ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday categorically rejected the grant of domicile certificates of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) by the Indian authorities to reportedly 25,000 Indian nationals.

The bogus domicile certificates — which have also been rejected by Kashmiris — have been issued to non-Kashmiris including the Indian government officials under “Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure), 2020”, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement. These certificates were illegal, void and in complete violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention, she added.

The FO spokesperson said the latest action was a vindication of Pakistan’s consistent stance that the major intention behind the Indian government’s illegal and unilateral actions of Aug 5, 2019 was to change the demographic structure of IOJ&K and turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.

This has long been part of the RSS-BJPs Hindutva agenda. By changing the demographic structure of IOJ&K, the Indian government intends to undermine the exercise by the Kashmiri people of their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nation as per the relevant UNSC Resolutions, the spokesperson remarked.

Islamabad says Delhi wants to turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own land

She said through these reprehensible actions, along with continuing restrictions, excruciating military crackdown, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detentions and incarcerations, and unabated grave human rights violations, India sought to further perpetuate its illegal occupation of IOJ&K.

India should know that its suppression has not been able to break the will of the Kashmiri people in the past and it will not succeed in doing so in the future, she added.

The spokesperson urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene to stop India from changing the demographic structure of IOJ&K by settling people from India in a territory that it has illegally occupied and the status of which remains disputed.

India must be urged to immediately cancel all the domicile certificates of IOJ&K issued illegally, revoke unlawful rules aimed at further disempowering and disenfranchising Kashmiris by effecting a demographic change, and comply with its international legal obligations through implementation of the relevant UNSC Resolutions, she said.

The recipients of the domicile certificates must know that India has no legal authority to bring in and settle people from outside IOJ&K. The international law bars India from such illegal actions, the spokesperson remarked.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2020