"Pakistan’s Kashmir policy in the last decade has been reactionary, largely responding to India’s moves in the subcontinent" Do you agree with the statement? Yes or No? Justify your answer
Answers
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been no different than his predecessors with regard to Kashmir policy, as his government both uses bilateral talks and raises the issue internationally. However, India’s move to abrogate the special status of the Kashmir Valley last August, which observers expect to result in demographic changes in the valley, has been significant. It was the first occasion where India made a unilateral move disregarding earlier agreements, resulting in the failure of bilateral talks.
The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir dates back to 1947 when the British withdrew from the subcontinent and the colonial empire divided into two nation states. Kashmir acceded to India after an attack from tribal invaders. However, Pakistan views Kashmir as an integral part of its territory, owing to the strategic location and the valley’s Islamic identity. Since then, the territory has been disputed between India and Pakistan, with bilateral talks at times but, often, a militaristic approach to resolving the issue.
The historic Simla Agreement signed by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan in July 1972 established that the matter should be solved bilaterally. That principle was followed through various successive agreements between Indian and Pakistani leaders. The two parties were closest to an agreement at the Lahore Declaration in February 1999, under Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. However, the results turned sour after conflict broke out in Kargil in May 1999. The two sides met multiple times after the war, but failed to reach a consensus each time. Furthermore, militancy and the outbreak of violence has complicated the issue even more.
Pakistan’s Kashmir policy in the last decade has been reactionary, largely responding to India’s moves in the subcontinent. This characteristic was observed during the violent protests following the killing of Kashmiri militant leader Burhan Wani in 2016 by Indian soldiers. Following Wani’s death, violent protests ramped up; 90 civilians lost their live and over 2,300 were injured. Showing solidarity with the militant leader, then-Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called Burhan Wani a “martyr” and said July 19 will be observed in Pakistan as “Black Day” to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
Speaking in 2015 on a TV interview, Khan had said that Kashmir is a core issue and needs to be resolved through dialogue with India. Khan added that he wanted to have good ties with India and trade relations. Khan’s passive tone on Kashmir was evident during the elections in 2018, where the disputer remained a non-issue. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chose to ignore the issue of Kashmir in the election manifesto. Even the opposition Pakistan People’s Party, which had vowed to make Kashmir part of Pakistan, ignored Kashmir during the election.