ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram, said on Friday India’s move to strip Kashmir of its special status on August 5, 2019, had closed space for a compromise between the two countries, adding that New Delhi should reverse the step for any constructive dialogue.
Relations between the two South Asian nuclear-armed rivals hit a new low after India revoked Kashmir’s special constitutional status three years ago which ensured the region’s political autonomy while dividing it in three federally administered territories.
The disputed Himalayan area has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since their independence in August 1947. The two countries claim it in full but only administer parts of it.
“The August 5 measures [taken by India] have closed the space for compromise and therefore, India has to reverse those measures,” Ambassador Akram told Arab News during a Zoom interview from New York.
He said there were certain prerequisites and conditions to be fulfilled before the two countries could have a genuine dialogue to resolve outstanding disputes.
“India has to halt human rights violations and stop the process of trying to change [Kashmir’s] demographics,” he continued.
Pakistan has accused India of introducing demographic changes to the only Muslim-majority region under its control by granting domicile rights to its non-Kashmiri population. While India denies the claim, Akram said New Delhi was also denying domiciles to indigenous Kashmiris.
“Despite India’s efforts to show a change in the status of Kashmir, which they have imposed, UN-recognized maps remain the same which clearly indicate that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory,” he continued.
The Pakistani diplomat also noted the UN Security Council had met three times to discuss the contentious issue while the high commissioner of human rights at the world body had spoken at least 10 times about the situation in Kashmir.
“She [high commissioner] asked for access into Jammu and Kashmir for herself and other [international] human rights bodies to see the on-ground situation and verify allegations of rights violations,” he said.
Akram said the decisions taken by New Delhi on August 5 were “illegal and unjustifiable,” though they were political and could be reversed.
“Therefore, our efforts are to convince the Indian government, whoever it would be, to change position [on Kashmir] and recognize that this [revocation of special constitutional status] is not only illegal and unilateral but also unjust,” he added.
The Pakistani representative at the UN credited the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for consistently expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
“We have a contact group on Jammu and Kashmir which will meet again on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to decide future actions on the issue,” he said, adding that Pakistan was grateful to all Muslim countries for their continuous support.
