India cannot suppress freedom.

The fallacious statement made by the most celebrated Indian diplomat, Dr. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs during SCO meeting in Goa on May 5, 2023, that 'Jammu: Kashmir Was, Is And Will Always Be India's Integral Part,' deserves some clarification. It also needs to be supplemented by some observations from the Kashmiri perspective.

First, the assertion makes a mockery of the United Nations Charter and International Law. Dr. Jaishankar knows it well that his erroneous outburst regarding Kashmir violates the United Nations Security Council resolutions which were agreed upon by both India and Pakistan. Indian official position was articulated by Sir Goplaswamy Ayyangar, Indian delegate to the United Nations at the Security Council on January 15, 1948 that 'the question of the future status of Kashmir, whether she should withdraw from her accession to India, and either accede to Pakistan or remain independent, with a right to claim admission as a Member of the United Nations - all this we have recognized to be a matter for unfettered decision by the people of Kashmir, after normal life is restored to them.' Second, it is a historical fact that when the Kashmir dispute erupted in 1947: 1948, the United States, Great Britain and France took the stand that the future status of Kashmir must be ascertained in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of the territory. Third, Kashmir is not and cannot be regarded as an integral part of India because under all international agreements, which were agreed by both India and Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations, endorsed by the Security Council and accepted by the international community, Kashmir does not belong to any member state of the United Nations. If that is true, then the claim that Kashmir is an integral part of India does not stand.

Fourth, If Indian contention was correct then why Ms. Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights said on July 8, 2019, that both India and Pakistan should give the people of Kashmir right to self: determination. She added that the people of Kashmir should be included in all talks between India and Pakistan.

Fifth, does Dr. Jaishankar remember that Ms. Helen Clark, the Prime Minister of New Zealand told the Parliament on October 15, 12004 that, 'It is perfectly obvious to the whole world that Kashmir is a flashpoint for tensions between the two countries. Most countries do not regard it as simply an internal affair.' Even...