Wednesday, 05 March , 2008, 20:36
Maloy Krishna Dhar
Why India must oppose Kosovo's independence
Maloy Krishna Dhar started life off as a junior reporter for Amrita
Bazaar Patrika in Calcutta and a part-time lecturer. He joined the Indian
Police Service in 1964 and was permanently seconded to the Intelligence
Bureau.
During his long stint in the Bureau, Dhar saw action in almost all
Northeastern states, Sikkim, Punjab and Kashmir. He also handled delicate
internal political and several counterintelligence assignments. After
retiring in 1996 as joint director, he took to freelance journalism and
writing books. Titles credited to him are Open Secrets-India' s Intelligence
Unveiled, Fulcrum of Evil - ISI, CIA, al-Qaeda Nexus, and Mission to
Pakistan. Maloy is considered a top security analyst and a social scientist
who tries to portray Indian society through his writings.
I am not sowing a new idea. I am just sharing the concerns and
apprehensions expressed in several world capitals over the unilateral
declaration of independence by Kosovo, a breakaway Albanian Muslim majority
province of Serbia.
Normally a distant Muslim province of two million people of which 10
percent are Orthodox Christian Serbs should not bother us. So far, it has
certainly not bothered the government of India and our Great Political
Parties.
However, history has put the Balkan people, especially the Serbs, at
the cruces of civilisations. The Turks finally defeated the patriotic Serbs
at the battle of Kosovo in 1389 and began its advance into European
heartland. The Serbs have never got over it, as most patriotic Indians
cannot forget the dubious defeat of Prithwiraj Chauhan at the Second Battle
of Tarain.
Serbia was the most advanced segment of Eastern Europe. The Turks
patronised the pliable Bosnians and converted them to Islam and persecuted
the Orthodox Christians in Serbia. The last gasps of the Cold War initiated
the disintegration of Yugoslavia: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia-1991;
Bosnia-Herzegovina- 1992; Montenegro-2006 and now the unilateral declaration
of independence by Kosovo on February 18, 2008, when the territory is still
under UN administration.
The proud Serbs are yet to forget the bloody bites of history.
European historiographers agree: the Serbs do not forget their history.
The US has probably seeded another poison-tree that might lead to the
Third World War. Sarajevo in Bosnia had sparked off the First World War.
Sarajevo was the scene of several important battles between Allied
resistance fighters and the Germans in World War II.
These new ethno-religious states are somewhat like the creation of
Israel after unplanned withdrawal of British mandate in 1948, and the
creation of Pakistan after their planned escape from India in 1747. Creation
of new nations based on religion and redrawing national boundaries of
several states had started after the First World War. After the Second World
Order, the Big Powers assumed this task as a matter of international
policing privilege. Kosovo had been on the boil since 1989. The turmoil during the last
decade in which the NATO assumed the role of Big Protector of Islamic
minority in the Balkans paving the way for creation of Bosnia had encouraged
the Kosovar Albanians to wage a jihad-type struggle with Turkish, Iranian,
Pakistani and Al Qaeda backing. These very pro-jihad forces had also
interfered in Bosnia. Kosovo has not only committed a crime against Serbia by unilaterally
breaking away; it has also committed a crime against the UN by flouting its
mandate under transparent encouragement of the US and its major allies,
France, Britain and Germany. These countries have already recognised the
illegitimate country and its illegal government.
Serbia has lodged a complaint with the Security Council, where China
and Russia are likely oppose the US and EU action. Serbian Foreign Minister
Vuk Jeremic has said Kosovo's declaration of independence was illegal and
illegitimate. Speaking at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, he said those
who had recognised Kosovo had set a dangerous precedent.
Condemning the positioning of a EU Mission in Kosovo as an act of
flagrant violation international law, he said: "By the actions of some
European member-states, every would-be ethnic or religious separatist across
Europe and around the world has been provided with a tool kit on how to
achieve recognition."
It is clear that Pristina's declaration of independence has divided
the world capitals. The UN has again been proved to be an ineffective
international mechanism for conflict resolution.
Russia has reacted with reasonable alarm. It described Kosovo's
proclamation of independence as a "gross violation" of international law and
criticised the European Union's sending of a "Rule of Law Mission" intended
to help stabilise Kosovo. The mission comprises some 2,000 people who would
train and mentor police, judges and customs officials.
Kosovo's move appeared as a litmus test of attitudes in Asia and
elsewhere toward secession from mother countries.
Russian concerns have been echoed by China, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
China criticised Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia while
Taiwan welcomed it. China is worried about similar action by Taiwan, which
has recognised Kosovo. China is also concerned about its western Xinziang
area, where Uyghur Muslim rebels are fighting a 'liberation war' for over
three decades. The Tibet issue too has the potential of troubling Beijing
again.
