ISLAMABAD: The top leadership of Kashmir has urged the international community to come forward and play a vital role in addressing the issue of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine for the sake of durable global peace.
During a news conference held on Thursday, the Kashmiri leadership pointed out that the Indian regime, led by the controversial figure Narendra Modi, was employing tactics similar to those used by Israel in the Kashmir valley to change the demographic composition from a Muslim majority to a minority in favor of the Hindu community.
Sheikh Mateen, the General Secretary of APHC-AJK, stated that the Modi government was blatantly violating numerous international human rights laws and regulations, as a substantial portion of the Kashmiri leadership was either detained in Indian jails or placed under house arrest.
Describing the 27th of October as the darkest day in Kashmir’s recent history, he emphasized that India’s aggressive actions on this day in 1947 set the groundwork for the long-standing Kashmir conflict, which continues to threaten peace and stability in the South Asian region even after 76 years.
He noted that this act of aggression not only hindered the smooth and complete implementation of the partition plan for the subcontinent but also plunged the entire region into a state of uncertainty, chaos, and instability.
Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, the convener of the APHC-PAK chapter, lamented that the bloodshed initiated by India in occupied Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 still persists today, with the blood of innocent Kashmiris being shed on both sides of the ceasefire line.
Referring to India’s history of colonization in Kashmir, he pointed out that the settler colonialism policies of the Indian government, mirroring Israel’s policies, have instilled fear among Kashmiris, leaving them increasingly unsafe and insecure even within their own homes.
He further emphasized that the deadly conflict has taken a more perilous turn after the Indian government, led by the BJP, revoked the region’s special status guaranteed under Article 370 of the Indian constitution.
Ghulam Ahmed Sakhi expressed his lament that Indian rulers have consistently employed repressive state apparatus, Machiavellian tactics, and colonial strategies to suppress the ongoing liberation struggle in Kashmir, curtail the fundamental freedoms and liberties of the people, and silence democratic dissent in the region.
He noted that despite India’s commitments on Kashmir, successive Indian governments and rulers have deceitfully pursued a policy to neutralize the legitimate demands of Kashmiri masses for a UN-backed referendum. He highlighted that UNSC resolutions advocating a free and impartial plebiscite in the region were endorsed by India in the UN Security Council, particularly by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the first to approach the highest forum on the matter.
Sakhi emphasized that no Kashmiri would ever forget the 27th of October, the day when India invaded and illegally occupied Kashmir. He reiterated the Kashmiri people’s determination to continue their struggle until a just conclusion is reached, asserting that India cannot force Kashmiris to surrender or submit through military might. He added that India must understand the inevitability of leaving Kashmir, sooner or later.