PESHAWAR: Politicians, diplomats, and international law experts strongly criticized the Indian Supreme Court’s recent verdict upholding the BJP Government’s revocation of the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). They called on the UN Security Council to take serious notice of this decision which is a violation of the its resolutions and international law.
Former Ambassador Manzoorul Haq condemned the verdict, stating that through unilateral acts, India cannot alter IIOJK’s status as an internationally disputed territory. He emphasized that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute, remaining on the UN Security Council’s agenda for over seven decades.
Ambassador Manzoor stressed the importance of self-determination for the people of the region and urged the UNSC to implement its resolutions on Kashmir. He cautioned that any unilateral decisions by India against the will of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan could lead to disastrous consequences.
Flaws in Indian Supreme Court’s Verdict on IIOJK Special Status
Professor Dr Ejaz Khan, former Chairman of International Relations at the University of Peshawar, criticized the Indian Supreme Court’s verdict, calling it a travesty of justice based on distorted historical and legal arguments. He highlighted that the judgment fails to recognize the disputed nature of the Jammu and Kashmir issue and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Dr Ejaz Khan emphasized that steps like the restoration of statehood cannot substitute the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people. He underscored the international community’s need to focus on the human rights violations in IIOJK, including India’s attempts to alter the demographic structure.
Member of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Muhammad Hussain Tayyab, strongly condemned India’s decision, emphasizing that India cannot hide its atrocities and human rights abuses in IIOJK. He pointed out that life has become a nightmare for the Kashmiris, facing endless human rights abuses and state terrorism since 1947.
Tayyab cited reports indicating widespread sexual violence, rape, and molestation against women and children as a weapon of war in IIOJ&K. He called attention to the alarming increase in extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses in the region since the revocation of its special status in 2019.
Citing shocking statistics, Tayyab mentioned over 100,000 Kashmiris killed by Indian forces since 1989, 7,200 people murdered in Indian army custody, and numerous cases of sexualized torture, including rape, molestation, and sodomy. He urged India to conduct a forensic investigation into over 7,000 unmarked mass graves in IIOJ&K.
The APHC leader highlighted the intensified state terrorism by nearly one million Indian occupation forces in IIOJ&K and the imprisonment of senior Kashmiri leadership, depriving Kashmiris of constitutional rights and liberties.
