Kashmir, a prison

RAWALPINDI:

Despite a lapse of over seven decades, no plebiscite has been held in IIOJK. Aside from the legal rigmarole, there is a human rights dimension to the dispute. Kashmir has been reduced to a prison. Even Mehbooba Mufti, a former BJP ally, was compelled to call Kashmir a Guantanamo Bay prison, claiming that “Kashmiris feel that they are literally imprisoned in a cage from which almost all exit routes are barred”.

Even though international human rights law forbids a country to violate human rights conventions even in sovereign territories, India’s stance that nothing of the sort is happening in IIOJK remains firm. They have even gone as far as to say that the abrogation of Article 370 and the consequent domicile changes in the region are India’s internal matter – an absurd claim that cannot be made over a disputed territory. While India’s hegemonic design in the valley relies on the normalisation of the situation in the near future, Pakistan’s attempt to highlight Indian atrocities at the international foreign has paid off. Recently, the UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet appealed to India for safeguarding human rights defenders and NGOs, saying three laws stifle their work, among them one that discriminates against religious minorities including Muslims, who are the country's second-largest religious group.

However, while a statement about Kashmir remains to be heard, the UN’s acknowledgement of Indian suppression within its own country is a step in the right direction. One can only hope that the international community is up to speed with the plight of the Kashmiris as soon as possible. In the meantime, Pakistan will continue to stand tall in order to protect them.