Independence Day, Pakistan Faces Internal and External Challenges

By Sajjad Shaukat

It was due to the selfless unity among the Muslims under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah that Pakistan became a tangible reality on August 14, 1947. But, that unity started declining after passing through various crises, and the result was separation of East Pakistan in 1971, as India manipulated differences between East Pakistan and the West Pakistan.

Although the 14th August is celebrated every year as the Independence Day, but, this time, it has come at a time when Pakistan is facing multiple threats of grave nature externally and internally, which are worrying all the citizens. In fact, Pakistan is facing hybrid war.

During the partition of the sub-continent, the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which comprised Muslim majority, decided to join Pakistan. But, Dogra Raja, Sir Hari Singh, a Hindu, who was ruling over the J&K in collusion with the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Governor General Lord Mountbatten, joined India. The Radcliffe Boundary Award gave the Gurdaspur District—a majority Muslim area to India to provide a land route to the Indian forces to move into the J&K.

Indian forces invaded Srinagar on October, 27 1947 and forcibly occupied the J&K in utter violation of the partition plan. When Pakistan responded militarily, on December 31, 1947, India made an appeal to the UN Security Council to intervene and a ceasefire ultimately came into effect on January 01, 1949, following UN resolutions calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir. On February 5, 1964, India backed out of its commitment of holding plebiscite. Instead, Indian Parliament declared Kashmir–an integral part of the Indian Union.

Since 1989, various forms of state terrorism have been part of a deliberate campaign by the Indian army and paramilitary forces against Muslim Kashmiris. It has been manifested in various ruthless tactics.

On August 5, 2019, Indian brutal actions against the Muslim Kashmiris reached climax when Indian government led by the fanatic Indian Premier Narendra Modi revoked articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the disputed territory of the IIOJK. Indian government bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to be ruled by the federal government.

New Delhi also issued an infamous map on October 31, 2019, which displayed this split and identifies Pakistani side of Azad Kashmir as well as certain areas of Gilgit-Baltistan as an Indian territory.

Besides Pakistan, China also rejected the Indian malicious acts as “unlawful and void”, saying that India’s decision to “include” some of China’s territory into its administrative jurisdiction “challenged” Beijing’s sovereignty. While border dispute between India and China, which remains unsettled, has increased tension between the two countries.

Due to Modi’s pressure, the verdict of the Indian Supreme Court on December 11, 2023 upheld the decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in 2019.

While, the deployment of more than 900,000 military troops in the IIOJK, who have martyred tens of thousands of the Kashmiris—Modi-led government has intensified measures, bringing ethno-demographic changes in the IIOJK to convert Muslim Kashmiris into minority.

Western media, human rights groups and leaders of various countries, and UNO have repeatedly condemned Indian illegal measures and human rights abuses which keep on going in the IIOJK.  Despite it, Indian PM Modi sworn in as India’s prime minister on June 9, this year for a rare third term. BJP, together with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has won a majority.

Since Modi became Indian PM, he started implementing ideology of Hindutva (Hindu Nationalism). Again, during the election campaign of 2024, Hindu majority had been mobilsed especially on ‘hate Muslim’ slogans.

Very tension escalated rapidly between New Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of the false flag Pulwama terror attack in the IIOJK—when on February 27, 2019, in response to the Indian so-called pre-emptive air strike near the town of Balakot, close to the border with Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir, which resulted into no causalities. Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian Air Force fighter jets and launched aerial strikes at six targets in the IIOJK.

Once again, Modi can arrange another false flag like Pulwama attack inside Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir to keep his coalition (NDA) united, and to divert attention from his weak government.

Pakistan’s civil and military leaders have repeatedly stated that Pakistan’s armed forces “are ready to respond any Indian aggression with full might”.

It is notable that US Congress passed a resolution on June 26, this year, called for a full and independent investigation into alleged irregularities in Pakistan’s general election 2024, which former Prime Minister Imran Khan of PTI party allegedly was manipulated to deny it victory.

