Narendra Modi couldn't be more fallacious than what he was in his speech that he made from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of his country's Independence Day ['Black Day'] on Thursday - ironically, he takes shelter under the Mughal glory when his foot soldiers take pride in destroying the Mughal-era Babri Mosque. How more devious a prime minister India could have. Justifying revocation of Article 370 from India's constitution, he said a 'fresh approach was necessary, as several efforts made by previous governments had failed to yield the desired results'. As to what he meant by 'fresh approach' he reminded his audience that "abrogation of Article 370 was an important step towards fulfilling the dream of Sardar Vallahbhai Patel for a united India". According to him, "one nation, one constitution has become a reality". Then in his 95-minute address he kept camouflaging his saffron-dyed doctrine by arguing that he was duty-bound to ensure that 'citizens in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are able to fulfil their dreams'. Imagine, what dreams the poor Kashmiris would have as they are locked in their homes for the last 11 days. No food, no medicines and no Eid. At this point of time, Narendra Modi is as much a product of mythical Mahabharata as of the emerging international strategic power balance in which his India is ready to be part of the United States-led anti-China coalition. In the earlier superpower rivalry, India was part of the Soviet Union-led anti-West camp. Indeed, India is good at playing that game, but what about the so-called Ummah which set up the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to fight for the rights of Muslim populations in hostile atmospherics. Is it the business interests of its members in India that prohibits them from taking a clear stand on the hell New Delhi has let loose on people of Kashmir? Obviously, the people of Indian-held Kashmir and Pakistan would like to rethink their position on both the OIC and its founding fathers. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
But the world at large should not remain nonchalant about what is happening to the people of occupied Kashmir and how it is going to impact the regional and international security. This is certainly an end to what India has been planning for so long. But the world to see, this would usher in yet another and far more contentious intifada in occupied Kashmir, and thereby a potential fuse to an already explosive state of regional security. If the Kashmiris couldn't be clubbed into submission in the last 70 years, New Delhi would find it far harder to do that anytime soon. Now, even that Kashmiri leadership who played into Indian hands and felt comfortable in the company of BJP say they were wrong to reject the two-nation theory propounded by the Quaid-i-Azam. Not only is their politics over, their homes and lands are also under threat of confiscation by New Delhi.
The Indian move to destroy the Kashmiri identity and turn its Muslim majority into a minority is expected to spawn serious complications both for the region and beyond. For one, it would negatively impact the Afghan imbroglio and may derail the ongoing peace process. It will also resurrect the jihadi mindset, foment Islamophobia elsewhere and heighten - in an unprecedented manner - tensions in the region in particular.