No way out for India on IOK

By Zahoor Khan Marwat
September 18, 2019

India is stuck in held Valley; if it had not been, it would have lifted the lockdown by now, which would not have continued for at least 35 days. The Indians are also shocked at the world opinion as all the top world media is slamming the Indian actions in held Kashmir. The international media outlets and neutral observers are reporting on the atrocities being carried out against the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Not only that the UNSC, UNHRC commission and other world bodies have also taken hold of the issue.

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In fact, the held Valley has been transformed by India into the largest prison on the planet where basic amenities and means of communication are not accessible. The use of pellet guns, bloodshed, curfews, clampdown and communications blackout continue. The fundamental freedoms and liberties have been seized and human rights defenders are being targeted. Shops and hospitals in the region have already run out of supplies and the political leadership of Kashmir has been placed under house arrest or imprisoned. Over 6,000 Kashmiris have been arrested without due process of law and sent to prisons in India. There has been a systematic and serial violations of fundamental freedoms in held Kashmir.

It is clear that India's unilateral decision to revoke the Article 370 on August 5 was illegal under international law and now India’s presence, by its own benchmark, is naked foreign occupation. The assertions that these actions are its internal affair are patently false and a lie.

Pakistani proposals for implementing bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, including doubling the strength of UN Observers Mission to monitor the Line of Control (LoC) have been all rejected by New Delhi. The Indians may once again go for false flag or stage managed operations to divert the world attention from impending genocide of Kashmiris. On the LoC, there are increased ceasefire violations, use of cluster ammunition and heavy artillery.

Meanwhile, with Chinese support for Pakistan strong and incessant, Indian analysts and commentators are now claiming that China occupies about 38,000 square kms of Aksai Chin, which it claims to be a part of the Hotan County, southwestern part of Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The Indians are reminding their people that China has rejected the Simla Accord of 1914 signed between representatives of China, Tibet and British India. According to that accord, Ladakh is part of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indians say that China does not recognise this agreement as it was signed by a government that did not represent the people of China while the current regime came to power in 1949. China continues to recognise Ladakh as "disputed" territory annexed by India where Indo-China boundary is yet to be demarcated.

Held Kashmir is one big imbroglio India finds itself embroiled in. And there does not seem to be a way out for the Modi Sarkar except revocation of Article 370.

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