Kashmiris oppose foreign occupation: Demand self-determination: Dr. Fai
NEW YORK, Aug 5 (SABAH): Braving thundershower, a large number of Kashmiri-Americans – men, women and children – and their allies staged a demonstration at New York’s historic Times Square to denounce India’s widespread human rights abuses in Indian occupied Kashmir and urged the world community to implement the UN-pledged right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people.
The rally was jointly organized by all Kashmiri-American Diaspora organizations to mark the fifth anniversary of India’s brutal siege of Jammu and Kashmir. Waving banners and shouting slogans, the demonstrators condemned India’s August 5th action in annexing occupied Kashmir that has sparked off a crisis in the disputed region. They also voiced support and solidarity with the Kashmiri people who are facing the existential threat due to illegal actions taken by Modi administration.
The demonstrators raised vociferous slogans of “Modi Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity in Kashmir”; “India: Guilty of Genocide in Kashmir”;” Kashmiris Reject Indian Occupation: UN Resolutions only Solution,”; “Indian Forces: Out of Kashmir”; “No justice: No Peace”; “Freedom for all: Freedom for Kashmir”, etc.
Dr. Imtiaz Khan, a prominent Kashmiri American scholar said that on 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status or autonomy, granted under the article of the Indian constitution to Jammu and Kashmir — a region where according to UN resolutions, governments of India and Pakistan were supposed to restore peace and order to the region and prepare for a plebiscite to decide the fate of Kashmir.
The successive governments of India reneged on their promise and even leaders like Nehru, who posed as champion of democracy and one of founder of non-aligned movement lacked moral courage to honor his commitment that was made to people of Kashmir in a rally held in the heart of Kashmir in 1947. The situation worsened with every passing day and the Indian National Congress which very often blows the bugle of freedom and liberty has the blood of freedom loving Kashmiris on their hands too.
Dr. khan added that in 1990 under the watch of Indian National Congress the peaceful protestors in Kashmir who were demanding freedom from Indian occupation were silenced with live ammunition, their women raped, and thousands of young men abducted and brutally murdered in army camps. In year 2014 congress government was replaced by Hindu fundamentalist headed by Narender Modi who along with his lieutenant Amit Shah was involved in creating macabre condition in Gujrat in 2002.
Thus, it was no surprise when Modi was rewarded with Prime Minister ship of India, he and his cronies prepared a game plan that reached the fruition in 2019 when Jammu & Kashmir was deprived of its autonomy and doctrine of annexation implemented. The number of occupation forces was increased to 900,000 and hundreds of thousands of Hindu extremists are settled in region since with the purpose of changing the demographic character of the region.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum said that the events of August 5, 2019, are consistent with the ruthless occupation and suppression the people of Kashmir have suffered under the unpopular Indian rule. As is widely acknowledged and documented internationally, this brutal occupation has led to more than 100,000 civilian deaths, more than 10,000 individuals missing or disappeared, and thousands of Kashmiri women raped. This does not even begin to account for the tens of thousands tortured, maimed, and permanently injured men, women and children by the Indian military and paramilitary forces during their 77-year reign of terror.
“But despite this persistent and pernicious tyranny, the people of Kashmir never have nor ever will give up their right to be free. It is based on the internationally recognized, and principled stand the Kashmiri diaspora and its allies worldwide stand in solidarity with the people of Kashmir. We stand in support of their unyielding struggle to resist occupation and achieve their right to self-determination. We stand with them in their struggle to stop the Indian government from dehumanizing them and completing their settler-colonial project to remove them culturally, politically, and ethnically from the face of the earth,” Dr. Fai emphasized.
Imam Saffet Catovic, a long-time US Muslim Community Organizer/Activist and Environmental leader said that he would like to see a humane resolution of all international conflicts including that of Palestine and Kashmir. He added that the killings of innocent civilians in Gaza and Indian occupied Kashmir must shake the conscience of all peace-loving people. Imam Saffet continued that the atrocities committed on the peace-loving people of Palestine and Kashmir are continuing unabated. The silence of the world powers cannot be explained.
Sardar Zarif Khan who is still going though rehab spoke via videoconferencing and thanked the participants for taking time to be the part of the rally in New York despite very bad weather. He said that India’s war crimes in Kashmir are notorious. Their presence has made Kashmir the largest army concentration anywhere in the world. These atrocities have been intensified manifold after August 5, 2019, when article 35 A and 370 were abrogated by Indian parliament.
