Comprehensive Analysis - The
Pakistani Delegation’s Visit to Brussels and the Confused Narrative on Jammu and
Kashmir
By Jamil Maqsood, New Age Islam
17 June 2025
1. Context and Significance of the Visit
The recent visit by a Pakistani state delegation led by Mr. Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari to Brussels, and his remarks at the Brussels Press Club, took
place against the backdrop of a diminishing international focus on the Jammu
& Kashmir conflict. This visit was presumably aimed at reinvigorating
Pakistan’s traditional position on the issue — namely, framing it as an
“unfinished agenda of partition” and invoking the UN Security Council
resolutions of 1948–49.
However, the message conveyed was incoherent and contradictory, exposing
the fundamental weaknesses and selective moral framing of Pakistan’s Kashmir
policy. Rather than presenting a modern, inclusive, and rights-based vision,
the delegation fell back on outdated rhetoric, omitting Pakistan’s own failures
in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) — regions that
remain politically disenfranchised and under military-influenced governance.
2. Bilawal’s Dual Message: Strategic Ambiguity or Policy Confusion?
Mr. Bilawal’s remarks presented a dual narrative. He claimed that Jammu
and Kashmir is an “unfinished agenda of the partition of the Indian
subcontinent,” while simultaneously advocating for the “self-determination” of
Kashmiris. This attempt to appeal to international legal sentiment through the
language of self-determination, without addressing Pakistan’s historical and
ongoing violations, revealed deep contradictions.
Two key flaws are evident:
• Historical
Oversimplification: Referring to Jammu and Kashmir as a pending matter of
partition overlooks the instrument of accession, the multiple wars initiated or
fueled by Pakistan, and the strategic use of proxy warfare that has turned
Kashmir into a battleground rather than a zone of peace.
• Selective
Interpretation of UN Resolutions: The UN Commission for India and Pakistan
(UNCIP) Truce Agreement of 13 August 1948 clearly placed the obligation of
withdrawal on Pakistan as a precondition for any plebiscite. Pakistan never
fulfilled this primary condition, thus invalidating its persistent demand for a
plebiscite under that framework.
3. Jamil Maqsood’s Critique: A Pro-Peace, Pro-Justice, Pro-Reunification
Perspective
Jamil Maqsood, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United
Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), has sharply criticized Pakistan’s
contradictory and opportunistic posture on the Kashmir issue. His analysis
underscores several undeniable facts:
• Non-Compliance with
the UNCIP Truce Agreement: Instead of demilitarizing AJK and GB, Pakistan
entrenched military and bureaucratic control, established puppet
administrations, and stifled democratic development. These actions are in clear
breach of the UNCIP framework that Pakistan cites to justify its position.
• Denial of Political
and Constitutional Rights: AJK and GB remain constitutionally marginalized
and and constitutionally discriminated in their own territory. These regions
have no genuine autonomy, and their governance is tightly controlled by
Islamabad via the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and the Pakistani military
establishment. True self-determination is denied to these regions while being
advocated externally for Indian-administered Kashmir — a glaring double
standard.
• Misrepresentation of
UN Resolutions: Pakistan’s selective reading of international resolutions —
particularly by omitting its own primary obligations of military withdrawal and
non-interference — exposes its strategy of exploiting international law rather
than adhering to it.
4. Pakistan’s Non-Compliance with UN Human Rights Reports (2018 &
2019)
Pakistan’s disregard for international norms and recommendations is
further illustrated by its complete non-compliance with the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights’ reports on Kashmir:
• June 2018 Report:
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
released a landmark report highlighting grave human rights abuses on both sides
of the Line of Control. While India rejected the report entirely, Pakistan
welcomed it selectively, ignoring the serious concerns raised about Azad Jammu
Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit- Baltiatan (GB) — including restrictions on freedom of
expression, assembly, and political activity, and the absence of independent
judiciary and press.
• July 2019 Follow-up
Report: The updated OHCHR report reiterated concerns over Pakistan’s
systematic denial of civil and political rights in AJK and GB, and urged the
country to:
o Amend
laws that curtail freedom of expression.
o Ensure
independent functioning of judiciary and local governance.
o Dismantle
militant groups operating in the territory.
o Provide
4G internet to the residents of both peripheries.
Pakistan has failed to act on any of these recommendations, further
solidifying the perception that its commitment to international norms is
rhetorical at best.
5. Complicity with Extremist Organizations and Export of Jihadist
Rhetoric
Pakistan’s behaviour on the ground adds to global concerns:
• Tolerance
of Proscribed Organizations: Despite being signatory to several
international counterterrorism conventions, Pakistan continues to harbour and
enable proscribed outfits in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-
Baltiatan (GB), under Pakistani control. These groups operate openly, influence
politics, intimidate civil society, and fuel sectarian and religious violence.
• Prime
Minister of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK, Advocates Jihad:
In a deeply troubling development, the so-called Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir
recently made public statements promoting jihad, and reportedly invited
Hamas-affiliated individuals to Rawalakot, clearly aimed at linking the Kashmir
conflict to international jihadist movements. These actions are not only
irresponsible and dangerous, but also in violation of UN Security Council
resolutions and international law.
6. International Implications and Eroding Credibility
Pakistan’s approach is backfiring at the diplomatic level:
• International
Fatigue with Double Standards: The EU and other democratic governments
increasingly view Pakistan’s Kashmir narrative with scepticism, recognizing its
inconsistencies and reliance on non-state actors. There is growing preference
for indigenous, rights-based, peaceful solutions, such as those advocated by
groups like UKPNP.
• Delegitimisation
of Pakistan’s Advocacy: By refusing to grant constitutional rights to AJK
and GB, by silencing dissent, and by backing extremist elements, Pakistan
erodes its own moral standing and undermines its ability to engage meaningfully
with global human rights platforms.
7. Conclusion: The Need for an Honest Reappraisal
The Brussels visit was a squandered opportunity for Pakistan to present
a modern, constructive narrative on Kashmir. Instead, it reinforced a message
of strategic confusion, selective morality, and outright disregard for
international obligations.
If Pakistan genuinely seeks a just and peaceful resolution to the Jammu
& Kashmir conflict, it must:
• Implement
the recommendations of the UNHCHR reports of 2018 and 2019.
• Respect
the European Parliament Resolution of 24 May 2007, which urged democratic
rights, civil freedoms, and the cessation of extremist operations in AJK and
GB.
• Demilitarize
Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and grant them full
constitutional rights.
• End
patronage of extremist groups, including Hamas-affiliated and other banned
organizations.
• Allow
free, open, and peaceful political activity, including the expression of
pro-reunification and indigenous self-determination movements.
• Embrace
an inclusive, rights-based resolution framework, grounded in international law
and the genuine will of all peoples of the former princely state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Only such an approach can restore Pakistan’s credibility and help usher
in a peaceful and just future for all Kashmiris.
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Jamil Maqsood is President of Foreign Affairs Committee. United Kashmir
People’s National Party (UKPNP)