International pressure

In some encouraging news, there is hope India may come under greater international demand that it change its position in Indian occupied Kashmir, a territory it virtually annexed by ending the occupied territory’s status as a special entity in August 2019 and turning it into a union territory. To add to this are the continued human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir, something that the UN has pointed to again and again. The occupation of Kashmir by Indian troops and abuses against its political leaders are clearly seen by the world. And now China – which has stood by Pakistan in the Kashmir matter – has made this clear by saying it will not be attending a summit of G20 countries on tourism being held by India in Srinagar later this month. China’s stance suggests that the world needs to look once again at India. We need other countries to join China in its strong stance on Kashmir so that Indian occupying forces' grotesque abuses in the territory are finally seen what they are: war crimes.

There are suggestions that Turkey could follow China in its stance on attending the summit on tourism in Srinagar. The UN special rapporteur too has said that India should not be using international summits to try and normalize the abuses and controversial position on Kashmir but be ready to move beyond this. At the same time India, which has had a belligerent stance on relations with Pakistan since the Modi government came to power, has said that the onus for peace lies with Pakistan. In remarks made to a Japanese media agency, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the country, made strong suggestions that this applied essentially to what India unjustifiably and unwarrantedly calls 'terrorism' from across the LOC. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had recently suggested that Pakistan’s ties with India could be softened, but of course none of that can happen without concrete steps by India. It is also quite obvious that the tourism summit in Srinagar is intended as a way to show the world that India has no intentions of changing its stance on Kashmir, or lessening the abusive approach it has taken towards the citizens and political leaders of Occupied Kashmir. This is something the world needs to stand up to and we hope other G20 countries have the sense and spirit to join China in doing this even as India attempts to strengthen its position of change in the composition of the UN Security Council, a hugely powerful body.