The Indian government was not allowed to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir’s affairs outside of defense, finance, foreign policy, and communications, according to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Jammu and Kashmir lagged behind the rest of India in terms of economic growth, employment, combating corruption, gender equality, literacy, and many other indicators, which contributed to the province’s struggles.
Because a struggling economy feeds separatist sentiments in some quarters, Pakistan has a stake in preventing prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Ladakh region of Kashmir. This is consistent with Pakistan’s overarching plan to use terrorism as a political tool. In light of the fact that Article 370 justified discrimination and impeded economic development, it is also opposed to its repeal.
The Indian Parliament’s decision to reorganize the province and revoke this article rights a historical wrong. It opens the door to reviving a faltering economy and promoting horticulture, travel, and handicrafts, which are the distinctive strengths of its culture. A region that was out of step with the rest of the country is now receiving social and economic justice thanks to this change. Affirmative action, equal rights for women, juvenile protection, and safeguards against domestic violence are examples of progressive legislation that is present throughout the rest of India but was hampered by Article 370. In accordance with the Indian Constitution, Jammu and Kashmir was exempt from laws that protect the right to education and information. It is obvious that Pakistan will lose ground as a result of the possibility of a more prosperous Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In the past, we have witnessed a plethora of remarks from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Shehbaz Sharif and senior members of his government painting an ominous picture of India’s restructuring of its province of Jammu and Kashmir — and raising the threat of conflict, including nuclear war, with India.
Under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, Pakistan’s citizens are suffering from a severe economic depression, with inflation at a five-year high, a national debt that exceeds GDP, and a call for a bailout from the IMF. It goes without saying that Mr. Shehbaz Sharif is entirely within his rights to ruin his own economy. But it is necessary to oppose his resolve to cause comparable harm to a province of a neighboring nation. It is difficult for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to accept that the Kashmir region is once again on the path to development and prosperity as a result of the Indian government’s repeal of a dated and temporary legal provision that had been impeding progress. Its prime minister asserts that he offered to cooperate with India to advance peace, development, and prosperity. What he neglects to mention is the fact that his nation’s main industry is producing terrorists on an unabated assembly line.
He alleges that organizations like the Financial Action Task Force, a global group that looks into the financing of terrorism, are a part of a plot against Pakistan. He hides the fact that Pakistan shielded the perpetrator of the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. And that Jaish-e-Muhammad, a terrorist group banned by the UN and operating openly out of one of his major cities, was responsible for the suicide bombing in Pulwama.
India’s treatment of Muslims and other non-Hindu minorities has drawn criticism from Shehbaz Sharif. If reality weren’t such a tragic story, this would be absurd. When Pakistan was established, minorities made up 23% of the population. This is now down to 3 percent, which stands on its own. And there are countless individuals who can attest to this tragic reality, including Shias, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. Ask Pakistan’s Shia, Pashtun, Sindhi, or Baloch populations how fellow Muslims are treated. It is incredibly ironic that Islamabad, which previously tolerated anti-Semitism and refused to acknowledge Israel’s legitimacy, is now conjuring up images of European fascism. Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir are currently going through change. India’s reforms have put the old system’s beneficiaries, who gained from it at the expense of the populace, on the defensive. Expect violence and terrorism to be incited and supported from outside the border. Many of the travel and communication restrictions put in place to maintain public safety and order have since been loosened. The top priority is to prevent fatalities.
There were no effects of India’s actions regarding Article 370 outside of India. Its outer boundaries remain the same. What has changed is that there is now hope for development that will benefit the locals and prevent Pakistan from continuing to support transnational terrorism. Therefore, in an effort to halt these advancements, the prime minister creates terrifying scenarios. Terrorism will fail, there will be development, visible progress, and prosperity. India will hope that Pakistan gives up violence, hostility, and terrorism to become the friendly neighbor that the entire world wants.
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