PARIS (Kashmir English): The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have said that the world community’s response to the recent India-Pakistan tension has highlighted that the situation in Kashmir cannot be viewed solely as an internal matter, as India has repeatedly claimed.
In a joint statement posted on the website of FIDH, the two organizations expressed profound concern over the worsening human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), particularly since the abrogation of Article 370.
“The human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir has deteriorated sharply since the abrogation of Article 370 of India’s Constitution in 2019.
Atrocities in occupied Kashmir
“Arbitrary detentions under the Public Safety Act; the misuse of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; prolonged internet shutdowns; suppression of peaceful dissent; and the criminalization of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society actors have all become systematic”.
These actions, the groups argue, continue to restrict the ability of Kashmiris to engage in political life, expression, and assembly, eroding the conditions for meaningful participation in the region’s future.
FORUM-ASIA and FIDH said, “Kashmir’s international legal status is firmly grounded in UN Security Council Resolutions 47, 91, and 122, which reaffirm the territory’s disputed nature and call for the exercise of the right to self-determination through an impartial plebiscite”.
They added that this was further reinforced by the 2018 and 2019 reports by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which documented the denial of civil and political rights in Jammu and Kashmir and called for independent international investigations.
The organizations also noted recent international efforts to mediate the conflict.
“The United States has offered to mediate between Pakistan and India for a political “solution” for the Kashmir dispute, following their role in brokering a temporary ceasefire. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged maximum restraint and a diplomatic resolution.
“This reflects the international community’s continued obligation to address Kashmir as a protracted and unresolved conflict with serious human rights dimensions.”
As Juliette Rousselot, Deputy Director for Asia at FIDH, pointed out, “The question of Kashmir’s status remains unresolved…..the UN Security Council has made clear through multiple resolutions that the people of Kashmir must be able to exercise their right to self-determination.
Denying Kashmiris their right to self-determination is not merely a legal violation — it is a profound indictment of the global human rights system’s credibility”.
“The recent developments and aforementioned international instruments invite a reconsideration of the narrative of sovereign exclusivity when fundamental human rights are at stake. They also reinforce the international community’s responsibility under international human rights and humanitarian laws to protect civilians, ensure accountability, and uphold the right to self-determination, as enshrined in Article 1 common to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which have been ratified by India”.
“Amid renewed global focus, the voices of those most impacted must no longer be ignored,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.
“It is a critical opportunity to center the rights, agency, and participation of Kashmiris themselves. Instead, we continue to witness arbitrary arrests and the weaponization of law as systemic tools to suppress independent media and civil society organizations, many of which have been forced to shut down, and to obstruct their engagement in public discourse and political decision-making”.
She emphasized that Kashmiris should no longer be seen as passive victims of a conflict managed by external powers.
“They are rights-holders whose collective agency, political aspirations, and lived experiences have long been suppressed both by domestic repression and international neglect,” Bacalso said.
Rousselot underscored that any solution to the Kashmir conflict that does not fully, freely, and meaningfully involve the participation of Kashmiris themselves cannot be considered legitimate, sustainable, or rights-compliant.
FORUM-ASIA and FIDH appealed to global civil society to show solidarity with Kashmiris–particularly incarcerated human rights defenders, independent journalists, and local civil society organizations–who continue to face targeted repression.
