Marking Youm-e-Istehsal today, APHC-AJK chapter leader Shamim Shawl called it a violation of the United Nations Charter, urged nations to engage in dialogue over Kashmir and stressed for breaking the international silence . Shamim Shawl in a conversation with Radio Pakistan’s special programme on the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsal, strongly condemned August 5 as a dark day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. 

She described it as a day of injustice and a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, highlighting that the unilateral actions taken on this day in 2019 stripped Kashmiris of their fundamental rights and identity. Shamim Shawl emphasized that it was high time for the international community to break its silence and play an active role in resolving the Kashmir dispute. 

She urged world powers and the United Nations to initiate meaningful negotiations among parties concerned to ensure a peaceful resolution in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and relevant UN resolutions. Shamim Shawl condemned India’s unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, as a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. 

She termed the day a symbol of injustice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as it marked the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A constitutional provisions that granted special status and protection to the region. Shamim Shawl expressed deep concern over the ongoing efforts to alter the demographic composition of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) through settler colonialism, unlawful domicile laws and land grabs. 

She further highlighted the continued human rights abuses and brutalities committed by Indian armed forces in the region, including arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and restrictions on freedom of speech and movement.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)