Often deemed a rivalry when cricket is in season, hostility between Pakistan and India is an old dog with old tricks. There is no dearth of corrosive division between the two, should the citizenry of these nations choose to stoke the low-burning embers of the Partition, and all the toxic wounds on a divided people that remain so persistently open. One of these wounds, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), is bleeding once again. The contested region has fallen to India’s annexation, plunging Hindu and Muslim communities into a new vista of animosity while Modi’s government twists the fate and future of the region. What sits abaft the spotlight, however, is Beijing’s presence at the table.
Dusk on a stalemate
Before the pandemic shifted public scrutiny on the matter, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India moved to annex Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.[1] The unprecedented decision in August came with the revocation of Article 370, the document which allowed the region partial autonomy and regulation independent of the Indian Constitution. Partial, because A370 still deferred authority to India in matters of defense, foreign affairs, financial regulation and communications.[2] Following annexation, J&K lost not only their customary independence, but also experienced mass arrests numbering up to 4,000 by August alone, a shutdown of the J&K State Human Rights Commission (SHRC)[3],and an indefinite communications blackout enforced by an unadulterated police lockdown[4]. Citizens, local politicians, and dissidents faced arrest and imprisonment in fears of a region-wide protest.
The Pakistani government expressed intense outrage, promising action on the matter. While this has amounted merely to a smoldering slew of condemnation, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s concerns about the ethnic cleansing of Kashmir’s Muslim population[5] were not entirely unfounded. In December of the same year, mere months after the annexation, the BJP had put into effect the Citizenship Amendment Act, legislation that actively targeted Muslims by delegitimizing them as Indian citizens.6 The Modi government’s insistence that their actions amount to some notion of greater good and logistical efficiency erodes away to a much simpler, much more dangerous anti-Muslim agenda. On that matter, India and China may just agree, although Modi’s actions can hardly hold a candle to the daylight genocide of Uyghur Muslims. Therefore, those unfamiliar cannot help but be bemused by Beijing’s apparent support for the recontinued autonomy of Kashmir.
A contentious three
China’s stance on Kashmir—and their involvement in affairs between Pakistan and India
—stretches beyond this annexation. To understand why Beijing is weighing in on what should be a matter between J&K and India, the nature of relations between China, India, and Pakistan should be addressed. Like many other petulant governments bitter for reasons entirely unnecessary, this conflict begins with an inability to share some land. Borders, you see—though they may be arbitrarily drawn with indefinite fluidity—are evidently impossible to adjust henceforth, without spilling blood.
The Aksai Chin plateau, disputed Tibetan territory to this date, has been the source of diplomatic attrition between India and China since the 1950s.[6] Sitting in the southern belt of Tibet, Aksai Chin bears footprints of Indian and Chinese soldiers, standing through decades to defend their regimes’ claims on the land. Now, J&K’s annexation has fanned the flame once again: India’s grasp on Aksai Chin now falls under the Ladakh Union Territory, a new region formed by the BJP following the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act.[7] With the dissolution of J&K’s independence came a resurgence of India and China butting heads in the crispy mountain air of Tibet.
China’s interest in this matter is more layered than a simple land dispute (simple to explain, of course, not to live through). Albeit not the first, India’s brief war with China in 1962—stemming from the very same matter of China’s aim to control Tibet (you’ll begin to see a pattern here)—did result in India’s retreat, but set the stage for an aggressive tripartite standoff: Pakistan’s longstanding friendship with China has stood, among other things, on the back of a common foe.
