A Petition by 200 Academics and Activists: “Kashmir needs global effort toward a just resolution”

In the last few days, the Indian government has ended the special status of the internationally disputed state of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir as well as bifurcated the state into two union territories. The bifurcation is an attempt to transform Kashmir from an international issue to a domestic one. These actions have set the stage for possible nuclear war with Pakistan, and threaten to irrevocably alter the region, requiring immediate and urgent response from the international community. In order to proceed with these acts, over the last week Indian repression was heightened in Kashmir, already the world’s most intensely militarized zone. India has deployed tens of thousands of additional troops, imposed around-the-clock curfews, shut down all communications including internet, cellular service, and landlines, taken over schools and mosques, detained former political office holders as well as pro-freedom leaders. As of today, Kashmiris have been in these conditions for 72 hours with little access to cash, food and medical supplies. There have been reports that one protestor has died and at least six have been injured in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, and that over 100 members of civil society and human rights activists have been arrested. Kashmiris have already borne the brunt of three decades of brutal and cumulative state violence including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, mass graves, torture and indefinite detention. The UN published human rights reports on Kashmir in 2018and 2019 that call for an end to impunity, demilitarisation, an independent international Commission of Inquiry, and self-determination for the people of Kashmir. Kashmir is an international issue that warrants an urgent political resolution including negotiations between Kashmiris, India and Pakistan. States and international bodies that have been concerned with or have engaged with the region (for example, the US, the UK, Canada, relevant EU member states, the European Parliament, the UN General Assembly, and the UN Human Rights Council) must diplomatically intervene, and do so with conscience, before the large-scale military operation already in place or war further destroys hope for a peaceful political resolution for Kashmiris, as well as for India and Pakistan. A besieged Kashmiri population urgently needs international remedies for justice, not a military occupation or war. Signed by the following, in alphabetical order: Malik Aabid, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, India Asma Abbas, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, USA Nikita Agarwal, Advocate, Chhattisgarh High Court of Bilaspur, India Omer Aijazi, Religion and Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada Ali Al-Qahtani Ketan Alder, University of Manchester, UK Ahtisham Ali, Assistant Professor, GC University, Lahore, Pakistan Nosheen Ali, Kartidharti, South Asia Saad Amir, Lawyer, Lahore, Pakistan Dibyesh Anand, University of Westminster, UK Shilpaa Anand, BITS Hyderabad, India Anjali Arondekar, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA Ghazal Asif, Johns Hopkins University USA Nandita Badami, Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology, University of Carolifornia – Irvine, USA Amit Baishya, University of Oklahoma, USA Anirban Baishya, Fordham University, USA Sandeep Bakshi, University Paris Diderot, France Kamran Bala, AML Analyst Moneygram Warsaw, Poland Mariana Balau, International Relations Professor at PUC Minas, Brazil Bobby Banerjee, professor, Cass Business School, UK Mona Bhan, Anthropology, Syracuse University, USA Varuni Bhatia, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India Gargi Bhattacharyya, Social Sciences, University of East London, UK Somak Biswas, History, University of Warwick, UK Rafael Bittencourt, PhD Candidate in International Relations, PUC Minas, Brazil Claire Blencowe, University of Warwick, UK Dilnaz Boga, Mumbai University, India Jenisha Borah, Cinema and Media Studies, University of Chicago, USA Purnima Bose, International Studies, Indiana University, USA Gardner Bovingdon, Central Eurasian Studies and International Studies, Indiana University, USA Emma Brännlund, Politics and International Relations, University of the West of England, UK Christopher Cannell, PhD, University of Edinburgh, UK Farhan Mujahid Chak, PhD, Qatar University, Qatar Shefali Chandra, History, Washington University in St. Louis, USA Angana Chatterji, University of California, Berkeley, USA Vanessa Chishti, Historian, O.P. Jindal Global University, India Ugyan Choedup, History, Pennsylvania