By marking Accession to Pakistan Day each year on 19 July, the Kashmiri people reflect their unwavering dedication and commitment to their aspiration for self-determination and their desire to merge with Pakistan in the face of all sorts of oppression and tyranny at the hands of Indian occupation forces.
For those who are not aware of the history of Accession to Pakistan, it is important to delve into the past and project the true picture of what is a struggle of resilience and steadfastness of Kashmiri people against Indian brutalities.
It was on 19 July 1947 that the genuine representatives of the Kashmiris unanimously passed the resolution of Kashmir’s Accession to Pakistan during a meeting of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference at the residence of Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan in Aabi Guzar area of Srinagar. The historic resolution called for the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan in view of its existing religious, geographical, cultural, and economic proximity to Pakistan and the aspirations of millions of Kashmiri Muslims. The development had come almost a month before the creation of two sovereign states of Pakistan and India under the Partition Plan of the British Indian colony on August 14 and 15, respectively, the same year.
As per the understanding behind the Partition Plan, the Princely States were free to accede to either of the two newly established countries. The decision of 19 July 1947 was a testimony to the fact that the people of Kashmir had linked their future with Pakistan. They took the decision to join Pakistan to protect their political, religious, social, cultural, and economic rights, as they were well aware of their fate under Hindus who had deep-seated animosity for Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, despite this historical context, the aspirations and voices of the Kashmiri people have been consistently disregarded by the Indian government, which has maintained a heavy military presence and subjected them to severe oppression.
The Kashmiri people have been experiencing a range of human rights violations and atrocities over the last many decades. The region has witnessed a high level of militarization, resulting in climate violence and constant infringement upon the basic rights and freedoms of its inhabitants. Innocent civilians have suffered from extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, and other forms of repression. The Indian government’s approach to dealing with dissent in Kashmir has been characterized by curbing freedom of expression and stifling voices of opposition. Internet shutdowns, restrictions on media, and arbitrary detentions have become commonplace, hindering the documentation of human rights abuses and obstructing the flow of information.
Indian Security Forces operate with complete impunity in IIOJ&K. The draconian security laws, e.g., the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978, The Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1990, Prevention of Terrorism Act 2002, give extraordinary powers to Indian security personnel to shoot and kill unarmed civilians. These infamous laws encourage the use of lethal force against innocent people. Especially ever since the 5 August 2019 illegal steps, the situation has further deteriorated in the occupied Territory. Apart from the use of pellet guns and other weapons to maim and massacre the Muslims, there is an organized campaign to change the demography of the Territory. The irony is that repeated calls for sending fact-finding missions to the occupied Kashmir are falling on deaf ears in India. Regardless of all this, the Indians have failed to break the will of the Kashmiri people.
The international community bears a crucial responsibility to address the plight of the Kashmiri people and take proactive measures to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The promises made by the Kashmiri people need to be fulfilled. The question is, if East Timor and South Sudan can get the right to self-determination, then why not the Kashmiri people. It must not be forgotten that this matter was initiated by India in the Security Council, which explicitly and, by implication, rejected India’s claim that Kashmir is legally Indian Territory.
The UNSC resolutions established self-determination as the governing principle for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute. This is the world body’s commitment to the people of Kashmir. The resolutions endorsed a binding agreement between India and Pakistan reached through the mediation of UNCIP, that a plebiscite would be held under agreed and specified conditions. Pakistan continues to adhere to the UN resolutions. These are also binding in India. The Simla Agreement of 2 July 1972, to which Pakistan also continues to adhere, did not alter the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory. However, India violated not only UN resolutions by not conducting the Kashmir plebiscite but also the Simla agreement by changing the legal status of Kashmir by revoking Articles 370 and 35-A in August 2019.
The world will have to shun the double standards and rise above economic and political expediency to deliver justice to the oppressed people. By doing so, we can honor the Kashmiris’ abiding commitment and pave the way for a future where their rights, dignity, and aspirations are upheld and respected. Pakistan too, has an abiding commitment to its Kashmiri brothers and sisters, and it will continue to raise their plight at every forum until they get their inalienable right to self-determination. The sacrifices being rendered by the Kashmiri people will not go in vain, and we are confident that the day is not far when they will also see the dawn of independence.
