Justice must be served to the victims of J&K through the International Criminal Court: National Kashmir Conference

ISLAMABAD, Feb 03 (SABAH): The National Kashmir Conference organized by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan has reaffirmed the Pakistani nation’s unwavering commitment to standing by the struggling and suffering Kashmiri brothers and sisters, extending sincere support and patronage on every front until the people of Jammu and Kashmir achieve their final goal of freedom. It has been demanded that Justice must be served to the victims of Jammu and Kashmir through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), akin to the Nuremberg trials.

Joint statement at the end of the National Kashmir Conference held at the local hotel in Islamabad has been issued.

The joint statement said that this Conference, hosted by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and presided over by Hafiz Naeemur Rahman, Ameer JI Pakistan, brought together political and, social and religious leaders from Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, along with experts, media professionals, and representatives of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference. The participants deliberated on the situation in India’s Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and unanimously adopted the following statement.

The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is neither a land nor a dispute between two countries. The freedom of Jammu and Kashmir, the right to self-determination in the light of UN resolutions and the immediate end to human rights violations are the points of our position and narrative.

The people of Jammu & Kashmir were promised the right to self-determination, yet even after more than seven decades, they have not been given the opportunity to vote in a UN-conducted plebiscite. The failure of the United Nations to enforce its resolutions, coupled with India’s intransigence, has directly contributed to instability in South Asia, leading to repeated military conflicts.

Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir, while millions have been injured and displaced. The toll on civilian infrastructure and human lives is incalculable. It is no surprise that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, like those of Palestine, continue to resist their illegal occupation. According to international law, they have every right to oppose foreign occupation and oppression.

The Conference expresses grave concern over the illegal Indian moves, including steps to change the disputed status of the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir as recognized by the United Nations and altering the demographics by amending laws while allowing settlements of lakhs of ex-servicemen and RSS terrorists through the continuous changes in domicile laws. We consider these steps a serious violation of international laws and fundamental human rights. The Conference condemns the detention of political and social leadership, restrictions on journalists, media workers, and civil society, arrests of youth in the name of search operations, custodial killings, confiscation of properties, and other means of coercion and regards these as serious acts of state terrorism.

The Conference pays tribute to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their continuous struggle, sacrifices, steadfastness, and unwavering commitment to the freedom movement despite all the brutal tactics of Indian colonialism and pays tribute to them by calling them the beacon of light for the nation and humanity.

The Conference reaffirms the Pakistani nation’s unwavering commitment to standing by the struggling and suffering Kashmiri brothers and sisters, extending sincere support and patronage on every front until the people of Jammu and Kashmir achieve their final goal of freedom.

We, the participants of the Conference, understand that for a stable and tension-free South Asia:
India must be pressured through all means to end its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and abide by international law, the Geneva Conventions, and UN Security Council resolutions.
The pledged right to self-determination must be immediately granted to the people under occupation and rigorously enforced.
Justice must be served to the victims of Jammu and Kashmir through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), akin to the Nuremberg trials.
The ongoing settler colonial project and demographic changes must be immediately stopped and reversed.
The release of political prisoners, including women, children, and human rights defenders, cannot be left to the arbitrary will of the occupying power.
Unfettered access must be granted to independent humanitarian aid organizations, UN observers, and the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) to assess the extent of human rights violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocidal actions in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Conference feels that the Government of Pakistan must formulate a proactive, comprehensive, coherent national policy and a clear narrative.

Pakistan, as a party and advocate to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, should mount a robust and aggressive international diplomatic campaign. Along with high-level government visits, arrangements should be made to send delegations of parliamentarians, experts, diplomats, and intellectuals with an understanding of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute around the world, including members of parliament, representatives from Hurriyat Conference, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. On the other hand, a full-time special envoy should be appointed, along with the establishment of special desks in all embassies, where the skills of the active diaspora should be utilized in addition to diplomats.

The conference urges upon the Government of Pakistan to take proactive and concrete measures:
Against Indian inhuman actions ensuring the safety and immediate release of the imprisoned Jammu and Kashmiri Leaders Shabir Ahmed Shah, Mohamed Yasin Malik, Abdul Hamid Fayaz, Mussart Alam, Asia Indrabi, Dr Qasim Faktoo along with her colleagues and thousands of other freedom struggle activists who are languishing their lives in miserable conditions in death cells and solitary confinements on false charges without providing them with the necessary medical care and proper access to their families and lawyers.

To expose Indian intelligence agency RAW for Indian State terrorism in Pakistan and beyond (e.g., the UK, Canada, and the US), and urge the international community to take notice of such nefarious, state-sponsored actions.

To raise the Jammu and Kashmir dispute at the UNSC with proper groundwork as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
To pursue the UN and its Secretary-General to appoint a UN Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir, who should visit the occupied state and assess the situation; to enable international media, human rights organizations, and relief agencies to access the occupied state and ultimately develop a roadmap for organizing a plebiscite to ensure the achievement of the Kashmiris’ right of self-determination in the light of UN resolutions.

In the opinion of the Conference, the most effective weapon to defeat Indian state terrorism is a constitutionally empowered and resourceful government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which can fulfill the right to represent the Kashmiris at the international level in collaboration with the Hurriyat Conference. In this context, the Conference expects the government of Pakistan to make arrangements to make the independent regions of the state, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, more dignified in terms of powers and resources and not to commit any misadventure at this critical juncture of the movement, which may result in harming the national position of Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir at the international level or justifying India’s nefarious actions.

To establish a real base camp for the freedom movement, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) should be empowered administratively and economically. The Conference also expects the media to play their role in highlighting Indian atrocities and intentions.

This Conference assures the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the entire Pakistani nation stands by them in their great and faith-inspiring struggle for freedom and independence and considers their historic struggle against India’s oppressive rule as their fundamental right and a guarantee of peace and security for the region. We pledge that the people and the state of Pakistan regard it a duty and national and civic responsibility to support the great struggle for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir and will not hesitate to make any sacrifice for this cause.

The Conference also expresses solidarity with the Palestinian people, appreciates their historic sacrifices, and extends full support for their struggle to establish a free State of Palestine. We salute the people for their valued struggle against Israeli state genocide and their sacrifices are a source of inspiration for the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.