Observer Report
United Nations
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram, briefed members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the situation in in illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He stressed the need for the world community to end India’s human rights violations in the disputed territory and move to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the Kashmiri people’s wishes.
“We, first and foremost, rely on our Muslim brothers and sisters from OIC to uphold the right to self-determination of Kashmiri people,” he told representatives of Islamic nations in a virtual meeting on Thursday.
The Pakistani envoy has been keeping a busy schedule of engagements with key diplomats and senior UN officials, updating them on the plight of Kashmiris suffering under India’s repressive lockdown that accompanied its illegal action to end the special status of Kashmir.
Ambassador Akram told OIC members that on August 5, 2019 the Modi-lled government removed the legal fig leaf from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir when it abrogated Article 370 of its constitution, which accorded ostensible ” autonomy” to the state, and bifurcated it into two “Union Territories” of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.These measures not only violated India’s own constitution but were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions which bar any “party” from taking unilateral action, he said. Under these resolutions, the final disposition of the dispute had to determined by the people of Jammu and Kashmir through a UN-supervised plebiscite.
Anticipating Kashmiri opposition, the envoy said that India increased its troop strength in Occupied Kashmir to 900,000 – one soldier for every eight Kashmiris. It imposed a military siege, a 24-hour curfew, and a complete communications blackout. All political leaders and prominent Kashmiris are incarcerated.
