Last month, as I was going through the opinion pages of various newspapers, I came across an article in one of the leading English dailies titled ‘Leave PoK Alone’. The core argument behind this line of thought was that attempts to integrate PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) with the rest of India would lead to violent after-effects. Now, as a student of International Relations, this argument baffles me. If a nation-state backs down from claiming territory it has rightful claims on, fearing it would lead to violence, then this logic will be given every time a neighbouring country starts claiming our land as a part of its territory. Here, the question is not about whether the 13,000 square kilometres of PoK will help the cause of Kashmir or not as mentioned in the article.
The point is why should a nation-state agree wilfully to forsake its claim on the piece of land where its sovereignty rightfully lies? Not having a concrete plan to acquire PoK is a different issue which is related to both the ‘intentions’ and ‘capabilities’ of the Indian state. But to forget it would project India as a ‘weak state’ in the international system. Serious questions would be raised about India’s status as an ‘emerging power’.
Any state that wishes to be strong will fight for its sovereignty, no matter how small the land in question is. The Indian state didn’t capture Kashmir as a colonial power. When Britain left, princely states had the option of joining India or Pakistan, or remaining independent. Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir signed an Instrument of Accession, handing over control of defence, external affairs, and communications to the Government of India in return for military aid to Kashmir, which was under brutal attack from Pashtun tribesmen and Pathans supported by battle-hardened army regulars. Had the Indian Army not intervened, all of Kashmir would have been forcefully taken by Pakistan.
Though India managed to secure a large part of Jammu and Kashmir by the time a ceasefire was called, a large portion of the territory had gone to Pakistan. This ceasefire line is called the Line of Control after the Simla Agreement in 1972. This brief history tells us that India has rightful claims over PoK. Had the ceasefire not happened, it is certain that all of J&K would have been part of the Indian state.
PoK has now become more complicated with China’s entry, making the issue trilateral in nature. The Chinese have invested immensely in the region under the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project. Since the Chinese have higher stakes here, they do not want India to poke its nose in the region. Now it becomes easier for countries like China and Pakistan to pressurise India in international forums when voices within India start demanding that the Indian state forget PoK.
This is exactly what an adversary would want: create ‘internal tussles’ between different groups over the question of ‘national security’ and ‘national interest’. For nation-states, ‘self-interest’ is paramount and so it should be, because the international system is ‘anarchic’ in nature. Giving up claims on PoK would prove that India has been wrongfully claiming it since 1947.
China, which constantly shows Aksai Chin, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, and even Uttarakhand on its map, will get a chance to undermine India’s positions in these territories. What would these groups, which are now demanding that India forget PoK, say then? They might say that India should follow the policy of non-aggression, non-violence, and live-and-let-live by giving up claims on these territories as well as considering that conflict escalates the defence budget. Therefore, India should make peace with it and use this money for development. Every single time, national security is pitted against the issue of development. The point is, when the nation is not secure, how can development happen? To sum up, forgetting PoK should be the last thing on the minds of policymakers. The time has come to conceive a concrete plan to reacquire the piece of land that is rightfully ours.
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