Kashmiris' plight
The atrocities unleashed in Kashmir is being recognised across the globe despite India's endeavours to cover up the the Kashmiris' plight in the aftermath of New Delhi's decision to revoke Article 370 of its constitution.
In their time of test, Pakistan's diplomatic and moral support has played a major role in raising a voice for the Kashmiris. Lawmakers, activists and common citizens in various countries have decried the denial of basic rights to the residents of IHK, and the suffocating conditions they have been made to live in by New Delhi's enforcers for over two months.
Leading Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh has denounced "what India was doing to the people of Kashmir". Indeed, all people of conscience recognise that this is not a political issue, but one of human rights, and that India's claims of being the world's biggest democracy ring hollow in the face of its atrocious behaviour.
To express its concern about the rights abuses in IHK, a US congressional delegation called upon the AJK president and prime minister in Muzaffarabad on Sunday, and on Monday met Pakistan's prime minister and army chief. Moreover, American presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called upon India to respect "the rights of the people of Kashmir".
Pakistan has been pleading Kashmir's case at the world's highest forums; the prime minister's powerful speech at the UN General Assembly reminded the world that Kashmir should not be forgotten, while the Foreign Office has actively informed world capitals of what India is doing in the occupied region.
No forcible solution will be accepted by the Kashmiris, and New Delhi, as well as the world powers, must realise that only through a democratic political process can the issue be resolved. Such efforts have rightly brought the Kashmir question onto the world stage, but the core issue should not be forgotten - the usurpation of Kashmiri rights through changes in the Indian constitution. While Indian forces must stand down and lift all restrictions on the freedom of movement, communication and assembly in IHK, lasting peace can only come when the question of Kashmir's status is decided once and for all, through the collective will of its people.
The Kashmiris, Pakistan and India must, once the people have decided on their future, work together to implement this decision for lasting peace in South Asia.