ISLAMABAD – Without doubt, the Indian government’s bold decision to revokeArticle 370 of the Indian constitution, thereby ending the special legalautonomy Kashmir has enjoyed for over 70 years, has left Tehran in adifficult position. Fostering closer ties with New Delhi is important tothe Islamic Republic, especially given that India is Iran’s second largestoil market behind China. Nonetheless, despite Tehran’s keenness to preventArticle 370’s revocation from severely harming its relations with India,the plight of Kashmiris is one that the Islamic Republic’s leadershipbelieves it cannot ignore. Moreover, since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in1979, officials in Tehran have consistently paid attention to Kashmir,viewing the Kashmiris’ struggle with sensitivity.
In contrast with the Persian Gulf’s Arab sheikhdoms, which have eithersupported link India’sabrogation of Article 370 or have had a muted responselink,Iran has taken a position against New Delhi. Given the Islamic Republic’stendency to balance positive relations with both India and Pakistan, itsdecision to oppose India in this instance is notable. It raises questionsas to whether, and how, the elimination of Kashmiri autonomy could impactIranian-Indian relations.
On August 21, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei took to social media tocall link on IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to reverse its actions inKashmir. “We have good relations with India, but we expect the Indiangovernment to adopt a just policy towards the noble people of Kashmir andprevent the oppression & bullying of Muslims in this region.” Iran’s leaderalso placed blame on the United Kingdom, statinglink thatBritain’s decision to partition the sub-continent between India andPakistan in 1947 created the current situation. In a phone call with thePrime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhanisaidlinkthat“Kashmir’s Muslims must be able to use their own interests and legal rightsand be able to live in peace,” while maintaining that there is no militarysolution to the crisis.
Other influential figures within the Islamic Republic have used strongerlanguage in their condemnation of India’s government. Ayatollah MohammadAlavi Gorgani called the abrogation of Article 370 a “major insult” and onethat Islamic scholars and human rights organizations cannot respond to withsilence. Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani calledlink theelimination of autonomy in Kashmir “an ugly act” on New Delhi’s part,warning Modi’s administration “to prevent confrontations with the Muslims”because “this is not his interest or the interest of the region.” Goingfurther, Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani expressedlinkhisview that Modi’s government would “stop its barbaric acts” in Kashmir ifgovernments throughout the Islamic world responded to India’s “great crime”with greater unity. Recently, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamedani addressedlink- Kashmirstudents, saying “if you want to secure your right, you must be preparedfor martyrdom and fight.” He reminded his audience that Iranian clericsmarched during the protests that led to the Shah’s ouster in 1979,maintaining that Kashmiri clerics must be willing to make major sacrificestoo.
Notwithstanding the improvement in Iranian-Indian relations in recentyears, Kashmir has caused friction between Tehran and New Delhi before. Infact, even prior to the Shah’s ouster in 1979, Iranian Islamists rallied infavor of Kashmiris, and future Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeinideliveredlinkaspeech in Iraq in 1965 in which he declared that had it not been for a lackof unity within the greater Muslim world, “Hindus would not covet Kashmir.”Only two years ago, Ayatollah Khamenei statedlinkthat“the Muslim world should openly support the people of Yemen, Bahrain, andKashmir and repudiate oppressors and tyrants who attacked [them].”
As the situation in Kashmir continues to heat up, it may well continueplaying out in Iran’s domestic political arena. The Iranian parliament’spresentation of a resolutionlinkindefense of Kashmir, as well as public protestslinkagainstthe scrapping of Article 370, showcase how many in the Islamic Republic aresensitive to the plight of Kashmiris whom they see as suffering under thetyranny of a Hindu fundamentalist government.
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Most likely, the rhetoric from Iran’s Supreme Leader, president, and otherinfluential figures is about catering to public opinion within Iran whilealso continuing the Islamic Republic’s tradition of shining a light oninjustices in Kashmir in order to portray their regime as a leader in thewider Islamic world. Yet Iran’s leadership will probably be careful toavoid letting this issue significantly harm Tehran’s relationship with NewDelhi, which has been increasingly important to Iran considering the rolethat India can play in terms of circumventing U.S. sanctions. -lobelog
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BY: Gorgio Caferio
