‘Indian intransigence prevented Kashmiris to exercise right to self-determination’

Islamabad : Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch has said that the Kashmiri people have not been able to exercise their fundamental right of self-determination due to continued Indian intransigence.

Ms Baloch was speaking as chief guest at a Seminar on “Kashmir Solidarity Day: a commitment to peace, rights and self-determination” organised here by Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). The event included inauguration of Kashmir Resource. The Foreign Secretary said that today, the true representatives of the Kashmiri people remain behind bars, with the total number of political prisoners being in thousands. Iconic Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani died during detention. She said as if the imprisonment of popular leaders was not enough, the Indian authorities was banning political parties, now 14, that represent the true aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

She said history bears witness that India’s continued occupation of large parts of Jammu and Kashmir threatened regional peace and stability on a number of occasions. The Foreign Secretary stressed that Pakistan believes in peaceful co-existence with its neighbours.

Tayyaba Khurshid, Research Officer at CISS (AJK), sharing her perspective as a Kashmiri youth said that there is a strong bond between AJK and Pakistan. The youth in AJK hopes and possibilities are there for a better future. She said that Kashmiri women have shown remarkable resilience in the face of brutal repression and systemic violence. For over seven decades, Kashmiri women led protests, sit-ins, and resistance movements. She highlighted the sacrifices of women like Asiya Andrabi, Anjum Zamrud Habib and Fehmeeda Sofi who have been in Indian prison for years. She also highlighted movements like Wanan Zanan that provide safe spaces to women through storytelling, literature and poetry.

Altaf Hussain Wani, Chairperson, Kashmir Institute of International Relations, spoke on Modi’s policies in the occupied Kashmir. While giving the example of renowned human rights activist Khurram Parvez, Mr Wani said that free speech has been criminalised in Jammu and Kashmir under Indian occupation. The hallmark was the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A, which was done to implement the Hindutva agenda, bring about demographic change in J&K and Indianise Kashmir.

Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Convener, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), highlighted various dimensions of the Kashmir dispute that included human rights violations as Kashmiris are being killed and tortured in custody of Indian forces. Rape is being used as a weapon. He said that these violations of human rights are cause-related phenomena as India wants to silence the Kashmiri people and deter them from demanding their right to self-determination.

Sohail Mahmood, Director-General, ISSI, in his remarks, said that while Pakistan and the Kashmiris remain resolute in their quest for a solution based on the Security Council resolutions, India has long reneged on its solemn commitments. The international community hesitates to play its rightful role, either because of geo-strategic considerations or corporate interests. Meanwhile, India’s conduct in the occupied territories is marked by heartless cruelty and repression, political manipulation, demographic engineering, and an onslaught of misinformation and disinformation.

He stressed that for the Kashmiris and the people of Pakistan, it is imperative to reject any narratives of despair and to keep faith in the prospects of a fair settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Khalid Mahmood Chairperson, BoG, ISSI Khalid Mahmood, Chairperson, BoG, and Dr Khurram Abbas, Director, ISSI, also addressed the gathering.