An engaging and captivat­ing interactive session took place at the United Nations headquarters in Con­ference Room 6, on the subject of: “Challeng­es to the Realization of Right to Self-De­termination in the Contemporary Glob­al Context.” The main speakers who partic­ipated in the fascinating event included: Ms. Fionnuala d. NiAolain, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism; Commissioner at International Court of Justice; and Professor at University of Minnesota; Ambas­sador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan; Am­bassador M. Maged Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer Mission of the League of Arab States; Ambassador Hameed Ajibaiye Opeloyeru, Permanent Observ­er for the Organization of Islam­ic Cooperation (OIC) and Dr. Gh­ulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice. Others who participated in the general discussion included the Ambas­sador of Algeria, Ambassador of Eretria, Representatives from the embassy of India, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela, Morocco and Syria.

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Ambassador Munir Akram who presided over the meeting warned that unresolved conflicts of Kashmir and Palestine pose a great threat to the international peace and security. The right of self-determination was the “bed­rock” of the modern internation­al system, the fundamental prin­ciple of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human rights. But, there were still exam­ples where peoples continue to be denied the right of self-deter­mination. “I would focus on the fact that we face two situations at least, where the right of self-determination is being flagrantly denied: One is Palestine and the second is Jammu and Kashmir,” Ambassador Akram empha­sized. Ambassador Akram added that the denial of self-determina­tion to the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserves the full atten­tion of the international commu­nity, pointing out that massive violations of human rights were taking place there and that the dispute over Jammu and Kash­mir between India and Pakistan is an ever-present threat to inter­national peace and security.

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The Kashmir tragedy, Amb. Akram said, has intensified af­ter the unilateral measures tak­en on August 5, 2019 that ended the statehood of Kashmir with India using brutal measures to clamp down on the unrest in be­sieged Kashmir. Ambassador Ha­meed Opeloyeru, OIC Perma­nent Observer to the UN said, “The OIC firmly supports the le­gitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determi­nation. OIC has always declared that the final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions is indispens­able for a durable peace and se­curity in South Asia.”

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, ‘World Forum for Peace Justice’ who came from Washington to attend the rally said, “What prin­ciples and instruments do Kash­miris invoke for the redress of the wrongs inflicted on them? Not any conceived and inspired sole­ly by their religion. They call for adherence to principles which are recognized by the Charter as basic to a peaceful and stable world order. The self-determina­tion of peoples which have a de­fined and recognized individuali­ty and fulfillment of international agreements constitute the sum and substance of their claim. The documents the Kashmiris rely upon were composed by west­ern hands in the Security Coun­cil of the United Nations. Yet they are being sidelined by those who believe in peace, justice and hu­man dignity.” “The posture of ad­mitting no wrong which remains habitually Indian is receiving much encouragement from the very world powers that loudly swear a commitment to human rights, international law, univer­sal principles and democratic values. The encouragement is af­forded by the very potent means of studied silence over the viola­tions being committed in Kash­mir, no matter how rampant. Let me cite an example.

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Dr. Fai maintained “This re­spectful protection provided to the occupation regime in Kash­mir by world powers is a most de­pressing example of the double standards that are maintained in upholding the values which were enshrined in the United Nations Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other interna­tional covenants and treaties. One cannot successfully fight a war against extremism while fertiliz­ing the sense of injustice that is one of the roots of extremism. One cannot overcome the religious ex­tremism if one keeps supplying them proof that, for redressing in­justice, peaceful secular processes are but a pretense or a trap.”

During her intervention, Ms. Suman Sonkar, the Indian del­egate said that Kashmir was an integral part of India and will re­main so; and that there is peace and development in Kashmir. In response to her statement, Dr. Fai raised two questions: one, In­dia should ask Antonio Guterres why he insists that Kashmir con­flict should be resolved under UN Charter and applicable UN Security Council resolutions, if it was an integral part of India; and second, given that there is peace and development in Kashmir, then why India needs to keep 900,000 of its military and para­military stationed in Kashmir?

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Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
The writer is the Secretary General of the Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at gnfai2003@yahoo.com

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Kashmir Dispute Settlement

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10.02.2024

An engaging and captivat­ing interactive session took place at the United Nations headquarters in Con­ference Room 6, on the subject of: “Challeng­es to the Realization of Right to Self-De­termination in the Contemporary Glob­al Context.” The main speakers who partic­ipated in the fascinating event included: Ms. Fionnuala d. NiAolain, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism; Commissioner at International Court of Justice; and Professor at University of Minnesota; Ambas­sador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan; Am­bassador M. Maged Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer Mission of the League of Arab States; Ambassador Hameed Ajibaiye Opeloyeru, Permanent Observ­er for the Organization of Islam­ic Cooperation (OIC) and Dr. Gh­ulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice. Others who participated in the general discussion included the Ambas­sador of Algeria, Ambassador of Eretria, Representatives from the embassy of India, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela, Morocco and Syria.

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Ambassador Munir Akram who presided over the meeting warned that unresolved conflicts of Kashmir and Palestine pose a great threat to the international peace and security. The right of self-determination was the “bed­rock” of the modern internation­al system, the fundamental prin­ciple of the........

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