The United Nations Security Council supported the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination through a resolution that was passed on January 5, 1949. In South Asia, the unresolved Kashmir dispute has transformed itself into a nuclear flashpoint. The resolution from January 5th, 1949 serves as the foundation for resolving the ongoing conflict. However, India’s obstinacy towards this issue by not allowing a plebiscite in Kashmir as per the directions of UN is the reason behind deplorable regional peace and stability. It is regrettable that the international organization has not carried out its resolutions, leading to the Kashmiri people’s ongoing suffering.
The principles laid down in the communications of India and Pakistan with the UNCIP (United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan) on Kashmir dated December 23 and December 25 and adopted by the Commission, are supplementary to the Commission’s Resolution of August 13, 1948. Members of the commission included Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, and the United States. The UNCIP unanimously approved the Resolution on January 5, 1949. Prior to that, an agreement reached through the Commission’s resolution of August 13th, 1948 went into effect between Pakistan and India one minute before midnight on January 1st, 1949.
The resolutions of the 13th of August 1948 and the 5th of January 1949 have now been in effect for 75 years, yet no concrete action has been made to put them into practice. In order to repress the people of IIOJK, the fascist Indian government led by Narendra Modi is leveraging the establishment of the Indian army as well as the intelligence agencies RAW, Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Enforcement Directorate. In contrast to Jammu and Kashmir residents who continue to suffer state terrorism at the hands of Indian occupation forces, East Timor and South Sudan were granted freedom through the holding of plebiscites.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference called observance of the day, according to Kashmir Media Service (APHC). The day will be observed by a variety of events, such as protest marches, rallies, seminars, and conferences in Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and other major world capitals to remind the UN that it must put its relevant resolutions to settle the Kashmir and protect the Kashmiris from Indian brutality.
Kashmiris are currently facing inhumane treatment at the hands of Indian establishment. On 18th November, 2022, six international human rights groups highlighted that Indian government should promptly adopt and act on the recommendations that UN member states made at the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process on 10th November 2022. The groups are the International federation for Human Rights (FIDH), World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), CSW, International Dalit Solidarity Network, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. According to the recent report my Kashmir Media Service (KMS) on 1st December 2022, “Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred 11 Kashmiris in only the month of November alone.” Moreover, the report added that, “From January 1989 till November 2022, Indian Security forces have killed 96,156 civilians in fake encounters and 165,385 were arrested during this time period in IIOJK.” The latest report of US Human Rights Watch published in 2022 exposed the fake secular face of India by highlighting the Indian authority’s repressive laws in IIOJK. The report expressed concern over excessive use of force and torture in IIOJK during cordon and search operations, resulting in civilian deaths.
International community must speak against the violence being perpetuated upon Kashmiris and some concrete steps must be taken for a free and fair plebiscite in Kashmir. 5th January is a day to recall the UN resolutions that provide the only viable solution for Kashmir issue between the two nuclear neighbors, which over the time has been transformed into a potential threat for International peace and stability.