ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a high-profile discussion called on the international community to assist the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in light of the deteriorating human rights situation following India’s illegal revocation of the region’s autonomy.
The discussion was hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). The event highlighted the severe impact of India’s 2019 decision to revoke the region’s autonomy and the subsequent rise in human rights abuses.
The discussion featured prominent speakers who stressed the need for a coordinated international response to the worsening situation in IIOJK. Mushaal Malik, former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights and Women Empowerment, and wife of Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik, called for sustained international attention on the Kashmir issue.
Malik praised Pakistan’s unwavering support for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and urged greater involvement from the Kashmiri diaspora and the global community to address the human rights violations.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President of IRS, highlighted the significant increase in human rights abuses in IIOJK since the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A. Saleem emphasized that a resolution to end Indian atrocities in the region hinges on robust support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, a stance that Pakistan’s government and people have consistently upheld.
Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, Director General of South Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Kashmiri self-determination. Nizami stressed that the alarming human rights situation in IIOJK demands a collective international response to mitigate the ongoing crisis.
Shamim Shawl, a human rights defender and executive member of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), criticized the systematic political changes in IIOJK, likening them to efforts to transform the region into a settler colony. Shawl warned that continued international inaction would enable India to further its hegemonic agenda in IIOJK, worsening the plight of Kashmiris.
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Dr. Waseem Ishaque, Associate Professor at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), drew parallels between India’s tactics in Kashmir and Israel’s approach in Gaza. He underscored the necessity of exposing India’s hegemonic ambitions to garner international support for Kashmiri self-determination.
Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, former convener of APHC, echoed Ishaque’s views, stressing the importance of the right to self-determination and criticizing India’s disregard for UN Security Council resolutions, which undermines the UN’s efforts to secure Kashmiri rights.
Dr. Waqas Ali Kausar of NUML added that India’s actions were systematically alienating and depriving Kashmiris of their fundamental political rights.
