Protest outside UN office in Geneva seeks early resolution of Kashmir dispute

GENEVA (INP): A peaceful protest demonstration was held in front of the United Nations office in Geneva to draw the world’s attention towards the fast deteriorating political and human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The event, organized jointly by the Kashmiri delegation attending the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session, World Muslim Congress and Friends of Kashmir, France, was attended by members of Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora, journalists and rights activists hailing from different parts of the world. Whereas the event was addressed by PPP leader Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, Altaf Hussain Wani, Mirza Asif Jarral, Sardar Amjad Yousaf, Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, Hassan Bana,  Advocate Parvez Ahmed, Dr Waleed and others.

Expressing their concern over the worsening political and human rights situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the speakers said in the aftermath of 5^th August 2019, the situation in the territory has snowballed into a crisis of an immense magnitude. They termed the BJP-led apartheid regime’s decision as a flagrant violation of the United Nations resolutions. They said the unlawful move has pushed the territory deeper into a quagmire of unending violence, lawlessness, chaos and uncertainty. The miseries of the people of the occupied Jammu and Kashmir, they said, have further increased since the revocation of its special status in 2019.

The speakers pointed out that journalists and human rights defenders had been increasingly targeted for raising their voice against India’s belligerent and anti-Kashmir policies. Arbitrary detention of political activists, they said, has become a new norm in Kashmir. “Public assembly is still prohibited and thousands, including minors and political leaders, remain under detention,” they added.

Referring to draconian laws, Public Safety Act (PSA), Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) enforced in Kashmir, the speakers said the Modi government has been misusing these black laws against the Kashmiri population. Terming the long-standing Kashmir dispute as a serious threat to peace and stability in the region, they said an early and amicable settlement of the conflict was imperative to ensure lasting peace in South Asia.

Denouncing India’s state terrorism in IIOJK, the speakers called for holding the Indian army personnel accountable for the war crimes they have been committing against Kashmiris. They also deplored the Indian attempts to delegitimize the Kashmiris’ legitimate struggle for right to self-determination, stepped-up state-terrorism, genocide of Kashmiri youth and use of excessive force against civilians by Indian forces.

Voicing their serious concerns over the continued detention of Kashmiri leaders, they urged the international human rights organizations to mount pressure on India for early release of the Kashmiri prisoners who have been arrested before and after 5^th August 2019. They also denounced the Modi government’s attempts to change the demography of occupied Kashmir by granting citizenship rights to non-state subjects.

They called upon the international community, particularly the UN, to put pressure on India to reverse the constitutional changes brought by the government of India since 2019, repeal all black laws granting sweeping impunity to occupation forces and release all illegally detained political leaders and activists. They also demanded the influential world governments to help resolve the Kashmir dispute, which has been the main cause and consequence of bloodshed and violence in the region.