By Samuel Baid
During his 44 months rule as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan mainly concentrated on exposing earlier ruler’s corruption, ignoring his duties towards his countrymen. After his ouster, he was exposed for corruption. He told the truth about his opponents and the opponents told the truth about him when they came to power. The sum total of these truths was moral collapse that has kept Pakistan in political and economic anarchy.
There is another truth as tweeted by a Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Muzaffar Khokhar. This truth relates to the relations of the people of occupied Kashmir to Pakistan. It says “Now the people of PoJK have to decide whether they have to accede to a state (Pakistan) facing moral decline and political anarchy or live free and independent like a dignified country and nation in the world”. Addressing the PoK people, he asked them to observe Pakistan’s independence day as black day. He said the creation of Pakistan did not mean Islam, iman (faith) and deen (religion). He said Pakistan killed and raped their own Muslim brothers and sisters and created Bangladesh. This spoke of moral degradation of Pakistan.
Kashmiri leaders, who left the National Conference to revive the Muslim conference at the behest of Muslim League Chief Mohammad Ali Jinnah were moved by Jinnah’s awe and not by Kashmir’s long-term interest. They were blinded by their sycophantic feelings towards Jinnah. As against them, Sheikh Abdullah favoured India because of its respect for Constitutionalism.
After 1947, Muslim Conference (MC) leaders in PoJK realized if you are on the right side of the Pakistani rulers especially its Army, the occupied territory is for you to loot. MC supreme Sardar Abdul Qayym considered himself born ruler of PoJK. He and his son made money left and right without any fear of accountability. In other words, PoJK could not be any better than their counterpart Pakistani masters.
For their own selfish motive, MC leaders have always harmed the interest of fellow PoJK Kashmiris. In April 1949, MC leaders signed an agreement with Pakistani government handing over to Karachi (then national capital of Pakistan) administration of Northern Areas (now Gilgit Baltistan). This formally divided Pakistan controlled Kashmir into so-called Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas. All the communication between the two was permanently cut off. An Azad Kashmiri could go anywhere in Pakistan but could not cross the Luxman rekha to see his brothers and sisters in Northern Areas.
Sardar Qayyum collaborated with the Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to prepare the 1974 Provisional Constitution for PoJK. This was very openly a document of slavery of Kashmiris in PoJK. This document has been ruling PoJK for almost six decades but no squeak from anywhere.
There are no protests as Arif Shahid writes in his Urdu book “kaun azad kaun ghulam” slave Kashmiri of PoJK have been given an injection to put the high in the belief that they are azad.
JKLF leader Khokhar says PoJK Kashmiris do not understand that Pakistan wants to stab them in the back. He tweets Pakistan is in favour of splitting Kashmiri in pieces. Favour of gifting Kashmir to Daddy China. Favour of being a so-called administrator and then grabbing land. Favour of forcefully taking our rights.
From day one, Pakistan has been known for political murders, for palace intrigues, deceit, corruption in high places and sectarian and communal hatred. All this has boiled down to the present anarchy and despair. Can such a country woo Kashmiris?
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinion of the author.
