THIS IS A DEBATE NOT AN HEATED ARGUMENT BUT A VERY SERIOUS DEBATE HELD

INTELLECTUALLY ON A SERIOUS TOPIC

1
PAKISTANI: THE ISSUE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR IS NOT A DISPUTE OVER LAND, BUT A
STRUGGLE FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE
KASHMIRI PEOPLE—A RIGHT PROMISED TO THEM BY THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY. THIS IS THE UNFINISHED AGENDA OF THE 1947 PARTITION. THE
ACCESSION TO INDIA WAS PROVISIONAL, CONTINGENT ON THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE,
WHICH WAS TO BE ASCERTAINED THROUGH A FREE AND IMPARTIAL PLEBISCITE
MANDATED BY MULTIPLE UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS.

FOR OVER SEVEN DECADES, THE PEOPLE OF KASHMIR HAVE BEEN DENIED THIS
RIGHT, LIVING UNDER A HEAVY MILITARY PRESENCE THAT HAS LED TO GRAVE HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. THE UNILATERAL REVOCATION OF ARTICLE 370 IN 2019 WAS A
CLEAR VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND BILATERAL AGREEMENTS LIKE THE
SIMLA ACCORD, AIMED AT ILLEGALLY CEMENTING A DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT.
PAKISTAN’S POSITION IS CLEAR AND PRINCIPLED: A JUST, PEACEFUL, AND LASTING
SOLUTION CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED WHEN THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO
EXERCISE THEIR INALIENABLE RIGHT TO DECIDE THEIR OWN FUTURE.

1
INDIAN: THANK YOU.

HERE IS MY OPENING STATEMENT:

THE UNION TERRITORY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR IS, HAS BEEN, AND WILL FOREVER
REMAIN AN INTEGRAL AND INALIENABLE PART OF INDIA. THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF
OPINION; IT IS A MATTER OF LAW, HISTORY, AND AN ESTABLISHED FACT. THE BASIS
OF THIS IS THE INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION SIGNED IN 1947 BY MAHARAJA HARI
SINGH, WHICH WAS LEGALLY SOUND, FINAL, AND UNCONDITIONAL.

THE CORE ISSUE WE FACE IS NOT, AND HAS NEVER BEEN, ONE OF
SELF-DETERMINATION. IT IS A PROBLEM OF RELENTLESS, STATE-SPONSORED,
CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM THAT PAKISTAN HAS WAGED AGAINST INDIA FOR
DECADES. THIS HAS CAUSED IMMENSE HUMAN SUFFERING AND INSTABILITY IN THE
REGION.
REFERENCES TO UN RESOLUTIONS ARE DEEPLY MISLEADING. THEY CONVENIENTLY
IGNORE THE SEQUENTIAL NATURE OF THOSE RESOLUTIONS, WHICH REQUIRED
PAKISTAN, AS THE AGGRESSOR, TO FIRST WITHDRAW ALL ITS TROOPS FROM THE
TERRITORIES IT ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED. PAKISTAN HAS NEVER COMPLIED, RENDERING
THE CALL FOR A PLEBISCITE MOOT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE 1972 SIMLA AGREEMENT, A
BINDING BILATERAL TREATY, SUPERSEDED THOSE RESOLUTIONS, COMMITTING BOTH
NATIONS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE PEACEFULLY AND BILATERALLY, WITHOUT
THIRD-PARTY INTERFERENCE.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES OF 2019 WERE A SOVEREIGN ACT WITHIN OUR OWN
TERRITORY, DESIGNED TO END A TEMPORARY PROVISION, FULLY INTEGRATE THE
PEOPLE OF J&K WITH THE REST OF INDIA, AND FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AND LASTING PEACE. THE ONLY "UNFINISHED AGENDA" IS ENDING THE TERROR
EMANATING FROM ACROSS OUR BORDER.

2
PAKISTANI: YOU'VE PRESENTED A NARRATIVE THAT ATTEMPTS TO NORMALIZE A
DISPUTED SITUATION THROUGH LEGAL TECHNICALITIES, BUT IT CRUMBLES WHEN
FACED WITH HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.

FIRST, THE INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION WAS SIGNED BY A RULER FLEEING HIS OWN
PEOPLE; IT WAS PROVISIONAL AND EXPLICITLY CONDITIONED BY INDIA’S OWN
GOVERNOR-GENERAL, LORD MOUNTBATTEN, ON A FUTURE REFERENCE TO THE
PEOPLE. TO CALL IT "FINAL" IS TO IGNORE THE VERY CONTEXT OF ITS SIGNING.

SECOND, YOU CANNOT DISMISS UN RESOLUTIONS BECAUSE YOU DISLIKE THE

OUTCOME. THE RESOLUTIONS ESTABLISHED THE VERY PRINCIPLE THAT THE FINAL
STATUS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR MUST BE DECIDED BY ITS PEOPLE. PAKISTAN HAS
ALWAYS BEEN READY FOR A MUTUALLY AGREED, UN-SUPERVISED WITHDRAWAL OF
FORCES FROM BOTH SIDES TO ENABLE A PLEBISCITE. IT IS INDIA THAT HAS
CONSISTENTLY CREATED OBSTACLES, FEARING THE VERDICT OF THE KASHMIRI
PEOPLE.

