramadan in a peaceful environment”, a spokesperson of Indian Home Ministry said. The New Delhi’s move to initiate a conditional ceasefire is replica of 2000 truce agreement announced by NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The pro-India political parties more often called as mainstream parties, as anticipated, have welcomed the decision. However, the resistance leadership in Kashmir have expressed cautious optimism about the move and termed it a cosmetic measure. The JKLF Chief Muhammad Yasin Malik while reacting to the ceasefire said, “Unless and until a comprehensive plan is made to resolve the Kashmir issue, these cosmetic things won’t work”.
Chairman Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said it doesn’t make any difference whether ceasefire is called for a month or two. “We need to find the root cause of the conflict and the reason why youth is picking up arms. We need to address the dispute,” he said.
The unilateral move may perhaps suit well to New Delhi and pro-India political parties just to promote their self-centered and self-serving agenda in Kashmir but for average Kashmiris who bore the brunt of state terrorism it is just a drama aimed at creating a smokescreen to hoodwink world community. The half-hearted initiative, as it appears to be, is nothing more than a political gimmick. Regardless of New Delhi’s motive behind the ceasefire announcement one thing is clear that the incumbent dispensation in India lacks political will to resolve Kashmir dispute. Had the BJP government been serious in its approach it would have announced the ceasefire followed by a road map to engage all stakeholders to find out a peaceful and lasting solution to Kashmir dispute. Time has come that India should realize the ground reality that such kind of cosmetic measures won’t bring what it calls peace and normalcy in the region. The only way that leads to peace is acknowledgement of reality and the reality is that Kashmir is a political dispute that needs to be resolved through peaceful means of dialogue.
