Kuala Lumpur
In connection with the second anniversary of the repeal of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution which granted the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by the Modi government in August 2019, Malaysia-based Consultative Council of Islamic Organization (MAPIM) has condemned the move, and called on the international community to pressure New Delhi to grant the Kashmiris their right to freedom and self-determination.
This organization while denouncing the unilateral abolition of Kashmir’s special status by India in a statement in Kuala Lumpur said that the repressive measures taken by the Indian authorities following the repeal of Articles 370 and 35A have greatly damaged the life and livelihood of the Kashmiri people.
“We are deeply concerned by the tragic situation experienced by a large segment of the Kashmiri people, and the most affected children, women, young people and the elderly, who are subjected to inhuman treatment by the Indian occupation forces, including extrajudicial killings, executions in fake encounters, rape, shooting bullets in eyes to cause blindness, arbitrary arrests, torture, destruction of homes and imprisonment of youth.”
The statement said, the suffering of the Kashmiris under the yoke of the Indian occupation, and the invalidation of the effectiveness of local laws aim to bring about a demographic change in Jammu and Kashmir, which will result in societal tension, and deprive the Kashmiris of their right to citizenship.
The agenda of Hindutva adopted by the BJP government aims to transform the territory of Kashmir into a state with a Hindu majority.
The statement deplored the silence maintained by the international community over the persecution of the Kashmiri people by the brutal Indian forces.
“What is more disgusting is the statement of a high-ranking Indian diplomat that India wants to implement the ‘Israel model” in Jammu and Kashmir.”
The statement while demanding the reversal of unilateral repeal of Articles 370 and 35A called for giving the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to self-determination as per the UN Security Council Resolution No. 47 issued on April 21, 1948 regarding the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir.
“Failure to resolve the Kashmir issue portends a humanitarian catastrophe, and threatens regional security and stability,” the statement warned.
The statement urged India to withdraw its forces from Kashmir, bring those accused of human rights violations and crimes against humanity to the courts, allow a full investigation into the crimes committed by the Indian occupation forces and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The organization also called upon New Delhi to immediately and unconditionally release all political detainees, allow the accused to communicate with their lawyers, and protect them from the abuse of law by the authorities.
It demanded a comprehensive investigation by independent international organizations into the atrocities committed by the Indian occupation forces since the repeal of Constitutional Articles 370 and 35A.—KMS
