A Senate panel has passed a unanimous resolution against Indian moves to change the demographics of the disputed Himalayan valley of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) and urged the federal government to take up the matter with the United Nations (UN).
The Indian government in August last year revoked a constitutional provision that gave special status to the IOJ&K and imposed various restrictions on disputed territory including curfew and suspension of telephone and internet services
The Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government later also introduced a controversial domicile law allowing people of India to get Kashmir’s domicile and buy properties there – in a move dubbed by Pakistan an attempt to change demography of the only Muslim-majority state.
The Senate Standing Committee on Interior in its meeting on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution, strongly condemning the “illegal and immoral” steps of the Indian government.
“The committee condemns illegal and immoral steps being taking by Indian PM Modi for making demographic changes with a view to reducing the Kashmir population by allowing domicile on very easy terms enabling Indian citizens to show more Hindu population against the Muslims in the next census.”
The committee called upon the government to take up this matter with the UN.
“We also call upon the Prime Minister Modi to refrain from doing this illegal act in violation of the UN Resolutions wherein right of self-determination has already been given to Kashmiri Muslim population of Indian Occupied Kashmir,” it said.
Earlier, the committee’s chairman Senator Rehman Malik said today is the 347th day of curfew in the IOJK and since day one this committee has been marking these days as ‘Dark Days’ in the history of mankind and expressing solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters.
He said Indian government’s brutalities are not only limited to the IOJK but the Indian PM through ultra-right Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is persecuting Muslims across India. Malik urged the international community to intervene and stop the ongoing massacre of Muslims in India and the IOJK
Coronavirus pandemic
Malik also expressed fears that coronavirus cases will increase manifold in the coming days and the government must make strict and implementable standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Eid-ul-Azha so that the spread of the pandemic is controlled.
The Provincial Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2020 introduced by Senator Faisal Javed Khan was also discussed in the meeting. The bill called for inserting a new section 112AA in the Ordinance XIX of 1965 regarding offences and penalties related to emergency vehicles.
The matter of relief packages for businesses especially hotels and restaurants was discussed in detail. Malik said coronavirus has affected people from all sections of society and the government must announce a general relief package covering all.
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