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ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 

Unlike other turbulent places like Palestine and East Timor, where the international community has engaged itself for conflict management and conflict resolution, it has only resorted to preventive diplomacy between the two belligerent neighbouring countries, particularly in the Kargil war, in 1999 and the mobilization of troops in December 2001. The role of UN, which passed the resolutions (UNSC / 726 April 21, 1948,) for self-determination of Kashmir, has been rejected by the India. Indian Government claims that Kashmir related UN resolutions are obsolete, notwithstanding the presence of UN Military Observation Group for Indian and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), in both parts of Kashmir.

India does not recognize the mandate of the UNMOGIP. The Indian Government is resisting US mediation even facilitation on Kashmir. The Indian Government doesn’t allow transparency in Kashmir. On the alibi of security, it even snapped all communication facilities in Kashmir for over six months following the militant attack on its parliament. 

Amnesty International (AI) has been allowed to visit non-democratic countries, like Pakistan, Cuba, Iraq etc but has been denied access to Kashmir despite applying several times for monitoring the human rights situation in Kashmir.

Asia Watch (Human Rights Watch)- the Washington based human right organization has also been denied permission to visit Kashmir. One researcher of Asia Watch visited Kashmir as a journalist in early 90’s but later on she was not granted visa. At present two international organizations, the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) and Medicine Sans Frontiers (M.S.F) work in Jammu and Kashmir. But, they have been given limited mandate according to the memorandum of understanding reached between them and the Indian Government.

      There is a general feeling that the European Community has misperceptions about the Kashmir. They believe it is a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan or a communal issue. Most of the people are made to believe that it is an offshoot of the extremist communal groups propagating Jihad (holy war). The media has contributed to this perception, particularly the Indian media, which has been misinforming the events in Kashmir to project the national liberation movement as an Islamic, reactionary, obscurantist uprising centered along communal lines. The foreign media with its limited access or indifference has failed to counter it. Imperative need is being felt by the Civil Society of Kashmir to dispel the misgivings and misperceptions to the European civil society and European Governments about the ground reality in Kashmir. Only building alliances and interaction can do it. This interaction from both the sides will help in understanding the real problem, which is not communal but political. The interaction would be for:

(A)  The civil society feels that the European civil society can help in removing the isolation of the strangulated and suffocated civil society of Kashmir and would provide opportunities to establish relations and cooperation with the civil society in Europe.

(B)   The partnership can provide a shield to the civil society actors in Kashmir where the Indian State persistently uses fear as a weapon of war. This sense of security could motivate the paralysed intelligentsia to join and strengthen the civil society movement. Their participation would be important for establishing democracy and peace, and the collective action could be evolved into a strong movement against terrorism, nuclearisation and militarization in the region.

(C)   The alliance building could help in lobbying with the international organizations for stopping the all forms of human rights violations in Kashmir and for humanitarian relief to the victims of the conflict.

Training and imparting technical expertise to the civil society actors in Kashmir for realizing their objectives. And, empowering them with the latest experience from the advanced civil society of European countries.