KARACHI:
It was on August 5, 2019 when the Narendra Modi-led government revoked Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution in violation of the UNSC resolutions on Kashmir. Since then the world has turned a blind eye to the heartrending plight of the Kashmiris at the hands of the Indian occupation forces.
Kashmir is the bone of contention between Pakistan and India. Both countries have fought three wars over it followed by the adoption of the UNSC resolutions 38, 39, 47 and 51 in 1948 which provided the solution of a plebiscite in respect of the right to self-determination of the Kashmiris. In line with the terms, New Delhi promulgated Article 370 in 1949, giving special status to Kashmir, followed by the enactment of Article 35A in 1954 which granted special rights and privileges to the citizens of Kashmir. Modi, inspired by the actions of the RSS, repealed both the articles, depriving Kashmir of its autonomous status and changing its demography in defiance of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (4GC).
The Kashmiri nationals have long been suffering from the discriminatory policies and inhumane treatment. Since 2019, New Delhi has exponentially increased the size of its military on the orders of Modi’s attack-dog Ajit Doval. These manoeuvres are a blatant violation of Article 32 of the 4GC. Furthermore, the delimitation exercise recently engineered directed at reducing the Kashmiri representation and the conviction of veteran freedom fighter Yasin Malik on terrorist financing charges bear witness that India is following in the footsteps of Israel. In view of the aforementioned facts, the international community must take into account this matter, and force India to immediately reverse the illegal measures in compliance with Article 99 of the UN Charter.
Muhammad Aftab
Faisalabad
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2022.
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