FINALLY, WHILE YOU FRAME THE LEGITIMATE STRUGGLE OF KASHMIRIS FOR THEIR
RIGHTS AS "TERRORISM," THE WORLD SEES THE DISPROPORTIONATE FORCE AND
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS USED TO SUPPRESS THEIR ASPIRATIONS. THE SIMLA
AGREEMENT WAS A COMMITMENT TO RESOLVE THE DISPUTE, NOT A LICENSE FOR
INDIA TO ABSORB THE TERRITORY UNILATERALLY. YOUR ACTIONS IN 2019 PROVED
THAT INDIA IS NOT INTERESTED IN A BILATERAL SOLUTION, BUT IN IMPOSING A FINAL
SOLUTION.

MY QUESTION IS: IF KASHMIR IS TRULY AN INTEGRAL PART OF INDIA, WHY DOES IT

REQUIRE SUCH AN OVERWHELMING MILITARY PRESENCE TO BE GOVERNED?

2
INDIAN: YOU'VE RAISED SEVERAL POINTS BASED ON A SELECTIVE READING OF
HISTORY AND LAW, SO LET'S CLARIFY.

FIRST, THE INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION WAS AND IS LEGALLY FINAL. THE MAHARAJA
WAS THE LEGITIMATE RULER, AND HE FACED AN INVASION SPONSORED BY PAKISTAN.
HE ACCEDED TO INDIA TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THAT AGGRESSION. LORD
MOUNTBATTEN'S NOTE WAS A PERSONAL WISH, NOT A LEGAL CAVEAT THAT
INVALIDATED THE ACCESSION ITSELF. THE LEGALITY OF THE ACCESSION IS NOT IN
QUESTION.

SECOND, ON THE UN RESOLUTIONS, YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE THE CORE

PREREQUISITE. UNSC RESOLUTION 47 DEMANDED THAT PAKISTAN, AS THE
AGGRESSOR, WITHDRAW ITS FORCES AND NATIONALS FIRST. YOU NEVER DID. YOU
CANNOT FAIL TO MEET THE PRIMARY CONDITION FOR 75 YEARS AND THEN CLAIM
THE OTHER PARTY IS AT FAULT FOR THE PROCESS NOT MOVING FORWARD. THIS IS
WHY THE SIMLA AGREEMENT CORRECTLY MOVED THE FRAMEWORK TO A BILATERAL
ONE, WHICH PAKISTAN REPEATEDLY VIOLATES BY TRYING TO INTERNATIONALIZE THE
ISSUE.

NOW, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY: THE SECURITY PRESENCE IN JAMMU

AND KASHMIR IS NOT TO GOVERN THE PEOPLE; IT IS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE FROM
THE DECADES-LONG, EXTERNALLY-SPONSORED PROXY WAR THAT ORIGINATES
FROM ACROSS OUR BORDER. IT IS A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE INFILTRATION OF
TERRORISTS TRAINED, FUNDED, AND ARMED BY THE PAKISTANI STATE. YOU CANNOT
LIGHT A FIRE IN YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE AND THEN QUESTION WHY THEY HAVE
FIREFIGHTERS DEPLOYED. THE MILITARY PRESENCE IS A CONSEQUENCE OF
CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM, NOT THE CAUSE OF THE CONFLICT. END THE EXPORT
OF TERROR, AND THE NEED FOR A HEAVY SECURITY FOOTPRINT WILL VANISH.

3
PAKISTANI: YOU'RE ATTEMPTING TO BUILD A LEGAL FORTRESS ON A FOUNDATION OF
HISTORICAL FICTION.
FIRST, TO CALL LORD MOUNTBATTEN'S EXPLICIT CONDITION FOR A PLEBISCITE A
MERE "PERSONAL WISH" IS A DELIBERATE MISREADING OF HISTORY. IT WAS A
FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE ACCESSION, ACKNOWLEDGING ITS
DISPUTED NATURE FROM DAY ONE. THE LEGITIMACY OF A RULER DOES NOT GRANT
HIM THE RIGHT TO DECIDE THE FATE OF MILLIONS AGAINST THEIR WILL, ESPECIALLY
DURING A POPULAR UPRISING AGAINST HIS RULE, WHICH PREDATED THE TRIBAL
INCURSION.

SECOND, YOU PAINT THE CONFLICT'S ORIGIN AS "CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM,"

CONVENIENTLY ERASING THE TIMELINE. THE WIDESPREAD, INDIGENOUS
INSURGENCY ERUPTED IN 1989 AS A DIRECT RESULT OF DECADES OF POLITICAL
REPRESSION AND RIGGED ELECTIONS BY THE INDIAN STATE. TO BLAME PAKISTAN
FOR A MOVEMENT BORN OUT OF INDIA'S OWN UNDEMOCRATIC ACTIONS IS A
CLASSIC CASE OF BLAMING THE SYMPTOM TO IGNORE THE DISEASE. PAKISTAN'S
ROLE HAS BEEN ONE OF MORAL AND DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT FOR A GENUINE
FREEDOM STRUGGLE.

