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Many books have been written on Kashmir, about its people, the so-called rights and wrongs. Lately Pakistan has mounted a vigorous propaganda campaign, more virulent than its past efforts, to win support for its nefarious designs on the State. It is trying to achieve through a malicious propaganda campaign in various international fora, what it could not secure on the battlefield through three successive wars. Now it talks of UN resolutions on Kashmir. It conveniently wants to hide from the world that it was the one which ignored that part of the UN resolution which wanted Pakistani troops to withdraw from the territory of Jammu and Kashmir it has illegally and by force occupied. It describes Jammu and Kashmir as Indian-occupied territory, trying to equate the aggressor and the aggrieved. India's presence in Jammu and Kashmir was under legitimate auspices because the then ruler of Kashmir decided to accede to India. Pakistan says that the ruler merged the State with India against the wishes of the people. Here again history tells us that Pakistan tried to force the Maharaja's hand by first sending tribals and later its own troops into Kashmir. Both let loose terror in the occupied areas, which united the people of the State against Pakistan and in favor of India.
Pakistan would like to draw a curtain on this and other parts of history. The truth is that the secular- minded people of Kashmir of their own free will shared the same faith in the principles of secularism and democracy that India had to offer as against the fundamentalist two-nation (Hindu and Muslim) principle on which Pakistan was founded. Pakistan talks of self-determination in the State ... in that part of the State that has been with India for more than 46 years legitimately, unlike the illegitimate occupation of so-called Azad Kashmir by Pakistan. Pakistan is shedding crocodile tears a bout the absence of human rights in Kashmir whereas the truth is it has denied human rights all these years to the people of Pak-occupied Kashmir. The truth must be told, the facts must be brought to light, relevant history must be recalled and Pak perfidy exposed. This is not a whitewash job. The book will attempt to project facts and facts alone and also underline the grievances of the Kashmiri people. Yes, they do have grievances and it is the business of the Government of India to redress them. So one believes, it is not the business of Pakistan or any other country to say do it or else?. India can look after its territory and its people. Otherwise democracy here could not have survived all these years unlike in Pakistan.
Author:M.L.Kotru
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