NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan stirs disputes on Kashmir

In late 1990s, the still-at-large head of the Taliban Mullah Mohammad Omar asserted that his group supported jihad (holy war) in Indian-administered Kashmir; but the Afghan men, fighting in the disputed region, had gone on their own. Now after nearly a decade, the most important question being asked in Kashmir streets, post NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, is "Will the battle-hardened-fighters penetrate deeper into Kashmir once again?" The Taliban's re-emergence in Afghanistan and the recent assertion by Taliban militants in Pakistan, that it will send fighters into Kashmir, is being watched closely by Kashmir's youth on the ground. "Kashmir is no longer a dispute between Pakistan and India. It has become an Islamic issue along with Afghanistan and Palestine," said Ajaz Ahmad, who operates a chain of tourist houseboats in the world famous Dal Lake in Kashmir, indicating that "whatever the outcome of conflict in Afghanistan it will have spillover effects." Last January, top Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan leader Wali Ur Rehman, in a rare video appearance, pledged to send fighters to Kashmir, claiming that the Jihad launched by the Pakistani government inside Kashmir has failed to yield the desired result. The TTP said it will launch its own jihad in the valley and talks about sending its own jihadi forces there. On February 28, a letter purportedly written by the Punjab faction of TTP leader Maulana Asmatullah Muawiya warned the next battlefield for all Mujahedeen will be Kashmir, noting that "the Mujahedeen will fight against Indian forces inside Kashmir but they will not seek the support of ISI." Last year, Indian army's top most official Lieutenant General Om Prakash, who is also the General Officer Commanding GOC of Army's strategic 15 Corps that looks after de facto border (Line of Control or LoC) between Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, sounded an alert when he said, "I believe the Afghanistan withdrawal should not be abrupt. It will be catastrophic for Afghanistan and Kashmir just as it was in 2001 when 2,000 militants were killed here. In fact, I'm worried that it could be even worse." Kashmir, where anti-India sentiments remain deep, is the Muslim-majority region reeling under an armed rebellion that began in 1989. Over 5000 foreign militants, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan have been killed here. The low-intensity conflict has already claimed lives of over 70,000 people. Moreover, Kashmir remains a disputed territory since 1947 claimed by both India and Pakistan which rule it in two portions but claim it in entirety. India considers the entire region its integral part, but Pakistan and majority of population want Kashmir to remain Independent or decide whether to stay with India or merge with Pakistan as options of right to self-determination. The United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) too backs this demand. In 2009, the Himalayan region was mentioned in Guinness Book of World Records and declared Kashmir as "planet's largest militarized area." According to experts, other things that distinguish Kashmir from other conflict regions is the presence of highest battle field on earth 'Siachen' and the presence of some 500,000 post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) civilians. Furthermore, the talk to Taliban coming into Kashmir is also being discussed in main newspaper editions every week. "In view of this, we may not see any organized major violent activities by the Taliban in Kashmir after the American exit in 2014. However, there may be individual attempts at infiltration by volunteers as has been happening in the past," writes eminent Kashmir columnist Mohammad Ashraf in a local daily. Ashraf says, "Intentionally or unintentionally, Indians by fanning Hindu-Muslim divide are creating a ripe situation for Taliban whether Afghan or Pakistani to intervene in Kashmir or otherwise. Thus even if there was no chance for Taliban coming to Kashmir, we may ourselves be responsible for bringing them in." Another columnist, Inam-ul-Rehmaan, says unlike Afghans, Kashmiris are not going to bear the hardships like the former. "Kashmiris don't believe that for creating a new order you need to destroy the older one. Kashmiris have demonstrated it repeatedly that although they would like to change the system but without endorsing the hardships. The Indian worries that Taliban would trickle over to Kashmir are based on insomniac illusions," he notes. In the same context, powerful pro-Pakistan leader in Kashmir Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has recently rejected Al-Qaeda's chief Ayaman Al Zawahiri's call that said UN-backed resolutions should be eschewed. He declared that Kashmir couldn't afford to continue their resistance with the guns. "Kashmir is a non-violent fight. There is no other solution acceptable to us but UN resolutions," he said, adding "New Delhi is pushing Kashmiris towards the gun. It believes the occupation of Kashmir by its seven lakh soldiers is the solution". The global Al-Qaeda and TTP have presences in many areas. However, despite being closer to the region, Kashmir never saw Taliban or Al-Qaeda making inroads in the disputed region. "That's why Taliban would come to Kashmir have no substance. We have offered sacrifices of over one lakh people in last 22 years. Our struggle is indigenous and I believe it will continue to be so," Yasin Malik, a former pro-Independence commander of a rebel group Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said in a press conference a day ago. Malik gave up weapons in 1994 to launch a pro-Independence political party that seeks resolution of Kashmir dispute via non-violent means. He wanred that "the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan could lead to a change in Kashmir. The move has a potential to change the political discourse in Kashmir." Also, India and Pakistan formally entered into a ceasefire in 2003, but failed to reach at an accord over the Kashmir dispute. Even as the militant attacks has reached to its lowest ebb, Kashmiri leaders say New Delhi never offered any soup to fix the issue and the troops withdrawal in Afghanistan will create an impression that violence ultimately pays. "So when the troop withdrawal in Afghanistan and the subsequent atmosphere for talks will begin in Afghanistan what will Kashmir youth make out of it? I believe people, especially youth, would pose a question whether non-violent movements had failed and the gun was the only way to resolve Kashmir," Malik said.