Shahana Butt
Press TV, Kashmir
The standstill in Kashmir has entered its 8th week. Amid a security crackdown and communication blackout, people of the region eagerly waited for a global response to their crisis during the 74th UN General Assembly session; however, it all ended in disappointment.
The international community failed to convince India to resolve the long-pending dispute with Pakistan over the Kashmir region, despite being aware of their past scuffles.
Frustrated over the cold global response to their crisis, people of Kashmir see war as the only solution to the matter once for all.
Despite repeated calls for mediation to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, India adamantly maintains that Kashmir is its domestic issue while Pakistan reminds the world of the disputed nature of the issue and the scores of UN resolutions passed over the controversial matter.
Caught between the two nuclear armed rivals are millions of Kashmiris who have closed businesses, educational institutions, shops and other life activities for almost two months, hoping to receive international assistance.
Kashmiris must be given the right to decide their future. By imposing themselves on us, the two countries will lead nowhere and oppression will lead to more rebellion.
The disputed Kashmir region once again made headlines across the world after India altered the special status of the disputed Kashmir region by unilaterally scrapping it in August. Afterwards, New Delhi imposed the toughest-ever security crackdown, scuttled almost all the advanced means of communications, including cellular networks, and arrested not only those who supported the pro-freedom ideology, but also cracked down on its own league operating in the region.
Although a lot of criticism has surrounded India’s recent behavior in Kashmir, the global community has failed to pressure India to resolve the matter with Pakistan. Many accuse world powers of siding with India for their own economic interests.