An Indian soldier keeps watch from his position overlooking army barracks near the Line of Control (LoC). PHOTO: AFP
On the eve of Kashmir solidarity day, Pakistan Wednesday reiterated that any amount of elections cannot be a substitute for plebiscite under the auspices of the UN as he raised concerns over brutalities committed by Delhi-led forces in Indian Kashmir.
A foreign office statement said that foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry briefed Islamabad-based Ambassadors of countries who are part of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).
He pointed out the large number of Kashmiris killed, the women who had been widowed and dishonoured, and the children who had been orphaned in the gross human rights violations carried out by Indian forces.
Explaining Indian efforts to manipulate elections in the disputed state, Chaudhry pointed to the policies of the BJP-led government aimed at changing the demographic makeup of Jammu and Kashmir.
He accused India of settling non-state subjects in Indian Kashmir, thereby manipulating the Muslim majority into a minority, and dividing the population on ethnic, communal and religious lines.
Kashmir Solidarity Day is observed on February 5, on the status of the issue and plight of Kashmiri Muslims in Indian Kashmir.
The foreign secretary stressed that the peace in the region would remain elusive till the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with the UN Resolutions that call for a free and fair plebiscite to determine the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He also expressed appreciation in regard to consistent support from the OIC and the secretary general to the Kashmir cause.
Highlighting the efforts of OIC, he noted with satisfaction how the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, consisting of Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, meets regularly and adopts resolutions affirming OIC’s continued support to the Kashmiris.
Chaudhry noted the secretary general’s emphasis on an early peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
The ambassadors were told that Kashmiris had welcomed the recent mandate given to OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) to monitor human rights violations in Indian Kashmir.
The foreign secretary emphasised that OIC, as a body of 57 countries with the 1/5th of the world’s population and many trillion dollars GDP, could influence India to fulfill its obligations under UN resolutions, de-militarise Indian Kashmir and refrain from blatant human rights violations.
The OIC ambassadors, while noting the points made by Chaudhry, participated in the discussion focusing on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan-India relations and other developments in the region.
COMMENTS (22)
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Lets have a plebisite in undivided india to determine if Pakistan should exists !
Election is no substitute but a "lent officer" from Pindi is??
@observer:
You're wasting your energy talking sense and logic to Pakistanis. Most of them only understand josh-jazba-junoon.
Would any Kashmiri who is not a radical Islamist and who is sane, would want to choose Pakistan, a failing terrorists infested, and bankrupt country, if given the choice of India or Pakistan? Pakistan should be careful to push this too far.lest the Indians actually decide to go along with this.
Nevertheless, the UN resolution, being of Chapter 6, is non-binding and stands void once Pakistan failed to pull its forces from the occupied areas as stipulated in the resolutions.
Lets have a plebicite in Baloochistan first !
Not an inch more. You got Afghanistan and Pakistan already. But that will be taken back slowly.
We have given Pakistan.Not an inch will be given again.
Mr Foreign Secretary, what about Army brutality in Baluchistan, FATA & KP. Care to comment on that?
Pakistan Foreign Secreary Aijaz Ahmed Chaudhry is as ill informed as most Pakistani diplomats about demographics of Kashmir. Punjabi settlers have been brought in GB and POK. The State Subject law is very strictly enforced in Indan Kashmr. In fact, the state govt has not issued second generation Kashmiris state subject certificates although the law of riyasat states that 4 generations of Kashmiris can claim StateSubject. Wish he corrects himself.
Pakistani foreign ministry and ministry of Kashmir Affairs becomes active in the first week of February each year and then goes into slumber.
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: Have you read the UN resolutions on Kashmir? Your long comment indicates that you haven't. By the way, the plebiscite referred to in UN resolution was not just for Indian Kashmir but for the entire riyasat that included provinces like Gilgit Baltistan, POK, Shaksgam valley (gifted by Pakstan to China), Kashmir valley, Jammu region and Aksai Chin (Occupied by China). Pakistan never agreed to the first condition of the resolution i.e., withdraw it's forces from occupied area of the riyasat.
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: You have your own point of view about J&K. I don't comment about that.
However, I want to tell you that nobody, worth repeating - nobody, in India is stopping you from coming out of your ghettos and going to schools where science and maths are taught. This helps you get into main stream of day-to-day life in India which is a kind of prerequisite to improve your standard of living and also quality of life. Don't blame others.
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: you wrote an essay mate ! Its never about Hindu -Muslim.ur entire rant is about differentiating on the basis of religion , Hindu n\blaah blahhh Muslims BLAH BLAh.... man sick of people who are more religious than god himself...
