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ABOUT    PROJECTS    PUBLICATIONS    CONTACT A Webinar on The Suffocating Kashmir: A Story of Unending Lockdown Thursday, October 28, 2021 Organised By MUSLIM Institute MUSLIM Institute organized a Webinar titled "The Suffocating Kashmir: A Story of Unending Lockdown" on Thursday, October 28, 2021. Distinguished speakers included His Excellency Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali (Dewan, State of Junagadh and Chairman MUSLIM Institute), Ms. Victoria Schofield (British author and Analyst), Brigadier (R) Asif Haroon Raja (Defence Analyst), Dr. Syed Mujahid Jilani (President of Kashmir Youth Alliance and Secretary Advisory Board, Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir). Ms. Farzana Yaqoob (Former Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir) was the Chair of the session. Mr. Ali Iftikhar (Research Associate MUSLIM Institute, UK Chapter) moderated the proceedings. Researchers, students, academics, representatives of think tanks, journalists, political leaders, and people from different walks of life participated in the webinar.

Honourable Speakers and Guests Following Hounorable Speakers and Guests addressed the webinar. Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali Dewan of Junagadh State & Chairman MUSLIM Institute Ms. Victoria Schofield British Author and Analyst Brigadier (retd) Asif Haroon Raja Defense Analyst Dr. Syed Mujahid Jilani President of Kashmir Youth Alliance and Secretary Advisory Board, Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Ms. Farzana Yaqoob Former Minister for Azad Jammu and Kashmir Mr. Ali Iftikhar Research Associate MUSLIM Institute, UK

Remarks by Speakers Brief summary of the views shared by the speakers:

In October 27, 1947, India illegally occupied the Jammu & Kashmir. Not only did India go against partition-plan of the sub-continent but also violated international law and humanitarian norms. Recently on August 5, 2019, India went one step still further and dishonoured even its own founding father’s commitments by abrogating the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) through revocation of article 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution. Through this act, clearly violating the UN resolutions of 1948, India has tried to alter the disputed status of the IIOJK and demographic structure as part of the vicious plan of the ‘Hindutva’-driven RSS-BJP. However, the illegal and unilateral actions of the Indian fascist BJP-led administration have categorically been rejected by the courageous Kashmiri people, Pakistan and the international community at large.   Most importantly, Kashmiri people even before August 5, 2019, continued to suffer from black laws, constitutional and political repressions, economic insecurity, cultural victimization and religious curtailment of their rights by New Delhi. But, after August 5, 2019, New Delhi took away and scrapped the very constitutional laws that would bear at least on the paper. These laws and the structure were something that was consoling Kashmiri people whose generations have lived in this part of the illegal Indian occupied Kashmir. Although they were always nervous, tensed and suffered the feeling of victimhood, still hopeful that the plebiscite by the United Nations let them express their right of self-determination. The people of Kashmir, after this tragedy, are under a painful psychological siege that is evident in their writings and narrative. They are passing through an ongoing trauma, extreme depression, suffocation, loneliness, and feeling of being pushed against the wall. Contrary to some claims, this feeling is not limited to the youth only, but all encompassed to even family levels. Even though the women feel insecure in moving around, they are still courageous enough to come out in demonstrations against the Indian occupation.

For last 2 years, Kashmir has become a place without fundamental human rights and 8 million people are in house-arrest by 900,000 forces. Among others, large scale genocide of the Kashmiri people also includes the agenda of the Indian extremist government. As per definition of Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948): “Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, such as: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” Indian actions in the IIOJK are no less than an organized and executed genocide. Moreover, several UN-Reports categorically described that the Indian occupying forces are deliberately and intentionally killing civilians, using pallet guns to blind Kashmiris, detaining and torturing the political leaders and the youth as well as raping the Kashmiri women. Since 1990 India’s occupation army has martyred over 100,000 Kashmiris, widowed 22,000 women, orphaned 108,000 children and raped more than 11,000 women. Indian war crimes and crimes against humanity are increasing at an alarming pace which can neither be denied nor ignored now. Indian state-terrorism in IIOJK is a dark reality proven by various research reports at global level. The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution on Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to save citizens from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity in 2005. Since adoption, the norm has been invoked in Libya, South Sudan, Yemen, and Syria. However, the United Nations is still unable to stop the genocide committed in the IIOJK.

Theoretically, the nature of this ongoing holocaust in Kashmir can be classified as a protracted social conflict. Justifiably, it results from curtailment of socio-political rights of the people and this right of self-determination is also recognized by the UN. Notedly, out of 200 registered nations in UN, 150 countries came out as a result of movements of self-determination. Undoubtedly, the economic and military potential of India and its regional influence not only obstruct the UN’s ability to play a decisive role, but also forbid the international community to dissuade India not to commit genocide in IIOJK. Lawfare is the need of the hour. Realism in world politics hampers the world powers to register the freedom movement of Kashmiris especially in the UN Security Council and because of economic and strategic reasons prevents India being labelled. Moreover, India has also imposed Hybrid Warfare on Kashmir. In the near future, a resolution of Kashmir Issue especially between Islamabad and New Delhi will be unlikely. To its belief, India will not continue to be in denial mood once Indian civil society understands the economic cost of being in Illegal Indian Occupied Kashmir. The way forward is that Islamabad has to have very innovative and fresh look of the Kashmir policy and avoid being hostage to the earlier narrative and continue to press the right of self-determination. Simultaneously, Islamabad has to find a way to segregate self-determination and freedom movement of Kashmir from being labelled as terrorism by India. Secondly, in addition to the aggressive lobbying the premier being on the forefront, it also has to be people-centric approach with innovative use of social media and writing of the youth generation within and beyond Pakistan with circulation in the West and Muslim countries including Central Asian and other countries as well. Lastly, Kashmiri Diaspora based anywhere in the world need to pressurize their parliamentarians to speak in favour of their Issue. Pakistan should continue its diplomatic, moral and political support of the people of IIOJK in their just struggle until the Kashmiris achieve their legitimate right to self-determination as enshrined in the international law, United Nations Charter and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. India must be made to honour the commitments of its founding fathers and ensure implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir for the just resolution of this long-standing dispute. Follow Us Contact Us PO Box: 562, Islamabad, Pakistan info@muslim-institute.org www.muslim-institute.org © 2020. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe - Webversion - Download PDF - Send to a friend