In an era of hyperbole, we ought to be careful enough not to contribute to the cacophony of wild ideas. However, when a pattern becomes too obvious, it is foolishness to ignore what is right before our eyes even if we do wish to believe it to be true. Such are the circumstances we find ourselves in when we consider the narrative surrounding the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
What has become obvious since 5th August is the concerted attempt by the Congress party and the liberal ecosystem to slander the government over the matter. Not merely that, efforts have also been made to jeopardize a sensitive situation. Without considering Kashmiri politicians such as Shah Faesal who are indulging in incitement quite openly, even the senior leadership of the Congress party has been toeing the Pakistani line.
Over time, the rhetoric hasn’t calmed down. In fact, the Congress party has only been escalating matters. Former Union Minister, P. Chidambaram, said on Monday that the BJP had abrogated Article 370 only because there was a Muslim majority in Kashmir. Digvijay Singh opined that India could lose Kashmir.
Former Congress President and son of the current party president, Rahul Gandhi, expressed concern over violence in Kashmir despite repeated assertions by the Indian government that the situation in the Valley was peaceful. Pakistan picked up the statement to further their twisted narrative on the issue.
#RahulGandhi expresses concern over violence in #OccupiedKashmir https://t.co/P75z7rGek3
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) August 11, 2019
Priyanka Gandhi, too, jumped on the matter. Significantly, she used the occasion of Eid to peddle her agenda. Her tweets were directly in contrast to the prevailing mood in Kashmir where people were celebrating Eid peacefully.
आप सबको #EidUlAdha की मुबारकबाद।
ख़ास तौर पर कश्मीर की मेरी बहनों-भाइयों को जो भयानक बंदिशें और दिक्कतें झेल रहे हैं।
केरल, कर्नाटक, महाराष्ट्र में बाढ़ का सामना कर रहे उन परिवारों को भी जो शायद आज पूरी तरह से ईद के त्योहार को मना नहीं पाए।#EidMubarak
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 12, 2019
Imran Khan’s language, too, appears to be taken straight out of the liberal playbook. The very same words could have been tweeted by a liberal and people wouldn’t have been surprised.
I am afraid this RSS ideology of Hindu Supremacy, like the Nazi Aryan Supremacy, will not stop in IOK; instead it will lead to suppression of Muslims in India & eventually lead to targeting of Pakistan. The Hindu Supremacists version of Hitler’s Lebensraum.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 11, 2019
How many liberals have advocated for a plebiscite in Kashmir? We certainly have politicians and prominent activists who never lose an opportunity to advocate for the same. In fact, it was just revealed by Abdul Basit that Shobaa De had written an article advocating for the same under the influence of Pakistani establishment. Consider this tweet by the Pakistani Prime Minister. How is it any different from what liberals have been advocating? Consistent with the Pakistani stand, liberals never care to mention the fact that for a plebiscite to occur, Pakistan must vacate PoK and China must vacate Aksai Chin.
It is time to end the long night of suffering for the people of Occupied Kashmir. They must be allowed to exercise their right to self determination according to UN SC resolutions.The only road to peace & security in South Asia runs through a peaceful & just settlement of Kashmir
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 4, 2019
Furthermore, neither of them addresses the issue of the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus. It’s an undeniable fact that the Kashmiri Muslim community monopolized the Kashmiri narrative by committing genocide and forcibly altering the demography of Kashmir. A plebiscite in a situation where one community has altered the demography in its favour by committing genocide is nothing short of an atrocity, that Kashmir is Indian land and no plebiscite in necessary to establish that is another matter. However, our liberals fail to address this matter, playing right into the hands of the Pakistani establishment.
It’s not only politicians who appear to be toeing the Pakistani line. Prominent media outlets, too, have been furthering the Pakistani narrative. Some have even received public endorsement from Pakistanis. The Quint, for example, quite unashamedly peddled Khalistani propaganda. The Pakistani establishment has been using NDTV’s coverage of the matter to further their interests.
Unfortunately, the signs have been visible for a long time. The bells should have started tolling when senior Congress leader went to Pakistan and sought their support to remove Prime Minister Modi from office and help Congress return to power. When Pakistan quoted the Quint, Karan Thapar and Praveen Swamy to brand Kulbhushan Jadhav a ‘RAW spy’ at the International Court of Justice, we should have paid more attention. When Navjot Singh Sidhu, then a Minister in the Punjab Cabinet, had gone to Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony and hugged the Pakistan Army’s chief after which his photo with a Khalistani terrorist had gone viral, these questions should have been asked.
Now, former Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, has claimed that he had approached ’eminent’ journalist Shobhaa De for an article on Burhan Wani and had succeeded in influencing her enough to write an article to a tune of his preference. He was presumably referring to an article where Shobhaa De had asserted that a referendum should be held in Kashmir to resolve the matter once and for all.
How much evidence is proof enough of collaboration between the Pakistani establishment and liberals in India? How much more evidence do we need to assert that certain sections in India have been collaborating with Pakistan to undermine Indian national interests? These sections are not merely limited to Kashmir but often operate within the heart of Delhi. As dangerous as it sounds, and as much as we would like to deny such a thing, we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to it.
