Chicago: The President of World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir, has said that by refusing to implement the UN Security Council’s resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, India has violated its international obligation.
Addressing the 55th Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) in Chicago, Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir said, that Kashmir is a large, resourceful, cultured and multicultural territory that needs no Indian interference. He said that to deny the right to self-determination to millions of people of Kashmir was a travesty of justice and a violation of the letter and intent of the UN charter.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir said that by refusing to implement the UN Security Council’s resolutions, India violated its international obligation. “These resolutions demand cessation of the military actions, demilitarization and allowing the people of Kashmir to decide their future through an unfettered referendum, or plebiscite under UN supervision,†he added.
The ISNA Conventions in the past were attended by international dignitaries like President Jimmy Carter and Iranian President, Syed Mohammad Khatami.
Dr Mir added that Indian occupation of Kashmir was by far the most consequential political blunder the Indian government has made. “India never anticipated its catastrophic consequences. And to this day they seem to be blind to the outcome of the terrible tragedy of their making. A wanton blunder so monumental, that it has led to three major wars. And there is more than a fair chance a much more devastating war in future will follow. Only, the next time around, it may not be a conventional war but a nuclear holocaust, a war of mutual annihilation, a war of mutually assured destruction,†he warned.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, the Secretary General of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum, said that Kashmir dispute was one of the oldest issues pending on the agenda of the UN Security Council. “Kashmir’s occupation by India has been left undisturbed by the international community, even though its validity has never been accepted. At no stage, however, have the people of Jammu and Kashmir shown themselves to be reconciled to India’s occupation. There is only one way of just and honourable peace; the way chalked out in the international agreements that the future will be decided by the people of Kashmir. Only the exertion of the necessary moral pressure by the world powers, particularly the US will lead the parties to that way,†he added.
Professor (Dr) Imtiaz Khan, President of Kashmiri American Council, described the historical facts about Kashmir. The people of Kashmir, he said were promised by both India and Pakistan with the firm support of the world powers to be given the right to self-determination. These international agreements were never fulfilled until today.
Dr Intiyaz Khan referred to the prevailing draconian law Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which has given the total impunity to the Indian Army in occupied Kashmir. “An Indian soldier can shoot to kill at will and he will not be accountable to anybody or any agency for any prosecution,†he said. Dr Khan added that the Hurriyat leaders have always impressed upon the people of Kashmir to express their dissent in a peaceful manner. “The millions of people on the streets of Kashmir cannot be termed as extremists or terrorists. The massive peaceful demonstrations have been reflection of the indigenous nature of the Kashmiri resistance movement,†he added.
“The world powers need to intervene in setting a stage for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute before the two nuclear states of India and Pakistan indulge in full fledged war which will be a monumental disaster that will engulf not only the region but large part of the world,†Dr Khan concluded.
Dr M A Dhar showed a short video about the atrocities being committed by the Indian Army on the civilian population of occupied Kashmir. He said, every day unspeakable atrocities occur at the hands of Indian Army. He pointed out that conceptually the whole issue of Kashmir is a violation of human rights, non-implementation of UN resolutions, the forcible occupation of Kashmir and defiance of international commitments. Dr Dhar stressed that it was high time to mitigate the sufferings of the Kashmiri people, who had been pledged the UN-sponsored plebiscite that had been denied to them by India.
Following are excerpts from the speech of Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir
Thank you for joining us in this session once again to listen to us, narrating the saga of Kashmir. Little has changed since we last spoke here in this ISNA convention. The needle on the liberation has not moved an iota. The only thing that has changed is that many more lives of innocent Kashmiri lives have been lost, many more people have been victimized and many more atrocities committed by the occupation forces. And frankly, not much can be expected, not only from the Government of India, but even from the world community. The world is in a pitiable state of its own, international law and order, is in a downward spiral. Nations are falling into the hands of despots and demagogues. International political institutions are merely going through the motions and barely surviving. To expect them to resolve vexing issues like Kashmir is an exercise in futility. There are no credible functioning international institutions left that would discuss, adjudicate and act to resolve the issues of violations of human and political rights perpetrated by tyrannies, particularly in Muslim nations.
It is 70 years since the birth of a free India and 72 years since the birth of the United Nations and 70 years of an illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. No one outside of Kashmir really cares. Neither has India been able to pacify Kashmir over the last 70 years, nor has the UN been able to help settle the conflict and establish a permanent state of peace in the region. All the Kashmiris have seen is death, destruction, atrocities and denial of human rights.
Kashmir has been a geopolitical bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Pakistan believes Kashmir naturally belongs with Pakistan, because it is predominantly Muslim by religion and contiguous geographically. To Pakistan it makes perfect sense. It would make a more perfect nation. It is consistent with the accepted conceptual and legal basis of the creation of Pakistan. India believes Kashmir belongs to India because it serves its economic, geopolitical and hegemonic interests. Kashmiris are proud of being Kashmiris. Kashmiris love Pakistan and many, if not all, do believe in being part of such a perfect union. They don’t hate Indians, but they do not like the policies of the government of India what they did in 1947 – everything from its unsolicited intrusion and occupation, as well as all the lies, deceit and a web of the evil and diabolical scheme it spun to justify its despicable 1947 invasion and continued occupation. Kashmiris were coming out of a long period of dark ages of their own at that time – like all other civilized nations have gone through, including Indians.
