India’s Unilateral Action and the Global Response
Every year, 5 August is observed across Pakistan and in the global Kashmiri diaspora as Kashmir Solidarity Day, in solemn remembrance of India’s unconstitutional revocation of Article 370 of its Constitution in 2019. This illegal move stripped Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K) of its special status, and forcibly integrated the disputed territory into the Indian Union — in open defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, international norms, and bilateral commitments.
Across the world, Kashmiris mark this day as a Black Day, reaffirming their call for self-determination and reminding the international community that the Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest unresolved items on the UN agenda — now 77 years old.
Despite the passage of decades, the Kashmir issue remains a bleeding wound due to India’s unyielding stance and the UN’s continued inaction. The people of IIOJ&K endure extreme repression, demographic engineering, and denial of basic rights, under the shadow of over 900,000 Indian security personnel.
Denial, Deflection, and Diplomatic Evasion
India falsely claims that Kashmir is an “integral part” of the Union and refuses to enter into meaningful negotiations with Pakistan or the Kashmiri leadership. It uses the guise of bilaterality, as agreed in the Simla Agreement (1972), to keep third-party mediation at bay — even though India itself has violated every clause of that agreement by unilaterally changing Kashmir’s status.
India’s real objective is not peace, but procrastination, allowing it to alter the ground realities in Kashmir while silencing dissent with brute force and media manipulation.
Ground Realities and Pakistan’s Dilemma
Pakistan and the Kashmiris have long pinned their hopes on an UN-supervised plebiscite — the only legally and morally just resolution to the conflict. However, several harsh realities have impeded progress:
The UN Security Council has failed to uphold its own resolutions, often succumbing to geopolitical pressures, especially from the United States.
The post-9/11 global narrative on terrorism has damaged Pakistan’s moral leverage. By aligning with the US-led War on Terror, Islamabad found itself constrained in extending meaningful support to the Kashmiri resistance.
From 2004 onwards, Pakistan’s engagement in the composite dialogue process with India blurred the focus on Kashmir, with little success and much strategic confusion.
The fear of international isolation and potential designation as a terrorist sponsor restrained Pakistan from adopting a bolder posture, even when India openly supported terrorism in Baluchistan and FATA.
India’s strategic partnerships — particularly with the US, Israel, and Afghanistan (pre-2021) — created a hostile environment for Pakistan. In contrast, Pakistan was denied similar space to raise the Kashmir issue through kinetic or hybrid means.
While India has crushed dissent through draconian laws like AFSPA, PSA, and UAPA, Kashmiris remain unwavering in their demand for self-determination. The people of the Valley, cutting across religious and political lines, still see their destiny aligned with Pakistan.
Strategic Recommendations
To recalibrate its Kashmir policy, Pakistan must shift from reactive to proactive diplomacy. The following steps are essential:
- Formulate a coherent and consistent Kashmir strategy, with clear objectives and whole-of-government consensus.
- Unify domestic stakeholders around the Kashmir cause — including political parties, think tanks, media, and civil society.
- Internationalize the dispute with renewed vigour, particularly leveraging shifting US policy dynamics under Trump and post-Trump administrations.
- Expose the Hindutva-driven fascism of the BJP-RSS regime and its threats to regional peace and minority rights.
- Develop a strategic counter-doctrine to challenge the Indo-Israeli-Western nexus and its influence in South Asia.
- Strengthen internal cohesion in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and pre-empt growing RAW infiltration and subversion.
- Reinvigorate foreign policy tools, including aggressive diplomatic outreach in multilateral forums and global media.
- Launch a well-coordinated media strategy to counter India’s fifth-generation warfare, cyber propaganda, and disinformation campaigns.
- Continue to press the UN and major powers to fulfill their legal and moral responsibility in resolving the Kashmir dispute.
- Highlight demographic engineering in IIOJ&K — particularly the illegal settlement of non-Kashmiri Hindus — as a violation of the Geneva Conventions and UNSC resolutions.
- Engage emerging powers — particularly China, Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia — as potential facilitators for conflict resolution.
Conclusion
India has turned the once-idyllic “Paradise on Earth” into a dystopian garrison state, where mass graves, pellet guns, and media blackouts are the new normal. Yet, the spirit of resistance remains undiminished. The Kashmiri people continue to write their history in blood — an eternal reminder that freedom cannot be crushed by force.
Criticism of Indian policy within India is also on the rise. Hindu extremism, expanding insurgencies (over 17 separatist movements), and rising civil unrest are exposing the brittle foundations of India’s supposed secularism.
As India’s relations with key global patrons’ face turbulence, especially with Washington showing recalibrated interest in South Asian balance, India’s strategic impunity may no longer go unchallenged.
Pakistan must now match Kashmiri courage with strategic clarity. Political rhetoric alone will not suffice. A robust, united, and forward-looking national policy is the only way to keep the Kashmir cause alive — and to ensure that 16 million Kashmiris do not remain prisoners of India’s colonial ambitions.
The future of Kashmir is intrinsically tied to Pakistan’s destiny. Without internal unity, national integrity, and moral clarity, even just causes may fail to gain traction. The time for complacency is over. The Kashmiris deserve not just solidarity, but sincere and sustained support — politically, diplomatically, and strategically.
