Pakistan is again trying to milk the Israel-Palestine conflict to drive false narratives in Kashmir.
Pakistan has played games of deceit in Kashmir for decades. Following the recent Israel-Palestine conflict, Pakistan has again flooded the social media in Kashmir. The emotive content unleashed by Pakistan builds a sham parallel between Palestine and Kashmir. The videos and so-called freedom songs locally referred to as tarana, draw bogus comparisons between Palestine and Kashmir.
Militant organizations actively shared these audiovisuals on social media platforms. The Kashmir clergy, particularly of Jamati and Salafi school of thought, raised passions in mosques. They made every possible attempt to equate the situation in Palestine with Kashmir and prayed for the end of what they termed as the Indian occupation of Kashmir. On closely monitoring the pattern of the social media hashtags in Kashmir in support of Palestine, one could discern that every single video was uploaded from across the border to incite Kashmiris. Back in Kashmir, activists of Jamaat e Islami and its student’s wing also tried to provoke the youth to rise for the cause of Palestine. By extension, their objective is to provoke the youth against the Indian state. Playing the religion card, Pakistan has consistently tried to inflame Kashmiris on the Kashmir-Palestine plank. Since decades, Pakistan’s proxies in Kashmir have equated Kashmir to Palestine to make the gullible youth fight India. A lie repeated often enough is regarded as the truth. The false equation of Kashmir and Palestine has been repeated in Kashmir so much that this myth is regarded as the truth.
Shrill Support For Palestine in Kashmir
Driven by the religio-political narrative pushed by Pakistan, Kashmir has a history of vociferous support for Palestine. In June 1967, nearly 54 years ago, Israel annexed East Jerusalem. In Srinagar, some foreign tourists were targeted and churches were reportedly set on fire. Protests erupted at major mosques in Kashmir. Curfew had to be imposed for six days in Srinagar.
During the Gaza crisis of 2014, support for Palestine again erupted in Kashmir. This was accompanied by protests against India. In 2018, 62 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in Israeli attacks. Hundreds of Kashmiris participated in rallies to support Palestine, with slogans shouting against India. After the recent combat between Israel and Palestine, Kashmiris again tried to agitations. Jammu and Kashmir Police responded firmly, and 22 people were arrested. Intelligence reports reveal that a large percentage of mullahs of Kashmir have been making fiery speeches comparing Kashmir to Palestine so that the gullible youth join militancy. A major plank for terrorism is the Islam in Danger narrative, which inspires young men to supposedly stand for the cause. The harsh truth is that Palestine does not care for Kashmir.
Close relations between Palestine and India
For decades, India and Palestine have enjoyed good diplomatic relations. India has historically been supportive of the Palestinian cause both bilaterally and internationally. India was the first non-Arab government to recognize Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative of Palestinians. In November 1988, India recognized Palestine as a state. Thereafter, India has provided financial aid to Palestine along with material and technological assistance.In 1975, Palestine Liberation Organization opened an office in New Delhi, and full diplomatic relations were established in March 1980. India recognized Palestine as a state in 1988. Palestinian and Indian leaders have regularly engaged in bilateral visits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first PM to visit Palestine officially. Palestine honored him with its highest civilian award. In the current conflict between Palestine and Israel, India has spoken in favor of the two-state solution. After India abrogated the special status of J&K, the reaction from the Arab world and Palestine was neither severe nor censorious. The Arab world and also Palestine did not take a harsh stand on this issue despite Pakistan’s shrill chest-beating.
All through the manufactured and imposed agitations of Kashmir, Palestine has never spoken up for Kashmir. Kashmiris should wake up to the global geopolitical realities and stop living in a world of delusion created by Pakistan, itself a deluded state.
