Pakistan
considers IOK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) essential to its survival. On August 5,
after India decided to take a long-considered move using article 370 of its
constitution to change the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, this
survival became very difficult. This move caught Pakistan by surprise and made
IOK seem even more distant. Since then, Pakistan has been trying to deal with
this crisis diplomatically, without taking any kind of military action, and the
UN has been Pakistan’s most important diplomatic tool.
 |
Intensifying Conflict
over Kashmir. Photo: wikimedia commons
|
In the UN
General Assembly address on Sep’19 to world leaders, the Pakistani PM Imran
Khan said he feared a “bloodbath” in Kashmir when the security lockdown in
place will be lifted. In his 45-minute address, he highlighted the possibility
of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan over IOK if the UN and the
international community did not act soon. Through highlighting this
possibility, Pakistan asked for the UN’s interference in the matter.
Even after
initial appeals, IOK remains one of the oldest unresolved international
conflicts on the UN table. Furthermore, with increasing tensions between the
United States and Iran, focus from Kashmir has been misplaced.
“Pakistan
will stand by the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for the exercise of
their UN-pledged right of self-determination to rid themselves of the brutal
Indian occupation.”
- Pakistani UN Ambassador Munir
Akram
At the 71st
commemoration anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution, Jan’20, to remind
the international community of its commitment, he said that Pakistan’s mission
was to work hard towards the implementation of the council’s resolutions on the
decades-old Kashmir dispute. He said that we will strive towards upholding the
right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people through a free plebiscite.
In his
remarks, Ambassador Akram said that for over seven decades, India had violated
the Security Council resolutions, denying the people of Jammu and Kashmir to
exercise their right of self-determination by occupation and oppression.
Keeping in
light PM Imran Khan’s message, he further said that the current situation in
Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir was the worst in recent history where people
have been deprived of their fundamental rights, including right to life, food,
health, freedom of expression and assembly, freedom of religion, as well as
self-determination.
He also
told the audience that Indian brutalities have exacerbated the suffering of
women and children there, describing this as an unacceptable situation which
must be ended.
Reaffirming
Pakistan’s intention to raise India’s “illegal” takeover of IOK at all UN fora,
Ambassador Akram said, “the right to self-determination is immutable”.
“Kashmir is
in our flesh and blood,” he said. “We will continue to struggle until Kashmiris
are free and the occupation is brought to end.”
Ambassador
Akram eagerly called on the international community to urge India to
immediately withdraw the illegal unilateral action to alter the special status
of Jammu & Kashmir; release all political leaders; lift curfew and
communication blackout; allow access to international media and the UN
Fact-Finding Mission to ascertain the reports of grave human rights violations
in the valley, end the use of pellet guns against civilians and allow the
people their right to peaceful assembly and protest.
AM
