Pakistan on Thursday rejected a new set of laws introduced by the Indian government in its controlled part of Kashmir, which Islamabad views as a calculated attempt to alter the demographic status of the Muslim majority Himalayan valley.
"Pakistan strongly condemns and rejects the latest Indian action aimed at illegally changing the demographic structure of the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K). The so-called "Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Order 2020" is another illegal step by India to settle non-Kashmiris in IOJ&K by changing the domicile laws," Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This, it added, was a clear violation of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.
Under the new law, those who have resided for 15 years in the disputed valley are eligible to become permanent residents.
The development followed New Delhi's scrapping of the disputed region's longstanding special status in August last, which invited an international ire.
"This Indian action, a continuation of India's illegal and unilateral steps since 5 August 2019, also constitutes a violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan, and humanitarian norms", the statement said, adding "Indeed, the Kashmiris will never accept such blatant usurpation of their fundamental rights and attempts to change their demography and distinct identity".
The latest Indian action, it went on to say, at this moment of global health crisis, was particularly reprehensible as it sought to take advantage of the international community's focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and further advance India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's sinister, "Hindutva" agenda.
Islamabad urged the UN and the international community to take immediate cognizance of this Indian action, prevent India from changing the demography of the occupied territory, and hold India accountable for its persistent violations of international law.
"Pakistan will continue to highlight India's state terrorism in IOJ&K, and its denial of the fundamental freedoms and inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.No matter what its tactics, India will never be able to break the will of the Kashmiri people. Nor will India succeed in its nefarious designs to subjugate the Kashmiris against their wishes", it concluded.
Disputed region
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.
Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.
Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
