Forceful Annexation of Occupied Kashmir: A Shock to Incite True Independence from Colonialism

5th August 2020 marked a year since Modi initially laid siege to Occupied Kashmir. We have now entered the second year of Modi’s forcible annexation, with brutal suppression of Muslims in Occupied Kashmir and numerous attacks upon Azad (Liberated) Kashmir, to mark his newly claimed territory.

Such an outcome after decades of principled and spirited resistance, predating Pakistan’s independence on 14 August 1947, has been a shock to Muslims. The shock manifests as feelings of frustration and despair, in Muslims of Pakistan, as well as feelings of betrayal and abandonment, in Muslims of Occupied Kashmir. The shock has far from subsided and is beginning to concentrate on a single political viewpoint, through widespread and engaging debate about the why’s and how’s of this tragedy.

It is clear to us that the effective resolution of Occupied Kashmir does not elude us because of material considerations, whether economic and military capabilities. It eludes us because of the political viewpoint of the current rulers of Pakistan. Rather than mustering our own resources to secure our long-denied right, the current leadership defers to the colonialist powers that steer the international community, through the United Nations’ Security Council.

However, let us note that, today, Pakistan’s leadership is on its own in its dependence on the colonialists. The Bajwa-Imran regime is clearly out of step with the masses, eliciting their derision and condemnation for its stance and the token measures that are an outcome of it. After all, the regime's stance collides with all that we know of our Deen and our history. The United Nations has repeatedly stung Muslims in their affairs, whilst adopting silence or extending support to those who aggress against Muslims, whether it was in Srebrenica twenty-five years ago, or Occupied Kashmir today. Moreover, our longing for independence from the kuffar powers is not borne of nostalgia over the era of Islamic ruling. Our longing stems from a conviction in Islam itself, through understanding of the fundamental tenets of statecraft and international relations exemplified in the Sunnah of RasulAllah (saw) and emulated by the Khulafa’a Rashideen (ra).

Fundamentally at odds with our sensations and thinking, the current political and military elite is incapable of leading us. It is a persistent relic of the colonialist era that started establishing its roots in the Indian Subcontinent in 1657, well before the destruction of the Khilafah in 1924. It is this elite that was nurtured by the colonialist himself, fed on the poison of Western values, customs, conceptions and lifestyle. This elite was established upon our heads through being granted posts in the Government of the Crown and the British Army. Even post-independence, the current political and military environment are polluted by the colonialist poison. Inferiority complex persists in both the political and military elite, with a conviction that we amount to nothing without the assistance of the colonialists.

Clearly, under the current leadership, we will never know of independence from those that harm us and assist others in harming us. The brutal shock of the loss of Occupied Kashmir must spur us to taking care of our affairs by the laws of our Deen. It is only when we establish the ruling by all that Allah (swt) has revealed, that we will be ruled by a new leadership, the current advocates of the Khilafah (Caliphate). Then, and only then, will we taste the revival that has eluded us for too long, so that we can reclaim our rights, whether it is the lands of Occupied Kashmir or our position as the best nation brought forwards to humankind.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Musab Umair – Pakistan