Sardar Taj Khan, Vice Chairman of Kashmir Mission USA said that we know that Indian law grants legal immunity to any type of crime against humanity perpetrated by Indian army in Kashmir. Rape is a recognized war crime, and countless Kashmiri women have been raped by Indian army. Torture is an international crime. Yet Indian soldiers who are involved in torture in Kashmir are not prosecuted because they have been given immunity under the Indian law.
Sardar Zulfiqar Roshan Khan said that the people of Kashmir have given sacrifices beyond imagination. But one thing, Indian army could not do: it could not kill the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Kashmir for freedom. Those sentiments of the people of Kashmir are growing day by day. And it will continue till the date when Kashmir will be liberated from the occupation of government of India.
Sardar Shoaib Irshad, Joint Secretary, ‘Kashmir American Welfare Association’ (KAWA) said that Indian army is brutalizing and terrorizing Kashmiris to instill utmost fear so that they cannot even whisper about right of self-determination. Indian army patrol the areas, destroy the localities if they meet even a semblance of resistance and capture the youth whenever and wherever they find them.
Raja Mukhtar said that Indian government is changing the demographic character of Kashmir by providing domicile certificates so that Muslim majority character is changed. Lot of Indian Hindus and some of them armed hooligans are taken to Kashmir and plan is to settle them there. Long-term design is to restrict local Muslim population in ghettos, snatch their livelihood so that they are at the mercy of these foreigners.
Advocate Sardar Imtiaz Khan Garalvai alerted that whole Kashmir has been converted into a concentration camp. Any voice of dissent is met by long-term imprisonment or even death. Thus, it is exigent for the diaspora to disseminate these atrocious stories to world and question their criminal silence over this important issue which has potential to jeopardize the existence of South Asia – one fifth of total human race.
Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan said that Since, August 5, 2019, the Indian government, in order to crush any resistance to their illegal occupation, has instituted new draconian measures. In a ruthless campaign they imprisoned politicians, journalists, and civil society members, to intimidate and suppress any form of dissent.
Sardar Sajid Sawar said that the Kashmir dispute could only be resolved through the free exercise by the Kashmiri people of their UN-pledged right of self-determination, and not by military means as India was attempting to do.
Professor Saeed said that it is beyond doubt that the longer the United Nations and world powers ignore Jammu & Kashmir, the more dangerous and intractable the crisis becomes. The crisis requires immediate diplomacy that recognizes the explosive situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir and takes immediate measures to avert it before it explodes.
Professor Rashid Shah said that the Global Kashmiri diaspora leadership has unanimously resolved to pursue the struggle to protect the unique and historical identity of the State of Jammu and Kashmir against all challenges.
Raja Razzak appealed to all peoples of conscience and the international community to raise their voices against the brutal oppression the people of Jammu and Kashmiri are suffering under the occupying forces of the Government of India.
Sagher Ahmed of Kashmir American Alliance called on India to accede to international law in Kashmir and to cooperate in holding a referendum. India itself will benefit by the vast savings in military and paramilitary forces in Kashmir.
Ms. Amana Taj said the lives and hopes of Kashmiris should not be snuffed out by a “might-makes-right” approach to international relations, moral values and universal principles.
Nazam Hussain expressed concern over the silence of the world powers over the semi genocidal situation in Kashmir. He said that the silence of world powers has given the sense of immunity to Indian army in Kashmir.
Khalid Fahim said that whole nation of Azad Kashmir is standing with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir and will keep exposing the atrocities and brutalities of Indian fascist PM Narender Modi. We, as a nation will keep standing with the people of Jammu and Kashmir till the day of their independence.
Imtiaz Khan of New Jersey urged the UN Secretary General to persuade India to disarm and withdraw all Indian military and paramilitary personnel from the villages and towns so that all the people in Jammu &Kashmir can exercise their right of self-determination through a free and fair referendum as agreed to by both the Governments of India and Pakistan as well as the United Nations Security Council as early as 1948.
Sardar Farooq Khan of Virginia said that the nation of Kashmir has proved that Indian barbarism cannot kill their desire for right to self-determination.
Sadaqat Hayat of Vancouver Canada expressed his unconditional moral support to the people of Kashmir for a just and peaceful struggle. He said that no one has the mandate to settle the Kashmir dispute except the people of Jammu & Kashmir. The people of Kashmir are the masters of their destiny
Others who spoke included Haji Shafi, Tariq Nazeer, Khurshid Shaheen, Tahseen Ahmed, Khizar Kiani, Abid Khan, Latif Kiani, Sorab Khan, Iltaf khan, Sardar Farooq New York, Sardar Habib, Zeeshan Walyat, Zahid Shahbaz, Mirza Farooq, Manzoor Hussain Dunya news, Samad Khan, Shahzad Hussan and Amir Sunny Studio.