United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned for changing the status of the Indian occupied territory of Kashmir and backed Security Council resolutions.
His Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “The Secretary-General calls on all parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir.”
“The position of the United Nations on this region is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions,” the spokesperson stressed.
While calling for maximum restraint, “the Secretary-General is also concerned over reports of restrictions on the Indian-side of Kashmir, which could exacerbate the human rights situation in the region”, he further said.
The provisions from the mentioned Charter directly applicable to the India-Pakistan tension and bound both sides to settle their disputes by peaceful means and to refrain from using any force or military engagement against the territorial integrity of any nation.
The Charter also states that the UN cannot “intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state”.
The tensions escalated after the BJP-led Indian government’s announcement that it is abolishing Article 370 of the Indian constitution which sustains a status of autonomy to the region, giving it the right to form its own laws, raise its own flag, and also prevented Indian citizens from buying property in Kashmir and holding positions within its administration.
Right now, Several million Kashmiris are currently cut off from communicating with the outside world as India has started strengthening its ferocious military clutches on the occupied state. India has ceased down the network facilities, including internet and landlines, banned protests and group gatherings, imposed curfews and deployed tens of thousands of troops into the region to escalate its existing military power of around 700,000 soldiers in the occupied valley of Kashmir.