YOU SPEAK OF FIREFIGHTERS, BUT THE REALITY ON THE GROUND IS THAT YOUR
FORCES HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF WIDESPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, STIFLING
ALL FORMS OF DISSENT UNDER THE GUISE OF SECURITY. THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE
ARE NOT ASKING FOR PROTECTION FROM AN EXTERNAL THREAT; THEY ARE
DEMANDING FREEDOM FROM AN INTERNAL OCCUPATION

3
INDIAN: YOUR ATTEMPT TO REWRITE HISTORY IS ASTONISHING. TO CLAIM THE 1989
INSURGENCY WAS PURELY "INDIGENOUS" IS TO DELIBERATELY IGNORE THE
WELL-DOCUMENTED ROLE OF PAKISTAN'S ISI IN ORCHESTRATING IT UNDER
"OPERATION TOPAC." THE FLOOD OF FOREIGN FIGHTERS, THE SOPHISTICATED
WEAPONRY, THE TRAINING CAMPS ACROSS THE LINE OF CONTROL—THESE WERE
NOT PRODUCTS OF LOCAL DISCONTENT; THEY WERE INSTRUMENTS OF A
STATE-SPONSORED PROXY WAR. CALLING IT "MORAL AND DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT" IS
A CYNICAL AND DISHONEST EUPHEMISM FOR EXPORTING TERRORISM.

YOU ALLEGE POLITICAL REPRESSION, YET JAMMU AND KASHMIR HAS CONSISTENTLY
HELD ELECTIONS, HAD A FUNCTIONING LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, A FREE PRESS, AND
A VIBRANT CIVIL SOCIETY—ALL HALLMARKS OF A DEMOCRACY. LET ME ASK YOU, IN
THE SPIRIT OF ETHICAL CONSISTENCY, WHAT POLITICAL RIGHTS DO THE PEOPLE OF
PAKISTAN-OCCUPIED KASHMIR AND GILGIT-BALTISTAN HAVE? THEY HAVE BEEN
RULED FROM ISLAMABAD FOR OVER 75 YEARS WITH NO AUTHENTIC DEMOCRATIC
REPRESENTATION. BEFORE YOU CRITIQUE OUR DEMOCRACY, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD
FIRST INTRODUCE THE CONCEPT IN THE TERRITORIES YOU ILLEGALLY CONTROL.

THEREFORE, THE FIREFIGHTER ANALOGY IS MORE APT THAN EVER. OUR SECURITY
FORCES ARE RESPONDING TO THE ARSONIST. AND WHILE INDIA, AS A DEMOCRACY
WITH AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY, HAS MECHANISMS TO ADDRESS ALLEGATIONS OF
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, YOU CONVENIENTLY IGNORE THE MOST HEINOUS ACT OF
ETHNIC CLEANSING IN THE REGION: THE FORCED EXODUS OF HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF KASHMIRI PANDITS FROM THE VALLEY, DRIVEN OUT BY THE VERY
TERRORISTS YOUR STATE SUPPORTED. THE PRIMARY DEMAND OF THE PEOPLE OF
KASHMIR IS FREEDOM FROM THE FEAR OF THE TERRORIST'S GUN—A GUN THAT IS
SUPPLIED AND AIMED FROM ACROSS THE BORDER.

4
PAKISTANI: YOU INVOKE "OPERATION TOPAC," A LONG-DISCREDITED PIECE OF
FICTION CREATED TO DENY A SIMPLE TRUTH: THE 1989 UPRISING WAS A DIRECT,
POPULAR, AND INDIGENOUS REACTION TO INDIA'S FRAUDULENT 1987 STATE
ELECTIONS, WHICH CRUSHED THE LAST HOPES FOR DEMOCRATIC EXPRESSION IN
KASHMIR. YOU BLAME AN EXTERNAL HAND TO AVOID LOOKING AT THE BLOOD ON
YOUR OWN.

YOU SPEAK OF DEMOCRACY, BUT WHAT DEMOCRACY HOLDS ELECTIONS WITH HALF
A MILLION TROOPS ON THE STREETS? WHAT VIBRANT CIVIL SOCIETY HAS ITS
INTERNET SHUT DOWN FOR MONTHS, ITS LEADERS JAILED WITHOUT TRIAL, AND ITS
JOURNALISTS INTIMIDATED INTO SILENCE? THIS ISN'T DEMOCRACY; IT'S THE
MANAGEMENT OF AN OCCUPATION.

AND WHILE YOU DEFLECT BY POINTING TO GILGIT-BALTISTAN, LET'S BE CLEAR: THE

SCALE AND NATURE OF OPPRESSION ARE NOT COMPARABLE. WE HAVE NOT
SUBJECTED THE POPULATION THERE TO MASS DISAPPEARANCES, PELLET-GUN
BLINDINGS, AND UNMARKED GRAVES.

