The Insurgency In Jammu And Kashmir History Essay

Insurgency in Kashmir has been present in various forms, in both, the Indian administrated territory of the Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir had been the target of operations of militancy by both sides in the conflict. Due to the strengthen insurgency 1989, thousands of lives had been lost since 1989, an extensive armed insurgency started infamy & Kashmir with the disputed election of 1987; since after 1987 Sate elections some of the state’s legislative assembly'” assembled militant wings” later on after disputed rigged election and in addition to that they had started a catalyst for the insurgency.

The Intelligence agencies of Pakistan had been accused by India for sustaining and training mujahedeen to fight in Jammu & Kashmir. Although, International Human Right Groups had blamed Indian army for committing Human rights violations in the Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir.

According to official figures, in Jammu & Kashmir assembly (Indian administrated), there were 3,400 disappearance cases and the insurgency has been the reason for death of about more than 47,000 people till July 2009. Nevertheless, the no. of insurgency-related deaths in the Jammu and Kashmir have fallen penetratingly since because of the begin of a slow-moving peace progression between India & Pakistan.

The Roots of Conflict: Tracing the Origins of the Insurgency

The first significant face of the Kashmir predicament engrosses Indian-Pakistan relations. Two of the three wars between Pakistan and India had been fought over the issue of Kashmir. Pakistan claim on Kashmir on basis of Muslim population and its geographic contiguity.

India, which is at present trying to hold back the insurgency in the state, has held on to Kashmir with obstinacy equal to that verified by Pakistan. Jammu& Kashmir, with its Muslim population majority, has long been a badge of India’s secular status; its very subsistence demonstrates that Muslims could flourish under the aegis of India’s secular policy. Today, as India’s secular fabric has unwind, the country’s leaders look for maintaining their hold on Kashmir since they fear that Jammu & Kashmir’s exit from the Indian Union would set up powerful centrifugal forces in other states of the country.

The second facet of the Kashmir crisis is namely, the rise of an ethno-religious rebellious movement.

Militancy and military

Although there had been instances of infrequent conflict in much area of Jammu & Kashmir for many years, intensified attacks took place in the late 1980s; many separatists had attacked on local Hindus, Indian armed forces and Indian civilians. The violence had intensified.

India often emphasize that most of the separatist militant groups are based in area of Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (called as Azad Kashmir). Some are similar to the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front demanding for independent Kashmir. Other militant groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed favours a Pakistani administrated-Kashmir. These militant have contacts with Bin Laden and Taliban. These both of the militant groups do not operate with these names as they sure banned in many countries. The Hizbul Mujahideen is a militant organization based in Indian administered Jammu & Kashmir. Despite casualties, the militants are still supposed to number thousands fairly than hundreds. Several new separatist organizations had also born. According to US Intelligence, Al-Qaeda also has a main foundation in Pakistan administrated Kashmir and is helping to increase terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir. Nevertheless India, Pakistan and the separatist organizations call it fraud.

It is hard to find the entire number of casualties. According to a report by the Govt. of India in the year 2000, 31,000 Indian civilians lost their lives in insurgency.

Due to the existence of these many anti-India insurgent groups India had been obligated to deploy huge number of troops in the Indian administered Jammu & Kashmir for the job of counter insurgency.

Militant groups

Since the last two years Lashkar-e-Toiba (a militant group) has divide into two sections: Al Mansurin & Al Nasirin. An additional new group reported to have born is the Save Kashmir Movement. Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (also called as Harkat-ul-Ansar) & Lashkar-e-Toiba are supposed to be operating from Muzaffarabad. Freedom Force and Farzandan-e-Milat are the less known groups.

A minor group, Al-Badr, has been dynamic in Kashmir for numerous years and is at a standstill supposed to be functioning.

