Ali Raza Syed condemns restrictions on religious freedom in Occupied Kashmir

BRUSSELS, April 07 (SABAH): Chairman Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU) Ali Raza Syed has condemned restrictions on religious freedom in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK) including ban on procession of last Friday of Ramadan in main Jamia Mosque of Srinagar.

Ali Raza Syed issued a statement from Brussels for denouncing locking of the main Jamia Mosque of Srinagar on the occasion of Juma Al-Wada (Last Friday of Ramadan held on April 5, 2024) by the Indian authorities. He said, “Lockdown of Jamia mosque of Srinagar is not acceptable” as it is against the international norms related to religious freedom. “Putting locks on the Jamia Mosque of Srinagar and preventing Mirwaiz Maulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq from leading the last Friday of Ramadan is the worst violation of the religious rights of Kashmiri citizens”, he said.

He added that it is not for the first time, while the Indian government is continuously violating the religious rights of Kashmiri Muslims and they are facing such severe situation since 1947. Chairman KCEU demanded the International Community to pressurize Indian government to allow the religious practice in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Ali Raza Syed also said, main religious gatherings including last Friday of Ramadan and congregations of EIDs in occupied Kashmir are banned for many years. Purpose of India by such unacceptable acts is to stop voice of Kashmiris struggling for their right to self determination. He said, beside ban on the religious and political gatherings, the Indian authorities are also involved in brutal crimes against the humanity in the occupied Kashmir.

“Extra judicial killings, forced disappearances, assassinations of youth in fake encounters, sextual assaults against women etc. are being committed for many years by the Indian forces in occupied Kashmir,” he claimed.

Ali Raza Syed said, not only occupied Kashmir, India is also accused of extra judicial killings and murder attempts in different countries including Canada, US and Pakistan. Canadian authorities have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Sikh Canadian leader in British Columbia last year and United States also investigate involvement of an Indian official in last year murder attempt on another Sikh leader in New York.

Even most recently, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a televised interview confirmed that New Delhi was carrying out an assassination campaign in Pakistan.