Jettison Jammu And Kashmir From India-Pakistan Imbroglio

Well over three score and three years we two neighourly Republics have become indigent independent countries. India, that is, Bharat, a united Republic, would be a culturally powerful and resourceful nation. But while giving Freedom from the imperial Crown, a treacherous stratagem was practised. India was divided into Bharat and Pakistan ever to be on belligerent terms with communal hatred. And as disastrous history would have it, J&K, a Muslim majority State, has its resources wasted on arms and purchase from Big Business. Two crores of Indians starve as they spend sleepless nights to buy arms and US nuclear Big Business is doing a terrible crime! Deaths are mounting, security is vanishing, despair is spreading and bitterness inside and outside among erstwhile brothers is escalating. There is no good war, nor bad peace. Let us come together in amity and comity in the spirit of Pancha Sheel.

Now American arms dealers do good business and the common masses of both nations are under the illusion we are winning by inflicting more carnage. Every life gunned down is a grave crime before Shiva and Islam which stand for humanism and global happiness. The high divinity of universal brotherhood of Prophet Mohammed and the sublime cult of cosmic unity of Vedic glory stand outraged everyday. In this context remember the Pakistan General was, in a moment of despair, considering the possible use of nuclear Hiroshima in the Kargil crisis.

We continue the J&K battle. Stop it. If we do, the innocent masses of J&K win. Buddhism was once the J&K faith in Kashmir, that is, Truth and Non-violence. Islam too wants both these values of Allah the Merciful. Half-a-century back Nijalingappa, once the President of the National Congress, pleaded to end the war—give up Kashmir and be friendly with Srinagar and Islamabad. We will have no more religious estrangement and faction but federal comity will be a wonder.

A creative, dynamic political peace-oriented confederation with Delhi, Srinagar and Islamabad will be an epic historic victory promotive of world peace. The only disappointed devils will be the arms merchants and political bellicose militants of the West. Now China, with all our wasted bhai bhai is supporting Pakistan covertly. China is a dubious socialist now no more crimson and is pro-Pak. And Kremlin, once our powerful ally, is no more Red but Lenin and Stalin are buried history. Let not the Pak leaders go after the US which hanged Bhutto in barbarity. An Asian humiliation. A historic Confederation is the glory of Asia of the new century. Let the Pak people have peace, now torn with Taliban arbitrary violence and disruption. Nor is Delhi a nation of serene tranquillity. What with the Maoists killing soldiers and alas more people are in despair and destitution making Mao more bloody popular?

Delhi and Islamabad and Srinagar must produce more creative humanist statesmen, not belligerency. A Himalayan event indeed. Let all political parties in all the three countries ask for secular peace. Then the world wins. When the Berlin wall fell, did not John Kennedy appeal: ‘My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man’?

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THE articulate postmortem spirit of the ‘half-naked’ Mahatma admonishingly entreats the Prime Ministers of India-Pakistan and J&K. You statesman, I implore on behalf of humanity. Ye, the pathological political syndrome partition has caused so much of bloodshed, sweat, torture and tears, so much of carnage and casualties, so much of drain on the exchequer of both countries that we are free in print and plurality but live a life of dependencia syndrome. We were crown colonies and with dollar dependencia now, both India and Pakistan are obedient quasi-colonies leaving both peoples to suffer.

Any war in the sacred Indo-Pak soil is a stab on the right to life of every human, be his faith what it may. Fraternity is your Destiny, your divinity, your humanity. Please save the gift of life. Stop war. This earth is not to be wet with the flood of human blood. Let us prosper through creative peace and inner development and also for international cosmic comity. Ask not how? Be a friendly Federation and bless Asia and the global comity with finer felicity and fraternity bonded together in a wonder of grand confederation where each one’s independence will remain sovereign but will consistently maintain mutual integrity and glorify this Declaration by decennial renewal by the three Parliaments.

This sacred trinity shall be Asian ancient human rights Might and Right and Justice. Pancha Sheel will win. The option is lasting stability, humanity and development or guns, nuclear weapons and cadavers galore.

The author, a distinguished champion of civil liberties and human rights, is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.