Members of the civil society have urged India to end its unlawful occupation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir and allow the Kashmiri people to exercise their fundamental right to self-determination.
As reported by the Kashmir Media Service, civil society representatives, including Dr. Zubair Ahmed, Muhammad Furhan, Muhammad Iqbal Shaheen, and Syed Haider Hussain, convened in Srinagar to emphasize the restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A in their original form. They also demanded an immediate cessation of atrocities and called for a resolution to the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
The members reiterated that occupied Jammu and Kashmir has never been and will never be an integral part of India, contrary to recent false claims made by Indian leaders and parties aimed at misleading the international community.
Terming the so-called peace initiatives as another form of India’s aggressive policies, the civil society members highlighted the ongoing threats to regional peace and stability due to the military and police siege imposed on the people of the territory.
Emphasizing that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized disputed territory, the members called on New Delhi to refrain from making false and misleading assertions.
They demanded an immediate end to gross human rights violations, access for independent organizations, and compliance with international human rights obligations.
The members stressed the importance of building a robust legal case against India highlighting the existence of a legal case in favor of the Kashmiris. They condemned New Delhi’s commission of crimes against humanity in IIOJK and reaffirmed Kashmir’s status as an international armed conflict and a case of illegal occupation.
The members denounced India’s colonialism in Kashmir as a violation of international law. They asserted that armed resistance in IIOJK is legitimate and legal under international law, emphasizing that where there is occupation, there is resistance, and the right to liberation is a political and fundamental right.—KMS
