Continuing with the trend of opposing any sort of foreign meddling with Indian internal matters and motivated attempts to destabilize the Kashmir region, the Indian government has informed the United Nations body that any communication with the HRC’s Special Rapporteurs on its report will no longer be entertained. These steps come after the submission of a fallacious report by Geneva-based Human Rights Council (HRC) on the alleged violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir over the past few years has been witnessing massive efforts by the Indian Government towards improving the social and security situation in the state. Security forces combined with voices from within the Kashmiri society have been combating the issues like radicalization with a firm resolve. Various security operations to clear out the terror elements which have been perpetuating under the patronage of local ‘political’ leadership and foreign support have also aided the efforts.
However, the current problems of Kashmir trace their roots back to several decades. Mismanagement of the Kashmir issue, which is not only critical to the Kashmiri society but also forms a larger part of the Indian unity, is evidently the result of a series of mishaps in the period that followed Indian independence.
The most striking examples of these mishaps are surely the one under the leadership of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations as Indian forces were carrying out operations to clear out Pakistani intruders from the state. This hurt India’s interests on two counts: One, it internationalized the Kashmir dispute; and two, it stopped the Indian Army from finishing the job of throwing out the intruders. In fact, it is said that the ceasefire was ordered at a time when the Army needed just a few more days to complete its task. Further, the decision to beseech the UN showed India up as a weak state that needed third-party intervention to throw out an aggressor. It led to the UN setting up a commission and posting its observers along the ceasefire line and encouraged the US and other western nations to meddle in India’s internal affairs. The solution provided by the UN Commission was that the “Issue would be resolved by democratic means of plebiscite once Pakistan withdrew its troops from captured territory”. India declared the ceasefire however Pakistan never removed its forces from captured land.
Modi government tackling the issue at hand has been taking steps to ‘de-internationalize’ the Kashmir issue. De-internationalization was also outlined in the Shimla Agreement signed in 1972 which claims “the two countries (India and Pakistan) are resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations” however Pakistan has been largely dissociated from the pact.
The Indian Government in 2014 had asked United Nations military observer group on Kashmir to vacate a government-provided bungalow in New Delhi, in a toughening stance against a mission that Indians have long opposed. “We have said that as far as we are concerned the UNMOGIP has outlived its relevance. This is a consistent stance that we have articulated on several occasions,” then Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters after the Indian Express reported the notice given to the U.N. group to leave the Delhi premises.
Earlier OHCHR under the High Commissioner of Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had released a report which made unsubstantiated claims about Human Rights violation in Kashmir.
The MEA referring to the OHCHR report had said, “It is a selective compilation of largely unverified information. It is overtly prejudiced and seeks to build a false narrative. The report violates India’s sovereignty and integrity. …it is disturbing that those behind this report have chosen to describe internationally designated and U.N.-proscribed terrorist entities as ‘armed groups’ and terrorists as ‘leaders’. This undermines the U.N.-led consensus on zero tolerance to terrorism.”
Modi government has shown absolute disregard for international bodies trying to meddle in Indian security and political situation. UNHRC has repeatedly bemoaned the fact that the Modi government has denied 27 visit requests by its delegates and have not responded to 36 or so questions the UNHRC had sent to the Indian government on Kashmir related issues.
India’s message under the Modi government to the UN and other international bodies has been very clear. Kashmir is India’s internal issue and India will not tolerate any kind of foreign meddling in the same.