By Afshain Afzal

Yesterday, in a personal meeting with Indian held Jammu and Kashmir’s leader at Rawalpindi went smooth. He shared excess of BJP and grave human rights violations in Kashmir by the Indian authorities under the guidance of Israeli military and intelligence advisors through planned cold-blooded murders of pro-Pakistan leadership by Indian Army and Border Security Forces. They decided to provide an opportunity to others to restore statehood of Indian portion of Jammu and Kashmir. In the past few days, Ladakh and Srinagar witnessed Jammu and Kashmir Congress planning of series of protest march to Raj Bhavan for statehood restoration. The leaders claimed that although the meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah is unlikely to produce desired results but at least there would be some development in a positive direction.

Meanwhile the Kashmiri Pandits in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom have also agreed not to let India occupy the Jammu and Kashmir state anymore. They rejected the legitimization of Jammu and Kashmir Vidhan Sabha, including Ladakh as legislature of Indian union territory as well the Assembly elected through elections in 2024. The meeting of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 18th December to discuss the issues seems mere attempt to gain time but positive signal for peaceful revival for the movement for Independence of Jammu and Kashmir. The followers of late Sayed Ali Geelani have announced their stance that they would not allow New Delhi to restore Article 370 and will not accept anything less than complete right of self determination, expulsion of illegal settlers in Jammu and Kashmir including Pakistani and Chinese administrated Jammu and Kashmir and restoration of State land to the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. 

On 5 August 2019, Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act to reconstitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Indian Unions Territories with effect from 31 October 2019. Now India is heading towards two constitutional amendments; “129th Amendment Bill 2024” and “The Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill 2024”. The One Nation, One Election” which aims to streamline the electoral process where the legislation will be rolled out in two phases. In the first phase, elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies will be held simultaneously. Subsequently, elections for local bodies, including Panchayats and municipalities, will be conducted within 100 days of the General Elections. Through The Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill 2024, amendments in Section 5 of the Government of Union Territories Act 1962, Section 5 of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act 1991 and the Section 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, to align holding of simultaneous elections along with the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

The Indian politics has adopted a new form of coercion to achieve desire results that has legalized brutal mass killings, a form of partial genocide and denial of the right of self-determination of Kashmiris and other States in India. Those struggling for their legitimate rights of self-determination, recognized by the United Nations and other civilized nations are killed in fake encounters or forced to flee for other countries. It is high time that UNO must pave way for the safe return of all state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir presently divided between countries, ensure expulsion of illegal non-state subjects and provision of an opportunity to Kashmiris around the world to express their right of self-determination as per the British Government’s undertakings before the partition and United Nation Security Council Resolutions.