Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/941273481310272
This webinar will explore the background of current tensions in Kashmir, the recent military confrontations between India and Pakistan, and its impact on the lives of ordinary Kashmiris on both sides of the divide. In competing war narratives and media journalism turned jingoism, the two South Asian nuclear states erased the lives and wishes of the people of the region of Kashmir. In this panel, speakers with diverse expertise will unpack issues of international law and human rights, use of hate rhetoric to drum up support for war, Zionist tactics borrowed by Hindutva, lack of press freedom, and the erasure and silencing of Kashmiri voices.
The focus will be on the impact of the recent attacks and the changed nature of Kashmir since 2019 on the economy, demography, climate, life, dignity, and the very existence of ordinary Kashmiris. For more than seven decades Kashmiris have been treated as pawns in competing claims over their territory, resources, and sovereignty. The failure of the international community to contribute to resolving the longstanding dispute over Kashmir has cost tens of thousands of lives and has kept the region of Kashmir always on the brink of war. As proven by recent events, instability in Kashmir and potential war between India and Pakistan threatens peace in South Asia and the world. There is urgency to a just and permanent resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of the people of the region of Kashmir. Demilitarization and disarmament under neutral global supervision is urgently needed to avert war and destruction in the geopolitically sensitive region of Kashmir.
Organizers:
South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC)
Kashmir Scholars Consultative Advocacy Network (KSCAN)
Just Peace Advocates (JPA)
Co-sponsors:
Academics for Palestine-Concordia
Alliance Against Islamophobia, Australia
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Canadian Forum for Human Rights and Democracy in India
Canadian Voices for Palestinian Rights
CERAS (South Asia Forum)
Critical Diasporic South Asian Feminisms Collective
Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR)
India Labour Solidarity
India Labour Solidarity (UK)
International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India)
Justice For All Canada (JFAC)
Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU)
South Asia Solidarity Group, UK
Stand With Kashmir
World BEYOND War
Speaker Bio
*Dr. Omer Aijazi* is an Assistant Professor at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester. He is the author of ‘Atmospheric Violence: Disaster and Repair in Kashmir’ that explores how communities along the militarized Line of Control in Kashmir make life possible amidst the ongoing devastation of environmental disaster and political violence.
*Robert Fantina* is an author and journalist, working for peace and social justice. He writes extensively about U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East, with a focus on Palestine. He is the author of several books, including ‘Settler-Colonialism in Palestine and Kashmir’, and ‘Propaganda, Lies and False Flags: How the U.S. Justifies its Wars’.
*Imraan Mir* is a lawyer, entrepreneur and author. His Kashmir-related work involves research, writing and advocacy to improve understanding of historic and contemporary realities and to promote accountability for rights violations. He has done human rights-related work on Kashmir since the late 1990s independently and through various organizations, including the Kashmir Law and Justice Project. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
*Dr. Ather Zia* is a political anthropologist, poet, short fiction writer, and a columnist. She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. She is the author of Resisting Disappearances: Military Occupation and Women’s Activism in Kashmir ; founder-editor of Kashmir Lit and is the co-founder of Critical Kashmir Studies Collective, an interdisciplinary network of scholars working on the Kashmir region. Ather is also a co-editor of Cultural Anthropology.
A few resources on the Pahalgam incident
Misinformation and disinformation and recent India Pak war
https://www.csohate.org/2025/05/16/india-pakistan-digital-war
A few news reports
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/29/india-pakistan-kashmir-war-massacre
https://kashmirtimes.com/opinion/comment-articles/collective-punishment-of-kashmiris
https://www.himalmag.com/politics/pahalgam-kashmir-collective-punishment-crackdown
Kashmir Law and Justice Project: For all legal aspects and human rights updates
A guide to resolution of Kashmir—prepared by Kashmir scholars
More Resources
