President Alvi, PM Imran Khan urge int’l community to make India accountable for heinous crimes in IIOJK
ISLAMABAD, Feb 05 (SABAH): In their separate messages on Kashmir Solidarity Day, President Dr. Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan have urged international community to make India accountable for its heinous crimes in IIOJK.
In his message on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, President Dr. Arif Alvi said today, we pay tribute to the unparalleled commitment of the Kashmiris for the attainment of their legitimate right to self-determination. The entire Pakistani nation stands with Kashmiris. It is our firm belief that the Kashmiris will succeed in their valiant struggle to secure freedom from oppression and illegal occupation.
He said that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest items on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The dispute remains unresolved due to India’s obstinate refusal to honour its commitments and its disrespect for fundamental human rights and international law.
He said that for more than seven decades, it has been a battle of hope against overwhelming odds, of courage against fear, and of sacrifice against tyranny; but through all of it, the Kashmiri people have persisted and stood firm in the face of continuing Indian campaign of brutalization which has used every inhuman tactic and draconian laws to perpetuate the illegal occupation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India is using state terrorism against the Kashmiris including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, fake encounters, staged cordon-and-search operations, custodial torture, enforced disappearances, incarceration of Kashmiri leadership, use of pellet guns, and destruction of houses. Over 900,000 Indian occupation forces have turned IIOJK into an open prison. Yet, the desperation of the RSS-BJP dispensation to control the indigenous Kashmiri movement has completely run aground.
President Dr. Arif Alvi said that India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 were in blatant violation of international law including the UN Charter, 4th Geneva Convention, and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions which stipulate that the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. India has embarked on the depopulation of Kashmiri Muslims by confiscating their land and bringing non-Kashmiri to settle in IIOJK. These Indian actions have caused serious damage to peace efforts in an already volatile region. India’s refusal to grant the right to self-determination has serious implications for South Asia and beyond.
President Dr. Arif Alvi said that Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to take practical steps to hold India accountable for its gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK. A just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with international legitimacy is the only way to ensure durable peace and development in the region.
“We reassure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that we remain resolute in our principled position on Jammu and Kashmir and will continue to stand with them in their just struggle for self-determination. Pakistan’s ultimate objective is a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per relevant UNSC resolutions in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people” President Dr. Arif Alvi said.
Meanwhile PM Imran Khan in hi separate message on Kashmir Solidarity Day, said that today, the people of Pakistan are commemorating the Kashmir Solidarity Day to reaffirm our unwavering support to the Kashmiris in their just struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination.
He said that the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is an internationally recognized dispute, the resolution of which is firmly anchored in the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
He said that the human rights situation in IIOJK has continued to worsen following India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019. The inhuman military siege, which has remained in place for almost two and a half years now, has resulted in the martyrdom of hundreds of Kashmiris.
PM Imran Khan said that Indian occupation forces continue to use brute force indiscriminately against Kashmiri men, women, children and the elderly. The Kashmiri youth have been particularly targeted in their campaign of unabated repression. The most oppressive illustrations of this are the use of pellet guns and destruction of entire neighborhoods including collective punishments on communities in IIOJK. The unending killing spree, arbitrary arrests of Kashmiris and human rights defenders, and refusal to hand over the mortal remains of martyrs by Indian occupation forces are a matter of grave concern for people across the world.
He said that India has unleashed the worst form of state-terrorism to break the will of the Kashmiri people and crush their legitimate struggle. The whole Indian state machinery is involved in these unspeakable crimes against humanity. The over 900,000 Indian occupation forces continue to terrorize the Kashmiris through an assault on their distinct identity and culture through illegal demographic changes and economic marginalization.
PM Imran Khan said that Indian actions, aimed at converting the Muslim majority in IIOJK into a minority in their own land, are in violation of UNSC resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.
He said that the pattern of ongoing atrocities in IIOJK reflects the anti-peace and anti-Muslim ‘Hindutva’ agenda of extremist RSS-BJP dispensation. India has not reciprocated Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability. Through its machinations, India has destabilized the entire region. India’s illegal and unilateral steps were rejected by Pakistan and the Kashmiris.
He said that the durable peace, security and development in the region hinges on peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. It is imperative that India let the Kashmiris exercise their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations without further prevarication.
“As an ‘Ambassador of Kashmir’, I reassure that Pakistan will continue to extend all possible support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters. It is time for the international community to make India accountable for its heinous crimes in IIOJK and to work towards a just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people” PM Imran Khan said.