Unilateral abrogation of special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK): Perpetuation of Colonization by India to mark “Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir”

At the outset of the session, Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch highlighted the plight of the Kashmiris since the revocation of Article 370, two years ago. She said that India continued its atrocities and human rights violations unabated even during the COVID pandemic. However such attempts have not deterred Kashmiris from their desire for freedom and human rights. She said Pakistan will always stand with the people of Kashmir and expressed the hope that with a painful history of colonialism, the Korean people will understand the pain of Kashmiris and support their dream of a life of dignity, liberty and human rights.

Prof. Asif Qureshi gave a detailed insight into the actions of India taken on 5th August 2019 in light of international law. He also shed light on the consequences of the unilateral abrogation of special status of IIOJK. He said that demographic changes in the region come with the economic decline of the Kashmiri economy. He further said that even in the legal writings from India, the constitutional basis of 2019 abrogation are being questioned on regular basis.

A wide cross-section of Pakistani and Korean participants including the academia, students, Pakistani community organizations, Korea-Pakistan Friendship Association and other think tanks attended the online session and asked some learned questions at the end of the session. Participants showed keen interest in the subject and actively participated in the discussion.