Occupied Kashmir — Post PM’s visit to UNGA

Sitara -e -Shujaat, Nishan-e-Imtiaz

We all were hoping that Kashmiris will get relieved as it was being talked that Donald Trump will intervene through his mediation to get the curfew off and Kashmiris will get out of the cage but unfortunately it didn’t happen.

On the contrary, PM Modi demonstrated the power of his lobbing in an open address where he was almost hanging on the right arm of Donald Trump displaying his best efforts to the world about how he has managed to turn into a glued friend of Donald Trump from being among the top ten terrorists as per USA law.

On the other hand, the Muslim member states of UN except for Turkey and Malaysia, despite being a majority, did not dare to come up to even condemn the brutalities including the barbaric curfew in Kashmir. All remained mum whereas humanity kept bleeding in Kashmir and India continued to enjoy influence on the Muslim states.

The unity of great Muslim Ummah was clearly seen to be vaporised as there was not a bit of remorse on the faces of the Muslim members’ states at UN. Muslim block in the world must remember that the anti-Muslim designers will take on every Muslim country one by one. They should wake up and prepare themselves to avoid facing further aggression in the name of Islamic terrorism.

I would like to make Mr. Modi understand that he is only deceiving himself and his nation by considering that Kashmir is an internal issue of India. He needs is go back in time to the point of agreement which historically still exists beyond doubt between India and Pakistan. That point of agreement is the one which brought to the United Nations Security Council by both countries in 1948 following which UN enforced ceasefire between both. It was the first time in 1947 when Kashmir dispute was first internationalised. It was that very time when the point of inescapable principle of self-determination was raised.

A number of resolutions were passed by UN Commission among which the principal resolution of self-determination was also passed to decide the fate of Kashmir. The resolution recommended that the future status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir shall be decided by the will of the people Kashmir through an impartial plebiscite. There were two elements of a peaceful settlement, first, the withdrawal of the forces of both India and Pakistan from the State of Kashmir and a plebiscite nominated by the United Nations to conduct a free and impartial plebiscite.

The world should wake up and realise how Narendra Modi tactically designed the Article 370 plot by first conducting Pulwama attack himself and after allegedly blaming Pakistan for it, he had openly threatened Pakistan of a worst possible revenge. It shows that he had already cautioned Pakistan of a likely devastating response.

For over two months now, under unprecedented restrictions, Kashmir is into a state of lockdown, tens of thousands of extra Indian troops have been deployed to the region and about 3,000 people including political leaders, businesspeople and activists - are reported to have been house arrested. The former three times chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah has also been illegally detained by the Indian government also many have been moved to prisons outside the state in order to dilute Kashmir movements.

It is unfortunate to note that Pakistan not only lost the chance to table Kashmir Issue in UNGA but also failed to convince UNO to implement its own passed resolutions on Kashmir for self-determination or to even announce any deadline for plebiscite.

Pakistan should have convinced the member states to manage the required number of votes for tabling the resolution in UNHRC and the United Nations to refer the matter to ICJ against Indian government for the crimes against humanity being committed by Indian army troops under direct command of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The nation was expecting from the government of Pakistan to have taken up the following in the form of regulation:

1. Announcement of date of determination - no new voting is required for that. 2. Appointment of a high powered Commission to investigate gross human right violations in Kashmir. 3. Should have referred the matter to IJC to investigate the delay in implementation of resolution on self- determination. 4. Demand for reference from UN to ICC under Rome convention for the trial of PM Modi as war criminal

It was unfortunate to note that government of Pakistan did not file any resolution till the end of the UN session. I do not know and even the nation at large also wants to know as to what stopped them from availing this great opportunity at this highest international forum where we have miserably failed to register our issues related to Kashmir. When Kashmiris were waiting for some divine help to get them out of miseries, unfortunately the international community was showing a completely cold attitude.

What are the reasons behind us to have been failed on FATF front, showing poor performance in diplomatic front on Kashmir and being unable to muster the requisite support from the world?

Now people have following questions in mind and they want the government of Pakistan should response to it:

1. What is the next step to get Kashmir out of curfew?

2. What measures are being taken at all levels to counter Indian move to treat Kashmir as bilateral level & not to be resolved on the UNGA resolution?

3. What diplomatic efforts are being taken to lobby in order to win support for Kashmir?

4. What action is being taken on my four points on IOK?

We should ask as to how long the international community is going to see Kashmir bleeding. Government should try not to allow to become Kashmir issue as a routine matter again and I hope it will announce an aggressive policy on Kashmir. Let us work at all levels to save Kashmir from suffering and bleeding any further.

The writer is former interior minister of Pakistan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Chairman of Think Tank "Global Eye". He can be reached at: rmalik1212@gmail.com, Twitter @Senrehmanmalik