LAHORE: Experts have urged the G20 leaders’ summit to address the longstanding conflict of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the grave human rights situation facing minorities. They demanded a peaceful dialogue among all stakeholders to seek a resolution.
India’s attempts to downplay the severe human rights problems have suffered a setback, as China and Russia have announced their decision to skip the G20 meeting hosted by India in New Delhi.
It should be noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not participating in the summit for the second consecutive year due to his involvement in the Ukraine war. Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping did not visit to India amid escalating tensions between both countries.
Mushaal Hussein Mullick Highlights IIOJK Issue
Mushaal Hussein Mullick, the wife of Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik and special assistant to the prime minister for human rights and women empowerment, said that initially, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government had planned to organize the G20 meeting on tourism in Srinagar from 22 to 24 May. This move was seen as an attempt to cover up the atrocities in the region and present a false image of stability in IIOJK.
Mushaal stressed the urgency of placing the IIOJK problem and the suppression of minorities at the top of the G20 gathering agenda. She called for a resolution involving all stakeholders, including India, Pakistan, and Kashmiri leadership, and the establishment of a forum for a democratic and peaceful solution to the IIOJK crisis.
Secretary-General of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, said that Kashmir is a political problem that requires a political solution. He urged for immediate international intervention to halt violence in the valley, demilitarization of the IIOJK, and the release of political prisoners, including Aasia Andrabi, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yasin Malik, Khurram Parvez, and Masarat Aalam.
Fai asserted that the G20 leadership must recognize the opportunity for peace in the valley, contingent upon allowing Kashmiris to determine their own identity through a referendum as called for by United Nations resolutions.
Prominent politician and former senator Sehar Kamran underlined the importance of drawing the attention of G20 leaders and international officials to the Kashmir dispute. She highlighted the potential consequences and threats to global stability and peace if the issue remains unresolved.
She said that the denial of democracy and human rights in the valley, especially the refusal of self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions, has contributed to nuclear and missile proliferation in the region.
Sehar Kamran also mentioned that Amnesty International (AI) and several other international forums and NGOs have called on G20 nations to pressure India to end human rights violations in IIOJK and release political prisoners and rights defenders.
Meanwhile, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has unveiled in its latest report a disturbing trend of escalating harassment and violence against religious minorities in India, especially Muslims. The report highlights that religious freedom conditions in India have considerably deteriorated, with both the central and state governments tolerating widespread persecution and discrimination of religious minority communities.
