Daily Times

The imposition of curfew for 20 days in India-held Kashmir has created an alarming situation, which has attracted the attention of United Nations and Amnesty International while Genocide Watch, a global organisation dedicated to the prevention of genocide, has also issued a warning for the occupied territory. The alert says there are signs of early stages of genocide. Side by side, Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned the world of an alarming situation in case of military escalation from India. He told the New York Times that Pakistan would have to respond if India launched a misleading “false flag operation” in held Kashmir with the intent of going to war against Pakistan.

If that happens, it may lead to miscalculations as both sides are nuclear-armed countries. The prime minister said, “My worry is that this can escalate and for two nuclear-armed countries, it should be alarming for the world what we are facing now.”

Things have not been normal in India-held Kashmir since the Modi government revoked the special status of the region and allowed the enforcement of rules that threaten the valley’s cultural and demographic identity. To suppress Kashmiris’ reaction, the Indian government has cut off all communication, and put human movement under heavy restrictions.

Pakistan has done its part to stir the world on this grave human rights issue. The world, on the other hand, has not gone further than advising both sides to resolve matters bilaterally. Pakistan and India have a history of mistrust while India has always thwarted Pakistan’s efforts to discuss and resolve bilateral issues. Enough is enough. The prime minister has rightly said there is no point in talking to Indians. Soon after taking oath, the prime minister said if India takes one step towards peace and dialogue, Pakistan would take two, but his overtures for peace and dialogue with the Modi government were never reciprocated.

The world community cannot keep looking the other way as the lives of eight million people are at risk, and the Modi government’s steps are towards “ethnic cleansing and genocide.”

The United Nations should send its observers to the locked-down valley. Similarly, the Indian government should be pressured by world bodies to withdrawal the clampdown on communication. Millions of people cannot be restricted in the world’s biggest open jail. *