International legal experts have termed Kashmir a “test case” for the credibility and integrity of the United Nations, urging immediate action to end decades of inaction on its binding resolutions regarding the disputed territory. According to Kashmir Media  Service, the remarks were made during a landmark seminar held in Geneva, where prominent jurists and scholars highlighted a “systemic failure” of the UN to implement its own resolutions on Kashmir, leaving the dispute unresolved for over seven decades. 

The seminar was presided over by Altaf Hussain Wani, Representative of the World Muslim Congress, and featured a distinguished panel including Amelie d’Hasusen, Robert Fitina, Ronald Barnes, Dr. Sajjad Latief, and Naila Altaf Kani. Speakers examined the status of 17 binding resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council between 1948 and 1971, including Resolution 47, which calls for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir but remains unimplemented to date. 

In his opening remarks, Altaf Hussain Wani emphasized that the right to self-determination, recognized as a peremptory norm of international law, continues to be undermined by political considerations.  The panelists stressed that India’s 2019 revocation of Article 370 was not merely an internal constitutional measure but a move with serious implications for the internationally recognized status of the disputed territory.

The experts also highlighted the applicability of international legal instruments, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, to the situation in Kashmir, while pointing to geopolitical constraints that have rendered the Security Council ineffective on the issue. 

The seminar concluded with a call for renewed international engagement, including potential recourse to the International Court of Justice and increased multilateral pressure through the UN Human Rights Council, to ensure implementation of UN resolutions and uphold the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. Participants warned that continued inaction on Kashmir could have far-reaching consequences for other unresolved conflicts worldwide, undermining the credibility of the international legal order. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)