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| KASHMIR: A BLUNDER OF HISTORY | | (Pt. Nehru's Legacy) | | Col J P Singh
Nawaz Sharif's bra
zen declaration
that 'Kashmir will soon be Pakistan' is amazing. How dare he challenge India over its Northern part, having lost four wars over Kashmir in the past, calls for a review. The events of the recent past in the valley also seek an explanation. Several theories are being discussed in the prime time national channels. The debate revolves around the ideology of two nations theory. Kashmir issue has been debated in the Parliament umpteenth time but to no outcome.
Pt Nehru was credited to be a great statesman. World looked up to him to be a man of peace and vision. But three cardinal errors he made definitely contradict this 'peace & vision' theory. Those are (i) Disastrous handling of Kashmir issue. (ii) Misplaced trust in Chinese leadership. (iii) Turning down Soviet Union proposal to accept a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. All three have been millstones around the necks of Indian people and the successive govts since 1947. His Kashmir error is turning out to be a monumental blunder by every standard.
In his historic 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, Pt Nehru conceded that freedom struggle had ended as partial failure. All through the movement the aim and destination was achievement of 'an independent undivided India' but the opposite happened. Independence came after years of struggle. During the long era of freedom movement, every generation kept the flame of struggle lit through matchless sacrifices. The batten of struggle passed from one generation to the other. Later the strings of this struggle came in the hands of Congress. The old and fatigued Congress leadership gave up the struggle and accepted partition of India without realising its consequences. No justification was given for this monumental blunder particularly by those who used to say that partition will happen on their dead bodies. A great nation, dying for total independence, was partitioned because of impatience of its leaders and their hunger for power. Massacre followed the partition. Even before the blood shed by its havoc had gone dry, Pakistan was spilling blood in Muzaffrabad, Baramulla and Srinagar.
Going to UN on Kashmir was a monumental error. By doing so Pt Nehru converted a domestic issue into an international issue. What was even more erroneous was his going to UN Security Council under Chapter VI of UN Charter which addresses disputes. Least it should have been under Chapter VII of UN Charter which deals with aggression. Since Pakistan had invaded India, it was a case of aggression and not a dispute. Where was the dispute between India and Pakistan after Maharaja Hari Singh, the Ruler, signed the 'Instrument of Accession' and acceded his state to India like other 560 odd states had done. But in this case Pt Nehru allowed his personal feelings to cloud his professional judgment. This is what tied Pakistan to Kashmir with a umbilical cord and the military options. It was a major failing for a statesman of Pt Nehru's stature. No wonder nation pays for it. Hence Security Council listens to Pakistan favorably whenever complain is made. Members of Security Council rightly tell India that Pt Nehru told them that Kashmir was a disputed territory which needs to be resolved. Not only this, Pt Nehru agreed to hold plebiscite in Kashmir to ascertain the will of the people. He also agreed to a representative of UN Secretary General to conduct this plebiscite. He also accepted taking Kashmir issue to the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
Kashmir has a historical context as stated by Dr. Karan Singh in his outstandingly effective speech of 18 July in Rajya Sabha. It is a collective failure which we must accept, he reiterated. Hence events following partition of India have their bearing. Pt Nehru's handling of Kashmir affairs, good or bad, falls under review. Relevant linkages are appended below. Inspired by former Sadar-e-Riyasat's speech, I feel, we should have the political and moral courage to hold Pt Nehru guilty of present day mess.
