Kashmiri diaspora leadership urges UN intervention in Kashmir

The leadership of Kashmiri diaspora in America has urged the United Nations Secretary General to invoke Article 99 of the United Nations Charter and bring the Governments of India and Pakistan on the negotiating table along with the genuine leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir to settle the conflict once and for all.

The memorandum adds that the people of Jammu & Kashmir appreciate the principle stand of the United Nations which you articulated on August 8, 2019, that Kashmir issue has to be resolved under United Nations Charter and under applicable United nations Security Council resolutions. They, therefore, urge you to oblige India to fulfill its pledges of a free United Nations supervised plebiscite in order to ensure restoration of democracy and social justice in their land.

The memorandum explains that the world has changed remarkably in recent years as the 77th United Nations General Assembly opens. The United Nations can claim significant credit for assisting to bring freedoms to the nation of East Timor, Namibia, Southern Sudan and else. Because of the efforts of the United Nations, millions of people who have yearned for self-determination now find themselves free. Unfortunately, however, as the world rejoices and celebrates the freedoms of these nations, a small forgotten land continues to cry out for the United Nations intervention. It is the disputed territory of Indian occupied Kashmir.

 “For over 75 years, the people of Jammu & Kashmir have been peacefully struggling for their right to self-determination through a fair and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the U.N. While India has systematically enacted laws, like Domicile Law to integrate Kashmir into India. These laws are designed to change the demography of Kashmir which are in violations of 18 substantives United Nations resolutions adopted by the Security Council on Kashmir. India’s refusal to implement these resolutions calling for such a plebiscite is at the heart of the problem, and she has chosen the path of indiscriminate murder and intimidation instead of negotiations and peaceful resolution to the conflict,” the memorandum emphasizes.

The memorandum said that the U.N. has the ability to change this miscarriage of justice and to put an end to the violence. It is not enough to simply keep a record of cease-fire violations between India and Pakistan. Too many have died. In fact, the number of deaths exceeds 100,000. Mohammad Yasin Malik, the most revered and respected leader of Kashmir is facing a life and death situation. Shabir Ahmed Shah has spent 36 years in prison. Khurram Parvez, who according to TIME is one of the top 100 influential persons of 2022, has been charged under Unlawful Activity Prevention Act, Masarat Alam’s Public Safety Act (PSA) was quashed 35 times, but is still in Jail, Aasia Andrabi was slapped with PSA 20 times and has been transferred to Tihar Jail, India. There are hundreds of political prisoners who deserve your attention and intervention to be released unconditionally and without a delay.

The signatories of the memorandum are: Barrister Sultan Mehmood Choudhary, President, Azad Jammu Kashmir; Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, chairman of the World Forum for Peace and Justice; Senator Shaheen Khalid Butt, chairman of the Kashmir Mission, USA; Sardar Sawar Khan, former Member of the AJ&K Council; Aftab Shah, Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference;  Choudhary Zahoor; PTI (Azad Kashmir); Sardar Taj Khan, PML-N (Azad Kashmir); Muhammad Mushtaq, PPP (Azad Kashmir); Sardar Haleem Khan, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front); Sardar Niaz Khan; Jammu Kashmir People’s Party, and Sardar Imtiaz Khan Garalvi, Jammu Kashmir Jamaat-e-Islami.