People of Manipur and IIOJK are struggling to protect their distinct identity and existential threat by Indian (Hindutva) settler colonial designs. The BJP-led government aims to fiddle with Article 370 C, barring Meiteis from buying tribal lands/ property as it did with Article 370 in IIOJK. Indian state’s non-adherence to its own constitution and violation of UNSC Resolutions (IIOJK) is the trigger point and main cause, from which violent indigenous struggles have been originating. It is pertinent to mention that India is a signatory of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People (UNDRIP) but has been flouting their rights with impunity. The people of IIOJK and tribal communities of Manipur are the victim of a Hindu supremacist mindset endeavoring to protect the interests of the Hindu community. To target the indigenous status of any community; displacement, forced assimilation, and induced disappearance of its heritage and institutions are carried out at the first stage. This is what is being carried out in IIOJK and now in Manipur as well. True settler colonialism will “extinguish itself,” so there is no indigenous community to stand in distinction from the realized settlers. The primary objective of settler colonialism is to permanently occupy the territory: settler states recruit settler classes that “bring with them a purported sovereign prerogative to establish a new state on someone else’s land.” Erasing Kashmiris’ political identity, disempowering the Muslim majority community to reduce them to second-class citizens, turning them into a political minority, and minimizing their role in political decision-making presently underway. The same threat is looming large for Manipur’s Hill Tribes/ Scheduled Tribes. The objective of the abolition of Article 370 in IIOK was to change the demography of only Muslim-majority regions and deprive Kashmiris of their true leadership by installing a BJP CM. The same fate is feared by Manipur’s Hill Tribes. Under Article 370, the outsiders were not allowed to buy property in IIOJK and same Article 371C in Manipur’s Tribal area the outsider cannot buy land. Therefore, after including Meitei Community of Hindus into Schedule Tribes, they would be able to buy land and settle in their areas on the same pattern as happening in IIOJK where settlers (Hindus/ non-locals) are purchasing land/ property. India has learned an important lesson from the current situation in Manipur; accept the fact that, the struggle for the right to self-determination in IIOJK is indigenous. India prefers self-serving political interests over humanity by using underprivileged and minority status for political machination which can be termed grave HRVs. Manipur protests against the Indian state is just a glimpse of Skelton. India is hiding in the cupboard.

UN designates 29 May as ‘International Day of UN Peacekeepers’ in commemoration of the day in 1948 when the UN’s first peacekeeping mission began operations in Palestine. Since then, more than one million women and men have served in 72 UN operations. The theme for this year’s observance of the day is “Peace Begins with Me”. On this Day, Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to ensure that peacekeeping remains an effective mechanism for the maintenance of international peace and security under the UN auspices. Pakistan is one of the longest-serving and largest contributors to UN peacekeeping and is also taking part in an ongoing mission in the Central African Republic. Pakistan’s first UN peacekeeping mission began in 1960 in Congo and so far more than 200,000 Pakistani soldiers have participated in 60 missions in 28 countries. Pakistan still has more than 7,000 personnel deployed in nine countries as part of 14 ongoing UN missions. During its long association with UN peacekeeping missions, Pakistan has lost 157 personnel and 24 officers martyred during their efforts to restore peace and stability in some of the world’s most turbulent regions. Pakistani women are also making their mark on US peace missions. Pakistan has achieved UN goal of sending 15 percent of female staff officers to these missions and now nearly 450 Pakistani women are serving in various countries across the globe. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appreciated the contribution of Pakistani women in peacekeeping. “Pakistan is a leader in championing women peacekeepers and an example for other troop contributors.” UN has conferred ‘Dag Hammarskjold Medal’ to 103 military, police, and civilian personnel from around the world, including eight Pakistani peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under UN flag last year. Pakistan deeply values the vital role played by the “blue helmets” in maintaining security and stability in many conflict-ridden areas around the world. Pakistan is proud of its long-standing and consistent contribution to UN peacekeeping spanning over six decades.