Human rights violations

Human rights violations by militants

The Kashmir masses blame militants for voilence. Militant’s groups killed hundreds of civilian Kashmir is Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs have been killed in Jammu & Kashmir over the past ten years. Human rights associations figure outs the no. of civilians killed in year 1999 is about 9,733. According to official figures released in 2009, Ghulam Nabi Azad ,Indian Health & Family Welfare Minister, a Kashmiri himself and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said that about 14,808 Muslims lost their lives while 1,748 Hindus and 115 Sikhs were killed during the rein of militancy in the state since 1989 by militants.

thousands of Kashmiri Pandits have emigrated as a consequence of the violence. Estimates of the relocated fluctuate from 170,000 to 700,000

Human Rights violations by Pakistan

Human rights violations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir had being also reported. Chairman Balawaristan National Front ,Abdul Hamid Khan, speaking at the a meeting said “no democratically elected representative (from Gilgit Baltistan) was integrated when Karachi Agreement was signed between Pakistan & Muslim Conference leaders in 1949.” On 25 April, 2007 European Union published a report titled ‘on Kashmir: current situation and upcoming prospects’ and noted deficiency of democracy in Gilgit Baltistan region and the human rights infringement in this region. According to 2008 statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees determined that Pakistan administered Kashmir, was ‘Not Free’. It also condemn the Pakistani Govt. saying ‘The misuse of land in the Northern Areas by non-Kashmiri migrants from somewhere else in Pakistan, with the unspoken back-up of the federal government and army, has led to declining economic opening for the local population and an raise in sectarian tension between the majority Shia Muslims and a growing number of Sunnis.’ The same report determined that the Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir was ‘Partly Free’. Parties like Balawaristan National Front are fighting for independence of Pakistan-administered Kashmir from Pakistan.

Human rights violations by India

A 1996 Human Rights association report blames India for violating human rights. numerous human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch (HRW) have condemned human rights exploitation in Kashmir by Indians such as “extra-judicial executions”, “disappearances”, and torture; the “Armed Forces Special Powers Act”, which “provides impunity for human rights exploitation and violence. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) grants the military wide powers of arrest, the right to shoot to kill, and to absorb or demolish property in counter insurgency operations. Indian officials declare that troops need such powers as the army is merely set up when national security is at stern risk from armed enemy. Such state of affairs, they say, call for unusual measures.” Human rights association had also asked Indian govt. to revoke the Public Safety Act, since “a prisoner may be detained in executive custody for a greatest of two years without a court order.”A 2008 report by the UN High Commission for Refugees determined that Indian Administered Kashmir, was just ‘partly Free’. The Indian govt. forces & allied paramilitaries had also been blamed of extensive sexual violence against Kashmiri women’s.

The Road to insurgency

The 1987 election, considered being the most non- cooperatative in Kashmir’s recent history; the Congress Party and the National Conference together confront the state assembly elections; they were opposed by the Muslim United Front party. In this election, voters were frightened, ballot boxes mess about with, and candidates freshened. Whereas previous generations of Kashmir people had long endure all manner of electoral irregularities.(Even when electoral scam happen somewhere else in the country, a free press and the watchdog role of the Election Commission lead to the revoke of electoral takings). The widespread electoral malfeasances that they eyewitnesses in 1987 convinced the younger generation of Kashmir people that the national govt. in New Delhi had inadequate regard for their political rights and irresponsible disrespect for democratic procedures. With no other institutional recourse open for articulate their disappointment with the faulty political process, they resorted to violence. The insurgency had taken the lives of tens of thousands people, forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, and shows no sign of reduction.

Conclusions

An inspection of the beginning of the insurgency in the Indian-controlled segment of Jammu and Kashmir implies a path along which ethno-religious movements may widen. The value of this account may extend well beyond the subcontinent. Growing political enlistment among minority communities is almost inevitable across the globe. States may try to rely on coercive means to limit demands for political involvement, but Kashmir is an outstanding reminder of the hazard. Tryst to fend off such demands through coercive means could only contribute to political deinstitutionalization in the long terms.

The growth of political forcefulness of marginal communities in democratic states is almost inevitable. As minorities obtain enlarged education and literacy, they will become more aware of their political rights and will look for asserting them.

As a final point, the collapse of political order in poly-ethnic states often provides ethnic compatriot in adjacent states with grounds to interfere. Pakistan’s claim to Kashmir has urged its sizeable involvement in this conflict. Till date, India & Pakistan have fruitfully circumvented another full-scale war. Nevertheless, as the insurgency drags on, and border tensions continue, war may still result through a mix of misperception and inadvertence.