Islamabad: Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, Acting Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, has reached out to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging him to intervene against what he describes as India’s deceptive state assembly elections in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Saghar’s letter to the UNSG outlines serious concerns about the suppression of fundamental freedoms in Kashmir since the Narendra Modi-led government revoked the region’s special status in 2019. He accuses the Indian government of human rights violations, including the use of excessive force and arbitrary detentions, aimed at stifling dissent and maintaining control over the region.

Saghar criticized the upcoming elections as a sham, devoid of fairness and transparency, intended to legitimize India’s control while undermining the Kashmiris’ peaceful pursuit of self-determination. He called on Guterres to push India towards respecting the human rights of the Kashmiri people and to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict, suggesting that the planned elections will not fulfill the Kashmiris’ aspirations for self-governance.

Further, the letter highlights the broader international obligations, referencing UN Security Council resolutions that promise the right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir—a right Saghar claims has been denied for over seven decades under Indian rule.