Pakistan to take Kashmir dispute with India to International Court of Justice

Published
“The decision was taken after considering all legal aspects,”  says Foreign Minister Qureshi. — AFP/File
“The decision was taken after considering all legal aspects,” says Foreign Minister Qureshi. — AFP/File

The government announced on Tuesday it would take the Kashmir dispute with India to the International Court of Justice, after New Delhi revoked special status for occupied Kashmir earlier this month, to the fury of Islamabad.

“We have decided to take Kashmir case to the International Court of Justice,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told ARY News TV.

“The decision was taken after considering all legal aspects.”

Examine: Kashmir: India’s Afghanistan

Separately, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan confirmed to reporters following a cabinet meeting that an in-principle approval had been granted by the cabinet to take the issue to the world court.

She said that the case will be presented with a focus on the violation of human rights and genocide in occupied Kashmir.

A panel of lawyers of international repute would be engaged to pursue the case on behalf of Pakistan at the United Nations' top court, Awan added.

A decision by the court would be an advisory only. However, if both countries agreed before-hand, the ruling would become binding.

On August 5, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stripped Kashmiris of the special autonomy they had for seven decades through a rushed presidential order. An indefinite curfew was imposed in occupied Kashmir and elected leaders were put under house arrest.

By repealing Article 370 of the constitution, people from the rest of India will now have the right to acquire property in Kashmir and settle there permanently. Kashmiris as well as critics of India’s Hindu nationalist-led government see the move as an attempt to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu settlers.

Furthermore, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also president of the BJP, moved a bill — passed by the Indian parliament — to bifurcate the state into two union territories to be directly ruled by New Delhi.

Pakistan angrily slammed the decision, expelling India's ambassador, suspending bilateral trade, and taking the matter to the United Nations Security Council.

The country observed a 'Black Day' on Thursday to coincide with India's independence day celebrations, in solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, meanwhile, has pledged to take up the responsibility of raising voice of the Kashmiri people at every forum of the world. “I will be the ambassador of your cause across the globe,” he said last week.

The premier also questioned the international community's silence on occupied Kashmir and warned that should ethnic cleansing of Muslims take place in the region, there would be "severe repercussions" in the Muslim world.

Opinion

Editorial

Rampant lawlessness
Updated 25 Jul, 2026

Rampant lawlessness

THE brutal slaying of a judge and his guard in Mastung is the latest in a series of blood-drenched events that have...
Daily fuel pricing
25 Jul, 2026

Daily fuel pricing

THE government’s move to daily petroleum price adjustments should make fuel pricing more transparent and more...
The drug problem
25 Jul, 2026

The drug problem

WHILE Islamabad Police chase low-level peddlers, the capital’s kingpins have quietly taken their operations ...
A new chokepoint
Updated 24 Jul, 2026

A new chokepoint

WITH free transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz blocked due to the US-Iran conflict, a new chokepoint has...
Improved rating
24 Jul, 2026

Improved rating

S&P GLOBAL’S decision to upgrade Pakistan’s long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘B’ with a stable...
More firetraps
24 Jul, 2026

More firetraps

WHILE it was already apparent that death traps dot Karachi, a safety audit by the Sindh government has thrown up...