State University, USA Nusrat S Chowdhury, Amherst College, USA Carmel Christy, International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden, Netherlands Linda Cronin, University of Roehampton, UK Masrook Dar, University of Hyderabad, UK Sandhya Devesan, CSAS, University of Cambridge, UK Adrija Dey, SOAS, University of London, UK Haley Duschinski, Anthropology, Ohio University, UK Anwesha dutta, Chr. Michelsen Institite, Norway Debjani Dutta, University of Southern California, USA Peter Dwyer, Ruskin College, Oxford, UK Nahyan Fancy, History, DePauw University, UK Gowhar Fazili, Delhi, Indiai Sareer A. Fazili, Esq., Attorney at Law Sara Friedman, Anthropology, Indiana University, USA Pieter Friedrich, South Asian Affairs Analyst Amrita Ghosh, Linnaeus University, Sweden Shrimoyee Ghosh, Independent Scholar, New Delhi, India Priyamvada Gopal, University of Cambridge, UK Anna Guevarra, Global Asian Studies, University of Illinois, USA Sugandh Gupta, Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, USA Sunil Gupta, Visiting Tutor, Royal College of Art, London, UK Muneeb Hafiz, Lancaster University, UK Soibam Haripriya, Dept of Conflict and Development Studies, Ghent University, Belgium Zehra Hashmi, Anthropology and History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, UK Julie Hearn, Lancaster University, UK Leslie Hempson, Denison University, USA Paul Hindley Mariyahl Hoole, Writer and Activist, San Francisco, USA Saba Hussain, Sociology, University of Warwick, UK Salman A Hussain, Anthropology and History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA Lilly Irani, Communication & Science Studies,University of California, San Diego, USA Feyzi Ismail, SOAS, University of London, UK Yengkhom Jilangamba, TISS, Guwahati, India Mohamad Junaid, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, USA Hafsa Kanjwal, Lafayette College, USA Nisha Kapoor, University of Warwick, UK Nitasha Kaul, University of Westminster, UK Bhavneet Kaur, Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India Gehna Kapoor, SOAS, UK Mamatha Karollil, Ambedkar University Delhi, India Aarti Kawlra, Independent scholar and IIAS Leiden, Netherlands Seema Kazi, Researcher and Writer, New Delhi, India Shmyla Khan, BNU, Lahore, Pakistan Idreas Khandy Zunaira Komal, University of California Davis, USA Joanna Kostka, Lecturer in Sociology, Lancaster University, UK Arun Kumar, University of York, UK Sandeep Krishna, NCBS, Bangalore, India Sathish Kumar, activist Sujay Kumar, University of East anglia, UK Michael Levien, Sociology, Johns Hopkins University, USA J. Daniel Luther, King’s College London, UK Jane Lynch, University of Michigan, USA Inshah Malik, Kardan University Kabul, Afghanistan Navdeep Mathur, IIM Ahmedabad, India William Mazzarella, Neukom Family Professor of Anthropology, University of Chicago, USA Annapurna Menon, PhD Candidate – Politics, University of Westminster, UK Akanksha Mehta, Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK Darshana Mini, University of Southern California, USA Kalyani Devaki Menon, DePaul University, Chicago, USA Amina Mir, PhD Candidate, Politics, University of Westminster, UK Touseef Mir, International Development, University of East Anglia, UK Moujan Mirdamadi, Lancaster University, USA Deepti Misri, University of Colorado Boulde, USA Satya Mohanty, Professor, Cornell University, USA Carlos Morelli, University of Dundee, President UCU, Scotland Yasir Muhammedali, Media activist from Syria Sreyasi Mukherjee, Independent scholar, Calcutta, UK Mantra Mukim, English, University of Warwick, UK Mariyeh Mushtaq, Birkbeck, University of London, UK Najeeb Mushtaq, New Delhi, India Sadaf Mushtaq, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, India Zacharia Nahouli, Psychology PhD, University of Westminster, UK Nithya Natarajan, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK Sumaira Najeeb, New Delhi, India Khairunnisa Nakathorige, MANUU, Hyderabad, India John Narayan, Birmingham City University, UK Immad Nazir, Kashmir Goldie Osuri, Sociology, University of Warwick, UK Idrisa Pandit, Independent scholar, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Ankur tamuli Phukan, independent researcher Jasbir Puar, Professor, Rutgers University, USA Fayaz Peer, New Delhi, India Samina Raja, Independent Researcher, Buffalo, NY, USA Nirmala Rajasingam, South Asia Solidarity Group, UK Anubha Rana, SOAS, UK Meghana Rao, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India Gayatri Reddy, University of Illinois, USA Ricardo Rios, PhD. Candidate in Communications (UFJF, Brazil) and M.A in International Relations (PUC Minas, Brazil) Rakhshan Rizwan, Comparative Literature, Utrecht University, Netherlands Cabeiri