Little Hope for Change: Kashmiris Say US Anti-Muslim Policies Will Continue

by Afsaana Rashid
- Indian-administered Kashmir -

With the US presidential election just days away, people in the Kashmir valley are not much enthused with the changing of the guard. Although there is some hope that the new president will help resolve the Kashmir issue, people in the valley largely believe that US policy on Kashmir has not been people friendly. Opinions on the tenure of outgoing President George W. Bush range from uninspiring to accusatory.

• Most Kashmiris have very little faith that the new US president will aid in their quest for self-determination. •

Historically speaking, the US has been a supporter of the policies pursued by Pakistan in Kashmir. But the policies adopted by the government of India, once fully supported by the former USSR, pushed Kashmiris to look to US intervention for help in securing the right to self-determination given to them by the United Nations. In the recent past, Kashmiris have watched as the US has begun to favor the policies of New Delhi.

"[The] Kashmir issue can be solved within a month, if the US desires," says Mohammad Azam Inquilabi, Chief Patron of Jammu & Kashmir Mahaz-e-Azadi, one of the pro-resistance groups here. Inquilabi feels that the conflict in Kashmir has been basically created, perpetuated and deferred by the US.

"The US intervenes only when its own interests [are involved]. The people of Kashmir valley have been struggling over the last 60 years. The role of the US in resolving the issue is pivotal, but what it does, speaks to its hypocrisy," says the Mahaz Patron, who has been a militant commander as well.

George W. Bush has rarely spoken in favor of Kashmiris, often showering praises on New Delhi in tackling the Kashmir issue. For this reason Kashmiris feel abandoned by the US, especially by the Bush administration.

Describing the outgoing US president as the "de-facto ruler of world" Inquilabi says, "Europe will be insecure if Asia is unsafe. Besides, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, if pushed to the wall, can spread to Europe."

Professor Shafeeq Ahmad Rathore, who teaches Law and Politics at the University of Kashmir, opines that US policy has never been clear but that "the US is undoubtedly inclined towards India." He says the US has never taken the Kashmir issue seriously, despite the bloodshed, particularly in the past two decades of ongoing conflict and militancy.

"Basically, the US never had a Kashmir policy and [it was] not talked about during Bush's reign. The US kept both India and Pakistan in good humor without helping out the people here," says the senior professor.

Referring to presidential hopeful Barrack Obama, Professor Rathore says that by out rightly criticizing Pakistan for its unwillingness to eradicate the Taliban in one of the debates, Obama has alienated Pakistan, a bad sign for Kashmiris.

"Since Pakistan is siding with Kashmir, Obama will go with India. Nothing will happen with the changing of the guard, simply because the US does not want to annoy the two rival countries. Above all, US policy being anti-Muslim is not going to help Kashmir in any way, whether Bush or Obama holds the power," says Rathore.

Javed Ahmad Mir, senior separatist leader of the moderate faction of All-Party Hurriyat Conference, says that over last four decades or so, a sizable chunk of voters in the US elections have been influenced by Delhi, Islamabad and the Kashmir issue.

Mir, who is also the Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, says, "The Kashmir issue continues to remain unresolved and Bush showed no concern. However, his role in bringing India and Pakistan closer and initiating peaceful talks between the two countries can't be ruled out."

"George Bush has a responsibility towards Kashmir. He should motivate both India and Pakistan to take steps to resolve the issue. Whenever India and Pakistan get closer, the people of Kashmir are kept at bay," says Chairman Mir adding, "Innumerable agreements, pacts and accords have been signed between the two countries without taking Kashmiris into confidence." He asserts that whenever the people of Kashmir try to solve the issue amicably, they face backlash. "If the US can play its part in Palestine and Ireland, why not in Kashmir, which is a burning issue and can pose threat to all of South Asia?" asks Mir.

• To many living in the Kashmir valley, a history of anti-Muslim US policy has further deepened the rift between India, Pakistan and Kashmir. •

The general consensus among Kashmiris is that the US has always adopted anti-Muslim policy and for this reason would never take interest in solving the Kashmir issue as the majority of people living in the valley (and some pockets of the Jammu region) are Muslims.

