Sheikh Abdul Moomin
India’s decision to host a G20 meeting in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir is a violation of international law and a brazen attempt to legitimize its illegal occupation of the region. The move has been met with strong condemnation from Pakistan which has been raising the issue on different international forums and demanding a peaceful resolution of the conflict since the partition of India in 1947.
The decision to host the G20 meeting in the UN-recognized disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir is nothing short of an attempt to hide the ground realities in the region where India is engaged in massive human rights abuses.India’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir have been widely condemned by human rights organizations and the international community. The Indian government has imposed a communications blackout and curfew in the region, which has resulted in widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, and torture.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been denied their basic human rights, including freedom of speech, movement, and assembly. The occupying forces have started a settler colonial project where they are busy in illegal land grabbing and demolition of the properties of native Kashmiris. People are barred from offering prayers in the main mosques of the region, in complete violation of religious freedom. Â
By hosting this meeting, India is not only disregarding the UN Security Council’s resolutions calling for the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and undermining the efforts of the international community to resolve the long-standing conflict in the region but also trying to put a veil on the human rights violations in the region.
Moreover, India’s move to host the G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit an occupying power from altering the status of the occupied territory. By hosting the meeting in Jammu and Kashmir, India is attempting to give the impression that it has legitimate control over the territory, which is not the case. India’s move to host the G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir also raises serious concerns about the safety and security of the delegates attending the meeting. The region is one of the most militarized zones in the world, with a large number of Indian troops deployed in the area to suppress any dissent that goes against the military administration in the area.
The ongoing conflict in the region has also resulted in numerous human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, which have been documented by various international human rights organizations.India’s decision to host the G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir is also a blatant disregard for the aspirations of the people of the region, who have been struggling for their right to self-determination for decades. By hosting the meeting in this internationally recognized disputed region, India is sending a message that it does not care about the aspirations and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and is willing to use any means necessary to maintain its illegal occupation of the region.On one hand the oppressed people of the territory are denied their basic rights and on the other hand, India is trying hard to convince the international community that everything in the internationally recognized disputed territory is fine and that it is, like any other state of the country, its own part. This move by India is not only illegal but also counterproductive. It will only further escalate the tensions between India and Pakistan and make it more difficult to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. It will also create an atmosphere of insecurity and uncertainty in the region, which will negatively impact the lives of millions of people in Jammu and Kashmir.
India is, with dangerous connotations, promoting the economic development of Jammu and Kashmir and presenting it as a region with great potential for investment and growth. By showcasing its economic potential, India hopes to convince the international community that Jammu and Kashmir is a prosperous and thriving region and that the world can safely invest here. This is done to promote the dangerous project of settler colonialism where Kashmiris will be dispossessed and their land controlled illegally for the furtherment of settler colonialism in the region. By inviting leaders from other G20 countries to visit Jammu and Kashmir, India is trying to show that the region is open to the world and that it welcomes international participation and engagement.
India is also using the G20 meeting to counter Pakistan’s narrative on Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has been highlighting the human rights abuses and political repression in the region, and India is trying to present a counter-narrative that emphasizes peace, stability, and economic development. India is using the G20 meeting to present Jammu and Kashmir as a region that is open for business, peaceful, and stable. However, this approach ignores the ongoing human rights abuses and political repression in the region and does not address the underlying issue of the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The writer hails from Indian-occupied Kashmir
