ISLAMABAD, Jan 27 (APP): Diplomats, political leaders, and rights advocates gathered virtually on Tuesday to condemn India’s administration of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), characterizing the current governance as a “settler-colonial project” aimed at erasing the region’s Muslim-majority identity.
Marking India’s Republic Day as a “Black Day” for Kashmiris, speakers at a webinar organized by Friends of Kashmir and Kashmir Media Service argued that the suspension of civil liberties and the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 have turned the territory into an “open-air prison.”
Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Masood Khan opened the session by asserting that India’s narrative of regional integration is contradicted by its reliance on colonial-era power mechanisms and a military presence estimated at nearly 900,000 personnel.
He noted that the ongoing refusal to implement United Nations plebiscite resolutions remains the core obstacle to regional peace.
Ambassador Naela Chohan added that international skepticism toward India’s claims of normalcy was evidenced by the lack of senior G20 delegation attendance at recent events in the territory, suggesting that global observers are increasingly wary of New Delhi’s myth-making efforts.
Panelists detailed a systematic campaign of economic and demographic displacement. Farzana Yaqoob, a former AJK minister, reported that the destruction of apple orchards and the halting of intra-Kashmir trade have crippled the local economy, while non-local investors are being granted land rights previously reserved for residents.
Sardar Omer Aziz further alleged that India is exploiting Kashmir’s natural assets, including timber and minerals, under the pretext of climate change initiatives that primarily benefit outside corporations.
Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, highlighted the plight of thousands of political leaders and youth who remain imprisoned without trial.
Expanding on the collective demand for justice, Journalist M Haroon Abbas Qamar urged that the dispute be prioritized within a new global ‘Board of Peace’ to address ongoing state terrorism.
APHC leader Zahid Safi emphasized that the issue is an internationally recognized dispute that cannot be resolved through silence or misinformation, while Kashmiri leader Ghulam Ali warned that the formalization of settler-colonial structures is designed to permanently alter the region’s cultural landscape.
The forum concluded with a call for the international community to move beyond verbal support toward practical advocacy.
Dr. Syed Mujahid Gilani pointed out the stark gap between India’s democratic claims and the lived reality of surveillance and denied healthcare in the valley, as chairperson of Friends of Kashmir Ghazala Habib and Vice Chairman Abdul Hameed Lone and other participants reaffirmed that justice for Kashmir is an inevitable requirement for regional stability.
Participants emphasized that durable peace in South Asia remains impossible without a fair, impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.