Legal Memorandum

To: G20 member countries

From: Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) – an indigenous lawyers’ forum based in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK)

Re: Withdrawal from participation in G-20 meeting in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir

Question Presented:

IOJK is under the illegal de facto control of the New Delhi administration having no legal authority to organize the ‘3rd Tourism Working Group meeting’ of the G20summit 2023. Moreover, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is an UN-recognized disputed territory, with 18 UNSC resolutions calling India and Pakistan to hold a free and impartial plebiscite.

Keeping in view the mandate of G20 countries on fostering economic growth, trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change, and anti-corruption. The honorable members of G20 have the responsibility to conduct any such meeting but with due diligence to ensure its activities respect unambiguous provisions of International Humanitarian Law (IHL)as well as Human Rights Law (IHRL) when operating in occupied territory.

With a massive crackdown on the civilian population ahead of the G20 meeting and arbitrarily detaining 3018 civilians and the continuous strategy of containment aimed by modern means of pervasive surveillance, cyber warfare, and communication blockade imposed through forceful shutdowns as a part of psychological warfare, India’s attempt to hold G20 meeting in IOJK will be self-evident, such as facilitating direct abuses of the protected population. Such summits may appear to be a routine practice, however such events amount to a violation of the International Humanitarian Law.

Urgent Appeal:

Accordingly, the LFK humbly submits to the honorable governments of the member states that they should discourage the violation of International Laws and the normalization of military occupation in IOJK. Therefore, we plead that no G20 member state should participate in any summit or conference organized in the occupied territory aimed at normalization of India’s brutal military occupation.