Kashmiris rally outside UN office in Geneva, demand resolution of Kashmir dispute
Geneva: A Kashmiri delegation staged a powerful protest demonstration outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, urging the international community to play more pro-active role in resolving the long-standing Kashmir dispute, which they described as not only a serious threat to peace and stability in South Asia but also the root cause of continued bloodshed and grave human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, members of Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora from Europe, UK and other countries participated in the demonstration and addressed the gathering.
Speakers expressed deep concern over the worsening political and human rights situation in IIOJK, stating that since the illegal abrogation of the territory’s special status on August 5, 2019, India government has increasingly used draconian laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to silence dissent and detain Kashmiri political activists and human rights defenders.
They said the hardships faced by Kashmiris have intensified since the revocation of Kashmir special status, particularly after the Pahalgam attack, which they said was used by Indian authorities as a pretext for collective punishment against Kashmiris, especially the youth. “Thousands of civilians, mostly young boys, taken into custody following the incident continue to remain languish in distant jails with little or no access to their families.”
The speakers further said that journalists and human rights defenders in the occupied territory are increasingly being targeted for exposing India’s belligerent attitude and mistreatment of ordinary Kashmiris. They added that arbitrary detentions, restrictions on public assembly and curbs on political activity continue, while thousands of Kashmiris—including minors and hundreds of political leaders—remain under preventive detention.
Voicing serious concern over the continued incarceration of Kashmiri leaders and activists, the speakers termed their prolonged detention a colonial-era tactic aimed at suppressing political dissent and rendering the Kashmiri freedom struggle leaderless.
The speakers also criticized New Delhi’s nefarious designs aimed at changing the demographic composition of IIOJK by granting domicile rights to outsiders, establishing Sainik colonies and proposing separate townships for Kashmiri Pandits. They said these measures pose a serious threat to the Muslim-majority character and identity of the territory.
”Such measures have created a climate of fear and anxiety among Kashmiris, who feel increasingly alienated, disempowered, insecure and marginalized under the BJP’s iron-fisted rule”, they said.
Describing India’s actions as a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the speakers urged the international community to fulfill its obligations and take urgent measures to ensure the protection of Kashmiri people’s identity, safeguard their political freedoms, and uphold the principles of self-determination.
Terming the unresolved Kashmir dispute a serious threat to peace and stability in South Asia, they called on the United Nations and influential world powers to pressurize India to reverse the constitutional changes introduced imposed since 2019, repeal all black laws including those granting sweeping impunity to occupation forces, and release all political leaders and activists, including APHC chairman Masarrat Aalam Bhat, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Asiya Andrabi, and others
The speakers also urged the global community to intervene and contribute to the peace and stability through encouraging a meaningful dialogue involving India, Pakistan and the true representatives of Kashmiri people to find out a durable solution to the Kashmir dispute.
