Intro: The aim of the programme organised by National Democratic Teachers Front & Jammu Kashmir People’s Forum was to disseminate correct facts relating to the entire issue of J&K.
The two biggest regions of Jammu & Kashmir i.e. Ladakh and Jammu have never seen a single demonstration against Bharat. The so-called separatist groups are a miniscule minority of the State of J&K. But the perception that has been created is that the entire state is of separatist tendency. It is not the truth. The reality is that the majority of residents of the state of J&K are nationalists said Akhil Bharatiya Sah Sampark Pramukh Shri Arun Kumar in a programme organised by Jammu Kashmir People’s Forum (JKPF) and National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF) in the Delhi University on February 23 on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). He pointed out three myths that have been propagated by vested interests in the case of J&K: Myth of separatism, Myth of dispute, Myth of autonomy.
The entire issue of J&K can be solved if we confine ourselves to legal documents only, he added. The entire discourse has been deliberately complicated by unnecessarily going into who said what. When constitutional and legal resolution is worked upon, it always depends on facts and documents—never on opinions. So, the new discourse document has to be based on documents which prove that the accession of J&K to Bharat is full, final and non-negotiable.
On October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh had signed the instrument of accession to Bharat. This instrument of accession was exactly the same document that all other princely states had signed. Even Pakistan has never questioned the fact that J&K is an integral part of Bharat at any fora. Even the Supreme Court of Pakistan has given a judgment that Gilgil-Baltistan area (illegally in control of Pakistan) is legally a territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of Bharat. He also mentioned that Bharat went to the UN Security Council under the UN Charter Article 35. That was regarding the aggression of Pakistan on some parts of J&K, and never about the legal status or accession of the state with Bharat, or any dispute with Pakistan. The key points of the UN resolution, after the Pakistani aggression was also discussed.
The programme celebrated the occasion of a Resolution adopted by a joint session of Parliament on February 22, 1994. This resolution made it clear to the world that the State of J&K has been, is and shall be an integral part of Bharat and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means. The resolution also demanded that Pakistan must vacate the areas of the State of J&K, which they have occupied through aggression. The resolution was adopted by both houses of Parliament in light of the increasing terrorist violence in the State and Pakistan’s attempts to highlight Kashmir as a dispute.
Later, Dr Sushma Yadav, pro-Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU, who presided over the seminar, thanked Shri Arun Kumar for the amazing information shared by him regarding J&K. She suggested that these issues should be highlighted through more such discourses in all universities. She also suggested that scholarships should be instituted for such studies. A series of such seminars and other discourses would go a long way creating the right atmosphere in the country, she said. JKPF coordinator Mahendra Mehta thanked everyone for participating in the program.
The aim of this programme was to disseminate correct facts relating to the entire issue of J&K, and to change the perception that has been created through a misinformation campaign over the last few years.
