Realism:Failure of 'Power'

World phenomena of terrorism that has gained much significance after the 9/11 suicide attacks in the US homeland is marked principally by continuing confusion about its definition and application. In such a situation, even ‘war of liberation’ in the occupied Kashmir is being equated with terrorism and it becomes much difficult for the general masses to detect the real terrorists.

India which immediately joined the American war on terror after the September 11 catastrophe, has continuously been trying to convince the US-led international community through a propaganda campaign that the Kashmiri freedom fighters or Mujahideen are terrorists and Pakistan is sponsoring such a cross-border terrorism.

It is notable that those who sympathize with the cause of Palestinians, Afghans and Iraqis regard the people of Kashmir as fighting a 'war of national liberation'. They equate the military actions and 'targeted killing' of the innocent people by the Indian occupying forces with terrorism. On the other side, reactive ambush tactics or attacks by the freedom fighters in these territories are called by the colonial authorities as terrorism.

It is worth-mentioning here that in 1998, the US air strikes against supposed terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Sudan were described as "acts of terrorism" by Iran and China. Again, in 1999, its air bombardment on Serbia was also condemned by Beijing and

Moscow as "international terrorism”

As regards Iraq the US that claims to be a civilized and a democratic nation had trampled all international laws and principles in case of its invasion on Baghdad in 2003. Washington had already been defeated on the diplomatic front, as it had run away from the UN Security Council not only fearing a French veto against its resolution but also knowing that it could not gain enough support in the Council. Without mandate of the UN and by setting aside, larger anti-war protests all over the world, attack on Iraq by the US-led coalition was an attack on humanity, fundamental rights, freedom, security and sovereignty of an independent state. Nevertheless, American occupation has been described by the majority of the Muslim states as an act of terrorism.

Even Kofi Annan, the former General Secretary of the UN had said in a BBC interview on September 16, 2004 that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was illegal. Afterwards, he again repeated his words in another BBC interview.

At present, the equation of terrorism with the so-called Islamic fundamentalism is a key issue between the Eastern Muslims and Western Christians. Availing the ongoing international phenomena of terrorism, misconception of the ‘war of independence’ in Kashmir by equating the same with fundamentalism or terrorism has become the main target of New Delhi and some other western countries.

Zionism and Hinduism are still active forces that mould the political policies of Hindus and Jews. It is regrettable that all these ethno-religious ideologies are tolerable to the US and some other major European powers but they denounce present freedom movement of the Kashmiris with terrorism.

Particularly, Indian military troops are using all inhuman tactics of ethnic cleansing to disturb the majority population of the Kashmiris. Such tactics, without any doubt, amount to blatant brutality, which had been practised by the Serb forces on Bosnian and Kosovar Muslims in the recent past—and at present by the Israel on the Palestinians.

It is of particular attention that when Indian military troops destroy a village and conduct extrajudicial killings in the occupied territories of Kashmir, particularly Americans and other European major powers remain silent for it is an internal affair of Indians but when freedom fighters seek retaliation, it becomes a case of terrorism. Perhaps it is because of the reason that the US-led coalition troops have intermittently been killing innocent Afghans and Iraqis through aerial bombardment and ground shelling, and Europeans and Americans do not consider the same to be an act of terrorism. This self-contradiction has

compelled them to ignore the Indian state terrorism in Kashmir.

The fact of the matter is that when the peoples of the occupied Kashmir lost faith in the international community, which persisted in ignoring their liberation and when it became obvious that the occupying forces of New Delhi would not vacate the controlled areas through political means, the peoples had no choice but to resort to armed struggle which

was actually intensified in 1989.

The case of the Kashmiri’s struggle is stronger than any of the freedom movement of the past and present as their right of self-determination through a plebiscite was already recognized by the UN resolutions.

In this respect, it is of special consideration that the UN resolution 1541 on the 'Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples' adopted by the General Assembly in 1960 accepts the legitimacy of the right of self-determination and opposes repressive measures of all kinds against the freedom fighters by the colonial power. Again UN resolution 2625 of 1970 authorized the dependent people to seek and even receive support from outside to fight against the repressive machinery in accordance with the charter. So in the light of the UN related-resolutions, the war of independence by the Kashmir people in the occupied areas cannot be called terrorism or even cross-border terrorism.

History of the world bears testimony to the fact that a few persons were never able to launch a successful freedom movement. Freedom movements always represent the aspirations of majority of people who struggle for independence or their right of self-determination. Such movements are conducted through great sacrifices. While judging in this context, the Kashmiris enjoy the support of all the Muslim intellectuals, landlords, religious scholars and common men of their own communities who are determined to

fight against the imperialist control of Indians.

Past experience gives ample evidence that wars of liberation in connection with various nations were their reaction against injustice, humiliation, misrule and subjugation perpetrated by alien powers. In the 20th century, a majority of the Third World countries got independence after an armed struggle against the colonial powers. Even independence of the United States, unification of Germany and Italy became possible after an armed struggle. So, question arises that "were the peoples of these countries terrorists at that time?"

If any impartial observer studies the historical background of the issue of Kashmir and continued struggle for liberation, he will definitely conclude that Indian occupation of these areas amounts to alien rule. And in reality, Indians are intruders and hence state terrorists who tend to conceal their own terrorist measures and acts of barbarism such as firing at innocent people, burning the houses, illegal detentions etc., which have become

every day occurrence.

However, those who consider the Kashmiris as terrorists are, themselves, real terrorists because they intend to divert world public opinion from discovering the truth about the terrorism and tyranny of their own acts.

Pakistani writer who writes on international affairs and who is also author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Affairs.

My own article, published in Pakistan Observer on May 22, 2008

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com