ISLAMABAD: The APHC-AJK chapter has alerted the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and the permanent member states to the Indian Supreme Court’s recent validation of the government’s action on August 5, 2019, revoking the special status of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, the APHC-AJK Convener, communicated this concern in a letter, emphasizing that the court’s decision further undermines the legitimate political aspirations of Kashmiris and serves to cloak the Modi government’s alterations to the UN-recognized disputed territory.
The correspondence highlights the violation of UN Security Council resolutions, stressing the infringement on Kashmiris’ inalienable right to self-determination and the disregard for the region’s status as an internationally recognized dispute. It underscores the longstanding UN resolutions advocating for a plebiscite in the region and underscores that any unilateral decisions by the Indian government regarding this disputed territory run counter to the will of the Kashmiri people.
The letter strongly condemns India’s repeated failures to uphold international obligations, citing the illegal actions of August 5, 2019, and the subsequent judicial backing of those actions as blatant violations of international law. It asserts that this judgment is a diversion from the core issue: the right to self-determination for millions of Kashmiris.
Finally, the APHC urges the UN chief and permanent members to intervene, leveraging their influence to compel the Indian government to cease its relentless assault on the Kashmiri identity and its attempts to alter the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.