THE TRAGEDY OF THE KASHMIRI PANDITS IS A STAIN ON THE HISTORY OF THE

VALLEY, AND THEIR SUFFERING IS IMMENSE. BUT IT IS A TRAGEDY THAT INDIA HAS
WEAPONIZED TO JUSTIFY ITS BRUTALIZATION OF THE KASHMIRI MUSLIM MAJORITY
AND TO DELEGITIMIZE THEIR POLITICAL STRUGGLE. TRUE JUSTICE WOULD SEE THE
RETURN OF THE PANDITS TO A LAND WHERE ALL KASHMIRIS—NOT JUST THOSE WHO
AGREE WITH NEW DELHI—CAN DECIDE THEIR OWN FUTURE. THE ROOT OF ALL
VIOLENCE IS THE DENIAL OF THIS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT.

4
INDIAN: YOU CAN DISMISS "OPERATION TOPAC" AS FICTION, BUT YOU CANNOT
DISMISS THE MOUNTAINS OF EVIDENCE—FROM CAPTURED FOREIGN TERRORISTS
AND WEAPONS WITH PAKISTANI ARMY MARKINGS TO THE PUBLIC CONFESSIONS OF
YOUR OWN FORMER OFFICIALS. TO SUGGEST THAT A DISPUTED ELECTION JUSTIFIES
A BLOODY, FOREIGN-SPONSORED TERROR CAMPAIGN THAT HAS KILLED TENS OF
THOUSANDS IS A MORALLY BANKRUPT ARGUMENT. DEMOCRATIC GRIEVANCES ARE
SETTLED THROUGH DEMOCRATIC MEANS, NOT WITH KALASHNIKOVS SUPPLIED BY
THE ISI.

YOU QUESTION OUR DEMOCRACY. YES, WE HAVE TAKEN DIFFICULT MEASURES,

BECAUSE WE ARE FIGHTING A DIFFICULT WAR AGAINST TERROR. INTERNET
SHUTDOWNS ARE NOT TO STIFLE DISSENT; THEY ARE TO STOP TERRORISTS FROM
ORGANIZING ATTACKS AND TO PREVENT YOUR STATE-SPONSORED PROPAGANDA
FROM INCITING MOBS TO VIOLENCE. OUR SECURITY FORCES ARE THERE TO
PROTECT THE SANCTITY OF THE BALLOT BOX FROM THE THREAT OF THE BULLET.
THE CHOICE FOR THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE IS NOT BETWEEN INDIA AND
INDEPENDENCE; IT'S BETWEEN A DEMOCRATIC FUTURE AND A FUTURE HELD
HOSTAGE BY VIOLENT EXTREMISTS BACKED BY A FOREIGN POWER.

AND LET'S BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE KASHMIRI PANDITS. TO CALL THE DEMAND
FOR JUSTICE FOR THEIR ETHNIC CLEANSING "WEAPONIZING THEIR SUFFERING" IS A
NEW LOW. IT IS NOT A POLITICAL TOOL; IT IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE. IT EXPOSES THE
UGLY, SECTARIAN CORE OF THE SO-CALLED "FREEDOM STRUGGLE" YOU
CHAMPION—A MOVEMENT THAT BEGAN BY DRIVING A MINORITY COMMUNITY FROM
THEIR ANCESTRAL HOMES. THEIR SUFFERING IS NOT A BARGAINING CHIP; IT IS A
TESTAMENT TO THE TRUE NATURE OF THE VIOLENCE YOU SUPPORT. THE ROOT OF
ALL VIOLENCE IS NOT THE DENIAL OF A VOTE, BUT THE EXPORT OF TERROR FROM
YOUR SOIL.

5
PAKISTANI: YOU SPEAK OF "MOUNTAINS OF EVIDENCE," YET THIS EVIDENCE
PRIMARILY CONSISTS OF COERCED CONFESSIONS AND PROPAGANDA DESIGNED TO
FIT YOUR PRE-WRITTEN NARRATIVE. YOU HOLD UP PAKISTANI ARMY MARKINGS AS
PROOF, BUT CONVENIENTLY IGNORE THE VAST AND POROUS BLACK MARKET FOR
ARMS IN THE REGION. YOUR ENTIRE ARGUMENT RESTS ON A FOUNDATION OF
ABSOLVING YOUR OWN STATE OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONFLICT.

