Muhammad Haroon
If India is claiming Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as its own part then it needs to remember, as Mehbooba Mufti (headed a coalition government with BJP) opined that no country can win a war by killing its own people and howlong Kashmiris are going to shoulder the coffins of their youngsters? In December 2018, the bloodshed by the Indian army in Pulwama (South Kashmir) cost lives of seven innocent civilians, most were youth. Security forces opened “indiscriminate fire” at the protesters. Due to these Indian brutalities, civilians including women and children had called for a three-day shutdown and planned a massive march against the Indian aggression.
The Pulwama incident is not of its first kind. In order to deprive the Kashmiri Youth of freedom, Indian is committing state-sponsored terrorism. The martyrdom Burhan Wani ignited the internal freedom voices of the Kashmiri Youth. The armed clashes between the Indian security forces and the Kashmiri freedom fighters have intensified in the recent months with a spate of encounters in South Kashmir. According to the official figures, 242 freedom fighters have been killed this year in the valley, besides 101 civilians and 82 members of the security forces, making it one of the bloodiest years. Many youngsters, most of them the local Kashmiris, have been killed in recent encounters. Protests at the encounter sites have become common norm and government forces have come under severe international criticism for not being able to manage the situation. The world and international peace organizations need to understand this notion that dialogue is the only way to address the longstanding issues like that the IOK that have prevented the region from realizing its true potential. The unresolved Kashmir dispute with Indian authorities hinders the realization of the goal of a durable peace between the two countries. For over 70 years now, it has remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council, and is a blot on the conscience of humankind.
Recently a report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which rightly lifts the veil from decades of obfuscation, chronicles and ongoing violations of HR in the IOK, the report justifies Pakistan’s position. No longer can the excuse of terrorism be used to continue to systematically oppress the Kashmiri people. In this scenario, Pakistan needs to endorse the UN report, and calls for the early inquiry under the UN support to investigate.
To divert the world’s attention from the Indian army’s heinous activities, India frequently violates the ceasefire along the LOC making a more difficult situation for the lndo-Pak Joint Dialogue. Despite numerous violations, Pakistan has acted with restraint and it is India, who perpetrates State-sponsored terrorism in the IOK, an unforgotten agenda of the UNSC. It is a matter of concern for the international community as the killings took place by the Indian forces in Pulwama.
More than six decades ago, the UN had passed resolutions to hold a plebiscite in the IOK. However, the people in IOK are still waiting for the fulfilment of that promise. Many generations of the Kashmiris had lived under occupation, accompanied by violence and abuse of their fundamental rights. It was the responsibility of the international community to resolve the issue of IOK, reaffirming Pakistan’s readiness to work for resolution of this problem through negotiations, so that another Pulwama incident could be avoided. During the recent three day visit to India, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed concerns over the situation in the IOK and stressed on positive dialogue for a peaceful settlement of the dispute. Moreover, BJP the state-sponsored barbarism is totally on the wrong track, and international HR NGOs need to put pressure on India to keep the regional peace as it will help in resolving the Kashmir dispute.
