Why do Kashmiris praise Pakistan’s diplomacy?

Most Kashmiris who had looked at Shahbaz Sharief with hatred until yesterday, on the charges of Imran Khan’s captivity and election theft, and had left with no love for Pakistan, were carrying the picture of the same Shahbaz Sharief and loudly saying that the Kashmiri-born had succeeded in bringing about a ceasefire between Iran and the US.

That is, they were taking credit for bringing about a ceasefire by calling Shahbaz Sharif a Kashmiri. The Sharief family originally belonged to Kashmir and had migrated to Pakistan before the partition of India.

Kashmiris are very emotional. Because of their emotional outbursts, they are generally said to be repeatedly carried away by passion and brought down.

Unfortunately, the political upheavals or turmoil have yet to teach them a lesson or turn them into a mature society.

When General Zia of Pakistan crucified former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the people mourned and burned the houses of Jamaat-e-Islami members, who were considered pro-Zia in Kashmir. Then, when General Zia was killed in an air crash, thousands held rallies and processions, mourned for several days, and those belonging to leftist ideology faced public wrath.

Perhaps the predicament with Kashmir is that either they are with everyone or with nobody, or that it weighs every right and wrong on its merits and praises the right thing rather than their own position or ideology.

Pakistan is probably also being praised on merit today. Even the praises are hovering on the field, Marshal, Asim Munir, who, until yesterday, was a monster.

If a survey were conducted on Pakistan’s successful diplomacy during the two-week temporary ceasefire between Iran and the US and Israel to determine who was the happiest in the whole world, I think it would be the Kashmiris, after the Iranians who were awake on the night of April 7th and 8th, because the US President had disturbed the sleep of the world as well as the Kashmiris by threatening to wipe out the civilisation Iran belongs to.

During the night, when the first statement from Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif about the ceasefire was released, most Kashmiris came out of their homes in droves. They began praising Pakistan with a sigh of relief, including those considered the harshest critics of Pakistan.

It was a surprise of the century.

In almost every district of Kashmir, crowds danced, raised slogans, hugged each other, and carried Iranian flags. In many places, firecrackers were also set off after a long time.

These jubilations were seen in Kashmir after decades.

Seeing this passion, it seemed there was another divine relationship with Iran, beyond cultural or religious ties, being demonstrated on every street corner of the Valley.

Given the tough stance that Iran and the US had adopted during the war, it did not seem that Pakistan, China, Turkey or Egypt would succeed in making any progress. Then Pakistan would emerge as a successful diplomat in such uncertain circumstances, even though most countries had left no stone unturned in isolating it from the international community by labelling it a terrorist organisation.

Kashmiri people are most affected by this label of terrorism, having been not only deprived of their basic rights but also cast as a cause of hatred in other states of India and the rest of the world by being labelled a terrorist movement for their struggle for political rights.

Although Pakistan considers itself a stakeholder in the Kashmir issue and has resorted to resolutions to make its case in international forums, according to most Kashmiris, Pakistan has not supported them as a party. Still, it has left them to their fate, offering only verbal sympathies and support, like other countries.

Although Pakistan has not succeeded in resolving the Kashmir issue, it has certainly succeeded in establishing its image in the world by playing the role of a peacemaker in the Iran-US war, whether or not the ceasefire holds.

Pakistan has provided a corridor for peace in the Middle East, which may also prove to be a corridor for lasting peace in the near future.

While public meetings and processions were seen dancing in Jammu and Kashmir, pro-India local political parties do not hesitate to praise Pakistan. However, in the current situation in India, even mentioning Pakistan’s name can cause problems.

Condemning the US-Israeli war, Kashmiris prayed in mosques for Iran’s protection and collected a large sum of money, which they sent to Tehran as donations.

Donations were also collected for Iran in Muslim areas of other Indian states, where most non-Muslims donated generously.

Compared with Kashmir and the secular Indian population, Hindu extremists adopted an anti-Iranian stance, which was widely expressed on social media.

The Indian government never openly condemned the war imposed on Iran, nor did it issue any statement on the killing of the Iranian religious leader Ayatollah. It also remained silent about the killing of one hundred and sixty girls, which angered the Kashmiris, the Muslim population, and Hindu secularists. In response, Kashmiris held mourning processions under heavy security and then set up several camps to collect donations.

Some Indian media channels ignored Pakistan’s role in the temporary ceasefire process, while others ridiculed Pakistan, calling it a base for terrorism.

During the broadcast, most commentators either avoided mentioning Pakistan by name or repeatedly emphasised the significance of China’s role, a point that Kashmiris highlighted in several social media debates, prompting laughter.

A major reason for the enthusiastic welcome of the temporary ceasefire is that the public wants to show they are against the BJP’s pro-Israel policy, which has hurt the sentiments of 250 million Muslims.

Iran has always supported India in times of difficulty. At the same time, the Indian Prime Minister visited Israel when Israel had killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, trampled their homes, and prepared a plan to wage war on Iran, which not only created tension in the Middle East but also affected everyone through economic and political turmoil and its impact on other countries.

A pro-freedom activist said during a rally in Srinagar that ‘the ceasefire may not last, but convincing the parties to negotiate is a big step forward, and the credit for this goes to Pakistan, which has increased its prestige in the world’ –

Despite security guards or restrictions on speech, Kashmiris are unable to suppress their feelings and openly praise Pakistan for bringing about a ceasefire. Many Indians also praised Pakistan for averting an imminent catastrophe.