H I L E 1he I ndian establishment may wish to portray the Kash mir issue as a domestic problem exploited by Pakistan, t he t rut h is quit e different. The Kashmiri movement for freedom is an indigenous struggle, backed morally by Pakistan.

However, efforts continue by India to implicate Pakistan and discredit the Kashmiri struggle. The latest effort in this series is the release of a so-called dossier by the Indian defence ministry. As per reports in the Indian media, the document alleges that infiltrators from Pakistan are attempting to cross over into the disputed territory, while Pakistan is trying to `indoctrinate ... impressionable minds` in held Kashmir to participate in jihad. Interestingly, none other than the Indian army chief had admitted to the media in May that infiltration across the LoC had come down since 2019.

Perhaps New Delhi needs to explain this glaring contradiction in the views expressed by its army chief, and the disclosures made in the `dossier`. The Foreign Office has dismissed the so-called dossier as `disinformation` designed to `divert the world`s attention` from India`s own brutal actions in the occupied region.

At one time, Kashmir-centric jihadi groups did have a relatively free hand operating in Pakistan and the possibility of some fighters slipping across the LoC to held Kashmir cannot be discounted as they consider both sides of the line to be their homeland. However, there is no reason to believe that the Pakistani state is sponsoring this activity. If India has solid evidence of cross-LoC militant movement, it should share it with Pakistan in good faith. Moreover, if political opposition and armed struggle against Indian rule continues in held Kashmir, it is not because Pakistan is operating these movements through remote control. It is very much a reflection of the local people`s dissatisfaction with Indian rule. The problem is India, especially under the BJP`s watch, continues to view the Kashmir issue through the lens of militancy and law and order, when at the heart of the issue lies the question of self-determination. Instead of engaging the genuine Kashmiri political leadership, India has chosen to clamp down hard, as symbolised by the reversal of the area`s autonomy in August 2019. Cooking up claims of Pakistani meddling in Kashmir will not make the freedom struggle go away. The only sustainable solution to the Kashmir question that can bring long-term peace is for the three stakeholders Pakistan, the Kashmiris and India to agree to democratically decide the region`s fate.