ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the international community to ensure “accountability of India’s grave and persistent violations of human rights and war crimes being committed in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK).”

The resolution urging New Delhi to immediately halt and reverse unilateral and illegal actions it had taken in the Indian held valley and fulfill its obligations under the relevant UN resolutions was presented by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Before reading out the resolution, the foreign minister also made a policy statement, disclosing that he had written a letter to the president of the UN Security Council and the secretary general of the UN highlighting the unlawful steps taken by India to change the demographic structure of India Held Kashmir (IHK).

The minister said that he had also underlined that the delimitation exercise was designed to further marginalise the Kashmiri people and pave the way for another puppet government in the occupied territory.

Mr Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan would continue to reach out to the world to raise international awareness about Indian illegal steps in the IHK.”

Through the resolution, the National Assembly expressed “grave concern over the series of illegal measures that the Indian occupation forces have been taking to change the demographic composition of the occupied territories in stark violation of international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention and the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.”

The lower house of the parliament denounced “the latest attempt at demographic engineering in IHK through a so-called Delimitation Commission constituted in March 2020 in the occupied territory aimed at artificially altering the electoral strength of the Muslim majority in IHK, noting that the commission’s recommendations have been rejected by a cross-section of political parties in IHK.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s complete support and solidarity with the Kashmiri people, the resolution rejected “categorically the report of the so-called Delimitation Commission that seeks to convert the Muslim majority of IIOJK into minority, and further marginalise, disenfranchise and disempower the Kashmiri population in IIOJK, and advance the political and electoral objectives of the Bharatya Janta Party (BJP).”

The National Assembly also expressed grave concern that through the delimitation exercise, India is making attempts to further its illegal actions of 5 August 2019 and subsequent measures all of which have been categorically rejected by Pakistan and the Kashmiri people.

The house recalled and reaffirmed that the Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute and a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN Security Council. It also declared that no façade of elections based on a sham delimitation exercise can substitute the legitimacy and indispensability of a free and impartial plebiscite held under the auspices of the UN to enable the Kashmiri people exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions.

The resolution demands that India honours and fulfills its obligations under the international law, UNSC resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention to refrain from bringing about any illegal demographic changes in the occupied territory.

It also urges the Indian government to forthwith end its oppression and widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in IHK and enable the Kashmiri people exercise their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant USC resolutions.

The NA also requested the Pakistan government to continue to expose and counter the Indian moves before the international community, and to highlight and forcefully project the Kashmir cause at all bilateral and multilateral forums, including the UN and the OIC.”

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2022