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Saturday July 19, 2025

The story of Kashmir

This is not just territorial dispute, but humanitarian crisis that has endured for over 75 years

By Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon
June 21, 2025
An Indian military personnel stands in the middle of a road amid a curfew days after the abrogation of Article 370 in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK). — AFP/File
An Indian military personnel stands in the middle of a road amid a curfew days after the abrogation of Article 370 in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK). — AFP/File

Heading the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir diplomacy is often a quiet art – but sometimes, it becomes a roar, a clarion call that cuts through decades of silence and injustice. Our recent visit to the United Kingdom from May 18 to May 25 was one such moment.

As chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, I led a high-level delegation with a clear and urgent mission: to rekindle global attention to the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This is not just a territorial dispute, but a humanitarian crisis that has endured for over 75 years. And now, with India’s intensified military presence, demographic shifts, and systemic restrictions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the world can no longer afford to look away.

This trip was about strategic action, moral clarity and diplomatic momentum – a mission rooted in responsibility.

In each city, we delivered a unified message: Kashmir is not a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India; it is a question of self-determination, human rights and international law.

One of the most significant moments came in Bradford, where we were received by Judith Cummins MP, deputy speaker of the House of Commons. Her engagement was courteous and deeply informed. She acknowledged the urgency of parliamentary dialogue on unresolved conflicts and reaffirmed the UK’s historic role as a mediator. Joined by local councilors and community leaders of Pakistani-Kashmiri heritage, she echoed the need for a peaceful, negotiated settlement.

In London, our meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir at Westminster marked another milestone. Chaired by Imran Hussain MP, the session brought together parliamentarians from across party lines. They recognised the historical roots of the conflict and committed to amplifying Kashmir’s voice within British political institutions.

No diplomacy can succeed without the strength of its people. In the UK, the Pakistani-Kashmiri diaspora proved to be an unstoppable force, passionate, organised and politically engaged.

At the Kashmir Solidarity Conference in Manchester, hosted by veteran activist Raja Najabat Hussain founding member JKSDMI, we witnessed the full breadth of this grassroots power. British MPs, civil society representatives, media, and youth gathered under one roof. The conference culminated in a joint declaration calling on the UK government to support a UN-led fact-finding mission into human rights violations in IIOJK.

It was a powerful reminder that when communities unite around a cause, they become the voice of justice on the world stage.

India’s position on Kashmir has long been inconsistent with its own founding principles, and even with the words of its first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1947, Nehru declared: “We have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given… not only to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not and cannot back out of it.” This was in a broadcast to the nation on All India Radio, November 2, 1947.

And again, in parliament in 1952, he affirmed: “If the people of Kashmir are not free to decide their own future, then the whole basis of our claim to be a democracy is gone.”

Yet today, those promises remain unfulfilled. The plebiscite Nehru pledged never materialised. Instead, India has imposed military occupation, surveillance and systemic suppression under the guise of national unity.

He once said: “We do not wish to win people against their will with the help of armed forces, and if the people of Kashmir do not wish to be with us, let them go their way.” (Statement in Indian parliament, 1952)

But the reality on the ground tells a different story, one of mass detentions, curfews, censorship and violence. These contradictions must be confronted, not just by India’s neighbours, but also by the international community.

During our visit, we reset the conversation. At a high-profile media briefing hosted by the Pakistan High Commission in London, we presented evidence-based observations on: the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A and its implications for Kashmiri autonomy; reports of population shifts and concerns over altered demographics; restrictions on freedom of expression, mass detentions and surveillance measures; cross-border ceasefire violations affecting civilian infrastructure; and India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

We made it clear: these are not isolated incidents. They reflect systematic challenges to peace, stability, and human dignity in the region. This mission was not about photo-ops or press releases but focused on delivering tangible results. To the extent we got formal commitment from British MPs to raise the Kashmir issue in parliament debates and committee discussions; institutionalised cooperation between the APPG on Kashmir and Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee, ensuring sustained pressure and dialogue; launch of ‘Kashmir Advocacy Councils’ across the UK, empowering diaspora communities to lobby locally and nationally; and plans underway for a Global Parliamentary Forum on Kashmir to be held in the UK in 2026, an unprecedented platform for international lawmakers to engage directly with the issue.

These outcomes represent a shift, from rhetoric to resolve, from appeals to accountability.

The fact is that diplomacy is not a sprint but a marathon. The struggle for Kashmir’s rightful future requires consistent, coordinated and principled advocacy.

Following this success, our next steps include: engagements in Brussels, Geneva and Washington DC; outreach to UN agencies, human rights bodies and regional organisations; and mobilisation of global parliamentary networks to elevate Kashmir on the international agenda.

We do not seek confrontation. We seek justice, grounded in international law, UN resolutions, and the will of the Kashmiri people.

To the people of Kashmir: You are not forgotten. To every Kashmiri who lives under the shadow of occupation, to those who resist in silence and those who speak despite the risk, we carried your story. We stood in the halls of British power and told the world: you matter.

Let me say this clearly: we will not stop. Kashmir is not a slogan. It is a sacred trust, a promise we must keep. We appreciate COAS Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu and Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf for their exceptional bravery and befitting response. Our civil and military leadership prevailed.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir. He recently led a parliamentary delegation to the UK.