AFTER registering a major diplomatic victory at the United Nations Security Council, which heard the plight of Kashmiri people after a gap of over fifty years, Pakistan has now decided to go all out to protect the rights of its Kashmiri brethren by taking the legal course.
Both Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan announced on Tuesday that Kashmir dispute will be taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the earliest. This indeed is an important development and clearly reflects that government of Pakistan this time around is going beyond mere verbal rhetoric and taking concreted steps to give a very clear message to the oppressed people of Kashmir that the people and government of Pakistan stands by them and will go to any extent to free them from the cruel clutches of the Indian occupying forces which have unleashed genocide in the territory by not only completely locking down the valley but also arresting thousands of people and subjecting them to the worst kind of terrorism. Indeed Pakistan has a very strong case as India, by abrogating the special status of occupied Kashmir, has committed clear violation of all international laws and UN Security Council resolutions and its subsequent acts such as complete restrictions on movement of Kashmiri people, their detention and communication blackout also amount to war crimes. We are sure that a best panel of international repute would be engaged to effectively raise the voice of Kashmiri people at the top court, and the process needs to be completed at the earliest as each passing day is becoming worse for the Kashmiri people with the territory turned into a prison by the Indian authorities. Given the prevailing situation, we also expect that the ICJ will go for an early hearing of the case. If the ICJ can issue directions to Pakistan to provide counsellor access to a spy like Kulbhushan Jadhav who was engaged in sabotage activities, how can it remain unmindful to the plight of unarmed and innocent Kashmiris who are just asking for their right to self-determination as per the promises made to them by the UN Security Council? It is now up to the ICJ as to how it dispenses justice to the oppressed Kashmiris and how those committing war crimes in the occupied valley are held accountable.
