UNSC Meeting On Friday To Revoke Kashmir’s Special Status

unsc kashmir

The heated relationship between Pakistan and India has become a major concern to the region and to the world for the past 15 days. As both sides of the border have warned each other about using their nuclear weapons if things don’t work in their favor. Hence, it has become necessary for the world to bring the topic into discussion. And that is what the UN Security Council (UNSC) will do on Friday.

Pakistan’s Letter To UNSC

Pakistan had previously written a letter to UNSC. This letter aimed to draw UNSC’s attention towards the matter. As India was not ready for table talk. And the brutality of Indian forces in Kashmir is becoming more intense with every passing day. So there are only two options for Pakistan; international interference or war. Since Pakistan had very clearly been conveying the message of peace across all borders, it is going for the former option.

The letter to call an urgent meeting was written by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi presented it to the president of the 15-member council for the month of August, Polish Ambassador Joanna Wronecka.

China And Russia’s Support To Pakistan’s Request

The recent government in Pakistan has strengthened its ties with all the big shows of the world currently. This is what has benefited Pakistan with its request in the UNSC to discuss the matter of Kashmir too. The discussion is to decide whether India is to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir or not. China and Russia, both the countries who are permanent members of UNSC and Pakistan’s friendly neighbors have backed Pakistan’s request for the meeting.

It was also requested by both countries to discuss the matter behind closed doors.

Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s acting UN envoy said, “Moscow doesn’t object to holding such a meeting, but the matter should be discussed behind closed doors”

UNSC heard the request and announced the meeting regarding Article 370 and Humanitarian crisis in Indian occupied Kashmir.

Last week UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recalled the bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan. It is also called the Simla Agreement of 1972. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the secretary-general recalls the Simla Agreement. It states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means. And the settlement is in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

India’s Decision To Revoke Kashmir’s Status

Kashmir is the only state where Muslims are in majority. And according to the division of sub-continent, all Muslim majority states were to be included in Pakistan. But IOK was left as a disputed region. So, Article 370 supports the rights of Kashmiri’s as an autonomic state in Indian Law. Local assembly was to back all bills that central government passed in this state. And citizens from other Indian regions could not buy land in Kashmir. The state also had its own flag.

However, the dissolution of this article means the end of these rights. Indian paramilitary simultaneous to dissolving this article started brutal killing of Muslims. For this reason, Pakistan named these inhumane moves as ethnic cleansing and gave warnings to India to stop Human Rights Violations in Kashmir.

On August 5, India announced that it was going to revoke Article 370 of the Indian constitution. This article granted Kashmir a special status. Also providing Jammu and Kashmir a degree of autonomy. But this wasn’t the only intent of India. The country intended to break Kashmir up into two union territories. The central government would largely be in control of these territories. Pakistan however, strongly condemned the move.

After Syria and Palestine, it would be a major fail of humanity if the world is unable to protect the rights of another state. Let’s hope that this meeting of UNSC on Friday leads to stability instead of more chaos.

What do you think about the current situation in Kashmir? Let us know in the comments.

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