UNSC's ‘silence on Kashmir conflict’ questioned

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said that the silence of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Kashmir conflict has raised many questions on the global leadership role of the world body in the field of diplomacy.

He said that the UNSC had done nothing except issuing ambiguous statements in spite of the severity of the Kashmir issue and the worst human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

He made these remarks while addressing different webinars and video conferences organised by Pakistan High Commission London, the Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK, Pakistan High Commission Canada, Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC and Kashmir Info Brussels on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of Indian military occupation of IIOJK.

The Security Council, he said, should break its silence on the ongoing killings, genocide and open crimes against humanity in the disputed territory and end the impression that it does not stand with the tormenter in the battle between the oppressor and the oppressed.

Masood said influential countries of the world are reluctant to hold India accountable despite war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by the Modi government in Occupied Kashmir due to their strategic and economic interests. "It is in fact a failure of the global system exist in the form of United Nations."

Speaking as chief guest at a joint webinar organised by Pakistan High Commission Ottawa and Pakistan Consulate in Toronto, the AJK president said, "We need to transform the Kashmir freedom struggle into an international civil liberties movement and a BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] Movement should be initiated and strengthened to prevent India from trampling human rights of the Kashmiri people."

He said that in order to resolve the Kashmir dispute through multilateral diplomacy, it was incumbent upon us to mobilise the world's parliamentary forces, international civil society and media to earn support for just the struggle of Kashmir.

Talking about the observance of the Black Day against India, President Masood said that on October 27, 1947 India had invaded and occupied a large part of the state of Kashmir against the will of the Kashmiris on this day.

Kashmiris, he said, never accepted the Indian rule and every year observe this day as a black day to express their abhorrence and anger against the Indian military occupation and to draw the world's attention to the unresolved issue of Kashmir.

Drawing attention towards multilateral diplomacy as a possible mechanism for resolving the dispute, he highlighted the need for effective communication to support the legitimate rights of Kashmiris to self-determination and underlined that India had been distorting facts about Kashmir and an "effective communication strategy can help us counter it".

The webinar was also addressed by Raza Bashir Tarar, the High Commissioner for Pakistan, Ottawa; Dr Fozia Alvi, the president Humanity Auxilium; Dr Zafar Bangash, the ICIT Director Toronto; Farhan Mujahid Chak, the associate professor of Political Science; Karen Rodman, the Just Peace Advocates' executive director; and Robert Fantina, a political analyst. The Consul General of Toronto, Abdul Hameed, moderated the event.

Addressing the participants of a protest demonstration organised by Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK outside Indian Consulate in Birmingham and Indian High Commission London through video link, Masood appealed to the UK parliament, government, and civil society to play their role to end the ongoing vicious cycle of transfer of Hindu population to IIOJK to alter its demography.

“India is committing serious crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and it must be held accountable,” he emphasised.

The AJK President called upon the United Kingdom to step forward and save Kashmir from annihilation and the region from a devastating war. “Don’t send guns to India that kill Kashmiris, don’t lend capital to India that impoverishes and disenfranchises Kashmiris.

The Kashmiris, he said, have vowed to continue their struggle until they get their freedom and self-determination. Lauding the efforts and dedication of Tek President Fahim Kayani for Kashmir freedom movement, Sardar Masood said that Kashmir Freedom Movement has become an international movement because of the resolute efforts of the diaspora community.

Describing October 27 as the darkest day in the history of IIOJK, the AJK president deeply appreciated the efforts to mobilise support for the right to self-determination of the people of the disputed valley and to put an end to the dark night of terror and oppression unleashed by the BJP- RSS regime in the occupied state.

He went on to say that describing happenings in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir as human rights violations is "merely a euphemism as what India is doing constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity".

He added that the global audience tends to confuse Kashmir with other human rights issues seen all over the world, whereas, 900,000 Indian fully armed troops are brutalising the people.

He said that in IIOJK there are killings, maiming, blinding and incarcerations, rape... and molestation is used an instrument of war. "The occupation forces are immune to persecution because of lawless laws like the Public Safety Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act," he said, adding that such severe human rights violations as seen in IIOJK have not been witnessed around the globe.

The president said that he is immensely disappointed by the "role of the UN in this matter".

"The UN is a tight lip and is influenced by expediency and has issued nothing but anodyne and ambiguous statement. They are reluctant in siding with the innocent Kashmiris."

He thanked the European Parliament and the parliamentarians for taking a keen interest in a peaceful political solution to the Kashmir issue and for speaking out against human rights violations in IIOJK.

The introduction of half a dozen resolutions and a letter from members of the EU Parliament to the president of the European Union urging him to play his part in ending oppression in occupied Kashmir is a significant development and we look the gesture with profound admiration, he stated.

The state president also addressed webinars organised by International Human Rights Commission, Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington DC and High Commission for Pakistan in the UK and urged the international community to realise the gravity of the situation.