Discussing history behind Kashmir issue, we cannot ignore the grand bargain which underwent during the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India. Who bargained and what, must be known and whosoever messed up the accession must take the blame. It is a matter of misfortune for the country that Pt Nehru's obstinacy and personal ego created Kashmir problem. His dealings with Maharaja Hari Singh were biased. Nehru had told the Maharaja to 'first handover power to Sheikh Abdullah, quit Jammu and Kashmir, then only accession will be accepted'. "I will not agree to send Indian troops to Srinagar until you leave J&K", Nehru is said to have told Maharaja. This standoff wasted two crucial days allowing Pak troops to carry out loot, destruction, rape, arson and other crimes enroute and reach Srinagar. Nehru's obduracy overruled sane advice of Sardar Patel, Sir Ayyangar, Acharya Kriplani, and Mahatma Gandhi. In the end, the Maharaja agreed to handover power to Sheikh Abdullah in the interest of the nation. Sheikh Abdullah is said to have quietly fled with his family to a friend's house in Indore when Pak invaded Kashmir. He was flown back to Delhi and later to Srinagar under the Indian Army escort in an Air Force Plane. When Mehar Chand Mahajan reached Delhi with the accession letter, Sheikh was there. Only when Sheikh said 'Okay', Nehru accepted the accession. On October 27, 1947 the Indian troops landed on the Srinagar airport to liberate Kashmir. Had Nehru accepted the proposal directly, the credit would have gone to the Maharaja. Nehru wanted the credit to go to Sheikh and the outcome stares at our face. Premature ceasefire, illegal occupation of 1/3rd J&K and inclusion of Article 370 in the Indian Constitution will make a separate story on Pt Nehru's handling of Kashmir.
Sir Gopalaswami Ayyangar was sent as leader of Indian delegation to present India's case to the UNSC. He was very capable but soft spoken. He had been Diwan of J&K State form 1937 to 1943. Sheikh Abdullah was a member in the delegation. Sir Muhammad Zafarulla Khan, Pak Foreign Minister and an eminent lawyer was the leader of Pak delegation. He migrated to Pakistan after partition.
Sir Ayyangar put across Indian case very mildly whereas Zafarulla Khan put across Pak case very strongly. Pakistan was openly supported by UK and US and hence remained very aggressive right from the beginning. Pt Nehru sent Sheikh Abdullah as a member with the expectation that he, a Kashmiri, would be a better person to fight India's cause. But he undercut India's position by calling for Kashmir's independence privately with Warren Austin, the US delegate to the SC, which nobody had thought. From the very beginning dice was loaded against India. Moreover in UNSC Kashmir issue became entangled in the cold war between two super powers, the US and USSR. But for Soviet Union support India would have lost at the hustings. Between 1948 and 1957, the UNSC passed several resolutions without taking Pak aggression into account. In 1957 Krishna Menon addressed the SC for nine hours. This made him hero in own country but made little impact in the SC.
Members friendly to India commented, "If you have such a good case, then why it is necessary to make a nine hour speech"; which meant that Indian case was weak. It was only after Pt Nehru's death in 1964 that it became possible to put across Kashmir issue in a different perspective and started being viewed differently by the UNSC. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan ruled out right of self determination and deleted it form the list of agenda points. Ban ki Moon considers Kashmir as internal matter of India. That apart, Kashmir continues to stand at the cross road of history and needs to be pulled out. It needs extensive dialogue with all stake holders as suggested by Dr. Karan Singh. It also devolves on diplomats to neutralize Pak stand on Kashmir and forcefully make POJK an issue.
In his landmark address to US Congress, Narendra Modi said that Indo-US relations have over-run the hesitations of History. Looking at the pages of history one finds these hesitations on the part of Pt Nehru. Had Pt Nehru not hesitated in accepting UNSC membership, besides other issues, India would not have been begging for permanent membership of UNSC and wandering around seeking entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group. As per a former foreign Secretary, US President John F Kennedy offered India help to detonate a nuclear device soon after 1962 debacle to raise its morale. But Pt. Nehru refused the offer without realizing that China and Pakistan one day will be nuclear powers and howling at India to make Kashmir Pakistan.
Nehru's anger for nationalist and appeasement of antinationalist in Kashmir, the legacy continues, created what can simply be called cancer in the Indian democracy. Pt Nehru's personal friendship and appeasement of communalist Sheikh Abdullah over the secular and nationalists will always remain a sad chapter of Indian history. There may be many more fiascos that may be responsible for his foreign policy failures but the one above is worth telling in the context of Kashmir. The nation awfully pays for Pt Nehru resolve in putting all Kashmiri eggs in Abdullah's basket which was the beginning of No end. |
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