WASHINGTON: A prominent Kashmiri leader told the annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North American (ISNA) in Chicago that Jammu and Kashmir, which India unilaterally annexed in August 2019, is now “a full-fledged settler-colonial project,” one similar to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
“A genocidal and ethnic cleansing plan is in place”, Ghulam Nabi Mir, President of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum and Chairman of the Kashmir Global Coalition, said in a speech to delegates from across the United States.
Under the law, 4.2 million Indian Hindus have been granted domicile certificates, with the aim of inundating Kashmir with non-Kashmiri Indian settlers, with the intention to alter the demographic balance by diluting the Muslim population.
Under the Domicile Law, he said, 4.2 million Indian Hindus have been issued domicile certificates to demographically flood Kashmir with non-Kashmiri Indian settlers to dilute the Muslim population.
“Kashmir has had its history marked by strife, foreign invasion and occupations just like all other nations of the world,” Mir pointed out.
He pointed to various actions taken by India to consolidate control over Kashmir post-independence, including the revocation of its semi-autonomous status by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019. This was accompanied by a media and internet blackout, a substantial military buildup, curfew enforcement, and the isolation of the disputed region from the rest of the world.
Thousands of additional Indian troops were deployed, a major Hindu pilgrimage was canceled, educational institutions were closed, tourists were evacuated, and communication services were severed. Additionally, numerous youth, resistance leaders, and activists were detained as part of this clampdown.
Mir emphasized that the Hindu nationalist BJP’s agenda aims to alter the demographic composition of this Muslim-majority region by allowing non-Kashmiris to acquire land there.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum and the event’s Emcee, stressed that the conflicts in Kashmir, Palestine, and Rohingya genocide are among the most critical international issues. He advocated for Palestinians and Kashmiris to be granted the opportunity to determine their future without external pressure or coercion, echoing the provisions found in UN Security Council resolutions for both groups.
Dr. Fai warned that the denial of the right to self-determination for the people of Palestine and Kashmir poses a significant threat to international peace and security. He further shed light on the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, where over 1 million Rohingya Muslims have sought refuge in camps in Bangladesh and other nations. Dr. Fai implored the world to take heed of the suffering of the Rohingya and emphasized that the “Time has come that the United Nations need to intervene in all these three situations to bring peace to the region of South Asia and Middle East.” —APP
