TWO significant developments unfolded on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) in the last couple of days explaining the importance of progressive thinking in a nation’s development. In one part of Kashmir, India achieved a major breakthrough in Zojila tunnel in its pursuit of completing an engineering marvel while the other part saw bloodshed, protests and suppression of people under the premise of upholding democracy. While India is taking giant steps in the global order with world-class engineering projects in Kashmir, the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is burning and seeking liberation from the oppressive civil-military nexus ruling from Islamabad. The difference is there for the world to see and act before it is too late.

 

As India marked a major infrastructure milestone with the breakthrough of the 13.15-km Zojila Tunnel which is set to become Asia’s longest bidirectional tunnel upon completion, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad and Mirpur towns in PoK were rocked by unrest and violent clashes between civilians and security forces resulting in death of over 15 persons. Human rights abuse continues with total impunity in the territory illegally occupied by Pakistan while the world is still sitting quiet for reasons best known to all. PoK is on the brink and it is time the champions of human rights showed some spine and held the Pakistan government and military accountable for their abuses on civilians. The two developments also showed two divergent paths of the two parts of Kashmir. On one side, development has remained the buzzword since the last decade or so. The difference is there to see for the entire world as Kashmir is taking a giant leap in infrastructure development.

 

The completion of the all-weather Zojila tunnel joining Kashmir with Ladakh will be a crowning glory for The Kashmir Story as it reaps the riches unlocked by abolition of Article 370 in 2019. On the other side, their brethren in the Pakistan-occupied territories are fighting a grim battle for survival against the brutal military regime run from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The crisis in PoK is not new. There have been attempts to come out of Pakistan’s grip by people and groups residing in the restive provinces. Most such revolutions resulted in mass killing of people by Pakistani forces while the civilian government kept those operations under wraps. This time the protests by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) are becoming uncontrollable for the Pakistan army and its chief General Asim Munir. The turmoil has led Gen Munir to issue orders of “crush and eliminate JAAC leaders” as unrest is escalating into a major problem for Pakistan.

 

The people in Gilgit-Baltistan and other provinces, which are sovereign parts of India, have had enough and are ready to take on the Pakistani forces. Massive long marches and strikes have paralysed PoK even as Pakistan military’s imposed siege has continued. Human rights concerns have also deepened amid fake FIRs and bogus cases against protesters. It is a dangerous situation in the region which needs immediate attention from international agencies and top powers. Already, the crackdown has triggered a global outcry with the Kashmiri diaspora staging protests in multiple countries. Kashmiri activists are drawing parallels between the current military actions in PoK and the events of 1971 in Bangladesh. These parallels underline the gravity of the issue in PoK. Whether the world is ready to take note of the predicament of the people who are desperate to become part of India remains a tricky question given the apathy displayed by human rights bodies over the years. There seems to be a deliberate attempt to ignore the problem in PoK as the top powers using Pakistan as its pawn in the geopolitical chess are ready to sacrifice human lives to serve their own purpose. Such situations always have led to a massive revolt which holds power of upstaging even the mighty and powerful. PoK is reaching that stage.