Unresolved Kashmir Issue Remains Nuclear Flashpoint in South Asia

Muzaffarabad — Speakers at a conference on the Kashmir dispute have urged the international community to move beyond statements of concern and take concrete action to address human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), warning that the unresolved conflict continues to pose a nuclear flashpoint in South Asia.

The event, titled “Vision Kashmir: Pathways to Peace and Stability,” was organised by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Chattar Klas campus on February 11, 2026.

Key Highlights

• PM Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore: Kashmir not bilateral issue; UNSC resolutions must be implemented.
• Acting President Chaudhry Latif Akbar: Kashmiris will not retreat from self-determination demand.
• Rana Qasim Noon: Kashmir a “nuclear flashpoint”; calls for accountability over APHC detentions.
• Dr Waleed Rasool: Post-2019 changes shrink space for advocacy; diaspora faces pressure.
• Salman Javed: Conflict tests contemporary international system’s limits.

Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, addressing via video link, reiterated that Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, not a bilateral matter. He stressed that a just resolution is essential for durable peace in South Asia, home to two nuclear-armed states.

The premier highlighted over seven decades of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, suppression of dissent, and curbs on expression in IIOJK — describing them as grave violations of international law and human rights norms. Referring to India’s August 5, 2019 actions, he said unilateral measures and demographic changes cannot alter historical realities or suppress Kashmiri aspirations.

Acting President Chaudhry Latif Akbar affirmed that Kashmir remains on the UN agenda and Kashmiris will not retreat “an inch” from their demand for self-determination. He called for more effective international projection in the digital age and urged youth to master the historical, legal, and diplomatic dimensions of the dispute.

Parliamentary Kashmir Committee Chairman Rana Qasim Noon described Kashmir as a “nuclear flashpoint” and warned that sustainable peace in South Asia is impossible without resolution. He condemned enforced disappearances and human rights abuses, demanding accountability, especially over the continued detention of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders since 2019.Dr Waleed Rasool of the Institute of Policy Studies noted that the dispute’s nature has shifted significantly since August 5, 2019, with shrinking space for media and human rights advocacy. He highlighted the diaspora’s crucial role in global awareness but pointed to pressures faced by diaspora members and their families.Salman Javed, Director of South Asia Times, argued that Kashmir is no longer a static dispute but one that tests the limits of the contemporary international system.The conference underscored the urgency of addressing the Kashmir issue through UN-mandated mechanisms to prevent escalation and ensure peace in the region. Speakers called for renewed global focus on human rights, accountability, and a just resolution in line with Kashmiri aspirations and international law.

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