Wikileaks
Leaked US Cables Reveals Truth About Kashmir, by David Wolfe
The most recent cache of US State Department cables
released by Wikileaks, specifically the cables from the New Delhi Embassy,
paints a clear picture of how India and Pakistan have kept the Kashmir conflict
alive and well for a myriad of reasons. The direct involvement of both
countries’ government, military, and intelligence apparatuses in the
six-decade-old conflict led to the senseless killing of over 100,000 lives, not
to mention disrupting the communal harmony that once led to rock anthems about
Kashmir’s ephemeral beauty, and known simply as ‘Shangri-La’.
In 2006, then US Ambassador to India David Mulford
wrote a classified cable titled “Kashmiri Politics as Filthy as Dal Lake”,
along with a host of other significant cables specifically regarding the conflict.
Amb. Mulford stated that “Corruption cuts across party lines and most
Kashmiri’s take it as an article of faith that politically-connected Kashmiri’s
take money from both India and Pakistan.” Mulford added that “money from
Pakistani and Indian intelligence agencies and from Saudi and other foreign
extremists has further distorted Kashmiri politics, incentivized leaders to
perpetuate the conflict, and perverted state and central government
institutions.” As someone who worked on the issue at the Kashmiri
American Council, I know first hand how money, power and influence has directly
undermined the prospects of peace.
The unspoken truths commonly understood by those
working on the issue from the inside, and confirmed via the released cables,
are that two human tragedies and development complications exist due to the
childish nature both sides continue to play. First, the average Kashmiri
lives every day in fear not knowing if the next time he or she steps out their
door, it may be their last. Moreover, that the person who will ultimately kill,
rape, or torture them may or may not where an authorized uniform, but certainly
will not suffer any form of prosecution or arrest for doing so. In fact,
they may even get a bonus if they are lucky.
The dysfunction created by India and Pakistan
resulted in an insurrection communally cleansing the Valley of the Pandit
population over a rigged election in 1987. The result of this to the
present day is the death of over 100,000 Kashmiri’s, both Muslim and Hindu, thousands
of which are buried in mass graves. Then there are the billion plus South
Asians in general, who are continually held hostage to the threat of war,
terrorism or retaliatory communal killings throughout both countries outside of
the Kashmir region. Ultimately, what it shows is that both India and Pakistan
view any casualties of the conflict as ‘collateral damage’, and in many cases
more dollars to be secured for the military industrial complex. The irony
of all this is that the one person who started and led the insurrection, comes
off looking like the only non-state actor not on the corruption dole.
Surprisingly, Ambassador Mulford acknowledges that
India admittedly rigged the Kashmiri elections in 1987. This resulted in
Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and a pollster for
the party who lost the election, to pick up arms, and wage war against not only
the Indian Military, but unleashed his wrath on the Pandit population as
well. This was accomplished via direct training, funding, and logistical
support by the Pakistani military, and more importantly the ISI. However,
for the past fifteen years,, Mr. Malik has engaged in his own form of ‘truth
and reconciliation’ by visiting the refugee camps in Jammu, asking for forgiveness
and for the Pandits to return to the Valley. Finally, given his
background as a militant, he has served as an interlocutor of sorts between
militants and the two governments. It must be acknowledged that funding
and support via the ISI has continued from Pakistan, where militants seem to
choose between fighting the Indians or going to Afghanistan and fighting their
ever expanding Jihad.
In actuality, Mr. Malik has engaged in a six-year
campaign to root the corruption out of Kashmir. His saving grace from
steering clear of the corruption results from two key aspects; he’s secular and
he’s from extremely humble beginnings. His ability to maintain legitimacy
and relevance in Kashmiri politics stems from one reason; he has actually
fought for his people and not just stood behind the walls of privilege like his
counterparts in both the mainstream and separatist movements.
Having worked on the Kashmir issue for the last six
years either as a government relation liaison, or as an independent analyst, I
can say without a doubt the US government fully understands and appreciates the
twisted reality of the Kashmir problem. Additionally, the US Government
understands the hypersensitivity that India has towards third party
intervention due to it’s own complicity in corruption, rape, and murder inside
Kashmir. Unfortunately, the economic relationship between the United
States and India appears for now to be trumping the ability to apply the
necessary pressure to force India and Pakistan to finally bring the conflict to
its rightful conclusion.
I spent six weeks on the ground in Kashmir in 2008,
visiting with Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Syed Ali Geelani. All
three gave contrasting views, and in hindsight, the analysis from the former
Ambassador was spot on. With the release of the cables from former
Ambassador Mulford, one could only hope that both India and Pakistan will begin
to see the writing on the wall. Otherwise the cables to be released may
find some of the military and civilian leadership spending some time in Holland
at the ICC. September 12, 2011
David Wolfe is a South Asia
Specialist who served as the Chief Government Relations Liaison for the
Washington DC based Kashmiri American Council from 2005-2009. Currently he
lives in Brooklyn, NY where his lives with his wife and continues to report on
issues regarding South Asian security.
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