Plebiscite sounds great -- but anyone believe that would resolve the conflict between India and Pakistan? Pakistan just had an election which was monitored by the International Community and that didn't seem to resolve conflict between the winner/losers - why should it be any different between India and Pakistan? . Kashmir issue reminds me of Palestine. Arab's love to use Palestine as a distraction - keeping the people focused on something/anything rather than the lousy leadership of the Arab governments.
Oh, there is foreign secretory exists. It is an easiest thing to blame India to keep your job. For your information, things are slowly moving in positive direction in Indian Kashmir as militancy is under control by Indian security agencies & successful election with more than 70% turnout. If you really are concern about Kashmir, then please dismantle all terror organization in your country. Anyways UN resolution with support from China & Russua will be approved soon. now Sir, could you please also throw some light on plight of Muslims in Xinjiang,
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: Nobody reads 5 page comments. You wasted your time.
How will you all understand democracy when you have been under military control for all ur life .. So please don't tell us what is democracy and what is demography ... mind your own business ..
Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is a pending dispute between Pakistan and India since independence of Pakistan as well as of India, as world powers do not want to settle the burning issue, otherwise they won't be able to sell their second hand and refurbished arms and ammunition to Pakistan and India.
But in the case of Palestine, the views of the world powers are different as they don't want to settle this issue either as on one hand in Palestine there is a majority of Muslims versus non-Muslims of Israel.
Coming back on Pakistan and India, the case of occupied Jammu and Kashmir from the Muslims point of view is the same comparing to India where Hindus are dominating and Muslims are in minority.
If the issue of occupied Kashmir is settled than the situation will become dis-balanced for the world powers as this will also be an economical loss for ruling countries in terms of selling second hand and refurbished arms and ammunition.
Had world powers mediated and settled the occupied Kashmir and Palestine issue, neither Pakistan, nor India and Israel have become nuclear states.
Israel and India as nuclear states are acceptable to world powers, but not Pakistan as Pakistan is the only Muslim country in the world having nuclear status which is against the interest of world powers.
Loss of human lives of Muslims whether they live in Pakistan, Jammu & Kashmir or in Palestine is also loss in terms of manpower for the elite countries, as the Muslim force have further elevated the economies of world powers, but unfortunately the world powers instead of lowering their debts are more inclined to reduce Muslim force.
The concept of having one baby or two babies are restricted in the western countries but in the Muslim countries like Pakistan, occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir or the conflicted state of Palestine, this concept is not acceptable.
EU was about to recognize Palestine as an independent state but Israel killed Carlie Hebdo cartoonists to put entire blame on the Muslims and thus have achieved its goal to keep pressure on the world powers and EU countries not to change their minds where Muslims are in majority.
The time is not very far when world powers will understand that loss of Muslim lives is also an equal loss of elite countries, as the human brains more particularly of Muslims will remain unexplored for the betterment of world powers.
It is a known fact that if India will also plebiscite in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, it will remain attached economically with India, not with Pakistan but who will make Modi understand, as Indian establishment want to reduce Muslim brains by killing Muslims and forgetting at the same time it will ultimately help India and not Pakistan, similarly to the world powers policy to reduce Muslim brains from the world which is against the wishes of human beings in the entire world.
Talking death and destruction is easy but to build economies of the world powers the input of brains is a must. Every body cannot think every thing, as sometimes the elders also learn number of things than their juniors and in most of the cases from children.
Do you have elections in POK ?
Again wrong narrative you have right to reject kashmir election but world never ever say any words about election and these is not first time election in Kashmir at that time you did not raised question so your narrative is wrong with wrong priorities and million dollar question that how many OIC member speak after meeting with you sir , i did not read any statement by them and if you have knowledge pl share here too
This is deliberate enmity. Pakistan is justified in whatever it does and how they conduct their foreign policy. Similarly India is justified in however they find it fit to defend their position, vis-a-vis Pak manoeuvres. Pak shouldn't complain to all and sundry....they are just asking for it!
Also, I wonder, if the OIC delegates could ask back...how about Pakistan's own human rights record, whether in past or present and what is the secret of their moral high, with such atrocious human rights record?
Question is: What can you do?
Sure why not? After a massive displacement of Pundits by the violent separatist elements in Kashmir. Please note that there has been an honest -- by that I mean one that is NOT rigged -- election and a popular Government is being formed. Political sophistry cannot substitute for popular mandate, even when it is not palatable.