On the sixth anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the people and Government of Pakistan solemnly observed the ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’ (Day of Exploitation). These unilateral and illegal actions vis-à-vis Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) were aimed at undermining the internationally recognised disputed status of the territory and consolidating the Indian occupation.
India has introduced a number of laws aimed at changing the demographic structure and political landscape of IIOJK since 5 August 2019. Issuing domicile certificates to outsiders, registering temporary residents in the voters’ lists, gerrymandering of the Assembly constituencies, modification of land and property ownership laws, and according greater administrative powers to the so-called Lieutenant Governor are some key measures which have been introduced in that connection. Clearly, all these actions are in blatant violation of the UN Charter, United Nations Security Council resolutions, and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.
In the continued presence of hundreds of thousands of Indian troops, IIOJK remains one of the highly militarised zones in the world. Thousands of Kashmiri political prisoners have been languishing in jails for years. The mistreatment of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders has further revealed India’s willingness to go to any lengths to silence the dissenting voices. The massive crackdown, launched in the aftermath of the Pahalgam Attack, demonstrated that India still treats IIOJK as a colony.
The recent hostilities between Pakistan and India have once again highlighted the urgent need for a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people, for the sake of a durable peace in South Asia. The Kashmiris have waited for the United Nations to fulfil its solemn commitments for the past seven decades. It is the need of the hour that the international community urges India to end its human rights violations in IIOJK, and implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Pakistan, for its part, will continue to extend its complete moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people’s just struggle for realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination.
To mark the occasion, Embassy of Pakistan in Sarajevo organized an informational seminar and photo exhibition at the Embassy to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri people with Pakistani diaspora and local civil society in attendance, it was stated by the Embassy of Pakistan in BiH.
