The visit of UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon has drawn attention to the Kashmir issue and some old interpretations of the Accession and Pakistan’s illegal occupation have been dusted out and made to look like new. The fact remains that the UN Secretary General could not, and did not, deviate from the UN resolution that mandated that the invaders leave the land before a reference to the “will of the people” could be made. No amount of glorification in the name of Islam and the use of terms like ‘jihad’ and “mujahid” for a bunch of cut-throat thugs involved in something nefarious can change the reality of Kashmir. Pakistanis are beginning to see the futility of raising these rascals to the level of sainthood especially since it is clear that after the first illegal usurpation of a large chunk of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir they could not convince the Kashmiri Muslim to throw in his lot with a degenerate Pakistan. The operative part still remains functional: “…and her soil cleared of the invader” before the choice of being with Pakistan or India (not independent) can be exercised.

Khalid Iqbal in NATION (7/5/12): “Excerpts from the Governor General of India’s letter of October 27, 1947, to the Maharaja of Kashmir make an interesting read: ‘Your Highness’s letter dated October 26 has been delivered to me by Mr V.P. Menon. In the special circumstances mentioned by Your Highness, my government has decided to accept the accession of Kashmir to the Dominion of India. Consistently with their policy that, in case of any state where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state, it is my government’s wish that, as soon as the law and order has been restored in Kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of the state’s accession should be settled by a reference to the people.

‘Meanwhile, in response to Your Highness’s appeal for military aid, action has been taken today to send troops of Indian army to Kashmir to help your own forces to defend your territory and to protect the lives, property and honour of your people...’.

“The pro-India parties, including Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist), have also welcomed the statement. The Chairman of United Jihad Council (JUC), Syed Salahuddin, said that peace and stability in South Asia hinges on a just and equitable settlement of the Kashmir dispute. ‘The UN Secretary General’s statement on the issue of Kashmir is quite optimistic, however, there is dire need that the world body should take practical measures to settle this long-pending issue in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris’, he said.”

A R Siddiqi’s View in DAILY TIMES (7/5/12) titled “Siachen and the Jihadi Lore”: “Print media is resonant once again with the passionate jihadi lore reminiscent of the 1965 war. As against the single PTV channel in 1965, however, there is now a cluster of channels, each projecting more or less the same jihadi image of a soldier, a mujahid, a holy warrior at the dizzy Siachen heights.

“What one sorely misses is the vibrant voice of the late Shakeel Ahmed — the doyen of Radio Pakistan newscasters. The sheer force of his voice made his listeners hope for the best, even when the war had lost its edge after the failure of our tank infantry thrust to Amritsar via Khemkaran. For his avid listeners throughout the country, Ahmed’s vibrant newscasts could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Albeit too real for his listeners, his crusading and jihadi pronouncements bore little relevance to the actual state of the war, getting darker by the day. Ahmed’s euphoric accounts along with Madam Noor Jehan’s stirring war songs promised a clear victory (Fathe Mobin), even when the war was headed for a tame draw.

“The case of the tribal lashkars (‘raiders’ in the language of Maj-Gen Mohammad Akbar Khan, DSO) must continue to serve as a useful example of mujahids quitting the battlefield of their own free will even in the crucial opening phase of the Kashmir jihad. As mujahideen-warriors, they claimed their share of war booty (Maal-e-ghanimat) even as they entered Baramula and the outskirts of Srinagar later on.

“Since the first Kashmir war (October 1947-April 1949) had been a covert operation from Pakistan’s side, even the regulars involved were called mujahideen. The commander of the Azad Kashmir forces, Brigadier Mohammad Akbar, code-named himself General Tarique, after the famed Arab commander, Tarique Bin Ziyad, the conqueror of Spain.

“Thus mujahid became the other word for a Pakistani warrior — regular or an irregular. In both the 1965 and 1971wars, the words jihad and mujahid were bandied about quite freely for our fighting personnel in East and West Pakistan.

“It is arguable that since the two words have been a part of our war diaries, what is wrong with their usage in the Siachen rescue operation. Their usage becomes all the more relevant for the tragic circumstance of the deaths of so many soldiers and civilians, buried alive under a mountain of snow. It needs to be remembered however that they were professional soldiers, fatally hit by a sudden avalanche, at their posts, in the line of duty.

“Army chief General Ashfaque Pervaiz Kayani during his visit to the Gayari sector of Siachen (April 18) called Siachen a ‘difficult’ front. “The army’s job is to defend the country, whatever and wherever it might be,” he said. He went on to stress the need for resolving the Siachen conflict and for ‘peaceful co-existence with India’. Unique words, indeed, for an army chief to use in support of a peaceful co-existence with India — Pakistan’s archenemy.

“While commending his officers and jawans for their exemplary courage, high morale and devotion to duty, General Kayani scrupulously avoided the use of such words as jihad and mujahideen being liberally used by the media.

“The heroes of the Pakistan army, as professional soldiers and patriots unswervingly dedicated to national defence and security, are not to be compared to the mujahid militants and suicide bombers out to destroy the peace of the land in the name of Islam.

“Pakistani deployment across Siachen is wholly for the defence of Pakistan rather than for Islam. A Pakistani soldier can be called a mujahid only as part of a motivational aid.

“While visiting the Bhani sector upstream the Wagah border in 1965, I called on Brigadier Qayyuum Sher, commander of 103 Brigade. The brigadier, a fine soldier, expressed utter dissatisfaction with stories of ‘divine intervention’ in the operations appearing in the national press. ‘How can you even think of a green-robed angel helping to deflect a bomb from a vital target — bridge or a bunker. Should that be so, what on earth is Pakistan Army doing? Remember, the wretched Hindu on the other side is as much a soldier as his Muslim counterpart. For God’s sake, stop your airy-fairy PR bull****...’

“Use of the terms jihad and mujahid for our soldiers could come as a boon to fanatical militant groups. Nothing would suit them better.”