This refers to the letter of Binoy Joseph in Arab News (Feb. 8) commenting on Pakistan establishment’s resolve on Kashmir Day to “stand by its Kashmiri brethren and find a solution to the longstanding dispute.” I think the writer is totally unaware of the whole issue of Kashmir.
The subcontinent was divided on the basis of Two-Nation theory: Pakistan was thus constituted in the Muslim majority area and the rest was considered Hindu majority area for India. Kashmir with Muslim population of 86 percent was to be a natural part of Pakistan, but due to Anglo-Indian conspiracy this was kept on hanging until Indian forces occupied it on Oct. 27, 1947 on the call of Hari Singh who was a British “viceroy” rather than a Kashmiri leader.
When the people of Kashmir did not accept Hindu rule, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went to the UN and got passed a resolution for holding plebiscite in Kashmir, which till date has not been held.
Binoy wants Arab News “to highlight a true and peaceful Indian standpoint, which is delinked from religious and ethnic base,” which is also perhaps based on his ignorance that 700,000 soldiers have been deployed in Kashmir to “implement peaceful Indian standpoint”? He seems unaware about the way the minorities in India i.e. Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Mizos and Assamese are treated.
We often see instances of how India’s high profile non-Hindu people cry for even basic rights and dignity.
The Indian society is divided between the high-caste Brahmans and the rest of the population, where the latter is subjected to all types of discrimination, and abuses which has of late been exposed by the media.
I would suggest people like Binoy to see the historical facts before writing anything particularly about the Kashmir issue. We thank Arab News for bringing up the true facts of Kashmir. — Syed Ehsanul Haque, Jeddah
UN double standard