An alliance forged since the early 1950s (around the same time the land dispute with India began), the Sino-Pak alliance has withstood the test of time, and manifested in pivotal joint projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.[8] However, there is an ulterior motive not so well veiled: to forge a bilateral military alliance against India. While bearing all the identifiers of a mere coincidence, the nature of the Sino-Pak relationship cannot be written as one of simple camaraderie and joint development goals. Take their behavior near the end of 2020, for instance: quickly following India’s defense agreement signed with the US (allowing Indian intelligence access to information gathered by US military satellites), China and Pakistan scrambled to jump on a joint military operation themselves and revealed details to no one. Moreover, unlike the India-US agreement, this one was a memorandum of understanding (MOU), not legally binding.[9] MOUs don’t give off the air of agreements planned and executed in advance. This appears to be a reactionary measure and defines the Sino-Pak alliance as one of joint animosity. How, then, does this shed light on China’s interest in Kashmiri independence?
Silly facades
A new stab at an old wound prompted Beijing to accuse India of breaching Chinese sovereignty, with the new establishment encroaching on China’s prized passages in Tibet. China’s response to this was seemingly benevolent, requesting India and Pakistan to simmer down to peaceful compromise regarding Kashmir.[10] Pakistan has been open about their concern for India’s treatment of Muslims in the annexed region, while China wholeheartedly supports Pakistan’s protests regarding J&K. The matter falls apart, however, when one considers Pakistan’s staunch silence about the genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Chinese concentration camps.[11] Their silence was so palpable, and their hypocritical outrage over Kashmir so empty, that it prompted US Secretary for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, to call out Imran Khan’s absolute lack of condemnation for what could be argued as a far more serious violation of human rights against Muslims, than the annexation of Jammu and Kashmir.[12]
It’s evident why China is so supportive of Kashmiri independence, and why Pakistan’s malformed stance against anti-Muslim agendas amounts to nothing. The region of Jammu and Kashmir very sadly boils down to a leverage tool for China. Their alliance with Pakistan provides an adequate militarized threat against India, and Chinese support of Pakistan’s long-standing objection to India’s presence in Kashmir is easily used to further cement Pakistan’s loyalty. In China’s ideal future, India would relinquish their newly-established Union Territory—not to grant freedom to Kashmiris once again, as China advocates for—but to re-allocate the region to Pakistan instead. An ally occupying the long-disputed Tibetan soil wouldn’t be much of an occupation at all, especially considering the rather desperate and pathetic nature of Pakistan’s unwavering loyalty to a regime that openly engages in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims.
As an Indian myself, anyone could ask me if I would rather let Pakistan have Jammu & Kashmir instead of my own country of birth. My response would be what it’s always been: that decades of bloodshed, animosity and turmoil over things so ridiculously arbitrary as land, flags and borders, exemplifies some of the lowest of humanity. The Kashmiri people are not a matter of discussion in any strategic meeting, whenever the fate of this conflict is on the table. It’s not within my nature to advocate for a cause so unequivocally lost, but for the sake of providing an answer, I would say I would rather everyone swallow a bitter pill and let Kashmiris decide for themselves what kind of nation they would like to be. They might be poorly governed, they might become a failed state, or they might do just fine. It’s a scenario I would not mind seeing unfold.
But bitter tastes bitter, doesn’t it?
Aneesh Chatterjee is a fourth-year student completing his undergrad in the Political Science Specialist program. His field interests include conflict mediation, civil wars, statebuilding and humanitarian efforts. He hopes to work either in research or engage in fieldwork assisting relief efforts and rebuilding initiatives in crisis regions.
References
Bhatt, Parjanya. “Revisiting China’s Kashmir Policy.” Observer Research Foundation. December 04, 2019. https://www.orfonline.org/research/revisiting-chinas-kashmir-policy-58128/.
“China and Pakistan Ink Military MOU to Counter US-India Pact.” Nikkei Asia. December 08, 2020. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-and-Pakistan-ink-militaryMOU-to-counter-US-India-pact.
“India’s Annexation of IOJK: A Timeline of Events That Transpired Post August 5.” Geo TV.
“Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Become Separate Union Territories from Today: 10 Points.”
Hindustan Times. July 16, 2020. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india–news/jammu– kashmirand–ladakh–become–separate–union–territories–from–thursday–10– points/storyfsYC3R1HFXFZxzlwomycrJ.html.
