Islamabad, Pakistan: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and the world over will observe the Right to Self-Determination Day on January 5, 2023, with the pledge to continue their liberation struggle till it reaches its ultimate goal.
It was on 5th January 1949 when the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution supporting the Kashmiris’ right to decide their future by themselves through an UN-sponsored plebiscite.
When the British left India, they invited numerous Indian principalities to make their own decisions about which country to join. There was no talk of the independence of these principalities. Kashmir was one of the largest.
It was logical to assume that Kashmir, where the majority of the population was Muslim, would go to Pakistan. Kashmiri leadership on July 19 decided to join Pakistan but Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh signed a contract with Indian Muslims of the valley and stood against Maharaja but India sent Army to Kashmir. The situation resulted in the first India-Pakistan War and India went to the United Nations for help and demanded ceased fire. United Nations Security Council on Indian request decided that a referendum will be held in Indian-occupied and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir so Kashmiri will decide what country they want to join. This referendum and plebiscite are denied by India since 1948.
In 2019, the world was shocked by the news of India’s decision to unilaterally repeal the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and Article 370 of the constitution.
Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir were completely blocked and lost not only its special status but also lost its state status altogether and is now divided into two parts: Jammu and Kashmir and the historical region of Ladakh.
On August 5, 2019, the Indian government abolished the special autonomous status of Kashmir State. Not limiting themselves to abolishing the special status of Kashmir, the Indian authorities accompanied their decision by blocking communication lines in the Kashmir Valley, a region that has long been engulfed in uprisings by local residents.
Despite repeated appeals from authoritative international organizations, India chose to follow a completely different path, which runs counter to the efforts of the OIC and the UN in the settlement of the Kashmir issue.
Since August 5, 2019, international Human Rights organizations are reporting a grave violation of human rights, the killing of children, women, and youth, and arrests of children and women from Indian Kashmir but nothing tangible has been done so far by United Nations to protect Kashmiris from Indian Armed forces. Since 1949, more than 400,000 men, women, and children have been killed in the valley — which is four times more than those killed in Bosnia and about half of those killed in Rwanda.
Despite repeated appeals from authoritative international organizations, India chose to follow a completely different path, which runs counter to the efforts of the OIC and the UN in the settlement of the Kashmir issue.
If someone thinks that the problem of Jammu and Kashmir is a frozen conflict, they are deeply mistaken – there are constant clashes between Kashmiris and representatives of the Indian authorities in this region, and armed conflicts between India and Pakistan do not stop because of Kashmir, on the contrary, only intensify”.
The entire valley (Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) is reeling under a silence that is anything but normal.
Kashmiris have never been denied their birthright of freedom, all the paperwork has been done, the convention has been made, and the resolution has been passed but still, Kashmir is not free. The world even after acknowledging the fact that Kashmiris must be free from forced occupation unable to rescue them.
Every new turn gives false hope of getting out of the dark maze of torture, misery, and pain but at every turning point there starts a new dark path, providing uncertainty, and unpredictability accompanied by pain and fear.
Power-centered approaches to world politics put international security in danger. The recent processes in Indian Occupied Kashmir made world headlines and alarmed international institutions.
If the international community will not react properly, the situation can be devastating not only for the region but for the whole world. India announced its position on the use of nuclear weapons as “no first use”. Pakistan has not made clear its position and this point can be perceived as a real danger to the conflict.
One should remember that three countries along the border of Kashmir China, India, and Pakistan are nuclear-armed countries. Apart from this, almost 40% of the world’s population lives here. We can imagine how the military confrontation damages not only the region but the whole world. People are the main sufferers of the conflict, the unresolved situation makes the opportunity for military confrontation actual always.
The world should listen to the voices of Kashmiris before India completes their purge. The world is silent as before while custodial killings of Kashmiri leaders in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir indicate that a soft response from the international community is encouraging India to go ahead with its plan of a complete purge against those who want freedom promised by the United Nations with Kashmiris.
Indian Occupied Kashmir is a story of the constant failure of International peacekeepers including the United Nations that took responsibility for providing the right of self-determination to Kashmiris through its several resolutions.
If someone thinks that the problem of Jammu and Kashmir is a frozen conflict, they are deeply mistaken – there are constant clashes between Kashmiris and the Indian authorities in this region.
Here is a brief history of UN resolutions over the Kashmir Issue since the ceasefire demanded by India:
#38 (1948) adopted by the Security Council at its 229th meeting held on 17 January 1948.
#39 (1948) adopted by the Security Council at its 230th meeting held on 20 January 1948,
#47 (1948) adopted by the Security Council at its 286th meeting held on 21 April 1948,
#51 (1948) adopted by the Security Council at its 312th meeting held on 3 June 1948,
#80 (1950) adopted by the Security Council at its 470th meeting held on 14 March 1950,
#91 (1951) adopted by the Security Council at its 539th meeting held on 30 March 1951,
#96 (1951) adopted by the Security Council at its 566th meeting held on 10 November 1951,
#98 (1952) adopted by the Security Council at its 611th meeting held on 23 December 1952,
#122 (1957) adopted by the Security Council at its 765th meeting held on 24 January 1957,
#123 (1957) adopted by the Security Council at its 774th meeting held on 21 February 1957,
#209 (1965) adopted by the Security Council at its 1237th meeting held on 4 September 1965,
#210 (1965) adopted by the Security Council at its 1238th meeting held on 6 September 1965,
#211 (1965) adopted by the Security Council at its 1242nd meeting held on 20 September 1965,
#214 (1965) adopted by the Security Council at its 1245th meeting held on 27 September 1965,
#215 (1965) adopted by the Security Council at its1251st meeting held on 5 November 1965,
#303 (1971) adopted by the Security Council at its1606th meeting held on 6 December 1971,
#307 (1971) adopted by the Security Council at its 1616th meeting held on 21 December 1971.
What do UN resolutions say about the Kashmir issue?
- The complaint relating to Kashmir was initiated by India in the Security Council;
- The Council explicitly and by implications, rejected India’s claim that Kashmir is legally Indian territory;
- The resolutions established self-determination as the governing principle for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute. This is the world body’s commitment to the people of Kashmir;
- The resolutions endorsed a binding agreement between India and Pakistan reached through the mediation of UNCIP, that a plebiscite would be held, under agreed and specified conditions.
