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ISLAMABAD, Aug 5 (APP): Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on Tuesday marked the 6th anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by India on August 5, 2019, by holding a seminar on, “August 5 and Beyond: Violations of International Law and Human Rights in IIOJK”.
Eminent speakers on the panel included Mushahid Hussain Syed; former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan and Farzana Yaqoob, former minister for social welfare and women development, AJK, said a press release.
President IPRI Lt Gen. (retd) Majid Ehsan talks about the constitutional and political excesses that have followed the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by New Delhi, and termed it as utter disregard to not only the constitution of India but also UN resolutions.
He highlighted the gerrymandering of realities by India since Aug 5, 2019, and observed that it has impacted ground realities to the detriment of Kashmiris. The manipulations are in the realms of domicile, land and population. President IPRI called for adopting a proactive policy on Kashmir so that the struggle for liberation and self-determination could come full circle.
Director Research Brig (retd) Dr Raashid Wali Janjua observed that August 5 illegal act has led to demographic, social and political assaults on hapless Kashmiris. By quoting extensively from post-Independence incidents, Dr Janjua said that bit by bit various administrations had started nibbling on the autonomy of the State, especially since the 1953 first constituent assembly, and over the period of time have eroded its autonomy and identity.
He said millions of non-resident Kashmiris were doled out with domiciles, apart the terror incidents have led to more than 2030 pellet casualties, around 27000 incarcerations, and a damage of $9billion since August 5, 2019.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, as a keynote speaker, said that a politically reshaped South Asia is emerging. He listed out three realities behind it and said that firstly; India has suffered the biggest setback from China, diplomatically and militarily, and is unable to assert itself. Likewise, he said that Pakistan too gave India a bloody nose during the four-day war in May 2025, and has decimated India’s so-called supremacy in the region.
Secondly, he said President Trump’s offer to mediate on Kashmir has come as a blow to India’s stance of portraying the issue as bilateral. He said that Trump’s initiative should be seized to make some meaningful strides.
Third; he said that China has emerged as a de facto party to the Kashmir issue, and India cannot backtrack from it. He mentioned Beijing’s rejoinder to Amit Shah, India’s Home Minister, by recalling that China had termed India’s occupation of Himachal Pradesh as illegal.
Mushahid said Pakistan and China enjoy coordinated responses on strategic issues, and this fact has been reiterated in talks between Trump and Army chief Gen Asim Munir in Washington.
He lambasted India’s Hindutva policy, and said that it draws inspiration from fascism, hated for Muslims and Greater India. He went on to say that state terrorism is a constant state policy of India, and it is exercising the same options that Israel does over occupied Palestinian territories.
Mushahid underscored the need for overcoming defeatism, and working robustly on lawfare to highlight the Kashmir issue.
Former President AJK and envoy to US and China, Amb. Masood Khan said that it is sheer illiteracy to say that Pakistan ever supported Article 370. He termed it as a violation of UN resolutions of 1948, whereas 35A never mattered as it was never implemented. He also shunned the general impression that tribals from Mansehra had moved into Kashmir to liberate it, and added that it is the locals who took the mantle.
Masood Khan questioned, “if India has given development and prosperity since 2019, then what it is afraid of and why Kashmiris are still not being allowed to visit Mazar-e-Shuhada?” He observed that freedom movement is imbibed in Kashmiris, and no amount of maneuvering can dishearten them from their cause and Pakistan. He also paid tributes to consecutive governments in Pakistan who endured pressure on Kashmir, and stood fast.
Farzana Yaqoob observed that Pakistan and Kashmiris should not lower the guard, and retain the movement. She also ruled out the possibility of trade and economic relations with India, and remarked that those are no less than a ploy.
She said that even if there is no Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between the two states, Pakistan as a lower riparian state has every right under International Law to have access to water. She dispelled the notion of morality in diplomacy and underscored the indispensability of power politics.
She also observed that India has always come to talks with Pakistan when Kashmiris have “raised the cost of occupation through their indigenous struggle”.
Former foreign minister and foreign secretary Amb. Inam-ul-Haq said that UN resolutions are valid until implemented or rescinded by the UN itself, and Pakistan must stand firm behind them. He also pointed out that India is conspiring to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan must remain alert over it.
To a question, Amb Inam said that Pakistan’s position is to support Kashmiris diplomatically and not militarily, and has no intention of going to war with India. He also said that while India is in no mood to talk to Pakistan, there is no choice but to stick to Pakistan’s position of holding its ground on Kashmir.