“Kashmir’s Special Status: Five Things to Know.” Al Jazeera. August 05, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/8/5/kashmir-special-status-explained-what-are- articles370-and-35a.
Kuchay, Bilal. “What You Should Know about India’s ‘anti-Muslim’ Citizenship Law.” Al Jazeera. December 16, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/16/what-you-shouldknow-about-indias-anti-muslim-citizenship-law.
“Pakistan Vows to Fight India’s ‘illegal’ Kashmir Move.” BBC News. August 07, 2019.
“TIMELINE – Kashmir: A Year after Annexation.” Anadolu Agency. Accessed November 20, 2021. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/timeline-kashmir-a-year-after-annexation/1931170.
“US Official Points Out Pakistan’s Hypocrisy On Kashmir, Says Would Like To See Same Level Of Concern For Muslims In China.” Swarajya Magazine. September 27, 2019.
“Who Are the Uyghurs and Why Is China Being Accused of Genocide?” BBC News. June 21,
2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/world–asia–china–22278037.
[1] “Timeline – Kashmir: A Year after Annexation,” Anadolu Agency, n.d. (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/timeline-kashmir-a-year-afterannexation/1931170).
[2] “Kashmir’s Special Status: Five Things to Know,” Al Jazeera, August 05, 2019, (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/8/5/kashmir-specialstatus-explained-what-are-articles-370-and-35a).
[3] “Timeline – Kashmir”, Anadolu Agency.
[4] “India’s Annexation of IOJK: A Timeline of Events That Transpired Post August 5,” Geo TV, n.d. (https://www.geo.tv/latest/301098-indiasannexation-of-iojk-a-timeline-of-events-that-transpired-post-august-5).
[5] “Pakistan Vows to Fight India’s ‘illegal’ Kashmir Move,” BBC News, August 07, 2019 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49258923). 6 Bilal Kuchay, “What You Should Know about India’s ‘anti-Muslim’ Citizenship Law,” Al Jazeera, December 16, 2019, (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/16/what-you-should-know-about-indias-anti-muslim-citizenship-law).
[6] Parjanya Bhatt, “Revisiting China’s Kashmir Policy,” Observer Research Foundation, December 04, 2019,.https://www.orfonline.org/research/revisiting-chinas-kashmir-policy-58128/).
[7] “Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Become Separate Union Territories from Today: 10 Points,” Hindustan Times, July 16, 2020,
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jammu-kashmir-and-ladakh-become-separate-union-territories-from-thursday-10-points/storyfsYC3R1HFXFZxzlwomycrJ.html).
[8] Shruti Jargad, “Lessons in Friendship: Explaining 70 Years of China-Pakistan Relations,” Observer Research Foundation, May 31, 2021, (https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/lessons-in-friendship-explaining-70-years-of-china-pakistan-relations/).
[9] “China and Pakistan Ink Military MOU to Counter US-India Pact,” Nikkei Asia, December 08, 2020,
(https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-and-Pakistan-ink-military-MOU-to-counter-US-India-pact).
[10] “Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Become Separate Union Territories from Today: 10 Points,” Hindustan Times, July 16, 2020,
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jammu-kashmir-and-ladakh-become-separate-union-territories-from-thursday-10-points/storyfsYC3R1HFXFZxzlwomycrJ.html).
[11] “Who Are the Uyghurs and Why Is China Being Accused of Genocide?” BBC News, June 21, 2021, (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asiachina-22278037).
[12] “US Official Points Out Pakistan’s Hypocrisy On Kashmir, Says Would Like To See Same Level Of Concern For Muslims In China,” Swarajya Magazine, September 27, 2019, (https://swarajyamag.com/insta/us-official-points-out-pakistans-hypocrisy-on-kashmir-says-would-like-to-seesame-level-of-concern-for-muslims-in-china).