Islamabad: At a discussion hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on the escalating human rights crisis in IIOJK since August 2019, speakers called on the international community to assist the people of Jammu and Kashmir in light of the deteriorating human rights situation following India’s illegal revocation of the region’s autonomy.
Ms. Mushaal Malick, former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights and Women Empowerment and wife of Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik, emphasized the need to maintain international attention on the Kashmir issue. She praised the Pakistani government’s steadfast support for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and called for increased backing from the Kashmiri diaspora and the international community to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amb Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, highlighted a significant rise in human rights abuses in IIOJK following the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35 A. He stressed that ‘the solution to end Indian atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir lies in fully supporting the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination, a commitment that Pakistan’s government and its people have consistently upheld and will continue to support, he added’.
Mr. Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, DG South Asia at MoFA, also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. He noted that the ‘alarming human rights situation in IIOJK requires a collective response from the international community’.
Ms. Shamim Shwal, a human rights defender and executive member of APHC, stated that limiting the Chief Minister’s powers in IIOJK, along with other forms of systematic political engineering, was akin to turning the valley into a settler colony. She warned that the ongoing ignorance and inaction of the international community regarding India’s severe human rights violations since August 2019 would encourage New Delhi to advance its hegemonic agenda in IIOJK, further jeopardizing the lives of Kashmiris, she added.
Dr. Waseem Ishaque, Associate Professor at NUML, compared India’s approach to Kashmir with Israel’s tactics in Gaza, endangering the lives of millions of Kashmiris. He highlighted the necessity of exposing India’s hegemonic ambitions in IIJOK to garner international support for Kashmiri self-determination. Mr. Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, former convener APHC, echoed Dr. Ishaque’s sentiment, stressing the significance of the right of self-determination. He noted that India’s continued dismissal of UN Security Council resolutions was undermining the UN’s efforts to secure the Kashmiri right to self-determination. Dr. Waqas Ali Kausar of NUML remarked that India was systematically alienating and depriving Kashmiris of their fundamental political rights.
The event attracted a large, diverse audience of diplomats, opiniomakers, researchers, government officials, students, and journalists.
