Two sessions were held on the first day of the congress, while in the first session the bond between Kashmir and Palestine was established, and in the second session, the bond between the occupied territories and international law was discussed.
The first day of the International Kashmir Congress, organized by the Center for Economic and Social Research (ESAM), ended after two sessions. In the sessions held, evaluations were made about the problems faced by the citizens in the occupation of Kashmir, and approaches contrary to international law were included.
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The first session was held under the title "Can Settler Colonialism Be Applied to Kashmir: Learning from Palestine". The first speaker, food researcher Hilal Elver, pointed out that the people of Kashmir are mainly engaged in agriculture, and said, “The government of India, basically, takes the independence on food and puts production in trouble. With the latest changes, industrial food production is preferred over domestic agriculture in Kashmir. The effect of foreign companies in Kashmir should be investigated in more detail. In 2019, property regulation was made in Kashmir. It is a resolution that contradicts the UN resolution of 1951. India suspended its special status. With the regulation on citizenship and property acquisition, the society will face serious problems in terms of food acquisition and food safety.
THE FUTURE OF PALESTINE AND KASHMIR IS DETERMINED DEPENDING ON BRITISH BUREAUCRATS
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Pointing out that settler colonialism should be examined with an academic framework, writer Abdullah Moaswes stated that although the concept has only recently been used, it has actually existed for a long time, and said, “There are studies on the colonization of Kashmir. We know that settler colonialists also caused regime changes. The changes in India did not change the fact that Kashmir was under minimal occupation. If we connect the issue to Palestine. Actually Israel's giving passport to Palestinians caused restrictions on citizens living there. Settler colonists build structures to dominate the lands they have conquered. Settler colonialism is the foundation of modern capitalism. The moments that determine the future of both regions are up to British bureaucrats. Secessions are very important for the British Empire.”
INTERNATIONAL LAW LEGALIZES THE RESISTANCE
The second session was held under the title of “Occupied Territories and the scope of international law”. Delivering the first speech, Prof. Richard Falk pointed out that the regions faced chaos during the British withdrawal from its colonies, and stated that Palestine, India and Pakistan are among these countries, adding, “Although India initially supported Kashmir's right to self-determination, the Indian prime minister is the target of his own strategic calculations. The tragedy that has been experienced in Kashmir from the very beginning is this geopolitical conflictual situation caused by being in the middle of the tension. The claims made about Kashmir are undoubtedly clear claims and are far from self-determination unless international law in this area is required by them. Geopolitical issues arise. The geopolitical element also causes the disregard of international law. International law can help us a lot in liberating Kashmir because it legitimizes this resistance. International law cannot carry out the act of liberation alone, political practice cannot be carried out by the UN or other government, it is important to have enough international support here,” he said.
ALL KIND OF OCCUPATION IS AGAINST THE GENEVA AGREEMENT
Pointing out that the right to self-determination was seen as belonging only to Europeans in the past, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mushtaq stated that the behavior of European people divided the world, and said, “after the Second World War, the map of the Middle East was redrawn. Afterwards, the bloodshed in the Middle East continued without ending. The right to self-determination was perceived as the right of only European peoples. In our world, rights cannot be under the control of a single nation. Resistance in the occupied lands is a democratic right, and a demographic change cannot be made in the occupied lands in the region, these are included in the Geneva agreement. According to the Geneva agreement, any form of occupation is illegal. The resistance of the Kashmiri people is a great resistance. There is also a border agreement here.”
“NEW EVIDENCES OF KASHMIR'S NON-ATTENDANCE TO INDIA EMERGED”
Drawing attention to the fact that India carried out colonialism again with the movement it carried out in Kashmir, Prof. Dr. Niaz Shah stated that the evidence revealed that Kashmir had no accession to India, said, “India colonized Kashmir again in 1947. 2019 was not actually a start year, but the last straw. In this context, we are responsible for supporting any community that wants to be free from colonialism. After the British began to leave India, India was divided into states. Most of these states joined India, while Pakistani territories retained their independence. 3 states remained idle and these states had the choice of being part of India or part of Pakistan. The groundwork was laid for the annexation of these provinces. Seeing the options given to these states as a threat to itself, India started the process. The Kashmiri people were not given the right to decide. Despite allegations of Kashmir's accession to India, there is no annexation. Two new pieces of evidence have emerged recently that show us that there was no involvement.”