- 30 November, 2020
The 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
The 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is set to end today. The summit was held under the theme “united against terrorism, for peace and development.” The OIC, the second largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the UN with 57 member states on four continents, recognized that terrorism remains a global phenomenon that no country can fight alone.
The Foresight: Kashmir Issue & International Law with Hassan Aslam Shad
An informative session with Hassan Aslam Shad on The Kashmir Issue and its various dimensions in International Law along with the assessment of the stances of both parties. Hassan Aslam Shad is an International Practicing Lawyer and Legal Director of one of the top ten international law firms, currently settled in the Middle East. He has got his education from Michigan State University and Harvard Law School. He was the first Pakistani to practice in the ICC Hague.
Indian Security Laws & Human Rights
Although the Indian constitution guarantees that the disparate set of tribes, ethnicities, and religions are part of the whole Indian nationalism, Indian sovereignty is challenged since the post-colonial establishment of the nation-state by the restive population. To confront these disparate set of security challenges to its territorial integrity and security of the state, the Indian government enacted various legislations which are presumably per the letter and spirit of the Indian constitution and international human rights accord to which India is a signatory, but in practice are more in the spirit of a draconian legislative armour of the state to fight the separatists’ challenges with a hardened approach.
Can there be a BDS Movement for Kashmir?
Recently, the president of Azad Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, proposed a BDS movement to counter the Indian State oppression, which has been in effect before at similar Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions was a movement first established in 2005. It was initially based on the principle that the Israeli oppression of Palestinians is unacceptable and that the 57 members of OIC should abide by this movement. The idea behind is the international recognition of the oppression being caused by a state on any other nation or a group of people. In this case, the movement demands the Muslim majority states to boycott the oppressive Indian state and grant the Kashmiris equal rights as for the rest of humanity. The reoccurrence of the BDS movement in Kashmir is due to its similarity with the Palestinian state.
New Laws Allow Non-Kashmiri Indians to Buy Land in the Occupied Kashmir
On October 26, the Indian ministry of home affairs introduced sweeping changes to land laws in Jammu and Kashmir which would enable any Indian citizen to buy property in the territory. Residents fear laws are aimed at a ‘land grab’ to dilute the Muslim-majority character of the disputed region, now directly under New Delhi’s control. Kashmiris see this as a double assault: on history as well as the future.
GB Independence Day 2020: The History Behind the November 1st
The recent development in making Gilgit-Baltistan a province is a faint ray of hope for the 2 million population of Gilgit Baltistan. It has been the misfortune of Gilgit-Baltistan that the educated young generation here is still unable to think of the homeland. If the nation’s youth are deprived of the ability to think, and the purpose of education is only part of the employment. It is useless to pin hopes on the future of this nation. But even today, there is no shortage of people in this nation who have pain for the region who can play a savior role in the region’s future deprivations.
The “Black Day” is Getting Darker Each Year
The Indian attack on Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, October 27, 1947, was the most horrific event in the history of Indian colonialism, which has left the region in a state of perpetual instability and violence. On this day in 1947, the leaders of so-called secular India rushed their troops to Srinagar at night, trampling under their hats the fundamental political and democratic rights of the Kashmiri people for which the Indigenous people themselves fought together, over the years, against the British rule.
The Past and Future of Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan
The question of provincializing Gilgit-Baltistan has haunted Pakistan time and again since the former’s unconditional accession in 1948. PTI government is grappling with similar challenges but came up with a resolute intention to make the territory – the fifth province of Pakistan, unlike her predecessor regimes. India has warned Islamabad of possible violations of her international commitments and deliberate alienation of Wilsonian right of self-determination for the long-troubled Kashmiris. Yet, it doesn’t appear to be affecting the government’s policy in any visible manner.
Gilgit Baltistan: Desire for Identity, Amalgamation and Autonomy
The press conference conducted by the federal minister of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Ali Amin Gandapur, announced elections for the Gilgit Baltistan assembly on November 15, 2020. And at the same time, the federal minister circulated the news of granting provisional provincial autonomy to Gilgit Baltistan, which Prime Minister Imran Khan would officially announce soon. This news has brought in sharp reactions from the neighbor India.
Ladakh: Transformation of A Pluralistic Cosmopolitan into An Autocratic Union Territory
Situated in the midst of The Himalayas and the Karakorum Ladakh “the land of high passes” holds a history well