From Kartarpur to Kashmir is a phenomenon which needs to be understood from three sides. First, one should not undermine the fact that the Indian side of Kartarpur is located in Gurdaspur district of East Punjab which is the root cause of the Kashmir conflict. In August 1947, when the Indian sub-continent was being partitioned on religious grounds, Gurdaspur as a Muslim majority territory and should have been given to Pakistan, but Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, after conspiring with Congress leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, awarded that piece of land to India which provided land access to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Had Gurdaspur been given to Pakistan, J&K as a Muslim majority princely state would have been its part. In 1947, the Sikh community sided with India and played a pivotal role in massacring and raping the Muslim community in East Punjab. Had the Sikhs not played such a notorious role in hurting the nascent state of Pakistan, it would have not been possible for India to send its forces into the Valley of Kashmir and sign the so-called instrument of accession with Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K.
If the euphoria of the Kartarpur Corridor is termed as a ‘honeymoon’ period between Punjabi Sikhs and Pakistani Punjab, it is certainly not in favour of Muslim Kashmiris who are experiencing the worst kind of brutal Indian occupation and ethnic cleansing. Second, the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor will not lead to Sikh antagonism against the Indian state and deepen New Delhi’s vulnerability in the Muslim-dominated Valley of Kashmir. It is wishful thinking on the part of Pakistan’s security and military establishment that creating goodwill among Sikhs by opening the Kartarpur Corridor and pampering them will neutralize the Indian Punjab in the event of any future Indo-Pakistan armed conflict on Jammu & Kashmir.
Ostensibly, the impression which one gets is the Sikh soft corner for the Kashmiri resistance against Indian occupation after the revocation of articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian constitution which ended special status given to J&K. But the reality on the ground is different because, despite the launching of ‘Operation Blue Star’ by the Indian Army to flush out the Sikhs’ holy shrine, the golden temple in Amritsar, from what New Delhi alleged as the bastion of Sikh armed militancy, the Sikhs in India are the most privileged community. Demographically, Sikhs are less than 2% of the Indian population but their share in the military is more than 15%, along with their representation in bureaucracy. The Sikh community is also influential in transport and business in almost all Indian cities. In this scenario, why would Sikhs be disloyal to India; aspire an independent state of Khalistan and support the Kashmiri movement for emancipation when they are better off in India?
Third, Kartarpur to Kashmir can only be possible if the Indian state becomes weak, leading to the rise of centrifugal forces ultimately causing the disintegration of India. But, despite the erosion of democracy, political pluralism and secularism in India today, there are no such indications which can prove fragility of the Indian state. To the contrary, the decision of the Indian Supreme Court on November 9 allowing the construction of a Hindu temple on the venue where once stood Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, is a stark reality which emphasizes that even the superior judiciary is not taking a position on merit to avoid antagonizing Hindu nationalists.
Furthermore, on October 31, the ‘Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act’ which was passed by the Indian Parliament on August 5, came into force. It means, ending special status of Kashmir, which was granted in Article 370 of the Indian constitution and Article 35-A which protected the identity of the Kashmiris by denying Indian nationals purchase of property and casting of votes in the J&K state assembly elections. This is now accepted as a hard reality. There is no indication on the part of the Indian state to rethink its August 5 measures and the Indian Supreme Court which, since August till now is lingering on petitions which have been challenging the August 5 Act of the Indian Government, is also not expected to undo the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act.”
It is high time the state of Pakistan abandons its unrealistic and imprudent policies concerning Kashmir and Khalistan. How India since 1947 till today has expanded its geography by occupying Hyderabad, Junagarh, large parts of J&K and Siachen, must be sufficient for bringing home to Pakistan its moment of truth. After August 5 and October 31, 2019, despite the wrongness of the Indian act to absorb J&K, it seems highly unlikely for Pakistan to force India relinquish its control over the Muslim dominated Valley of Kashmir because of two main reasons. First, the lack of effective international support for Pakistan’s Kashmir policy, particularly in the United Nations and second, despite its downward trend, the Indian economy is still vibrant and ranks the 6th largest in the world. There is also a possibility that, in the near future, India will overtake Britain as the world’s fifth largest economy.
With these facts, the wishful thinking on the part of Pakistan that the opening of Kartarpur Corridor will exert pressure over India in its controlled parts of Jammu and Kashmir, will not work.
As things stand today, unless Pakistan puts its own house in order; focus on strengthening its fragile economy, ensure good governance and the rule of law, expecting miracles to happen and wresting Kashmir from Indian control would be nothing less than a pipe dream. Likewise, to expect that by opening the Kartarpur Corridor, the Sikh community will tilt in favour of Pakistan and again launch the struggle for Khalistan as it did in the 1980s, is far from the reality. Is the tragedy of Kashmir by permanently going under Indian control not enough that Pakistan should keep on pursuing misplaced policies and options which can only deepen its internal and external predicament?
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