Indian invasion was nothing, but an inhuman and cynical ploy. They devised it on their own in collaboration with its own formal colonialist master, Great Britain. Contrary to their lies, falsehoods and fabrications, there was no true invitation and no “instrument of accession from the abdicating Maharaja Hari Singh who was fleeing for his life from Kashmir. The renowned British historian Alastair Lamb has authoritatively rejected this Indian claim. It is they, the gang of Nehru, Velebhabhai Patel and VP Menon of India who fabricated this myth.
Kashmir is a colony of India, no less than India was a colony of the Britain until 1947. India is a neo-colonialist almost in the image of its former British colonialist. Now that Congress party has been rendered to the margin, the party of Narendra Modi has unleashed his ideological Hindutva wrath on minorities, particularly Muslims, but also Sikhs, Dalits and Christians. It is bad situation there. India is causing pain not only for Kashmiris and Pakistan; it is a pain for many of its neighbors, like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh too. It has continued to make land incursions into its giant neighbor, China.
By refusing to implement the UN Security Council resolutions of 1948, 1949, 1953 and 1957, India is an outlaw. These resolutions demand cessation of the military actions, demilitarization and allowing the people of Kashmir to decide their future through an unfettered referendum or plebiscite under UN supervision.
Indian occupation of Kashmir is by far the most consequential political blunder the Indian government has made. Its catastrophic consequences they obviously did not anticipate. And to this day they seem to be blind to the outcome of the terrible tragedy of their making. A wanton blunder so monumental, that it has led to three major wars. And there is more than a fair chance a much more devastating war in future will follow. Only, the next time around, it may not be a conventional war. The next south Asian war may well be a nuclear holocaust, a war of mutual annihilation, a war of mutually assured destruction.
The way new India has been conducting itself since 1947 it is being seen as a cancer by its neighbors. Its brutal occupation with 700,000 now soldiers in Kashmir and the daily and ongoing atrocities against unarmed innocent men, women and children are appalling. Its soldiers and their officers use rape as part of their systematic war strategy, just as the Serbians used against Bosnian Muslims in early 80s. They use it as one of the rewards or perks to serve their rotation in Kashmir.
Indian rulers have no compunction to kill and commit war crimes against Geneva Conventions in occupied Kashmir. Their mad men in politics, civil administration, police and armed forces can use any excuse to commit murder and mayhem. And if they don’t find one, they devise one, so they can kill to quench their thirst for Kashmiri Muslims’ blood.
To cite just one latest example of the top most military mad man, Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat. On May 28, 2017 he said, “I would have been happy if the protesters were firing the weapons at the armed forces instead of throwing stonesâ€. Does it not speak of a sick mentality of a sick nation? Can you imagine what the top military brass must be discussing and plotting in their headquarters against Kashmiris?
So, what are the Kashmiris under occupation thinking? What do they want? What would they settle for by way of a solution to their future? All you have to do is to read the news stories from Kashmir. Read Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Times, BBC News and Guardian, just to name a few. You will get an idea. 70 years on, India is nowhere close to silencing the voices and screams for freedom. It is not even close. It is just the opposite. On a scale of 1-10 hatred of Indian rule is 10. Hatred of Indian military has always been 10. Distrust of Indian government has always exceeded 10. Disappointment with world powers, including the UN is high. Towards the US there obviously is a sense of betrayal. US was once Kashmir supporter, but that support has been inconsistent. With increasing business interests in India, we believe that there is a paradox – Indians are more influential on US foreign policy, but at the same time American leverage is much more substantial. India is absolutely dependent on US now because of lucrative IT deals. India would go in to financial collapse of Kashmir situation went into a free fall. Neither Indians, nor Americans can afford to let Kashmir situation get out of control. Pakistan is intricately and inseparably intertwined with Kashmir and India. It is also vitally important for any resolution of Afghanistan imbroglio for the US. Kashmiris have no choice but to hang tough, keep making the sacrifices, keep suffering and hope for the best solution to emerge. As long as Indian forces remain in Kashmir, Kashmiris will whole-heartedly resent it. Every time India loses a sports event, even if it is not against Pakistan, Kashmiris will celebrate, to Indians’ chagrin and each time Pakistani flags will flutter in the winds of hope in Kashmir and Pakistan zindabad slogans will echo in the valleys of Kashmir. We know it drives Modi loyalist and Indian hooligans crazy. They have the force of arms and we have the power of voices and the basis of truth.
There is no military solution to Kashmir issue. Everyone knows that by now. All three parties know it and the whole world knows it. Indian forces have to leave; Kashmir has to be united to make it whole again. Peace cannot come until it is demilitarized and a plebiscite held under the UN supervision.
May the force of truth be with us and power of God be with the meek and the ultimate victory and peace prevail in Kashmir and the region.
