Syed Marifat
The first tragedy of conflict is security of involved state, security of health, security of economics, security of education, security of food, energy and all. Kashmir is a long lasting conflict which was left by the British Empire after the World war 2nd.The people of J&K continue to struggle with their right to Self- determination & mental freedom since three decades. The conflict in Kashmir is a flash point between the two nuclear powers of South Asia & the fight between the two countries which has led to the miserable conditions of the people of the state &particularly the students. The Socio-economic development of the state has suffered due to this conflict.
Since 1989, the situation of Indian held Kashmir is something different which we can easily call, era of human rights violations. From last many years, the problem in J&K, witnessed a mushrooming growth of terrorism & unknown gunmen. Since 1989 , around 2156 unidentified bodies were buried in unmarked graves & nearly about 70,000 people have been killed. The territorial dispute over Kashmir between India & Pakistan is the major source of regional instability. An armed exchange between India &Pakistan involving nuclear weapon has the potential of total annihilation of South Asian region.” The centrality of the India –Pak dispute is playing itself out in regular wars, crisis, & a near total absence of cooperation defines South Asia” (Stephen P.Cohen). For over 70 years, unarmed Kashmiris, including men, women, school-going boys and girls and aged people have continued to witness mental, psychological as well as physical humiliation and torture. Every day, there are incidents of gashing of eyes, use of ever-new methods during unending curfews, torching of their villages along with crops and destruction of their business as well as economic life, which is in utter defiance of international Human Rights and Humanitarian laws.
The Kashmir conflict is a legacy of the past. The international community had given Pakistan and India many chances to resolve the outstanding issues. Right from partition apart from UN SC resolutions various agreements, mediations and talks have been articulated between the two nations. Tashkent Agreement, Shimla Agreement, Lahore Declaration, Agra Summit, Peace Process and Confidence Building Measures are the glaring examples. At the bilateral approach, the political leadership of both the countries have failed because prior to every sincere approach towards the resolution, Politically motivated opportunistic preconditions are placed which are not acceptable to one or the other stake holders to the dispute . Also, the Stake holders incorporate the political interests of their party with the choice of inclusion of stake holders to the dispute and at one time accept different elements as the stake holders but on other instance refuse to recognise them as a party to dispute which maligns the spirit of an Unconditional dialogue. In the last three years there have not been any productive and substantive talks between India and Pakistan
There are a number of pressing issues & these issues affect region as a whole, directly or indirectly. If we take a look at the issues having the potential to create instability and pose security challenges, the region is infested with number of Social, Political, Economic as well as environmental problems.
Central to peace & security in South Asia is the resolution of all issues between India & Pakistan. Stable peace in the region would be a far cry until India- Pakistan conflict is resolved. The fault- lines created by strained relations between the two nuclear powers is behind several regional problems, such as growing spectre of terrorism, emergence of non- state actors, militancy, human & drug trafficking, internal communal disturbances & acute poverty. The optimism of enhanced regionalism in South Asia is contingent on how India & Pakistan deal with the problem of Kashmir & the nuclear issue. But the big question over Kashmir still looms large over the bilateral relations & hinders peace & co-operation between the countries. Resolution of conflict between India & Pakistan, which seems elusive, holds the key for greater regional co-operation in the areas of peace & security, & will open up the probability of evolving a regional mechanism for the prevention of conflicts.
(The author is a peace and conflict studies research scholar from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Views are her own)
