Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned and completely rejected the new rules announced by Indian authorities, paving way for non-Kashmiris to seek permanent settlement in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.
On Monday, the Indian authorities notified new rules that now permit those who have lived in the occupied valley for 15 years, or studied there for seven years, or appeared in class 10th or 12th examinations, can now apply for the domicile, a mandatory condition for seeking jobs in the disputed territory.
“It reflects the opportunistic and morally bankrupt mindset of [the] RSS-BJP combine,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Tuesday noted, adding that the new law is ‘aimed at changing the demographic structure of occupied Kashmir and attempts to further deprive the people there’.
According to the statement, the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure), 2020’ is illegal and in clear violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, international law including the 4th Geneva Convention and agreements between Pakistan and India. “We reiterate that such steps can neither change the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir recognised as such by the United Nations and the international community nor can they prejudice the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people,” read the communique.
The statement highlighted that the timing of the move to introduce the law is particularly reprehensible as it uses the world community’s preoccupation with the Covid-19 pandemic and reflects an opportunistic and morally bankrupt mindset. It said that similar to earlier illegal Indian actions, the people of occupied Kashmir have completely rejected the domicile law as unacceptable. “The Kashmiri people will never accept the sinister Hindutva agenda of dispossessing them of their land, marginalizing them politically and economically, and depriving them of their distinct identity,” the statement added.
The FO also noted that Pakistan has been consistently apprising the international community about the true designs behind India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019. “Through these actions along with continuing restrictions, excruciating military crackdown, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detentions and incarcerations, and grave human rights violations, India seeks to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Kashmir,” the statement underscored.
