Once again, the Narendra Modi-led right-wing government of India has dismissed the olive branch extended by the Pakistani government, remaining silent on the Prime Minister’s invitation to his Indian counterpart to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Islamabad. Instead, India has intensified its stance, launching unprovoked attacks on the legal situation in Kashmir, further raising tensions. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s assertion that the status of Jammu and Kashmir has been unilaterally settled through the abrogation of Article 370, claiming it is final and beyond challenge, reflects a blatant disregard for the facts on the ground and a delusional statement that will never be accepted in any reality or future scenario.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office rightly pointed out that the Kashmir issue is internationally recognized, attracting comments and mediation efforts from global powers, including the United States, Russia, and China, as well as regional actors. India also ignores the fact that this issue is acknowledged by United Nations resolutions, which call for a plebiscite to determine the fate of the Kashmiri people. The right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir is enshrined in international law, and the Kashmir conflict is recognized globally as requiring a legitimate solution.

India’s refusal to acknowledge Kashmir as a topic for discussion underscores its head-in-the-sand approach to the realities on the ground. The region remains one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world, with India maintaining an occupying force larger than even Israel’s at the height of its occupations in Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza. An active insurgency continues to resist this oppression, one that India has been unable to suppress for decades. Pakistan continues to contest India’s claim to the region and raises the issue at every international conference and forum, where it remains a topic of concern.

While the Indian minister may choose to ignore the facts and claim that Kashmir’s status is resolved unilaterally, the reality is quite the opposite. With such harsh rhetoric, India and Pakistan are once again locked in a status quo that hinders any progress toward peace and normalization.