Sri Lanka has voiced concern out of fear that the rebel Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) might follow the Kosovo example and might even
be recognised by some world capitals.
Indonesia has already lost East Timor and is worried about the Aceh
province, where rebels want to secede from the mainland regime.
Thailand is involved in fighting the Muslim minorities in the three
southern provinces. International Islamic Jihad is patronising the Thai
Muslim rebels.
These are not the only areas where the seemingly affected
ethno-religious groups can take Kosovo style action. Similar situations
exist in Darfur region of Sudan and the Shan, Kachin and Rakhine (Arakan)
provinces of Myanmar. What would the US and UN reaction be if these
ethno-religious groups break away and declare independence? Would they come
to their help, send an EU Mission, establish embassies and open up UN aid
missions? This may sound filmy, but after Kosovo everything appears to be
possible.
If this policy of the US and its allies is accepted as part of the new
global political order, the Chechens, Dagestanis and Ingusetians should also
have solid international support to breakaway from Russia. Russia has
already indicated that the Kosovo principle can be applied to Abkhazia,
South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh of Georgia and Armenia. These regions are
already trying to merge with Russia. They might as well declare unilateral
independence.
Would the US and its allies now go for three separate nations in
Iraq - Sunni, Shia and Kurdish? Would the UK agree to create a separate
Northern Ireland and give full political rights to the Catholic Irish
community?
Can the US and the EU recognise the unilateral declaration of
sovereignty by Balochistan and Balawaristan (the Northern Areas of
Pakistan-part of greater Kashmir)? If they do, what would remain of
Pakistan? Washington should not aid Islamabad to suppress the Balochis and
Balawaris while it abets secession by Kosovo.
India exists as a nation as all ethno-religious and linguistic
subnationalities have mutually agreed to make it a nation-state, rising
above narrow considerations. However, Pakistan continues to incite and abate
sections of misdirected Kashmiri and mainland Muslims for seceding from
India.
The Kashmir Media Service (February 20, 2008), a pro-separatist
website, quoted the pro-liberation leaders like Syed Ali Gilani and Shabbir
Ahmad Shah of the All Party Hurriyat Conference and chairman of Jammu and
Kashmir Liberation Front Muhammad Yasin Malik as saying that the sacrifices
of the Kashmiris would not be allowed to go waste. They cited Kosovo as a
ray of hope and urged the international community to resolve the Kashmir
dispute.
Would the US and EU now accept a unilateral declaration of
independence by the pro-Pakistani Kashmir leaders? Can New Delhi prevent
them?
Western media like the International Herald Tribune, New York Times,
Los Angeles Times, The Moscow Times, and The Jerusalem Times etc have
highlighted that besides Kashmir, disaffected Sikh groups, ethnic and tribal
groups in the northeast are also keen to secede from India.
Can India afford to cope with these insurgencies, separatist movements
in addition to fighting the 'proxy war' launched by Pakistan and the
marauding guerrilla actions by the Maoist groups? Would the US and EU come
forward to support the NSCN, ULFA and PREPAK etc in the northeast?
Why not? Kosovo has written new international laws for all the
simmering separatist movements.
The government of India has so far remained silent about the Kosovo
developments basically out of fear that any opposing statement would erode
its 'secular' image, annoy its targeted vote banks and displease its
supposed friends in the comity of Muslim nations.
It is time for India to stridently oppose unilateral declaration of
independence by Kosovo, while under UN administration. India should openly
support Russia and China in the UN and ask Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to
explain to the world body as to how the US and allies could bury the UN
mandate and agree to the creation of another nation on ethno-religious
considerations.
Kosovo would not be the last, in case the Big Brothers are allowed to
use the NATO as a mandated force of the neo-imperialists. Who could prevent
the NATO to frog-leap to Kashmir from Afghanistan?
This new world order is likely to lead to greater world-disorder.
http://sify. com/news/ fullstory. php?id=14617538
SIFY (INDIA)
Maloy Krishna Dhar started life off as a junior reporter for Amrita
Bazaar Patrika in Calcutta and a part-time lecturer. He joined the Indian
Police Service in 1964 and was permanently seconded to the Intelligence
Bureau.
During his long stint in the Bureau, Dhar saw action in almost all
Northeastern states, Sikkim, Punjab and Kashmir. He also handled delicate
internal political and several counterintelligence assignments. After
retiring in 1996 as joint director, he took to freelance journalism and
writing books. Titles credited to him are Open Secrets-India' s Intelligence
Unveiled, Fulcrum of Evil - ISI, CIA, al-Qaeda Nexus, and Mission to
Pakistan. Maloy is considered a top security analyst and a social scientist
who tries to portray Indian society through his writings.
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