Pak conveys strong demarche to India & expresses solidarity with Kashmiris on first Anniversary of Martyrdom of Syed Ali Geelani
ISLAMABAD, Sep 01 (SABAH): Pakistan joined the Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) in paying tribute to iconic Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on the first anniversary of his martyrdom on Thursday. Syed Ali Shah Geelani breathed his last in long-drawn illegal Indian custody on 01 September, 2021.
According to a statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the Indian Charge d’Affaires (Cd’A) in Islamabad was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a strong demarche was made over India’s continued obstinacy and refusal to accept Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s right to a burial in accordance with his will.
The Cd’ A was conveyed Pakistan’s deep regret that despite the passage of one year since Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s demise in Indian custody, the Government of India had persisted in its intransigence and denied him a dignified burial in the “Cemetery of Martyrs” as per his desire.
More ominously, Kashmiris were not even allowed to pay respects to the revered leader at the graveyard in Hyderpora, Srinagar, where he was hurriedly buried by the Indian occupation forces in the absence of his family and followers.
The Cd’A was urged to convey to the Government of India that the mortal remains of the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani must be interred at the “Cemetery of Martyrs” as per his will, and unhindered access be given to his family and followers to pay reverence to the great leader.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s unflinching commitment to the Kashmir cause, in the face of persistent persecution and tremendous personal hardship, is unparalleled.
He will be remembered for his unconditional love for Kashmir and Pakistan. May his legacy continue to inspire those carrying his mission forward to bring an end to the illegal Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile Pakistan has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of five more innocent Kashmiris by Indian Occupation Forces in two separate incidents in the last two days.
According to a statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, these incidents include three killings during an orchestrated ‘cordon-and-search’ operation in the Nagbal area of Shopian district, while last night a separate fake encounter led to the extra-judicial killing of two more Kashmiris in Sopore area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In a brazen continuation of atrocities, Indian forces have once again left a trail of blood after carrying-out so-called ‘cordon-and-search’ operations in the IIOJK. Such operations are nothing but a hideous cover-up for rounding up and gruesomely killing innocent Kashmiris. India has extra-judicially murdered at least 666 Kashmiris since its unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019, including around 144 this year.
No quantum of brutality would, however, break the will, perseverance and courage of the Kashmiris.
FO spokesperson said that Pakistan calls upon India to immediately cease its systematic campaign of human rights violations in the IIOJK, abjure its policy of state-terrorism, scrap the draconian laws in place in the IIOJK, and let the Kashmiris exercise their legitimate right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UNSC resolution.
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan also renews its call for an impartial investigation of the relentless killings by the Indian forces in IIOJK, as recommended by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in its Kashmir reports of 2018 and 2019.