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   Op-ed
World’s conscience must needed on Kashmir
  Date : 29-03-2024

MUHAMMAD ARSHAD MUNIR: February 5 each year is observed by Pakistanis across the world as Kashmir Solidarity Day. It is marked to show to the Kashmiris and the world at large that Pakistan and its people stand firm in solidarity with the Kashmiri people and hope for the resolution of this long-pending dispute. It is meant to convey the message that Pakistan will not flinch on its stated, principled position on this issue in the face of any pressure. Pakistan began observing Feb. 5 as Kashmir Solidarity Day to “reiterate solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir” in 2004.

Last year, on Aug. 5, the revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution by the Indian government gave new impetus to the Kashmir issue. These articles gave special status to Indian-administered Kashmir and provided it with a separate set of laws compared to other Indian citizens. Realizing the subsequent uproar coming from Kashmiris and in order to draw the curtain on its distressing designs, the Indian government cut off all communication lines between the Kashmiri people and the rest of the world. It also took all the political leadership into custody, depriving them of their right to speak on the matter. More than 8.5 million people in the KashmirValley have been under siege since that date and their basic human rights have been snatched away.

An “orchestrated” visit by members of the European Parliament to Jammu and Kashmir last November backfired on the Indian government. The Diplomat reported: “An obvious attempt at building bridges with sections of the international community… appears to have fallen back heavily on New Delhi.” The actual situation in Kashmir has not been fully reported in the world’s press because the Indian authorities have barred international journalists from entering the territory. Restrictions have even been imposed on the local media’s reporting in the KashmirValley.

The government of Pakistan has taken up the issue at various international forums and has attempted to shake the world’s conscience from its deep slumber. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address at the UN General Assembly was a watershed in raising the issue before the community of nations. The UN Security Council has taken up the Kashmir issue twice since Aug. 5, which speaks volumes about the sensitivity of the issue. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world’s second-largest intergovernmental body after the UN, has also shown strong solidarity with the Kashmiri people by demanding the settlement of the issue in accordance with UN resolutions. This year, the observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day is aimed at registering a protest against the lockdown of Kashmir imposed by India for the past six months, and reiterating the desire for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Despite the media ban, the occasional reports that have appeared give a glimpse into the situation created by India inside the territory.

The Huffington Post published an article in August that was titled, “As Kashmir is erased, Indian democracy dies in silence.”

A New York Times headline on Aug. 10 read: “Inside Kashmir, cut off from the world: ‘A living hell’ of anger and fear.”

Arundhati Roy wrote in the New York Times a few days later: “Today Kashmir is one of the most or perhaps the most densely militarized zone in the world. More than a half-million soldiers have been deployed to counter what the army itself admits is now just a handful of ‘terrorists.’ If there were any doubts earlier it should be abundantly clear by now that their real enemy is the Kashmiri people. What India has done in Kashmir over the last 30 years is unforgivable.”

In September last year, Amnesty International initiated a campaign that stated: “Nearly 8 million people in Kashmir have been living through a communication shutdown since August 5. The world needs to know what’s happening. Take action and demand that the government let Kashmir speak.”

Dr. Gregory Stanton, the founder of Genocide Watch, addressed an audience of congressional and government officials at a briefing titled “Ground Reports on Kashmir and NRC” in Washington on Dec. 12. He claimed: “Preparation for genocide is definitely underway in India.”

This year, the observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day is aimed at registering a protest against the lockdown of Kashmir imposed by India for the past six months, and reiterating the desire for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.

UN Security Council Resolution 47 of April 21, 1948, Resolution 51 of June 3, 1948, Resolution 80 of March 14, 1950, Resolution 91 of March 30, 1951, and Resolution 122 of Jan. 24, 1957, as well as the UN Commission for India and Pakistan resolutions of Aug. 13, 1948, and Jan. 5, 1949, all declare that the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir would be made in accordance with the will of the Kashmiri people as expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the UN. Pakistan hopes that the UN and the world at large will influence India to initiate a peace process so as to ensure the settlement of the Kashmir issue according to UN resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people.

Muhammad Arshad Munir is Press Consular at the Consulate General of Pakistan, Jeddah.



  
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