Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Jammu and Kashmir Peace and Justice Forum (JKPJF) on Sunday invited the attention of Secretary-General United Nations, Antonio Guterres towards the resolution of a longstanding Kashmir dispute, which has been a constant threat to peace, stability, and security of the South Asian region.

In a letter addressed to the Guterres, the JKPJF said that the people of Jammu Kashmir have been struggling for getting their inalienable and inevitable right to self-determination, promised to them by India, Pakistan, and the international community.

“However, despite honoring its pledge made to Kashmiris and the international community by creating an environment conducive to implement United Nations (UN) resolutions, India waged a continuous war against the unarmed civilian population of Jammu Kashmir,” it added.

Moreover, unabated torture and killings, arbitrary arrests, custodial killings, sexual harassment and assaults, and continued persecution of the civilian population, mostly youngsters, by the Indian forces have become a routine affair in the Indian-held territory.

The letter also drew the attention of the UN Secretary-General towards the Indian designs to change the demography of the state, saying that India recently took rapid measures to erode the status of the state and change its demography.

“The actions of the Indian government in Jammu Kashmir are not merely the violation of UN resolutions; it’s also the worst form of persecution of humans and their rights,” the letter said adding that such acts were constant sources of agony, pain, and stress for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

It apprised the UN Secretary-General that India was emerging as a ruthless enemy of humanity in the South Asian region while the designs of extremist Hindutva ideology and biased mindset of present Indian leadership not only poses a threat to the people of Jammu Kashmir but to the minorities in India and global peace as well.

Under these circumstances, it adds, it was the responsibility of the United Nations and other international human rights, peace, and justice organizations to coerce the Indian government to take immediate steps to ensure respect to the inalienable human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Similarly, the UN must restrain India in line with UN resolutions to take concrete measures for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Keeping in view the aforementioned facts, we the people of Jammu Kashmir call upon Your Excellency to take urgent steps to get Kashmir issue resolved in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu Kashmir by providing them right to self-determination in line with the UN resolutions on Kashmir,” it demanded.

It urged the Secretary-General to exert influence over India to respect the right to freedom of opinion and expression by releasing all political leaders and activists who have been languishing in different detention centers and police stations within and outside Jammu Kashmir and ensure their proper medical care.

It added that India should be influenced to put an end to the persistent killings, destruction of properties, and measures of demographic changes in Kashmir; end its campaign of repression in held Kashmir and reverse all its illegal actions, including those initiated on and after 5 August 2019, and to “cease and desist from imposing any additional unilateral changes in the occupied territory; and give up intransigence and fulfill its international commitments to pave way for implementation of UN Security Council and UNCIP Resolutions on Jammu Kashmir.

The JKPJF said that the people of Kashmir firmly believed that the peaceful resolution of this dispute would have an extremely positive impact on the lives of people in Jammu and Kashmir and contribute to global peace in general and the South Asian region in particular.

“Resolution of this conflict would result in peace and stability in India and Pakistan and lead towards economic prosperity by bringing millions of people out of absolute poverty that has been the goal of peace-loving people and countries,” it added.