Srebrenica massacre and Kashmir
https://arab.news/c6h34
Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke on the 25th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre, warning that a similar tragedy could also visit the Muslim residents of 'Indian-held Kashmir'. What are the basis of his fear? Are there any similarities between the two Muslim communities with thousands of miles of geographical territory between them?
Both Kashmir and Bosnia were once ruled by Muslim empires. In case of Bosnia, it was the Ottoman Empire, while in Kashmir’s case, it was various Muslim dynasties that ruled India for a long time. Both communities had a minority status in the larger context. Bosnian Muslims constituted a minority among Serbs and Croats, who were mainly Christians, while Kashmiri Muslims were surrounded by a large population of Hindus in India. Having lived under Muslim rule for a long time, the majority communities, in both cases, developed anti-Muslim biases verging on Islamophobia.
Srebrenica in Bosnia saw in 1995 the worst genocide in Europe after the Second World War. About 8,000 Muslim men, including boys, were mercilessly killed by a Serb militia led by General Ratko Mladic. This militia even chased the hapless Muslims into nearby woods, where some had taken refuge. This was ethnic cleansing of the worst kind. The general was later indicted before the International Criminal Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. It was the US-led peace initiative that resolved the issue under the Dayton Peace Accord.
Eight million Kashmiris, majority of them Muslims, are an equally persecuted lot. The British rulers sold Kashmir for a pittance to a Hindu Maharaja in 1846. Their travails have not ended since then. Since 1948, India has defied a UN prescribed solution through a general referendum. There are 800,000 Indian troops in Kashmir which translates into one soldier for every ten civilians. That way, Kashmir is the most militarized region in the world. Kashmir witnessed a sustained Intifada for a decade in the 1990’s after people refused to accept the result of a manipulated election.
Both Kashmir and Bosnia were once ruled by Muslim empires. In case of Bosnia, it was the Ottoman Empire, while in Kashmir’s case, it was various Muslim dynasties that ruled India for a long time. Both communities had a minority status in the larger context.
Javed Hafeez
What makes Imran Khan fear that a Srebrenica type genocide of Muslims is possible in Kashmir? The world in general and South Asian Muslims in particular have not forgotten the massacre of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. Eight hundred Muslims were reportedly killed in cold blood and the perpetrators were not punished. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat state back then.
Following through on his electoral promise and in defiance of international law, Modi decided to abolish Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status last August. Ever since, the valley is under a lockdown where even the internet facility is not allowed to its residents. As Modi tries to replicate the Israel model in Kashmir, hundreds of outsiders are given residence and business opportunities in the disputed Himalayan territory to alter its demographic composition. Little wonder that the trust gap between the Indian government and the Kashmiri people is at its widest today.
The ethno-religious identities have sharpened in Europe and in India during the last few decades. The breakup of former Yugoslavia solidified Serb nationalism. In India too, Modi’s BJP party won two successive elections on the plank of Hindutva. It may appear out of sync in the 21st century, but his party does believe in Hindu supremacy. In former Yugoslavia, Serb nationalism that worked to the detriment of minority ethnic and religious communities, including Bosnian Muslims, brought leaders like Milosovic to the fore.
Exaggerated nationalism frequently translates into fascism. It is this philosophy that made the world suffer the ravages of the Second World War. After recent skirmishes with China, Indian nationalism has received a fresh impetus as well. The Sino-Indian border, or what is called the Line of Actual Control, starts from Ladakh. The place was converted into a union territory by New Delhi last year, and it used to be a part of Indian-held Kashmir. Last August, China issued a candid statement against India’s unilateral move of changing the status of an internationally recognized disputed territory. The Chinese factor has added a new glare to the Kashmir flashpoint. However, subjugating the people of Kashmir is now part of the Indian agenda that enjoys bipartisan support.
While it may prove to be a Herculean task, given the spirit of 'resistance' among the residents of the region, Indian intransigence and international imperviousness remain worrisome. In case of Bosnia, the United States played a leading role in bringing about peace. In Kashmir’s case, President Donald Trump did make a tentative mediation offer that was spurned by New Delhi. In view of its China containment policy and India’s role therein, the United States is unlikely to press India hard. The odds are poised against innocent Kashmiri people.
The international community should take note of the dire situation and stop a Srebrenica-style tragedy in Kashmir.
– Javed Hafeez is a former Pakistani diplomat with much experience of the Middle East. He writes weekly columns in Pakistani and Gulf newspapers and appears regularly on satellite TV channels as a defense and political analyst.
Twitter: @hafiz_javed
