“We want Freedom” … “Pakistan Army go back”. Such angry slogans are heard every day in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Women and children have been sitting on ‘dharna’ for days. Many people were arrested as they wanted to protest at the secretariat in Muzaffarabad. Clearly, people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have had enough. The pitiable state of poverty, unemployment, health care, infrastructure development and social opportunities has driven people into the streets. In a profoundly symbolic action, people surrounded the United Nations Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) vehicles while shouting slogans against Pakistan government and Army. UNMOGIP is one of the oldest UN missions in world which came into operation on request of India to monitor cease fire between India and Pakistan. The war had started as Pakistani Army along with Tribal groups attacked Jammu and Kashmir soon after the partition. The attackers unleashed a wave of violence, rape, arson and loot. These unholy activities of the raiders delayed them and Srinagar was saved. In spite of being in stronger position in the ensuing war, India approached UN as a responsible democracy and the UNMOGIP came into existence. UNMOGIP’s birth was the direct result of Pakistan’s unjustified aggression in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, having failed to wrest Jammu and Kashmir by force, Pakistan unleashed a proxy war here in late eighties resulting into colossal deaths and destruction which continues unabated.
Ironically, Pakistani establishment blatantly neglected Kashmir it had occupied after partition. Except for the so called name i.e. Azaad Kashmir, everything else there is a saga of utter neglect and oppression. The level of government neglect is alarming. Indices of unemployment, poverty, development, health infrastructure are abysmally low. The forest cover went down from 42 percent to 14 percent due to unchecked deforestation. The electricity produced here is sent to Punjab while the people of the region face load shedding of 18 to 20 hours. The Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) has emerged as the ‘suicide capital’ of Pakistan with over 90 per cent of cases being reported from there. With reports of the region being given to China, the despondency of people has increased. Recently, the Prime Minister of POK cried during an official address. “POK Pakistan ke liye ek colony hai….loot ke liye ek jagah hai” …is asserted by leaders openly. “Look at the investments in Jammu and Kashmir….. even the meeting of G 20 is being planned there.” “We want to merge with India” …… people of POK are heard saying. The protests have resultantly reached a peak in POK and people have protested in front of the UNMOGIP. This is a tight slap on the face of Pakistan Government which has already lost credibility in UN, FATF, IMF and international community.
Pakistani establishment lost credibility because it adopted terrorism as a state policy. Encouraged by the ouster of Soviets, Pakistan under Operation TOPAC started training, equipping and infiltrating terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. The gun culture and state patronage to jehadi groups turned Pakistan into a terror state. When the subsidiary of Pakistan created Taliban, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan started hammering its own Army, Pakistan ludicrously coined the terms “Good Taliban” and “Bad Taliban”. Today the bad Taliban, the TTP, is negotiating with Pakistan government as an equal and demanding that Pakistan Army withdraws from FATA. What kind of banana republic would do that? No matter how much Pakistani establishment denies and defends….. the world knows its reality. The diabolic policies of the establishment have turned inwards and the snake has started to bite the hand that fed it. The ungrateful snake….. fed lovingly to bite the neighbours but has turned against Pakistan…. its mentor!! Why don’t snakes have scruples? Pakistan seeks sympathy on this account.
The repercussion of the negative state policies are ironically faced by Pakistani citizens who humiliatingly wait for hours at airports due to their green passports, treated like terrorists. Recently, Pakistan as expected rejected the dossier submitted by India on Pakistan terror infrastructure. They assert that Pakistan, a peace loving country does not believe in terrorism (LOL).
The ongoing economic down slide of Pakistan is clearly fatal and hence the government is accepting all dictates of IMF like raising cost of fuel, mortgaging national assets and even reducing defence budget. The spirits of Eid Festival were dampened due to unprecedented inflation. Excessive load shedding has forced people to use hand fans. And as always, the spineless Pakistani politicians are playing the bickering blame game. Pakistan is going the Sri Lanka way but ISI and Pakistan Army is busy running a proxy war in Kashmir. Pakistan’s obsession with Kashmir has taken it to the dooms way.