YOU JUSTIFY DRACONIAN MEASURES LIKE COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT THROUGH

INTERNET SHUTDOWNS AS NECESSARY FOR SECURITY. THIS IS THE CLASSIC
LANGUAGE OF AN OCCUPYING POWER. YOU ARE NOT PROTECTING THE BALLOT
BOX; YOU ARE POLICING A RESENTFUL POPULATION. IF THE DEMOCRATIC
ASPIRATIONS OF KASHMIRIS WERE TRULY BEING MET, THEY WOULD NOT NEED TO BE
GOVERNED BY HALF A MILLION SOLDIERS. YOU OFFER A FALSE CHOICE BETWEEN
YOUR RULE AND "EXTREMISM," WHEN THE REAL DEMAND IS FOR A THIRD OPTION:
THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN DESTINY.
AND LET'S BE HONEST ABOUT THE KASHMIRI PANDIT TRAGEDY. THEIR EXODUS WAS
A HORRIFIC EVENT, BUT PORTRAYING THE ENTIRE KASHMIRI FREEDOM STRUGGLE
AS A SECTARIAN MOVEMENT BECAUSE OF IT IS A GROSS AND DELIBERATE
DISTORTION. KEY KASHMIRI LEADERS, WHOM YOU LABEL AS EXTREMISTS, HAVE
REPEATEDLY CALLED FOR THE PANDITS' SAFE RETURN. YOU USE THEIR PAIN TO
PAINT A SECULAR, POLITICAL MOVEMENT AS A JIHADIST CAMPAIGN. IT IS A CYNICAL
TACTIC TO AVOID ADDRESSING THE CORE POLITICAL DISPUTE, FOR WHICH YOUR
STATE'S INTRANSIGENCE REMAINS THE PRIMARY OBSTACLE TO PEACE.

5
INDIAN: TO SUGGEST OUR EVIDENCE IS MERE PROPAGANDA IS TO IGNORE A GLOBAL
CONSENSUS. THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL, THE US STATE DEPARTMENT, AND THE
FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE HAVE ALL DOCUMENTED AND SANCTIONED THE
TERRORIST GROUPS—LASHKAR-E-TAIBA, JAISH-E-MOHAMMED—THAT YOUR STATE
HARBORS AND SUPPORTS. THESE ARE NOT "BLACK MARKET" ENTITIES; THEY ARE
INSTRUMENTS OF YOUR FOREIGN POLICY, A FACT ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE ENTIRE
WORLD. TO DENY THIS ISN'T TO ARGUE WITH INDIA; IT'S TO ARGUE WITH REALITY.

YOU SPEAK OF A "THIRD OPTION," BUT THIS IS A FANTASY THAT IGNORES THE HARSH
REALITIES OF THE REGION. THIS SO-CALLED OPTION WOULD CREATE A
LANDLOCKED, ECONOMICALLY UNVIABLE STATE, IMMEDIATELY OVERRUN BY THE
VERY EXTREMIST GROUPS YOU CURRENTLY SPONSOR. IT WOULD BECOME A
PLAYGROUND FOR TERRORISTS AND A SOURCE OF PERMANENT INSTABILITY. INDIA
HAS A CONSTITUTIONAL AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PREVENT THAT CHAOS. WE
ARE NOT "POLICING A RESENTFUL POPULATION"; WE ARE INVESTING IN THE
DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE OF OUR OWN CITIZENS, CONNECTING THEM TO THE
WORLD'S FASTEST-GROWING MAJOR ECONOMY.

FINALLY, YOU CANNOT WHITEWASH THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF THE KASHMIRI

PANDITS. A MOVEMENT THAT BEGINS BY SYSTEMATICALLY TARGETING, KILLING, AND
DRIVING OUT A RELIGIOUS MINORITY IS, BY DEFINITION, NOT SECULAR. THE
SLOGANS ON THE STREETS OF SRINAGAR IN 1990 WERE NOT POLITICAL; THEY WERE
SECTARIAN AND GENOCIDAL. THE HOLLOW PROMISES FROM SEPARATIST LEADERS
ABOUT THEIR RETURN RING FALSE WHEN THOSE SAME LEADERS GLORIFY THE
TERRORISTS WHO MURDERED THEM. THE PAIN OF THE PANDITS IS NOT A TACTIC; IT
IS THE FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH OF THIS CONFLICT, AND IT EXPOSES THE SO-CALLED
"FREEDOM STRUGGLE" FOR THE VIOLENT, INTOLERANT CAMPAIGN THAT IT HAS
ALWAYS BEEN.

6
PAKISTANI: YOU ARE CONFLATING THE GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM WITH
INDIA'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGN TO DEFAME PAKISTAN. LET'S BE CLEAR: PAKISTAN HAS
MADE IMMENSE SACRIFICES AND IS A FRONTLINE STATE IN COMBATING TERROR
GROUPS. HOWEVER, YOU USE INTERNATIONAL FORUMS NOT FOR JUSTICE, BUT TO
SELECTIVELY TARGET PAKISTAN WHILE IGNORING THE STATE-SPONSORED
TERRORISM INDIA ITSELF PERPETRATES IN THE REGION TO DESTABILIZE ITS
NEIGHBORS. THIS IS A CLASSIC CASE OF APPLYING INCONSISTENT MORAL
STANDARDS.

