The Need to Secure Global Support for Resolving the Kashmir Issue

Sarah Kainat :

The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is a festering wound in the history of the subcontinent that emerged immediately after the partition of India and continues to affect global politics, regional peace, and the lives of millions of people to this day. This issue is not merely a border dispute between two states; rather, it is a humanitarian, moral, and legal struggle that encompasses the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, their right to self-determination, and the sacrifices they have endured over decades. For a sustainable and just resolution of this issue, securing global support has become indispensable, because in today’s international system, no major conflict can be resolved solely through bilateral desires or emotional slogans. Instead, effective diplomacy, the shaping of global public opinion, the active role of international institutions, and the moral and political backing of powerful states are essential.
The dispute is one of the oldest unresolved disputes on the agenda of the United Nations. The UN Security Council passed clear resolutions granting the Kashmiri people the right to self-determination through a plebiscite. However, despite the passage of decades, these resolutions have remained mere paper commitments. The primary reasons for this include shifting global power interests, the effects of the Cold War, the strategic importance of the region, and India’s persistent efforts to portray the Kashmir issue as an internal matter. In such circumstances, it is essential for Pakistan to recognise that merely reiterating a principled stance is not enough; rather, global support must be secured through a structured, consistent, and multidimensional strategy.
The first and most crucial aspect of securing global support is to effectively present the Kashmir issue to the world as a human rights concern. In today’s world, human rights have become a powerful instrument in global politics. In conflicts such as Palestine, Ukraine, and Myanmar, we have seen how human rights violations are highlighted through international media, civil society, and global institutions. In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, the use of pellet guns, restrictions on freedom of expression, prolonged curfews, and measures aimed at altering the demographic composition are realities that must be raised at global forums with concrete evidence, credible reports, and testimonies of victims. If this narrative is presented strongly, global public opinion will itself generate pressure for resolving the Kashmir issue.
Diplomacy plays a central role in securing global support. Pakistan must take its diplomacy beyond traditional statements and formal protest letters. In modern diplomacy, lobbying, think tanks, media engagement, and digital diplomacy have become key components. Holding sustained dialogues, seminars, and briefings on Kashmir in major world capitals, involving neutral experts and human rights activists, and conveying the voices of the victims of IIOJK directly to the world can prove to be an effective strategy. Alongside this, Pakistani diplomats must strengthen ties with local political parties, parliamentary groups, and civil society so that the Jammu and Kashmir issue does not remain confined to official channels but also gains traction at the public level.
Global media can play a decisive role in resolving the Kashmir issue. Unfortunately, Kashmir often remains low on the priority list of international media, partly due to the region’s complex politics and partly due to the lack of an effective media strategy. Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership should provide international media with credible material, reports, documentaries, and personal stories of victims. In the age of social media, this task has become even easier, where a single video, image, or eyewitness account can attract global attention. If such content is presented in an organised and professional manner, international media will take the Jammu and Kashmir issue seriously.
The Kashmiri diaspora also plays a vital role in securing global support. Kashmiri and Pakistani communities living around the world constitute a powerful human network. In the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, Kashmiri communities can not only influence local politics but also raise their voices in media, academia, and civil society. If these communities are provided with an organised platform and their activities are coordinated under a clear strategy, significant progress can be made in gaining global support.
The legal front is another important avenue for securing international backing. Challenging India’s actions in Kashmir at forums such as the International Court of Justice, the Human Rights Council, and other legal platforms is a long but necessary process. Although these forums do not offer immediate solutions, they do help create moral and legal pressure at the global level. In particular, presenting the revocation of Kashmir’s special status and demographic engineering measures as violations of international law can awaken the global conscience.
Balancing relations with regional and global powers is also crucial in securing international support for resolving the Kashmir issue. The moral and political support of friendly countries such as China, Turkey, and Malaysia is important, but at the same time, serious and pragmatic engagement with the United States, the European Union, and other Western countries is equally necessary. These countries have economic and strategic interests with India, a reality that cannot be ignored.
Domestic stability and national unity also play an important role in securing global support for resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Only a strong, stable, and economically sound Pakistan can conduct effective diplomacy. Internal political polarisation, a weak economy, and institutional instability weaken Pakistan’s stance at the global level. Therefore, achieving national consensus on Kashmir, maintaining a consistent policy, and presenting a united position above political differences are essential. When the world sees a nation united on its principled stance, that stance is taken more seriously.
Education, research, and academic discourse can also contribute significantly to securing global support. Serious research, conferences, and policy papers on Kashmir are needed at leading universities and research institutions around the world. If Kashmir is discussed at the academic level, not merely as a political dispute but as a multidimensional issue, it can influence the thinking of global policymakers. In this regard, integrating Pakistani and Kashmiri scholars into international research networks and providing them with resources would be a wise step.
Ultimately, it must be acknowledged that global support is not achieved overnight; it is the result of a long, patient, and sustained struggle. To resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Pakistan must adopt a long-term, realistic, and multidimensional strategy rather than an emotional reaction. Human rights, diplomacy, media, legal action, diaspora engagement, academia, and domestic stability—only the combined effort of all these elements can help create an environment conducive to global support. When the global conscience is awakened, when the world understands that Jammu and Kashmir is not merely a regional dispute but a test of justice, human dignity, and international law, only then can the path toward a just resolution be paved.
The resolution of the Kashmir issue will not only heal the wounds of the Kashmiri people but will also lay the foundation for lasting peace, development, and prosperity in South Asia—and that is why securing global support has become the most urgent need of our time.

(The writer is a media and
communication professional based in Islamabad, Pakistan)