Robinson, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, USA Tania Saeed, Sociology, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan Parag Jyoti Saikia, Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA Parismuta Singh, Writer. Leon Sealey-Huggins, University of Warwick, UK Palvashay Sethi, Lecturer IBA Ali Seyedrazaghi, Philosopher and Historian Sanjay Sharma, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India Abhra Singha Roy, Media and Culture Studies student,TISS, Mumbai, India Ghulam Shah – Vistula University, Poland Svati Shah, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA Toyba Shah, New Delhi, India. Sarbani Sharma, New Delhi, India Marina Sofi, Chicago, USA Michael Szpakowski, UCU Branch Chair, Writtle University College, UK Tarangini Sriraman, Azim University, Bangalore, India Deborah Sutton, Lancaster University, UK Pyoli Swatija, Advocate, Supreme Court of India Mehroosh Tak, University of Edinburgh, UK Vinicius Tavares, International Relations Professor at PUC Minas, Brazil Anand Vivek Taneja, Vanderbilt University, USA Teodora Todorova, University of Warwick, UK Sharika Tiranagama, Stanford University, USA Nishita Trisal, Anthropology, University of Michigan, USA Amit Upadhyay, TISS Hyderabad, India Nishant Upadhyay, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, USA Zahrah Sehr Vayani, Barrister at law, Attorney at Law, New York and Advocate High Courts Pakistan. University of Manchester, Inns of Court School of Law, UK Suchitra Vijayan, Barrister, Founder and Executive Director, The Polis Project, USA Frederiek de Vlaming, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands Phibamanbha Wahlang, Pondicherry University, India Sahil K. Warsi, Independent Anthropologist, London UK Saira Weiner, John Moores Liverpool University, UK Kalpana Wilson, Birkbeck, University of London, UK Mohisen Zargar- Poznan University Poland Ifsha Zehra, Kashmir Ather Zia, University of Northern Colorado, USA ——- Abdulsalam Dallal Jamal Jnied Sheyrwan Haydar Ali Seido Khalil Qssab Ahmad Qassab Saba Yasin Aiswarya S – TISS Mumbai Imran Bakhroo – Businessman – Warszawa Poland M Ghazali Khan, Editor Urdu Media Monitor Eram Durrani Sheeba Shah Deachen Angmo, TISS student Shayan Mahfooz Ansari, Engineer, Singapore Aqeel Shah Ahmad Jouma Moustafa Geetika Kaushal Mohammd Al-Abadlla Qurat ulain, New Delhi- India Zaynah Rehman, Westcliff High School student Fayaz Najar : Fiza Rasool, Civil Servant, London Wamiq Bashir, Enterprise Architect, Valtech, London Zayd Rasool, Director IT services, GSK, London Tariq Rehman, Leo Pharma Aadam Rehman, University of Portsmouth Student Mossab Briej Faisal Rehman, University College London Student Ruby Rehman, Care UK Tehmeena Khan, Housewife Samiullah Najar, Almarai KSA Alia Andleeb UEA,UK. Amir Farooq, Transport Consultant, AECOM Ltd, Birmingham, UK Adil Yousuf. Asma Muzaffar. NYU College of Dentistry. Ümit Yıldız ,Edge Hill University, UK Unaiza Qayoom Wasiq Majeed Wani, Vistula University, Warsaw – Computer Engineering. Maryam Mir, University of Leeds student Ibrahim Mir, Woodhall Student Mansoor Rehman, Worker at Next Zaihum Abbas, GC University Lahore. Aatif Farooqi Muhamad ebrahim Alhamada Angbeen Atif Mirza, SAHSOL, LUMS, Lahore Amrit Wilson, Writer Rajesh R., Chennai Anupama Potluri, Hyderabad, India Umar Khan Gwendolyn S. Kirk, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan Abdulfatah Yousfi, Uni Rana Nabi, Together 4 Good, UK Rubia Abrar UK University. Shayan Rajani, History, Lahore University of Management Sciences Kalpana Palanisamy. Sathyamangalam. Erode Chitra Ganesh, Visual Artist, USA Hoda Bandeh-Ahmadi, Director of Social Research, Center for Surgical Training and Research, University of Michigan Balan, Tamizh National People’s front Prof-Anandi, MIDS, CHENNAI Guneet Kaur, International Human Rights Researcher, and Lawyer, Delhi Yengkhom Jilangamba, TISS, Guwahati Manu, Student, Chennai Mathematical Institute Kavin Malar, Writer/Journalist Kasali meeran.i / Tamilnadu Vice president cfi Amir Malik, ACJ,Chennai and JNU, New Delhi, Journalist/Activist Garima, University of Delhi, India Huda Bhurgri- Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Pakistan Archana Bidargaddi, software professional, Norway Shayma S, JNU Waseem R S Research Scholar JNU Shmyla Khan, BNU, Lahore Bindu K. C. Ambedkar University Delhi. Palvashay Sethi, Lecturer IBA Saher Qarini, Law, Unive Deepan, Chennai Tamilnadu Rubia Abrar , UK Anuradha Potluri, Hyderabad Abdul Aijaz, GC University, Lahore Aswathy Raveendran, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus Suneetha Eluri, New Delhi Waseem R S Research Scholar JNU Aditi, New Delhi Nazia Amin, IIT Delhi Rajendran Narayanan, Bangalore Ajith Cherian