YOU DISMISS THE "THIRD OPTION" OF KASHMIRI SELF-DETERMINATION AS A

"FANTASY" THAT WOULD LEAD TO CHAOS. THIS IS THE SAME PATERNALISTIC
ARGUMENT EVERY COLONIAL POWER IN HISTORY HAS USED TO DENY FREEDOM.
WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE THAT THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE ARE INCAPABLE OF
GOVERNING THEMSELVES? THE CHAOS AND RADICALIZATION WE SEE TODAY ARE
NOT A FUTURE RISK; THEY ARE THE DIRECT PRODUCT OF YOUR MILITARY
OCCUPATION. YOU CREATED THE CONDITIONS FOR CONFLICT; YOU CANNOT NOW
USE THOSE CONDITIONS AS AN EXCUSE TO PERPETUATE YOUR RULE.

FINALLY, THE FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH OF THIS CONFLICT IS NOT THE TRAGIC EXODUS
OF THE PANDITS ALONE. THE FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH IS THE DENIAL OF A PLEBISCITE
PROMISED IN 1948. THE FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH IS THE MILITARY OCCUPATION AND
THE STRIPPING OF RIGHTS FROM MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. BY FOCUSING ONLY ON THE
UNDENIABLY TRAGIC SUFFERING OF ONE COMMUNITY, YOU ARE USING THEIR PAIN
AS A SHIELD TO HIDE THE MUCH LARGER AND LONGER STORY OF YOUR OWN
STATE'S REPRESSION. TRUE RECONCILIATION REQUIRES ADDRESSING ALL
HISTORICAL TRAUMAS, NOT JUST THE ONES THAT SUIT YOUR NARRATIVE.

6
INDIAN: LET'S BE UNEQUIVOCALLY CLEAR. TO PORTRAY PAKISTAN AS A FRONTLINE
VICTIM IN THE WAR ON TERROR IS A NARRATIVE THAT COLLAPSED WHEN OSAMA BIN
LADEN WAS FOUND LIVING COMFORTABLY IN ABBOTTABAD. THE WORLD
RECOGNIZES THE DUPLICITY OF A STATE THAT SELECTIVELY FIGHTS SOME
TERRORISTS WHILE ACTIVELY NURTURING OTHERS AS STRATEGIC ASSETS AGAINST
ITS NEIGHBORS. THIS ISN'T A "POLITICAL CAMPAIGN"; IT'S A GLOBALLY
ACKNOWLEDGED FACT. YOUR ACCUSATIONS OF INDIAN-SPONSORED TERROR ARE
BASELESS CLAIMS DESIGNED TO DEFLECT FROM THIS UNDENIABLE REALITY.

THE COMPARISON TO COLONIALISM IS NOT ONLY OFFENSIVE BUT HISTORICALLY

ILLITERATE. JAMMU AND KASHMIR LEGALLY ACCEDED TO INDIA; ITS PEOPLE ARE OUR
CITIZENS WITH RIGHTS UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION. WE ARE NOT DENYING
FREEDOM; WE ARE PREVENTING THE CREATION OF A CHAOTIC, EXTREMIST-RUN
STATE THAT WOULD BE IMMEDIATELY CONSUMED BY THE VERY TERROR GROUPS
YOU SPONSOR. THIS ISN'T A PATERNALISTIC FANTASY; IT'S A REALISTIC ASSESSMENT
OF THE GRAVE SECURITY THREAT YOUR POLICIES POSE TO THE ENTIRE REGION.
THE CHAOS IS A DIRECT PRODUCT OF THE JIHADIST IDEOLOGY YOU HAVE EXPORTED
FOR DECADES.
FINALLY, TRUE RECONCILIATION IS WHAT WE ALL DESIRE. BUT RECONCILIATION
CANNOT HAPPEN AT THE BARREL OF A GUN. THE ABSOLUTE FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH
IS THAT DIALOGUE CANNOT BEGIN UNTIL THE TERROR FACTORIES ON YOUR SOIL
ARE SHUT DOWN, PERMANENTLY AND VERIFIABLY. THE DENIAL OF THE PLEBISCITE
BECAME NECESSARY THE MOMENT YOU INVADED IN 1947 AND REFUSED TO
WITHDRAW. THE MILITARY PRESENCE IS NECESSARY BECAUSE YOU CONTINUE TO
SEND TERRORISTS TO KILL OUR CITIZENS. ALL HISTORICAL TRAUMAS MUST BE
ADDRESSED, BUT THE PROCESS CANNOT START UNTIL THE PRESENT-DAY TRAUMA
OF CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM ENDS. THE PATH TO PEACE BEGINS AND ENDS WITH
YOU ABANDONING TERROR AS AN INSTRUMENT OF STATE POLICY.

7
PAKISTANI: YOU INVOKE A SINGLE INTELLIGENCE FAILURE TO ERASE DECADES OF
PAKISTAN'S SACRIFICES—SACRIFICES THAT HAVE COST US OVER 80,000 LIVES AND
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WE HAVE PAID FOR THE WORLD'S WARS IN BLOOD, A PRICE
YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND. WHILE YOU POINT FINGERS, YOU CONSISTENTLY
REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE REAL SOURCE OF REGIONAL INSTABILITY: INDIA'S
SEVEN-DECADE-LONG REFUSAL TO GRANT THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE THEIR PROMISED
RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION.