Aijaz Ahmad, a prominent attorney in Kashmir, agrees that the outgoing US president's policy is not aligned with the interests of the Muslim community. He claims that 9/11 was created to target Muslim countries based on news coverage he’s seen.

"Why were allegations leveled against the Taliban without conducting thorough investigations? There are reports that such attacks were carried out by a certain agency in Israel. Hitting the World Trade Center is not an easy task. Why did Americans [fail to act] when they had enough time to prevent the incident?" asks Ahmad.

Like most Kashmiris, Ahmad believes that the US is openly supporting Israel while carrying out actions against the Palestinians who are Muslims. The attorney says that the US and Israel are working hand-in-hand to impose restrictions on Muslim countries and to tarnish their image.

"Israel is supported financially, diplomatically and militarily by the US. Elections in the US are based on Israel policy. Whatever is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan is part of Bush's policy. If [the real purpose of] NATO forces is to rescue innocent people, then they should leave the territory," says Ahmad.

"Whosoever is the next US president should take care of the people in Kashmir and make efforts to solve the Kashmir issue peacefully and amicably. The license to ‘kill-at-will’ should be curbed. India is doing with Kashmiris what Israel is doing with Palestine," says Ahmad. He says he fails to understand why “the civilized people of the West” are observing "criminal silence" over such issues. He also blames the West for climate change and the global economic crisis.

Calling US policies "shrewd," Dr. Rouf Mohi-ud-din, Director of Koshish, a social group working for economically weak and marginalized communities, describes a sea change in US policy on Kashmir after 1982.

"The US has not maintained the same policy on Kashmir that it had prior to 1982. It has an eye on Ladakh, part of Jammu and Kashmir state, which it wants to use as a buffer zone," says Dr. Rouf. He agrees with what most Kashmiris already think: "George W. Bush supports the Jewish lobby. His stand on Kashmir has been anti-Muslim. Superficially, there may not appear to be much change, but the fact is that the US favors India."

He believes that the US is more concerned about its business ties with India and its growing economy than the stability of Kashmir. As its development poses an emerging threat to China, Dr. Rouf thinks the US has even more incentive to strengthen ties with India.

"When the entire Muslim world is getting united, the US sees a major chunk of the Muslim population in India as a [means to] defensively neutralize that effect," says Dr. Rouf.

As the US has its consulate in New Delhi, Kashmiris feel slighted every time consulate officials fail to speak out against the human rights violations committed by the Indian security forces in Kashmir.

Azam Inquilabi suggests that the US, along with other countries such as Great Britain, want the Kashmir issue to remain unresolved so that both India and Pakistan do not achieve progress in each and every sphere of life. Both India and Pakistan spend a considerable amount of their annual budget on defense allocation, mostly due to the non-resolution of the Kashmir issue.

As the US is a global super power, the common masses living over here believe that the US holds sway with India and Pakistan. As it has the privilege of veto power at the UN General Assembly, Kashmiris want the US to use that power so that right to self-determination is given to them.

Attorney Aijaz Ahmed appeals to European countries and the United Nations to visit Kashmir valley and analyze the situation on a grassroots level. "If left unattended, [the Kashmir issue] will emerge as a grave threat for South Asia," he warns.

Photo by flickr users prakhar and ReefRaff used under Creative Commons licenses. - Ed.

About the Author
Afsaana Rashid is a journalist living in Indian-administered Kashmir and the author of Waiting for Justice: Widows and Half Widows, a book that addresses the plight of many women whose husbands have been subjected to enforced disappearance or custodial killings over the past two decades of Kashmir's conflict. Currently the chief correspondent for Kashmir's English daily, Khidmat, she was also a senior correspondent with Daily Etalaat, and has written for The Kashmir Times and Kashmir Images. She received her Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir.

In 2005, Afsaana was awarded a fellowship for her work on the impact of conflict on the subsistence livelihoods of marginalized communities in Kashmir by Action Aid India. The following year, she was awarded a Sanjoy Ghose Media fellowship for her work in conflict areas. She also received a UN Population Fund-Laadli Media Award for best reporting in adverse conditions on gender issues in April 2008.

Devoted to covering human rights violations, Afsaana hopes to give a voice to the voiceless.