Kashmir’s UN-recognized disputed status cannot be changed by statements: IIOJK legal experts
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), legal experts have said that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute whose final status is yet to be determined in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, and that statements by any foreign envoy cannot alter its disputed character.
According to Kashmir Media Service, reacting to remarks attributed to US Ambassador Sergio Gor during his visit to Srinagar, in which he reportedly described Kashmir as an important part of India, the legal experts said the Jammu and Kashmir dispute continues to figure on the UN agenda and its settlement remains linked to the right of the Kashmiri people to determine their political future through a free and impartial plebiscite.
The experts referred to UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolutions 47 (1948), 51 (1948), 80 (1950), 91 (1951), 98 (1952), 122, 123 and 126 (1957), as part of the international legal and diplomatic record concerning the Kashmir dispute.
They said the status of Jammu and Kashmir could not be changed through political assertions or unilateral claims, stressing that the UN-recognized dispute has a history that cannot be erased by describing it as a “settled” issue.
The legal experts also pointed to the role of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), established in connection with the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, saying its historical presence further demonstrates the international character of the dispute.
The experts urged diplomats visiting Jammu and Kashmir to study the UN record and the history of the dispute before making pronouncements on its status.
“In Kashmir, ignorance of history cannot be a substitute for diplomacy,” they said, adding that any meaningful engagement with the region must take into account the aspirations of its people and the relevant UN resolutions.
