The global conscience is an ever-shifting spectrum, shaped not by universal principles but by geopolitical convenience and economic alliances. In the age of social media and twenty-four-hour news cycles, where every bomb dropped is filmed and every child’s cry echoes through screens, selective outrage has become the norm rather than the exception. From the rubble of Gaza to the curfews in Kashmir, the world watches with a twisted lens, raising its voice when politically expedient and remaining deafeningly silent when strategic interests are at stake. This hypocrisy is not new. It has roots embedded in colonial history, perpetuated by global powers that continue to act as moral gatekeepers of international order while subverting it when it does not align with their national interests. The United Nations envisioned as a platform for justice and peace, often becomes a stage for this diplomatic theatre where human suffering is weighed against oil barrels, trade deals, and military alliances.

In Gaza, the death tolls rise like tide charts, each wave bringing with it more lifeless bodies, shattered buildings, and scarred generations. The world issues statements of concern, most laced with false equivalence, suggesting parity between the oppressed and the oppressor. When hospitals are bombed and journalists killed, there is no global tribunal, no call for sanctions, and rarely any demand for accountability. Meanwhile, military aid continues to flow into the hands of the aggressor, with justifications wrapped in strategic terminology like “self-defense” and “security imperatives.” The voices of the oppressed are muffled under bureaucratic jargon, and in the absence of justice, silence becomes complicit.

Contrast this with global responses to Ukraine, where swift sanctions, unprecedented aid packages, and a surge of international solidarity followed Russia’s invasion. The principle of sovereignty was fiercely defended, war crimes were documented in real-time, and the International Criminal Court sprang into action. One cannot help but ask: Is Palestinian blood less red? Are Kashmiri lives worth less because they do not lie in the path of Western oil routes or geopolitical rivalries with China? Kashmir, where millions live under military lockdown, cut off from the world, remains a non-issue for the global community despite ongoing human rights violations, demographic manipulation, and draconian laws. Here too, statements of concern come with diplomatic qualifiers that preserve ties with an emerging........

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