Daily Times

The Foreign Office on Thursday asked India to immediately rescind over 1.85 million bogus domiciles distributed to non-Kashmiris since June, saying ‘no illegal order could provide legal cover for demographic change in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Being in violation of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention and the UNSC resolutions, the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate Rules 2020 is illegal and void ab-initio,” Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said at a weekly press briefing.

He said Pakistan had been consistently stressing that by changing the demographic structure of IIOJK, India was trying to undermine the exercises by the Kashmiri people of their right to self-determination, through a free and impartial plebiscite under the United Nations auspices as per the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

The spokesperson said Pakistan categorically rejected and condemned India’s continued attempts to illegally alter the demographic structure of IIOJK. The officials involved in issuance of sham domicile certificates must know that the illegal exercise was a serious crime against the Kashmiri people, he added.

Zahid Chaudhri said Pakistan deeply appreciated the statement by the OIC-Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (OIC-IPHRC), strongly condemning the extrajudicial killings by the Indian occupation forces.

The spokesperson lauded that the Commission also urged India to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA), and respect the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as per the UN and OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) resolutions.

He called upon the international community to take cognizance of the July 18 incident where the Kashmiri labourers were killed and other acts indicative of the RSS-BJP regime’s genocidal tendencies.