'Kashmir Hour'

As India's security lockdown and communication blackout of Occupied Kashmir continues the people all across Pakistan observed the 'Kashmir Hour' on Friday. Cities, towns and villages across this South Asian country came to a standstill, people belonging to various walks of life took out in huge numbers and Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to the world. "Not only the subcontinent but the entire world will suffer in case of war between the two countries that have nuclear weapons," the prime minister said, adding, "I am telling you (the international community) that if you keep silent on aggression and tyranny it will affect the world." Perhaps never before since the Bay of Pigs did any two nuclear powers come so close to a nuclear conflict. Will India act as the then Soviet Union leadership did? There is no easy answer to this question, although the Indian leadership was the first to raise the nuclear ante. And that throws the ball into the international court. Given inherent potential of any armed conflict to take its own unpredictable course, in defiance of the warring parties' plans, in given situation it becomes responsibility of the international community to enter the scene and avert a nuclear clash. Such an incident would not only cost the world environmental catastrophe it would also completely wreck the entire nuclear restraint regime built over the years. Let Narendra Modi be a new 'Hitler' or harbinger of mythical Mahabharata, but he cannot be allowed to jeopardise peace and security of entire world. Also, even if other countries' national interests may caution them against taking sides in this confrontation they cannot shun their moral duty to stand by the side of eight million Kashmiris whose basic human rights to life and security cannot be put aside. It was the UN Security Council which sanctified Kashmiris right to self-determination. What has changed that the same forum is now reluctant to stand by its stand? Its members owe an answer to the incarcerated millions in Occupied Kashmir. It is also under its obligation, dictated by the UN Charter, to help defuse tensions between its members, as these tend to obtain in today's South Asia. By posing to be unconcerned and acting to be unsympathetic to lasting plight of Kashmiris, the international community would be committing a cardinal sin.
Therefore, the purpose behind the 'Kashmir Hour' observed in Pakistan is not to provoke war hysteria, but to better inform the international community that India's fascist moves in Occupied Kashmir are not only in violation of much-cherished human values but also a fuse that can ignite an armed conflict between two nuclear states. India too knows this, but is trying to mislead the world by raising the ante of jihadi invasion and terrorist infiltration. India may also stage yet another false flag operation to divert world attention from the current situation in Occupied Kashmir. Over the last few years, Indian military strategists conceived military doctrines called 'Cold Start' and 'Limited War' - only to be told by Pakistan military leadership that India's any misadventure would be responded by 'Full Spectrum Deterrence'.
Coming back to the 'Kashmir Hour', it was certainly a huge success. Among many other activities the Senate put up a highly impressive show. Not only did the upper house of parliament pass a unanimous resolution condemning India's genocidal moves in Occupied Kashmir, Opposition and Treasury Senators were seen walking hand in hand through the D-Chowk in front of Parliament House. It was a symbolic stand telling the people of Kashmir that Pakistanis, wherever they are, they are with them in this hour of their grief and share their pain. That successfully done, an effort should be made now to sustain this expression of solidarity with people of Kashmir over coming weeks and months. In that context, one would suggest that the timing for things to come to standstill should not only be shifted to post-Friday prayer but also reduced to three to five minutes. If this past Friday the 'Kashmir Hour' was fully observed it was also noticed that presence in offices had thinned much before the arrival of 'hour' and schools too closed an hour and half before it. Friday should not become one more weekly holiday.