On March 5, 2025 Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar addressed Chatham House, the distinguished British think tank.
While answering a question over Jammu and Kashmir he said, “I think the path we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is under illegal Pakistani occupation.
When that’s done, I assure you, Kashmir [issue is] solved.”
This statement from a very seasoned diplomat seems quite irresponsible, adolescent and manipulative.
Pakistan has never occupied any part of the Jammu and Kashmir in its history, rather Kashmiris has requested Pakistan for their support against illegal Indian invasion in 1947. Besides, the word ‘stolen part of Kashmir’ is yet another irritating and unparliamentary expression of a territory. Kashmir or its part is not an item which can be stolen. Indeed, Jaishankar tried to mislead the audience at a very high level forum and the people there knew about the dynamics of Kashmir dispute. At the time of partition of Subcontinent, British colonial rulers were directly responsible for creating this dispute. As a matter of fact, India occupied the state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947 in complete violation of partition plan and rules set for the accession of Princely States. Mr Jaishankar also said that, “I think we have done a good job solving most of the problem.” He was referring about abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, which India illegally done in 2019 and done away with the special status of the state. It was totally illegal and violation of UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. India did this all for changing the demography of the state through a process of issuing Kashmiri domicile to Non-Kashmir Hindus from various parts of India. There is nothing about generating economic activities for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It is all cheating the world over Indian re-occupation of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. The social justice, Mr Jaishankar claimed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is again misleading and deception. Indian Security forces are ruthlessly killing the Kashmiri youth since they never accepted Indian occupations; both post and pre August 5, 2019. The people of IIOJK refused to live under Indian occupation and under Indian Constitution. They revolted against India several times in their history. Since 1990 there has been a constant struggle of Kashmiris going-on in IIOJK against Indian occupation and brutalities of its security forces which has killed over 100,000 Kashmiris with wide-spread cases of rapes and molestation of women in entire occupied parts of the state.
Pakistan Army earlier rejected many such statements from Indian civil and military leadership. “It would be wise not to indulge in self-delusion, and appreciate the ground reality”. Army Chief General Asim Munir had earlier rubbished such hollow claims and statements and warned India against any misadventure over Jammu and Kashmir. The Foreign Office of Pakistan has also rejected the statements of Indian External Affairs Minister and advised India to let Kashmiris decide their future as per UN mandated resolutions for the right of self-determination. “India must realise that a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people is imperative for a lasting peace in South Asia”.
The illegal Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, India passed on August 5, 2019 was implemented on October 31, 2019. It was without any consent of the people of IIOJK and without passage of State Assembly. Grounds were prepared for that through imposition of Presidential, following the Governor Rule. Besides, UNSC resolutions; 91 and 122, both prevents India to take any unilateral decision about the future of the state, except through UN administered plebiscite. Historically, Kashmiris started their struggle for the accession of their state with Pakistan, before Pakistan became a reality. They passed the Accession Resolution with Pakistan on July 19, 1947 at Srinagar. Despite the fact that Kashmiris of IIOJK are under India for the last 77 years, they neither accepted Indian rule over their state nor did they accept Indian Constitution. In the post August 5, 2019, there has been a deterioration of situation IIOJK. Mr Jaishankar has misled the world through his illogical debate over Jammu and Kashmir at Chatham House. The fact is that, India is the occupying power in IIOJK since 1947. It has violated UN Charter, UN resolution on Jammu and Kashmir and above all betrayed the trust of the people of IIOJK. Indeed, there was no legitimacy of Indian occupation of the state in 1947 and there was no legality for its annexation of the state as union territories. From the perspective of international law, India is an illegal occupant of IIOJK which seriously warrants the attention of United Nations and international community. People and Government of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan condemn and reject the exploitative statement of Indian External Affairs Minister. Government of Pakistan must reach over to UNSC and international community for the permanent solution of Jammu and Kashmir for the grant of right of self-determination to Kashmiris through a neutral mechanism of Plebiscite under UN. Had PTI Government reacted against unilaterally Indian abrogation of Article 730 and 35A, Jaishankar would not have dared to give this statement.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
