Loud Thinking

Subject: Kashmir at the UN: Confronting War Crimes, Defending Human Rights

Honourable Prime Minister,

I take the liberty of writing to you on the occasion of your forthcoming visit to New York to address the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) under the theme: “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.” This historic platform and its extremely relevant theme of the 80^th session offers Pakistan a vital opportunity to draw the world’s attention to the violations of the human rights of the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) which was a great threat to the regional Peace and to reaffirm that India must be firmly restrained by the UN to call the Kashmiris as terrorists who are allowed to wage struggle for their Right of self-determination under the Charter and resolutions of the UN explained below.

India must not be allowed to camouflage its war crimes and crimes against humanity in IIOJ&K by misrepresenting Kashmiris as “terrorists.” The reality remains that the people of IIOJ&K are engaged in a legitimate struggle for their right to self-determination—a right enshrined in Articles 1 and 55 of the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed through landmark UN General Assembly resolutions 1514 (XV) (1960), 2625 (XXV) (1970), and 2649 (1970). Moreover, UN Security Council resolutions 47 (1948), 80 (1950), and 98 (1952) explicitly mandate an UN-supervised plebiscite to enable Kashmiris to determine their political future.

India’s claim that Kashmir is an “internal matter” also stands invalidated by the continuous presence of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), as well as by official UN maps and documents which clearly record Kashmir as a disputed territory. This underscores the fact that the international community has neither accepted nor endorsed India’s unilateral claims.

The international community has already acknowledged the seriousness of this issue. The first-ever UN Human Rights report on Kashmir (2018), issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), called for an international inquiry into multiple violations committed in Kashmir.  

Link: – https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23198

This historic report underscores the urgency of addressing both past and ongoing abuses, in line with the earlier call by then-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, who stressed the urgent need for justice for the Kashmiri people.

Furthermore, the international community has shown resolve in comparable situations. For instance, the UN recommended war crimes trials for Myanmar’s military leadership over atrocities against Rohingya Muslims, despite that crisis being considered an internal matter of Myanmar. By contrast, the situation in Kashmir, where, as per UN resolutions, mechanisms and observers are already deployed, demands even stronger and immediate action.

The Kashmir crisis has now evolved into a grave flashpoint between two nuclear-armed neighbours, threatening not only regional but also global peace and security. The systematic killings, mass detentions, disappearances, and denial of fundamental freedoms to over 10 million Kashmiri Muslims, making them the most persecuted majority population in the world, cannot remain ignored.

In this context, I respectfully suggest that your address at the 80th UNGA should:

1. Expose India’s misrepresentation of the Kashmiri freedom struggle as “terrorism.”

2. Reaffirm Kashmiris’ right to self-determination under the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions.

3. Highlight the continuing war crimes and crimes against humanity in IIOJ&K, referencing the OHCHR’s 2018 report and calling for an independent international inquiry.

4. Call for the initiation of a war crimes tribunal against responsible Indian officials.

5. Remind the world that unresolved Kashmir threatens international peace, with the looming danger of a nuclear confrontation between Pakistan and India.

Honourable Prime Minister, the UNGA session provides a critical moment for Pakistan to renew the world’s conscience on Kashmir and to advocate for justice, peace, and human dignity.

With profound respect and prayers for your success,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore.
+92 321 9402157  nayyarahmad51@gmail.com The author is a senior corporate leader and strategic analyst. His thought-provoking visionary insights have reshaped global discourse, capturing the attention of world leaders. His writings have not only resonated with heads of state and governments but have also influenced the foreign policies of the United States and other major powers.