BRUSSELS, [Unib Rashid] – Ali Raza Syed, the Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) issued a strong critique of the European Commission’s “Joint Communication on a New Strategic EU-India Agenda,” claiming of a grave omission on disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir that violates international law.

While expressing grave concerns on the EU’s commission joint communique which acknowledges Jammu and Kashmir as one of the eight Union territories of India, Chair of KCEU said, Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory and has nothing to do with the Indian territories.

Ali Raza Syed asserts that the EU’s classification is fundamentally incorrect and undermines the authority of the United Nations which recognized Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed land in the region of South Asia.

“By recognizing Jammu & Kashmir as a disputed land and calling it as a part of India’s union territories, the EU exceeds its authority and unilaterally grants a concession to India that the UN has never recognized.”

As for the history, UN Resolution 47 (1948) and others resolutions of the Organization explicitly recognize the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a requirement for a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices to determine the territory’s final status.

Even, the Indian acts for revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was also an illegal acts under international law. Ali Raza Syed also criticized the proposed “EU-India Security and Defence Partnership,” arguing that it is incongruous while India is accused of committing “the worst state terrorism” to maintain its control in the region.

The KC-EU calls on the European Commission to immediately correct the document to remove the classification of Jammu and Kashmir as Indian territory.

EU should uphold UN resolutions and support the Kashmiri people’s inherent right to self-determination. The EU commission must correct this unacceptable mistake immediately and help the Kashmiri people to avail the opportunity to exercise their UN-endowed right to determine their own fate,” the Chairman concluded.