SRINAGAR: Chief Minister of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) Omar Abdullah has rejected India’s claim that the disputed territory is an integral part of the country and called for its separate legal status as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Speaking after a meeting with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, Omar Abdullah acknowledged “legacy issues” surrounding the disputed territory and said he was hopeful that engagement between the United States and Jammu & Kashmir would “widen and deepen” in the years ahead.
“It was, as Ambassador Gor said, a very good meeting. We had the opportunity to discuss the relations between two countries, with specific focus on what the US can do on Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar Abdullah said.
Omar Abdullah said the two sides would continue working to address longstanding issues surrounding Jammu & Kashmir. “There are obviously legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve. But we look forward to taking this conversation further.”
The Kashmiri politician also expressed optimism about expanding engagement between Jammu and Kashmir and the United States in the coming years.
“This is a conversation that will take place both between Ambassador Gor and Washington, and between me and the Government of India in New Delhi. But we are very hopeful and optimistic that the engagement between America and Jammu and Kashmir will both widen and deepen in the years ahead,” Abdullah added.
Jammu and Kashmir dispute
The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the longest pending disputes on the agenda of the UN Security Council (UNSC). A number of UN Security Council resolutions, inter alia, affirm the right of Kashmiris to self-determination and the manner in which the Jammu and Kashmir dispute would be resolved.
They categorically state that the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the Kashmiri people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.
India has been taking different steps to strengthen its occupation of Jammu and Kashmir since 27 October 1947 when it forcibly took over control of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, in a major development, on 5 August 2019, India scrapped the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and bifurcated it into two ‘Union Territories’ to alter its internationally recognised disputed status and undermine the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.
These measures were in blatant violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.
India has since started a process to change the demographic structure and political landscape of IIOJK. The ultimate aim is to transform the Kashmiri people into a disempowered minority in their own land.
Notwithstanding the solemn commitments made by India to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Security Council, and Pakistan, to abide by and implement relevant Security Council resolutions, India has progressively reneged on these commitments at every stage.
