India has clamped down the special status of Jammu and Kashmir from a semi-autonomous region into two separate union territories through a political and constitutional maneuver by abrogating article 370 of the Indian constitution. This step of the BJP government has changed the status quo policy that India adopted on Kashmir in the past under the ambit of UN resolutions, which spell Jammu and Kashmir as internationally recognized disputed territory. Indian unilateralism in Kashmir is a violation of these UN resolutions and the commitment to the people of Kashmir. This move of Modi’s government has exposed India’s expansionist agenda to consolidate its control on Jammu Kashmir through communal division and demographic engineering. Modi’s government has increased the alienation of the people of Kashmir through this action. Pakistan has extended its diplomatic and moral support to the people of Kashmir while framing a diplomatic and political response to India.
Pakistan has given measured diplomatic response to India’s aggrandizement agenda on Kashmir to exert international pressure on India by internationalizing the dispute as a grave humanitarian situation. Important decisions were taken in National Security Council (NSC) meeting held under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan after India’s abrogation of article 370. Pakistan has decided to down grade diplomatic relations and suspend trade with India. Pakistan has further expressed its distaste to this Indian action by indicating a will to revise existing bilateral treaties in order to revert status quo relations with India. The Prime Minister has instructed Pakistan’s army to maintain vigilance along the line of control, de facto international border, between Pakistan-India because of Indian military threat.
Pakistan’s options are limited to diplomatic and political maneuvers against India because war is not a rational choice. Pakistan has registered its protest by taking symbolic political and diplomatic measures which will send a strong message to Kashmiris and the international community that Pakistan stands firm on its Kashmir policy in solidarity with the Kashmir freedom movement. Measures taken in NSC meeting will have a deep psychological and political impact in shaping Pakistan’s narrative on the current situation in Kashmir at an international level.
Pakistan’s decision of downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending trade with India will have a significant impact because of the developments between the nuclear powers of South Asia. Such decisions are usually taken during wartime between arch-rivals. The international media is giving them massive coverage which is the main source to sensitize international community through influencing public opinion about this development. Pakistan-India tensions will increase in the coming days due to an ongoing curfew and the security situation in Jammu Kashmir.
India has reserved 24 seats for Azad Jammu Kashmir region (affiliated with Pakistan) in Indian union territory which reflects the future trend of India’s provocative actions and preemptive strategy against Pakistan. Such expansionist approach of India is highly destabilizing for regional and global security because it will fuel more hostilities between Pakistan and India. India is not ready for a dialogue on Kashmir due to its weak diplomatic position under UNSC resolutions which support the right of self-determination for the Kashmiri nation. Therefore, India has resorted to violence in Kashmir in order to curb the freedom movement in the guise of national security. India wants to control and divide occupied Kashmir. Therefore, India has divided Jammu Kashmir into two separate administrative units including Hindu majority Ladakh and Muslim majority Jammu Kashmir as union territories along communal lines.
India wants to divert attention of the international community from the human rights violations in Kashmir through the use of cluster bomb on line of control by portraying the entire regional situation as India’s internal national security problem and Pakistan-I