Pakistan to move ICJ

ICJ will hopefully nudge the international community to help stop atrocities in occupied Kashmir

In the face of provocations from India, Pakistan is exercising utmost restraint and prudence. Pakistan is, however, doing everything possible to help the oppressed Kashmiri brethren against the ever-increasing brutalities of the Indian occupation forces. After taking the long-standing Kashmir dispute to the UN Security Council the first time since 1965, Pakistan has decided to take the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Pakistan’s case would be focused on human rights violations and genocide of Kashmiri Muslims in India-occupied Kashmir. The move is part of Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue after the Modi government unilaterally revoked Article 370 of its constitution that gave the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir limited autonomy.

Since the scrapping of the said article on August 5, India has imposed a clampdown and curfew in the occupied territory. The lockdown and curfew have remained in place now for more than two weeks. Kashmiris have been confined to their homes for so long that now they are facing shortages of food and life-saving medicines. Thousands of Kashmiris have been detained. Indian soldiers are regularly conducting midnight and pre-dawn raids on Kashmiri homes and take away young men to unknown detention centres. According to the international media, many elderly frightened Kashmiri men and women are being seen outside government offices inquiring about the whereabouts of their dear ones. They are getting no answer. Also, there are confirmed reports of RSS goons roaming the streets in IOK. India has been committing human rights violations in IOK since 1989, but the repressive tactics have peaked since August 5. Since 1989, around 100,000 Kashmiri Muslims have been martyred. Several thousand have disappeared. Many young men have lost their eyesight due to the use of pellet guns by occupation forces.

We hope the ICJ will take notice of the grave human rights violations in IOK. It will hopefully nudge the international community to help stop atrocities in IOK. Cries for help are echoing from the occupied territory. India says Kashmir is its part, but Kashmiris say they are not part of India.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2019.

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