Loud Thinking

His Excellency António Guterres 

Secretary-General 

United Nations Headquarters 

New York, NY 10017 

United States

Subject: Urgent Appeal to Uphold UN Charter and Resolutions Concerning the Right of Self-Determination of the People of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K)

Your Excellency,

I write to you with profound urgency and grave concern regarding the ongoing and intensifying campaign of systemic human rights violations, collective punishment, and political subjugation perpetrated by the Government of India in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

The continued denial of the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people constitutes a blatant violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, relevant Security Council resolutions, and General Assembly declarations.

The right of all peoples to self-determination is enshrined in Article 1(2) of the UN Charter, which states that one of the purposes of the United Nations is “to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.” This foundational right is further affirmed in General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, which proclaims: “All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”

More pointedly, General Assembly Resolution 2625 (XXV) of 1970 on the Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States emphasizes that the use of force to deny peoples their right to self-determination is itself a violation of international law and legitimizes resistance: “Every State has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which deprives peoples… of their right to self-determination and freedom and independence.”

Further, General Assembly Resolution 2649 (XXV) of 1970 “Affirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples under colonial and alien domination recognized as being entitled to the right of self-determination to restore to themselves that right by any means at their disposal.”

The Kashmiri people, whose territory is recognized by the United Nations itself as disputed, are engaged in a legitimate and lawful struggle against Indian military occupation. The United Nations Security Council has passed multiple resolutions, including Resolutions 47 (1948), 91 (1951), and 122 (1957), which explicitly call for a plebiscite to be held under UN auspices to determine the wishes of the Kashmiri people. The presence of UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan) further affirms this disputed status.

Despite these international obligations, India continues to falsely label the Kashmiri people’s legitimate resistance as “terrorism”, a deliberate distortion of lawful political struggle as recognized under international law. This narrative is not only dishonest but dangerously misleading, serving as a pretext for heinous war crimes including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, mass surveillance, demographic engineering, and systematic demolition of civilian homes.

Such actions meet the threshold of crimes against humanity, as defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 7), and India must be held accountable. If these atrocities continue unabated, and if the UN continues to allow the systematic perversion of its own laws and resolutions, then the world must ask: what value do these principles hold if they are not enforced?

We therefore urge the United Nations and your esteemed office to:

1. Publicly reaffirm the right of the people of Jammu & Kashmir to self-determination under international law; 

2. Demand an immediate cessation of India’s state-sponsored campaign of repression and human rights violations in IIOJ&K; 

3. Strongly warn the Government of India to cease its mischaracterization of Kashmiri resistance as terrorism; 

4. Initiate proceedings and investigations through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding India’s potential war crimes in the occupied region. These investigations must comprehensively take into account the United Nations’ own reports, including the OHCHR Reports on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir (2018 & 2019), as well as findings from reputable international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others. In addition, verified investigative journalism and global media documentation of mass graves, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity must form part of the evidentiary record considered by these proceedings; 

5. Ensure the implementation of relevant UNSC resolutions through concrete diplomatic and legal mechanisms.

The credibility of the United Nations depends on its commitment to uphold justice, equality, and human rights. The people of Kashmir cannot wait any longer, nor should they be expected to surrender their inalienable rights in the face of occupation and oppression.

We trust in your conscience and courage to act in accordance with the noble principles upon which the United Nations was founded.

Respectfully,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore.
+92 321 9402157
1^st May 2025

nayyarahmad51@gmail.com The writer 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.