The Kashmir issue has been a bone of contention between Pakistan and India since the petition of the Indo-Pak Subcontinent. The dispute has caused more than two wars between the two hostile neighbours. Though both the countries tried frequently to resolve their bilateral issue, the Kashmir issue still exists. The Indian government under the Modi administration annulled Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution on August 5, 2019.
The 5th August move paved the way for the demographic change in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. The abrogation of article 370 withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian constitution.
The Kashmir issue has been of key importance to the foreign policy of Pakistan, the country has left no stone unturned to highlight the gross human rights violation in Indian illegally held Jammu and Kashmir.
Read more: Article 35-A: Indian SC defers hearing to January 2019 as IOK shuts down
Understanding the August 5th move
The incumbent Indian government under Modi administration has been following the right-wing nationalist agenda of Hindutva for the past few years. While following the fascist ideology, the Modi government has adopted severest measures against its minority especially the Muslims.
The Modi government repelled the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on 5th August 2019. The Kashmir valley had been made a part of the Union. Likewise, Jammu would be governed and controlled directly by the centre. Similarly, the annulment of article 35A paved the way for the demographic change in the disputed region.
Read more: Article 35-A: Court’s move could be problematic for Indo-Pak relations
The unilateral action of the Indian government intensified the tensions between India and Pakistan. Pakistan has been trying its best to highlight the gross human rights violation since 1948 generally and the post 5th August 2019, especially.
Since the Kashmir issue has been of core importance to the policy of Pakistan, the Pakistani government has adopted a plethora of measures both at national and international levels in order to highlight the unilateral move by the Indian government triggering the brutality and atrocity in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at the hands of the Indian government.
Measures adopted by Pakistan so far
Pakistan has adopted a handful of measures to unveil the gross human rights violation committed by the Modi administrations in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region particularly the post 5th August 2019 move.
Pakistan launched a series of protests and strikes across the country in order to highlight the inhumanity in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan arranged a 30 -minute pause observed at every Friday’s afternoon across the country which used to be attended by the Prime Minister of Pakistan per se with a purpose to attract the international community’s attention towards the atrocity of India in Indian illegally held Jammu and Kashmir.
Read more: Pakistan to highlight human rights violations in IIOJK on Kashmir day
Similarly, Pakistan arranged an election to the provincial assembly of Gilgit Baltistan which was deemed to be an initiative to unveil its good intention towards the socioeconomic and political participation of the region thereby denying and repudiating the international concerns over the human rights violations in Pakistan’s administered Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
Moreover Pakistan adopted a new political map that showed the Jammu and Kashmir region as a part of its territory which determined its intention to towards Kashmir dispute.
Read more: Pakistan unveils new Map – Includes Indian Occupied Kashmir
The government of Pakistan renamed the Kashmir highway as Srinagar highway located in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. The country also arranged a plethora of seminars on the Kashmir issue across the country aiming at exposing the brutal nature of India in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Steps taken by Pakistan at international level
Pakistan has brought its diplomatic capacity under full usage to attract the attention of the international community towards the gross human rights violation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at the hands of the fascist Indian government with the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A followed by a number of jaundiced legislations.
Pakistan succeeded in calling in the emergency meeting of the UNSC on the Kashmir issue. Similarly, Pakistani diplomacy prevailed upon OIC to lamabast the human rights violation in Indian Occupied Kashmir via passing a resolution. Likewise, the active diplomacy of Pakistan vis-a-vis Kashmir saga convinced the EU of bringing the atrocities of Indian administration in its forcefully and illegally held Jammu and Kashmir.
Recently, a report indicates the intention of Germany not sharing or trading military equipment with India since India commits to use them in Kashmir whereby it will intensify the human rights violations. Moreover, Islamabad succeeded in getting the nod of American Congress and UK parliament to show and express their concerns over the downtrodden human rights milieu in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Read more: 5th February marked as Kashmir-American day by the New York State Assembly
Similarly, the Prime Minister of Pakistan kept highlighting the gross human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir via his speeches at a handful of International platforms. The foreign ministry left no stone unturned to convince its counterparts of seriousness of the issue.
The international human rights giants like, inter alia, the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were prevailed upon to cover and report the human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir committed by the Modi administration.
Though Pakistan did its best to bring the Kashmir issue in the view of International community, Pakistan needs more tangible and active steps to convince the world community of compelling India to stop the human rights violations in its held Jammu and Kashmir and resolve the issue as per the resolutions of UNSC.
Read more: Pakistan condemns India at UNHCR on human right abuses
Need for a more active approach
Notwithstanding the above measures taken by Pakistan to highlight the gross human rights violations in Indian illegally held Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad needs a plethora of tangible measures to convince the international community of compelling the fascist Modi administration to stop the gross human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan should do its best to convince its neighbours, allies and International community of its concerns over the Kashmir issue in order to strengthen its stance. It should keep highlighting the gross human rights abuse in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir thereby awakening the dormant nature of the International community vis-a-vis the human rights violations.
Pakistan should sensitize the Kashmir issue and its far-reaching consequences for the regional and international security. Pakistan should revisit its internal conditions wherein it needs to revamp its economy which in turn will provide weight to its stance on the foreign front.
Read more: “India cannot suppress Kashmiri people for long”: PM Khan
Pakistan should also do its best to maintain stability and law and order via enhancing the reach of fundamental rights to its citizens which will reinforce its stance over human rights protection. Moreover, Pakistan needs to convince its GCC countries allies, China, Russia, Iran, EU and the United States of America of its stance over the Kashmir issue and let them aware of the serious repercussions of the prolonged Kashmir saga.
Pakistan should continue its efforts to highlight the gross human rights abuse of the Indian administration in Jammu and Kashmir thereby unveiling the seriousness of the issue before the international community.
In a nutshell, Pakistan has adopted a plethora of steps both at national and international level to leave bare the atrocities and brutalities of Indian government in its Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir especially the post 5th August move. Despite all the measures Pakistan has taken so far, Islamabad still needs many tangible measures to sensitize the human rights abuse in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
The writer is a freelancer and a graduate in English Literature and Linguistics from NUML Islamabad. He can be reached at abdulsamadkhanbannu22@gmail.com. The views expressed in the article are the writers own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.