Aid Memoire
February the 5th is observed as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’; a Day to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir in their just struggle for freedom from Illegal Indian Occupation and for their right of self-determination; a just struggle in the face of India’s increasingly oppressive policies and atrocities.
The persistently deteriorating human rights situation in the Indian occupied disputed territory, it is important to recall the history of the Kashmir dispute. At the time of partition of India in 1947, Jammu Kashmir was a princely state in the undivided India. Jammu Kashmir had its historic, religious, demographic, trade and road links with the present day Pakistan. With an overwhelmingly Muslim population, it was governed by a Hindu ruler.
Several UN Security Council Resolutions passed soon after the partition require the future of Jammu Kashmir to be decided according to the wishes of the people of Jammu Kashmir through a plebiscite under UN auspices. Importantly,
India itself is a party to these resolutions. Unfortunately, instead of honoring its
obligations, India opted to use brutal force against Kashmiri men, women and children to deny them of their right of self-determination. Mediating between India and Pakistan, the two huge former colonies of Britain, was one of Canada’s key aspirations was the crown jewel of the Canadian foreign policy as a “peacemaker” or “peacekeeper” internationally.
Canadian General A.G.L. McNaughton as President of the Security Council of the United Nations headed the armistice commission in December 1949 which was signed in December 1949 between Pakistan and India. McNaughton had been quoted as stating that plebiscite, “to take place as early as possible,” which would “settle this issue between the Governments of India and Pakistan.”
A recent example of ruthless suppression of a just freedom struggle, was the funeral of 91 year old iconic Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who passed away while under house arrest on 01 September 2021.
When the bereaved family was preparing for the last rites of Syed Geelani, Indian police snatched the deceased leader’s body and denied burial according to his will (in “Cemetery of Martyrs” in Srinagar). Not content with that level of callousness, Indian authorities resorted to harassing Syed Ali Geelani’s family and registered cases against them on trumped up charges.
Geelani had inspired three generations of Kashmiri people to struggle forfreedom from illegal occupation. He had spent decades in jail and house arrest without losing even an iota of his commitment and conviction. His biggest legacy not just to Kashmiri people but for the world, is his conviction for freedom and principle of justice and international law. That has been the guiding light for the oppressed in all eras of history and in all continents of the world. That was the main force and spirit behind decolonization and against apartheid.
India’s blatant violation of human rights in Kashmir is nothing new.
Toits infamous record of human rights, it has the discovery of thousands of unmarked graves in early 2000s; use of pellet guns that blinded the Kashmir youth in last decade and stripping millions of the very basic human rights to life and dignity all through since 1947.
Reports of unmarked graves in Indian
Occupied Kashmir first surfaced in 2006. European Parliament’s resolution of 2008, called for independent and impartial investigations into the matter; in 2011, Amnesty International, expressed concern over ‘confirmation’ of 2,700 unmarked graves. Discovery of unmarked graves created a furor and concern everywhere in the world, except
India. Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK), now for several years remains the most densely militarized place in the world, with 900,000 uniformed security personnel on ground, teethed with draconian laws. June, 2019 report of Amnesty International described the situation as “Tyranny of alawless law”.
Unfortunately, all this is happening in today’s ‘civilized world’, where we often hear about the sanctity of human rights and human dignity. It is happening today, now, and as we speak, in a world that is connected across the globe with a single click on our mobile devices. Is that acceptable? “If not, then the question is, what is our responsibility; at collective and at an individual level?
Kashmiris Right of self-determination was promised to them by the international community. The international community has a responsibility for its realization. Let us support the oppressed people and join the voices that are struggling for peace and justice.
To fulfill their responsibility is not a matter of choice, but a matter of responsibility.
Source: Consulate General of Pakistan
Friday, April 17, 2026
