Azad Kashmir And Gilgit Baltistan

Pakistani ruling elite have been very clever as they managed to camouflage their imperial designs in the holy name of Islam, and presented themselves as ‘friends’ and ‘liberators’ of Kashmiris. They presented the Kashmiri struggle for right of self determination as a struggle between Hinduism and Islam. Of course, majority of Muslims fell in to this trap; however, with time they are beginning to understand the game plan of Islamabad. Majority of them now know that the struggle is political in nature; and name of religion was used to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir and exacerbate already complicated situation. Pakistani policy makers and their secret agencies with use of stick and carrot policy manipulated people in believing that India was the aggressor and in occupation of Muslim Kashmir; and that areas under Pakistan were ‘azad’ – independent. Reality, however, was totally different.