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‘The
condition in POK is one of severe oppression’
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Khalid
Perwaize
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Any
visit by a Pakistani to India at this time is bound to be greeted
by intense speculation. But Khalid Perwaize is very open about
the reasons he’s in New Delhi: as secretary of foreign affairs
of a Pakistan Occupied Kashmir based political party, the United
Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), he has travelled to
the Capital to await the outcome of the Indo-Pakistan summit
and compile the final chapters of his book on the Kashmir problem.
Formerly a biology teacher in Scotland, where he has been residing
since 1961, Perwaize has toured all across Kashmir, including
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and the so-called ‘Azad Kashmir’ to
research his book. Excerpts from an interview with ESHA
ROY:
Do all Kashmiris want an independent Kashmir?
RIGHT now, most Kashmiris would want an independent Kashmir,
although there is still a large number even in POK who want
accession to India. What most Kashmiris, apart from maybe a
few political parties who are not alienated from the masses,
are sure about is that they don’t want to join Pakistan. The
Pakistani government divided POK into Gilgit, Baltistan and
‘Azad Kashmir’. The Kashmiris would have opted for accession
to India a long time ago. They are angry with the Indian Government
for not having fought Pakistan when they occupied Kashmir. After
the 1971 war, the Indian government gave back to pakistan territories
it had won in POK. If it really wanted Kashmir why on earth
did they give these territories back? The prevailing feeling
among Kashmiris is that India doesn’t consider Kashmiris Indian.
What are the conditions like in POK?
THE condition in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is one of severe
oppression, with absolutely no freedom of speech. No printing
presses are allowed and even if a Kashmiri wants to print his
business cards, he needs prior permission of the Pakistani government.
There have been instances when 13-14-year-olds have been kidnapped,
trained and then sent them across the border. There are lot
of clashes between militant groups in the area and militants
have been using the guise of Jehad to carry out their personal
vendetta, killing whosoever they like. In India occupied Kashmir,
I was shocked to find parties such as the Muslim Conference,
who propagate accession to Pakistan, not only function openly
but are provided security by the Kashmiri government. Our party
does not propagate accession to India, yet our chairperson was
jailed and his house was ransacked after his release. He now
lives in exile in Switzerland.
What would the outcome of the Indo-Pakistan summit be?
“What
most Kashmiris, apart from maybe a few political parties
who are not alienated from the masses, are sure about
is that they don’t want to join Pakistan.”
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I
WENT to meet officials of the Pakistani army for my book. A
certain Major
in the army, on condition of anonymity, told me that the
prevailing
sentiment in the army is very different from what most people
believe, which was basically that the only solution to the Kashmir
problem is that India and Pakistan become a confederation sharing
a common defence force and no passport system. He of course
added that he could be put in jail for airing such ideas. General
Musharraf is a product of the same army and if he shares similar
sentiments, there is obviously hope. On the other hand, a couple
of months ago the General made a statement saying the Pakistani
government had no control over militant groups. This is a blatant
lie. Militant training camps in Pakistan are no secret. The
statement obviously made me doubt the General’s sincerity.
What should the Indian and Pakistani governments be looking
at?
THERE are really just two options left for the Indian and Pakistani
governments: the First is to give full autonomy to the entire
state of Kashmir. For this purpose, the Pakistani government
must join Gilgit and Baltistan with Azad Kashmir, which the
Pakistan government had segregated the state in 1949 after the
invasion of POK. This forced division was contrary to UN resolutions
as was the implementation of the Interim Constitution Act of
1974 which denies the right to vote to Kashmiris living in POK.
Alongwith this full autonomy should be given to India occupied
kashmir including Jammu and Ladakh to be later enjoined with
the now free POK.
The other option is for the Indian and Pakistani parts of the
state to be made semi-autonomous; the two newly formed states
(presently POK and Jammu and Kashmir) should have independent
governments with shared defence and foreign affairs mechanisms
with their respective countries. In this case the line of control
should be opened for free passage between the two states.
What has the UKPNP’s agenda been so far?
THE UKPNP is fighting for a completely independent Kashmir.
But unlike parties such as the Muslim Conference or the Hurriyat,
the UKPNP does not envision a Muslim state. People living in
POK initially comprised all religions. But after the Pakistani
invasion, the large numbers of Hindus and Sikhs living in the
area were forced to leave, and they resettled in Jammu. The
image of Kashmir that political parties such as the Muslim Conference
and Pakistani government project is not representative of the
Kashmiri people at large. We envision a completely secular state. |
