Executive Summary
The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with Jammu Kashmir Self Determination Movement International (Islamabad Chapter), organized a Roundtable on “Kashmir Crisis: A Way Forward” on October 9, 2019. Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, was the Chief Guest at the occasion. Lt. Gen. (Retd) Agha Mohammad Umer Farooq, Former President of National Defense University and Lt. Gen. (Retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi, Former Minister of Defense, Pakistan also delivered remarks at the occasion.
The assessment and recommendations during the deliberations are given below in this executive summary.
Assessment of the Situation
- Kashmir issue is multidimensional; the real issue is not the Articles 370 and 35A, but the right of self-determination which is embedded in the UN resolutions.
- India has violated international law by attempting to change the nature of a disputed territory.
- Response to Indian lockdown from the international community has been disappointing.
- World will continue to acquiesce in what India is doing because of their own commercial and economic interests.
- India is looking to exploit Pakistan’s vulnerabilities.
- Delhi is aggressively carrying out demographic engineering in Indian occupied Kashmir.
- Prime Minister Modi will come up with harsher measures.
- There could be false flag operations by India.
- India and Pakistan are headed towards war.
- There will be consequences for the rest of the world.
