TON Research Team

The Kashmiris, the Pakistanis, the Indian and many other throughout the world would be observing Blackout on Friday from 8 pm to 9 pm on 4 June 2021 as resistance against Indian military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir State. It was 27 October 1947, when India military forcibly invaded large portion of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian military’s invasion of Jammu and Kashmir was in a flagrant violation of the aspirations of people of Kashmir. India took a further unilateral step on 5th August, 2019 by abrogating Article 370 and 35A and permanently incorporating disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir in Indian Union.

President of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir said in a statement, “I think it is the duty, especially Pakistan’s to bring this (Kashmir issue) to the United Nation platform more strongly.” However, Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi criticized to Bozkir's statement and said, "When an incumbent President of the UN General Assembly makes misleading and prejudiced remarks, he does great disservice to the office he occupies. The President of the UN General Assembly's behaviour is truly regrettable and surely diminishes his standing on the global platform." He added, "We express our strong opposition to the unwarranted references made with respect to the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the President of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir during his recent visit to Pakistan,"

Since day one people of Kashmir resisted against Indian forces and rejected their illegitimate occupation. On 1^st January, 1948, India took Kashmir issue to United Nations Security Council, consecutive resolutions passed and UNSC invalidated Indian invasion in Kashmir. UN approved a ceasefire, demilitarization of the State and unbiased plebiscite to be conducted under the supervision of the world body. In the years ahead, India thwarted all the UNSC’s efforts to hold the plebiscite on one pretext or the other, as India knew that if an impartial plebiscite was held, Muslim majority population of Jammu and Kashmir will vote for accession to Pakistan.

India is playing old game with new tactics. The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill but India is taking advantage of COVID-19 pandemic. India is constantly massacring Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) and is beating around the bush. Extra Judicial killing, rape, mass arrest, firing of tear gas shells, disappearances, pellet gun shootings, all other methods of torturing people of Kashmir have become obsolete. There was a shift in demography of the region when India forcibly annexed Kashmir as thousands of Hindus gets residency, jobs and land. Now Indian troops kill Kashmiris saying they have COVID and use corona as a weapon to change region’s Muslim majority status to settle Hindus in the region. Indian Security forces are burying these martyrs secretly in army-managed graveyards saying they are infected by coronavirus because they have a fear that if they will hand over dead bodies, mass protests will be started in the region. India is committing grave breach of human rights and international laws but the world is numb. Continued communications restrictions and no access to medical and other necessary supplies are making the Covid-19 situation worse for the Kashmiris in IOJK. Indian authorities turned Kashmir into “Ghost Town”.

Regardless of the massive suppression of the Indian forces to silence and subdue Kashmiris, the Kashmiris have been fighting for self-determination for hundreds of years. The Human Rights violations and genocide in the Kashmir valley with full impunity under the protection of “draconian laws” like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) by Indian security forces grows every passing day. Unfortunately despite driving attention of world community to Kashmir issue, everyone kept a mystifying silence. The gross massacre of Kashmiris continues from ages. United Nations Organization, Eurpeon Union, Human Right organizations even Islamic countries and their organizations have just become spectators and are showing stiffness to the issue. UN seems to be helpless in having myriad of its resolutions implemented.

Focusing on mere public holidays, occasional talk shows, highlighting the ‘plight of Kashmiri or observing Blackout on Fridays as resistance against Indian military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir State will not suffice. It is the duty of the world community, especially ly Pakistan’s to bring issue of Jammu and Kashmir issue to the United Nation platform with more forcee and determination. War is not a preferable option and the platform of United Nations must be used to put an end to India’s illegal occupation and find permnent solution of disputed Jammu and Kashmir state on the basis of right of self determination of Kashmiri State citizens.