Pakistan has said that the US attempted to “interfere” in its internal affairs of the country.

As part of the double game, US Republican Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill on July 26, this year to bolster strategic, diplomatic, economic, and military ties with India—against China and Pakistan.

Analysts agree that in the post-election scenario, Pakistan’s multiple crises and challenges have increased and the stakes for the new coalition government would be enormously high. The most immediate task for the government would be to negotiate a new bailout agreement with the IMF, to seek a new loan to repay debt due, this year to avoid a default and stabilize the economy.

In the budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, the government was compelled to accept IMF’s key demands such as an increase in the tax revenue target, withdrawal of subsidies, taxes on the agriculture sector, increase in levy and taxes on power, gas and oil sectors, privatization of sick government organizations etc.

Earlier, with the support of other parties, especially the PPP, Mian Shehbaz Sharif of PML-leader, secured a comfortable win over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and PTI leader Omar Ayub became opposition leader.

In his maiden speech in the National Assembly, Premier Sharif listed the frail economy and precarious security situation as challenges, and invited all the political entities to pull the country out of the crisis.

The PML-N, PPP and some other political parties also asked the PTI for cooperation so as to achieve political stability. But, the PTI leaders refused any such collaboration, alleged rigging in the elections.

JUI (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who had confirmed the contacts with the PTI, announced on March 3, this year that the party will sit on opposition benches and organize a nationwide movement against the alleged vote rigging.

PML-N and some other parties opine that if elections were rigged or establishment interfered against the PTI, PTI-backed independents would not have swept the polls in KP, winning 91 out of 113 seats.

While, military’s media wing ISPR said that on various occasions, Army clarified that it had provided a security environment for the conduct of the general election, and had nothing to do with the electoral process.

It is mentionable that on July 19, 2024, more than 10,000 people waving white flags gathered for the rally in Bannu against a planned operation by the Pakistan military to root out militants along the Afghan border, with at least one protester killed when gunfire broke out. The protest turned violent when crowds reached the walls of an army facility.

Government’s top officials said that the shooting was carried out by those including PTI supporters who wanted to destroy peace—the community is no longer willing to tolerate this.

Incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan and a six-party opposition alliance called for a judicial inquiry into the outbreak of violence at a peace rally in Bannu—a day earlier even as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government announced the formation of a commission for a “transparent” investigation.

In this respect, in a press conference on July 22, 2026, Director General of ISPR Lieutenant General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif clarified about the terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment, which killed eight military personnel. He explained that locals had requested a peace march, which was agreed upon with the condition of no anti-state slogans. However, “negative elements” joined the march, chanting against the army and state, pelting stones, leading to armed individuals opening fire and causing injuries.

Renowned foreign human rights groups manipulated the Banu incident against Pak army to distort Pakistan’s image.

Nevertheless, Imran Khan is still taking U-turn and is he sending messages to the establishment for negotiation,

Meanwhile, the sit-ins in various regions of Pakistan’s various regions, protest rallies by the Jamaat-e-Islami, PTI and some other opposition parties against taxes, soaring prices of commodities, load shedding, and allegations of rigging in the elections 2024 have started.

As regards the Independence Day, the 23rd of March 1940 was a watershed in the history of the Sub-continent, when All India Muslim League passed the Resolution in Lahore for the creation of an independent state. Earlier, in his address to the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930, the idea of a homeland for Muslims in their majority areas had been envisioned by the poet Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal, and had become the aspiration of Indian Muslims.

Prior to the Lahore session of Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah had specified to this historical congregation of the Muslims, the watch-words of ‘Faith, Unity and Discipline’ which were not only necessary for waging the battle for an independent homeland, but also for present Pakistan. The essence of these watch-words is unity.

At this critical hour, the government, the opposition leaders, including all other segments of society must show selfless national unity which is very necessary to pull the country out of the ongoing serious crises.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

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