ISLAMABAD, APR 21 /DNA/ = The India Study Centre (ISC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad organized an event in collaboration with the Youth Forum for Kashmir (YFK) titled ‘Conflict Resolution Workshop. Following the workshop, where eminent panelists highlighted various aspects of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, certificates were awarded to the participants in recognition of their active engagement in a fellowship programme offered by the YFK. The occasion was graced by Ambassador Yousef Aldoubeay, Special Envoy of OIC Secretary General on Jammu and Kashmir. Other Speakers included Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Convener, APHC AJK; and Mr. Altaf Hussain Wani, Chairman, Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR).
Expressing his views on the occasion, Ambassador Yousef Aldoubeay said that there are two reasons for his current visit to Pakistan. One is to learn and see the changing dynamics of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, particularly following the Indian steps of August 5, 2019. In this regard, a visit to Muzaffarabad and meeting with the people and officials there had been extremely helpful. The second reason for the visit is to give reassurance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and reiterate OIC’s firm commitment to the just cause of the Kashmiri people. He said that Jammu and Kashmir is one of the oldest disputes on the agenda of both the UN as well as the OIC. He stressed that not only the OIC as an organization, but every member of the OIC extends firm support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle for the right of self-determination. He informed the participants that a detailed report on the situation of Jammu and Kashmir would be presented in the upcoming meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers.
Director General ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, in his welcome remarks, said that Pakistan values OIC’s consistent and unwavering support for the Kashmir cause, which remains at the core of the OIC’s agenda. The OIC has unequivocally condemned India’s gross and systematic violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people and firmly upheld the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter and the relevant Security Council resolutions. Pakistan also appreciates the focus of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) Standing Mechanism on monitoring and reporting human rights abuses and serving as a repository for information that helps increase awareness internationally. The situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to be a cause for deep concern. This saga of illegal occupation and brutal repression commenced 78 years ago in 1947 and continues todate. It is now more than 5 years since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, aimed at altering the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir and changing the demographic structure of the occupied territory. During this period, the Kashmiris have been subjected to prolonged curfews, double lockdowns, arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, Internet shutdowns, intimidation of human rights activists, and crackdown on the media. On top of that, through its settler colonial project, India is seeking to turn Muslim majority into a minority in its own land. Indian Ministers also frequently threaten to forcibly wrest AJK & GB from Pakistan. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood underscored the importance for the international community to go beyond conflict management and exert efforts for conflict resolution. He underlined that sustainable peace in South Asia could not be achieved without a just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UNSC resolutions.
Earlier, in his introductory remarks, Dr. Khurram Abbas, Director India Study Centre said that wars are costly, especially in the 21st century. In this connection, the Russia – Ukraine conflict is the prime example. So far, Ukraine has suffered a direct loss of infrastructure more than $ 180 billion and would require $ 524 billion for reconstruction. Therefore, there is a need to invest in peaceful conflict resolution.
Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Safi thanked OIC for being the voice of the voiceless and providing the platform to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to raise their voices for the right to self-determination. While lamenting the fact that the issue of Kashmir remained unresolved for more than seven decades, Mr. Safi held a paralyzed United Nations, lukewarm attitude of the major powers, and India’s intransigence responsible for the plight of the Kashmiri people. It was India itself that took the matter to the United Nations. It hoped that since the Instrument of Accession had been allegedly signed, the UN would decide in India’s favor. This did not happen and the UN gave the right to the Kashmiri people to decide their future through a plebiscite. The use of veto by one of the major powers also resulted in the non-resolution of this dispute. The people of Jammu and Kashmir demand a solution that is durable, peaceful and based on UN resolutions. He urged that any dialogue on Kashmir that may take place in future must include Kashmiri representatives who are the main party to the conflict.
Mr. Altaf Hussain Wani said that OIC had been a beacon of hope for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir is not a territorial dispute. Instead, it is the question of human rights and right to self-determination. In the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, the twin forces of religious repression and economic marginalization expose the hollowness of India’s claims of integration and development. On the one hand, India has imposed systematic bans on Eid and Friday prayers, along with state control of Muslim religious institutions via the Waqf Amendment Act, and on the other hand, it has been facilitating Hindu pilgrims. This reflects an apartheid-like structure of religious discrimination. India’s claims of ‘development’ post-5 August 2019, are nothing short of a façade. The Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir lost $5.3 billion in the first nine months of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. Subsequently, India also reduced the budgetary allocation to IIOJK. The unemployment rate in 2019 stood at 16.29% and has reached 28.2% in 2024. Siege and search operations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are going on unabated.
Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman Board of Governors ISSI, apprised the audience that Indian claims of UN resolutions of becoming redundant and outdated are wrong. The resolutions remain valid as also expressed by UN Secretary General.
The presentations by the speakers were followed by an active question-and-answer session and certificate awarding ceremony. Towards the end, Mr. Zaman Bajwa, Executive Director, Youth Forum for Kashmir praised the enthusiasm of the young participants of the fellowship programme. He urged them to take full advantage of the fellowship and advance the cause of Kashmir through their writings and other academic activities.
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