American President Donald Trump revealed to Pakistani premier Imran Khan in a meeting in White House that the Indian premier Narendra Modi asked him to mediate on Kashmir Issue.

Donald Trump added that he was willing to mediate so long Imran Khan wanted it. Pakistan has always requested the International Community to mediate on Kashmir and there was no reason why Imran Khan would now disagree.  China has also immediately supported the idea of mediation to help resolve the Kashmir issue, while the Indian Foreign Minister plainly rejected the idea and categorically denied that India made such a request to the American president. One would wonder why the American President could make such a claim in front of the world media, had India not asked him to mediate.

However, whatever the truth is, the bottom line is that Tehreek-e-Wahadat or a movement for the reunification of Jammu Kashmir has serious reservations on American and British involvement, which have never resolved any problem, but only created a mess in the Muslim World. It was Britain in the first place, which conspired the division of Jammu Kashmir and she has ever since opposed the idea of reunification of Jammu Kashmir. Britain gave India a land route to Kashmir and urged Pakistan to enter Gilgit-Baltistan and also proscribe the independent army of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Azad Kashmir. Pakistan army entered Gilgit-Baltistan on the basis of the Karachi Agreement dated 28 April 1949 signed bilaterally between Pakistan and the Government of Azad Kashmir. Pakistan abused the agreement and the trust of the people of Kashmir disenchanting many Kashmiris, who now openly equate Pakistan with India.

On the one hand, both India and Pakistan promised the United Nations Security Council that they would withdraw their troops from the invaded state of Jammu Kashmir as soon as the referendum was held under the auspices of the United Nations, where the people of Kashmir could freely determine their future. On the other hand, both of them increased the number of troops in Kashmir, set up the branches of their own political parties in their respective occupied Kashmiri territories and banned the pro-independence politicians to participate in Kashmir elections that include this writer as well. After consolidating their military position in Kashmir, India and Pakistan turned the International Kashmir issue into a territorial dispute between them and kept the Kashmir representatives out of any negotiation thus far. This is why, the Wahadat Pasand Kashmiris struggling for the reunification of Jammu Kashmir including myself believe that American and British mediation between India and Pakistan is not for the purpose for which over 100 000 people have sacrificed their lives during the past 30 years. It is rather pressing India and Pakistan to settle down on whatever territory of Kashmir they have got and forget all about Kashmir and Kashmiris aspirations.

Besides, the pro unity Kashmiri activists are also saying that they have Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and now American threat to Iran in front of them, where America and Britain misled the whole world. They persuaded Yasir Arafat to recognize Israel and shake hands with Israeli leaders. Nobody has forgotten the Oslo Agreement, which produced no results for the Palestinians.

The right-minded and realistic Kashmiri activists believe that the only solution to Jammu Kashmir problem is the withdrawal of both Indian and Pakistani troops to let the divided Kashmiri families be reunited. The issue of Kashmir is not like other states of the sub-continent, which joined the Indian and Pakistani unions with their own free will. The case of Kashmir was distinct. Kashmir was not a constitutional part of India and therefore, not a part of India’s partition plan. Jammu Kashmir had been invaded unlike other states and too much blood has been shed by now and one would expect that a common sense and wisdom would prevail and India and Pakistan would pull out their troops and concentrate on the betterment of their over populated states and their future.

The people of Kashmir also feel disappointed about the role of the Muslim World, whose disunity has allowed the imperialistic powers to set the international rules and values and dictate any negotiation. The Muslims are the second largest religious community in the world, which deserves a major political representation on international platform to have an equitable say on the international issues.  We hope the like-minded and positive Muslim thinkers, scholars, writers and intellectuals play their role.