In defiance of the Geneva conventions.

The recent announcement by the Indian authorities to permit temporary residents in IIOJ and K to register as voters is yet another attempt to change the demographic features of the state. This move follows the promulgation of a new domicile law after the repeal of Article 370 of the Indian constitution revoking the special status of the state, its bifurcation into two territories, and annexation to the Indian union. The announced measure is likely to add 2.5 million more voters, which the local population fears would allow the BJP government to alter the demographics of the region. It is a sinister move to convert the Muslim majority into a minority in due course of time and has rightly been rejected and condemned by Pakistan. The action constitutes a blatant violation of the Geneva Convention and the UN resolutions on the Kashmir dispute. After the end of World War II, as a consequence of the initiative taken by the International Committee of Red Cross, the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Convention for Protection of Victims of War was held in Geneva which adopted the 4th Geneva Convention on 12 August 1949. In 1993, the United Nations Security Council adopted a report from the Secretary-General and a Commission of Experts which concluded that the Geneva Conventions had passed into the body of customary international law, thus making them binding even on non-signatories to the Conventions whenever they engage in armed conflicts. What it meant was that these conventions were obligatory in all states of the world. Article 27 of the Geneva IV states 'Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their manners and customs.

Hot, dry weather likely to prevail over most plain areas

The spate of actions taken by India in IIOJ and K over the past three years manifests Indian intent to disenfranchise Kashmiri Muslims and impose the BJP government on the occupied territory after fraudulent polls. For this purpose, Delhi has sought to bring about administrative and demographic changes and recast the electoral map to give Jammu greater representation and reduce Muslim representation to shift the political balance in favor of Hindus. In May this year, India's Delimitation Commission carved out new electoral constituencies in IIOJ and K that disempower the Muslim population. According to the 2011 census...