YOU REJECT THE COLONIAL PARALLEL, YET YOUR ACTIONS ARE A TEXTBOOK
EXAMPLE. YOU UNILATERALLY ALTERED THE TERRITORY'S SPECIAL STATUS IN 2019,
AN ILLEGAL ACT DESIGNED TO ERASE ITS IDENTITY AND CHANGE ITS DEMOGRAPHIC
MAKEUP. YOU ARGUE YOU ARE PREVENTING CHAOS, BUT THIS IS THE CLASSIC
JUSTIFICATION OF AN OCCUPIER—DENYING PEOPLE THEIR POLITICAL RIGHTS
UNDER THE GUISE OF PROTECTING THEM FROM THEMSELVES. THIS ISN'T
PROTECTION; IT'S A CAGE.

YOU DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE AS A PRECONDITION FOR DIALOGUE, BUT THIS IS

A DISINGENUOUS ATTEMPT TO AVOID ANY CONVERSATION AT ALL. YOU CANNOT
CREATE A PRESSURE COOKER THROUGH DECADES OF MILITARY REPRESSION AND
THEN ACT SURPRISED WHEN IT BOILS OVER. THE VIOLENCE IS A SYMPTOM OF THE
UNDERLYING POLITICAL DISEASE: THE DENIAL OF JUSTICE. A LASTING PEACE
CANNOT BE DICTATED ON YOUR TERMS. IT CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED WHEN INDIA
ABANDONS ITS RIGIDITY , ACKNOWLEDGES THE LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS OF THE
KASHMIRI PEOPLE, AND AGREES TO A DIALOGUE THAT INCLUDES ALL THREE
STAKEHOLDERS: INDIA, PAKISTAN, AND THE KASHMIRIS THEMSELVES.
7
INDIAN: YOUR NARRATIVE OF VICTIMHOOD IS CONTRADICTED BY THE HISTORY OF
YOUR STATE'S OWN CHOICES. THE TRAGIC LOSSES YOU'VE SUFFERED ARE THE
DIRECT BLOWBACK FROM A DISASTROUS POLICY OF CULTIVATING TERRORIST
GROUPS AS FOREIGN POLICY TOOLS. YOU SPEAK OF A "PRESSURE COOKER"—IT'S A
FITTING ANALOGY. BUT IT WAS PAKISTAN THAT BUILT THE COOKER OF RADICALISM,
SEALED IT WITH THE LID OF EXTREMISM, AND LIT THE FIRE. THE VIOLENCE THAT
RESULTED WAS NOT A SPONTANEOUS UPRISING; IT WAS AN ENGINEERED
CATASTROPHE.

YOU CALL THE ABROGATION OF ARTICLE 370 AN ILLEGAL ACT TO "ERASE IDENTITY."
ON THE CONTRARY, IT WAS A SOVEREIGN, DEMOCRATIC DECISION TO REMOVE A
TEMPORARY ARTICLE THAT HAD BECOME A BREEDING GROUND FOR SEPARATISM,
CORRUPTION, AND GENDER INEQUALITY. WE ARE NOT ERASING IDENTITY; WE ARE
EXTENDING FULL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS TO ALL OUR CITIZENS IN JAMMU
AND KASHMIR, BRINGING THEM THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROGRESS AS THE
REST OF INDIA. WE ARE NOT BUILDING A CAGE; WE ARE BREAKING DOWN THE VERY
WALLS THAT ISOLATED THE REGION AND HELD BACK ITS PEOPLE FOR 70 YEARS.

AND LET'S BE UNAMBIGUOUS ABOUT DIALOGUE. THE PRINCIPLE THAT "TALKS AND
TERROR CANNOT GO TOGETHER" IS NOT A "DISINGENUOUS TACTIC." IT IS A MORAL
AND PRACTICAL ABSOLUTE. NO SELF-RESPECTING NATION WILL NEGOTIATE WHILE
ITS CITIZENS ARE BEING MURDERED BY TERRORISTS SENT FROM ACROSS A
BORDER. TO DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO AVOID
CONVERSATION; IT IS THE BASIC, UNIVERSALLY UNDERSTOOD REQUIREMENT TO
BEGIN ONE. THE FRAMEWORK FOR THAT CONVERSATION REMAINS THE BILATERAL
SIMLA AGREEMENT. THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR,
WHO ARE INDIAN CITIZENS, WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH OUR DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS, NOT IN A FORUM WITH THE VERY STATE THAT HAS SPONSORED DEATH
AND DESTRUCTION IN THE REGION FOR DECADES.

8
PAKISTANI: FOR SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS, INDIA HAS TRIED TO SILENCE THE KASHMIR
DISPUTE WITH FORCE, LEGALISM, AND NOW, THE PROMISE OF ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT. BUT THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT CAN BE MANAGED, CONTAINED,
OR DEVELOPED AWAY. AT ITS HEART, THIS IS A DISPUTE ABOUT A PROMISE THAT WAS
MADE AND A RIGHT THAT HAS BEEN DENIED—THE RIGHT OF THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE
TO DETERMINE THEIR OWN DESTINY.

