The Pakistani Spectator

Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of partition of India in 1947. India not only treacherously occupied two-third of Kashmir by force but also failed to implement the 1948 UNSC Resolution of holding a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the people of Kashmir whether they wanted to be part of Pakistan or India.

The Kashmiris kept demanding this right but their voices were suppressed through use of brute force. After 42 years of political struggle when the Kashmiris lost all hopes of an amicable solution, they decided to pick up arms in 1989 and confronted the Indian security forces. Tens of militant groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen emerged in occupied Kashmir during nineties to achieve freedom from the shackles of India.

Over 7 lacs Indian security forces were inducted to crush the freedom movement but despite sustained ruthless operations and inhuman atrocities they could not extinguish the flame of liberty. Pakistan was morally bound to extend diplomatic and political support to UN sanctified freedom struggle much to the dislike of Indians.

The resistance movement was so fierce that India sought assistance from Israel how to tackle Islamic insurgency and also started to accuse Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorism in Kashmir. Apart from teaching Indian security forces techniques of counter insurgency and providing requisite equipment, it also passed on the technique of indoctrinating Muslim youths and using them against Kashmiri Mujahids. Israel had established special schools where it was taught how clerics brainwashed recruits. Having mastered this art, it was put to use against Palestinians. This technique is now being used to brainwash suicide bombers and use them in Pakistan Once India became strategic partner of USA, the latter attended to Indian concerns more attentively. Throughout 1990s, India continuously parroted the theme of cross border terrorism and also accused Pakistan of developing an Islamic bomb. Western media raised the spectre of Islamic bomb going into the hands of radical states like Iran and Libya. Pakistan was placed on watch list of terrorism and cautioned to watch its steps. USA shared the idea of India that UN Resolutions on Kashmir had become outdated.

Acquisition of nuclear capability and delivery means by Pakistan led to forging of deeper collaboration between USA, Israel and India and the trio schemed how to destabilise, de-Islamise, denuclearise and possibly balkanise Pakistan.. 9/11 and pliant leadership in Pakistan provided an opportunity to them to make deep inroads into Pakistan and make certain parts restive.

In Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) and Siachen Indian troops are suffering from innumerable physiological diseases and cases of suicides are on the increase. Several cases of shooting of comrades and officers have also occurred because of mounting frustration and sense of guilt they carry against hapless Kashmiris. Over 100,000 Muslim Kashmiris have been killed since 1989, thousands maimed for life, 8000 young girls raped and 11000 persons gone missing.

India has been conducting farcical elections in IHK but each election was heavily rigged to ensure success of pro-Indian Kashmiri party aligned with Congress or BJP. IHK was put under federal rule in July 2008 following collapse of state government over Hindu-Muslim land dispute which triggered a series of massive anti-India riots. Illegal allotment of Muslims land to Amarnath set off protests.

Indian security forces retaliated with full force leaving many unarmed protesters dead. Elections were held in November-December 2008 in seven phases and terminated on 24 December under barrel of gun. It was phased because of highly volatile security situation and Kashmiris loud calls to boycott elections. Almost entire Kashmiri political leadership was interned. Anti-election protest marches were cruelly dealt with resulting in several deaths and critical injuries to many.

Azadi movement has got reinvigorated and so has brutality of Indian forces against Kashmiris. Failing to crush Kashmiri movement India devised a devious technique of water-theft to coerce and blackmail Pakistan to refrain from supporting Kashmiris.

Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh are victims of Indian water thievery. India has dispute with Bangladesh over Farraka Barrage, with Nepal over Mahakali River and with Pakistan over 1960 Indus Treaty. What can you expect from a country which stoops to lowest level of immorality by stealing water and blocking rivers to turn agricultural lands of its neighbour barren? Without any qualms, India is busy building dams on all rivers flowing into Pakistan from occupied Kashmir to regain control of water of western rivers in violation of Indus Treaty. This is being done under well thought out strategy to render Pakistan’s link-canal system redundant, destroy agriculture of Pakistan which is its mainstay and turn Pakistan into a desert.

It is because of our survival resting on rivers that Kashmir has been referred to as Pakistan’s jugular vein. India has plans to construct 62 dams/hydro-electric units on Rivers Chenab and Jhelum thus enabling it to render these rivers dry by 2014. Taking advantage of its influence over Afghanistan, India has succeeded in convincing Karzai regime to build a dam on River Kabul and setup Kama Hydroelectric Project using 0.5MAF of Pakistan water. It has offered technical assistance for the proposed project which will have serious repercussions on the water flow in River Indus. The controversial Baglihar Dam started in 1999 on River Chenab in Doda of IHK. Pakistan took the case to World Bank. The World Bank expert Raymond Lafitte approved the project in February 2007 but asked India to reduce height of the Dam by one and half meters. Baglihar Dam can block 7000 cusecs of water per day whenever India wishes to.

India has already built 14 hydroelectric plants on Chenab River and is building more plants which will enable it to block entire water of Chenab for 20-25 days. These dams have also enabled India to release huge quantity of water downstream to not only cause damage to standing crops but also to our canal systems. Chenab River provides water to 21 canals and irrigates about 7 million acres of agriculture land in Punjab.

Storage of water in Baglihar Dam reduced the flow of water in Chenab River during the sowing period of August to October 2008 and badly affected the agriculture sector of Pakistan. Pakistan lost 23000 cusecs of water; farmers could not irrigate their fields due to shortage of water and resultantly 3.5 million agriculture tracts got barren. The standing cotton, paddy crops of basmati rice of Kharif season in Punjab which were ripe got badly affected because of absence of water.

The sowing of next crop of wheat in September-October also got affected and so was the case with Rabi crop in January-February this year due to reduced flow of water. India has turned a deaf ear to our repeated requests for compensation and failed to provide data about water storage and release of Baglihar Dam. India has got away with this broad daylight robbery of water and intends to make it into a routine affair. India is constructing Kishanganga Dam on River Jhelum. It has now planned three dams on River Indus which will have devastating impact on Pakistan’s Northern Areas.. These are Nimoo Bazgo, Dumkhar, and Chutak. Work on Nimoo Bazgo hydropower project, 70 km from Leh is already underway.

Chutak is under construction on River Suru. In case any of these dams collapse or large quantity of water is deliberately released, it will not only endanger our proposed Bhasha Dam but also submerge Skardu city and airport. KKH between Besham and Jaglot would wash away.

The world powers led by US preaching morality turn a blind eye to this blatant immorality. Pakistan will however not allow its land to turn barren at the hands of a depraved bully. It is an existential threat posed by India which 170 million Pakistanis would fight to the last to defeat its nefarious designs.

By Asif Haroon Raja