Plebiscite Is The “Honorable Exit” Option for India
Justice (r) Muzaffar Ali
Human history witnesses that, no nation, no human being could be dominated or kept under slavery forever. Western history of old ages witnesses that Europeans spent a savage life. Rule of “might is right” prevailed. Wars to dominate weak and poor nations therein were order of the day. The evil zeal of dominating and conquering other nations in minds of powerful European nations extended worldwide resultantly, the then super power, Britain, imposed its sovereignty from west to east, north to south. Ambition of domination caused World War 1 & 2, destroyed peaceful atmosphere in this planet. Millions of people became victims of these wars; even innocent people in the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima of Japan were ruined by nuclear bombing.
The time taught war mongers of the era that, no nation could be dominated forcefully forever; rather the greed of conquering and capturing the sources of poor nations could not be beneficial even to a conqueror. Wars are consequential of human miseries, destroying of human lives and wealth. Keeping the other nations in slavery could not be sustained through armed mighty. The western nations turned their mind from conquering other nations to remain in their own territories without interfering to each other and to think and work about welfare, education and hardworking for the welfare of their own people. The super power of that time, United Kingdom, abandoned aggression. It liberated all its colonies and came out from to their own land. Subcontinent was also a colony under British sovereignty which was liberated under the new version.
The world again entered into an era of conflict between two super powers, USSR and USA. Both the super powers divided the world into and introduced communist and capitalist blocks. In the bipolar world system, both the super powers termed the nations either communist or capitalist through a cold war. Both of them imbalanced independent opinion of nations by implied use of their mighty. Lastly, the USSR impelled from competition and many small states under the sovereignty of USSR got their liberation from and the world became unipolar. USA, after rising as only super power, became unbridled and attacked many sovereign countries. Iraq and Afghanistan were attacked directly but other small countries were influenced indirectly even ignoring mandate of UNO but at present, US has also realized that his policies are not long lasting, that is why, the super power felt compulsion to start dialogue with Taliban, against whom he attacked Afghanistan.
India, indeed, the regional power in South Asia, has occupied Kashmir against will of population therein since 1947. More than 5 lac army troops have been deployed but still failed to curb the indigenous struggle of kashmiris for liberation of their motherland. In history, once India got realization that, she could not control the kashmiri grapple as such offered plebiscite therein. The Indian motion of plebiscite was really only solution of conflict in South Asia but unfortunately, India resiled from her pledge instead of standing for the words and pledge made by Nehru, the then Prime Minster, India went to strengthen its army with nuclear weapons for showing herself a nuclear power using deterrence theory against neighboring countries and also, against kashmiris who are in persistent struggle for their independence. The exercise of this deterrence theory by India sank South Asia into a deep dark ocean of poverty and conflicts.
Pakistan, a party to the Kashmir issue, under UN resolutions, felt really a deter by Indian frenzy to become a military power in the region and scared of a real threat to her sovereignty when India succeeded in her conspiracy to separate eastern part of Pakistan. In such a situation, there remained no option for Pakistan but to become nuclear power to meet any aggression of India. Indian nuclear deterrence compelled Pakistan to strengthen its army as such people in South Asia could not get rid of poverty as their governments could not make policies for poverty elevation. India, if had has realized human history as stated above and had abandoned war mongering attitude and acted upon the pledge made by Prime Minister Nehru then, people of both the countries might be prosperous and developed.
Indian constitution defines India a secular country but in contrast to, the Modi government has proven to be a Hindu fundamentalist. The report of OHCHR issued in the year 2018 is a manifestation of Indian atrocities in IOK; it notes widespread allegations of “human rights violations [that] include torture and custodial deaths, rape, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.” But mothers in Kashmir have donated their young sons to sacrifice their lives for liberation. Protests in Kashmir are getting momentum day by day. India could no more throw dust into the eyes of world by blaming Pakistan as to be a perpetrator. The present situation in Kashmir with war mongering attitude of Modi and responsible attitude of Pakistan has opened the eyes of world to understand the blame game of India. Mr. Khan, the Prime Minister with an open heart, has offered a meaningful dialogue on all issues including Kashmir. Modi needs to read the writing on the wall that he cannot occupy Kashmir forcefully. The only honorable way out for India is to turn back to its pledge of plebiscite in Kashmir under the auspices of UNO.