YOU SPEAK OF BREAKING DOWN WALLS, BUT WITH THE ABROGATION OF ARTICLE
370, YOU HAVE BUILT A CONSTITUTIONAL PRISON, ATTEMPTING TO FORCIBLY
ASSIMILATE A PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL. OFFERING JOBS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR UNIQUE IDENTITY AND POLITICAL RIGHTS IS A COLONIAL
BARGAIN THAT THE PEOPLE OF KASHMIR REJECT. THEY DO NOT WANT A MORE
COMFORTABLE OCCUPATION; THEY WANT FREEDOM FROM OCCUPATION ITSELF.

INDIA INSISTS THAT PEACE CAN ONLY BEGIN WHEN THE VIOLENCE ENDS, BUT THIS
GETS THE LOGIC BACKWARD. THE VIOLENCE IS THE INEVITABLE SYMPTOM OF A
BRUTAL, DECADES-LONG MILITARY OCCUPATION AND THE DENIAL OF FUNDAMENTAL
RIGHTS. TRUE PEACE CAN ONLY BEGIN WHEN INDIA SUMMONS THE COURAGE TO
ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE: THE POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS OF THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE.
THE SIMLA AGREEMENT HAS FAILED TO ACHIEVE THIS FOR FIFTY YEARS. THE ONLY
PATH TO A JUST AND LASTING PEACE REMAINS ANCHORED IN THE PRINCIPLES OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW AND JUSTICE—A PATH THAT ALLOWS THE PEOPLE OF KASHMIR
TO FINALLY HAVE THEIR SAY. YOU CANNOT HAVE PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE, AND
THERE IS NO JUSTICE IN DENYING A PEOPLE THEIR VOICE.

8
INDIAN: FOR DECADES, MY OPPONENT'S ARGUMENTS HAVE RELIED ON INVERTING
REALITY. THEY SPEAK OF A "DENIED PROMISE," BUT IGNORE THE FOUNDATIONAL
TRUTH: THE LEGAL, FINAL ACCESSION OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR TO INDIA, AND THE
SUBSEQUENT INVASION BY PAKISTAN THAT CREATED THIS CONFLICT. THE CORE
ISSUE IS NOT A POLITICAL DISPUTE; IT IS A RELENTLESS CAMPAIGN OF
CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM DESIGNED TO SEIZE TERRITORY THROUGH VIOLENCE.

YOU CALL OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS A "PRISON." WE CALL IT EMANCIPATION.

WE HAVE LIBERATED THE PEOPLE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR FROM THE GRIP OF A
CORRUPT, DYNASTIC POLITICAL CLASS THAT USED SPECIAL STATUS TO DENY
RIGHTS TO WOMEN, MINORITIES, AND REFUGEES. WE HAVE REPLACED THE
SEPARATIST AGENDA THAT BROUGHT ONLY GUNS AND GRAVEYARDS WITH AN
AGENDA OF DEVELOPMENT, INVESTMENT, AND OPPORTUNITY. WE ARE NOT
OFFERING A "COLONIAL BARGAIN"; WE ARE OFFERING EQUAL CITIZENSHIP AND A
STAKE IN THE WORLD'S FIFTH-LARGEST ECONOMY. OUR VISION IS NOT OCCUPATION;
IT IS EMPOWERMENT.

LET US BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR: TERRORISM IS NOT A "SYMPTOM." IT IS A WEAPON. IT

IS A DELIBERATE POLICY CHOICE BY PAKISTAN. THERE CAN BE NO JUSTICE FOR
ANYONE WHEN THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF A MINORITY COMMUNITY IS BRUSHED
ASIDE AND TERRORISTS ARE CELEBRATED AS MARTYRS. TRUE JUSTICE IS A CHILD IN
SRINAGAR BEING ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL WITHOUT FEAR. TRUE JUSTICE IS
DELIVERING A PEACEFUL LIFE TO THE CURRENT GENERATION, FREE FROM THE
INTIMIDATION OF A GUN FUNDED FROM ACROSS THE BORDER.

THE PATH FORWARD IS NOT IN RESURRECTING FAILED, OBSOLETE RESOLUTIONS. IT

IS ENSHRINED IN THE SIMLA AGREEMENT, WHICH COMMITS US TO RESOLVING ALL
ISSUES BILATERALLY. THE CHOICE, THEREFORE, LIES WITH PAKISTAN. YOU CAN
CONTINUE DOWN THE RUINOUS PATH OF SPONSORING TERROR, OR YOU CAN
CHOOSE TO BECOME A NORMAL NEIGHBOR. THE FIRST, NON-NEGOTIABLE STEP IS
THE COMPLETE AND PERMANENT DISMANTLEMENT OF YOUR TERROR
INFRASTRUCTURE. THE FUTURE OF JAMMU, KASHMIR, AND LADAKH IS AS A
PEACEFUL, PROSPEROUS, AND INTEGRAL PART OF THE INDIAN UNION. THAT FUTURE
IS BRIGHT, AND IT IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE.