Islamabad, 9 August 2019.   Women’s Parliamentary Caucus   (WPC)  has stated  its grave concern at  the illegal and immoral decision by the  Indian government to revoke the special Constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status would allow non-Kashmiri Indians to settle and buy property in the state.

This is  a deliberate, methodical and unashamed  violation of India’s obligations under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention; which  prohibits the transfer or deportation of persons in Occupied Territory. Kashmir is currently India’s only Muslim-majority state; thus, these illegitimate  actions can change  its demographic make-up which is  exceptionally alarming.

In the past, women and girls, in IOK, have been a perpetual target of different forms of abuses. We are seeing an imminent  multi-layered crisis where women and girls, sadly, would be the  first to be harmed and last to be heard.

WPC expects from all champions of human rights, women rights, child rights and people-centric approach, with their wealth of experiences, to demonstrate their solidarity with visible empathetic  actions.

All global influencers on peace, equality and rights including the decision  makers within UN system are urged to look into the issue with humanitarian lens and make every effort to ensure safety of Kashmiri people.