Burning Kashmir and its Solution

Perhaps Kashmir is the most puzzling problem Indian polity has ever witnessed. The exact solution of this problem is yet unknown even to the governments of both sides of border. Before looking into the possible solutions of this problem I will give a brief note on the genesis of problem as most of us don’t know what exactly the problem of Kashmir is.

The dawn of Indian independence was accompanied by the bifurcation of the country which was based on the two nation theory proposed by Mr. Jinnah. With this division, a struggle has begun for gaining the sovereignty over Kashmir between two newly freed nations. At the time of independence the entire Kashmir was under the control of a Hindu ruler of Kashmir however the demographic division was in the favuor of Muslims. Keeping this in mind Pakistan attacked on Kashmir with the intention of claiming its sovereignty over the region. And instead of counter attacking the Pakistan army we went to king of Kashmir with a proposal that we would defend them only when they acknowledge India’s sovereignty over Kashmir. By the time we got the assurance form Kashmir, Pakistan had already occupied almost one third of Kashmir by hopelessly defeating its army. And instead of throwing them out from the portion they have already snatched from Kashmir, which is still in the control of Pakistan and now called as POK(Pakistan Occupied Kashmir), we just blocked their further advancement towards Srinagar. We didn’t stop here and finally we made the biggest mistake in the history of independent India by going to UN and making Kashmir a disputed territory. And henceforth this issue has been pending with UN. Our war with China also aggravated this problem and was one of the main reasons of the friendship between China and Pakistan. Further, we fought 3 wars with Pakistan which has worsened the condition in the region. However in the decade of 80s Kashmir pundits were thrown out from their home region making Kashmir almost a Muslim region. With the rise in Islamic terrorism Kashmir problem has become puzzle to solve. The ultimate tragedy lies in the fact no one has a readymade solution which is acceptable to both side.

Now question arises that what should be the solution of this political dilemma. With the awareness level rising day by day it is almost impossible for any country be it Pakistan or be it India to give up their portion. So it is prerequisite for the ultimate solution that present condition is resumed and LOC should be made permanent boundary. Once India gets its part of land, the next step would be to create a pro Indian sentiment in the valley. For this I would suggest two pronged strategy. Firstly, India should involve itself in the developmental work of the region and by taking suitable and relevant projects a engine of growth can be generated but while doing this, participation of local individual should be ensured so that simultaneous development of a feeling of belongingness should take place among the peoples of region. And secondly, India should also look at the transition of demographic distribution of the area by encouraging Hindus to settle in the valley so that a balanced demography could be achieved.

However this solution is not as simple as it looks to my readers. Certain hurdles are bound to arise, for an example Pakistan is not interested in making LOC a permanent boundary. Moreover, the growing influence of China in the region can not be ignored. This becomes more important when we consider that we are still fighting on boundary issues with China as well and our relationship with our mighty neighbor is not cordial. Further the increasing closeness of Pakistan with China is also a cause of concern. So, according to me, while solving the Kashmir problem, our disputes with China should be settled as early as possible so that Pakistan could not bargain on the name of mighty China. Here the role of geopolitics is inevitable. As India and China both are rising at the same time, a bond of friendship can be developed as the aspirations and interests of both countries are almost same. Further, the historical ties can also be taken as morale booster.

While bargaining with Pakistan Indian should be ready to make some minor sacrifices to maintain the peace in the region as India is a responsible nation in the world and is known for its principle of peace and non violence. It should also kept in the mind that beside being the biggest nation in the subcontinent, India is also surrounded by numbers of poor, underdeveloped and tiny nations, the price of which India has to pay in the name of minor sacrifices . However any such sacrifice should be made by keeping in mind that there are number of separatist movements active in India and such sacrifices in no case should work as a morale booster for these separatist groups