PM condemns illegal Indian military siege of IIOJK

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned India’s use of “unbridled force with complete impunity” in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir as the country observes the third anniversary of New Delhi revoking the valley’s special status.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the premier said today marked the sombre third anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, which aimed to change the internationally recognised disputed status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He maintained that India’s actions were aimed at altering the demographic structure of the occupied territory.

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“Over the last decades, India has used unbridled force with complete impunity. Generations after generations, brave Kashmiris have persevered in the face of fear, intimidation, torture and worst forms of human rights violations,” he stated, emphasising that the Indian oppression failed to dent their resolve.

PM Shehbaz further said that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute has been a “battle of hope against overwhelming odds, of courage against fear and of sacrifice against tyranny”.

He paid tributes to all the martyrs of IIOJK for “their ultimate sacrifice and to their families for their resolve and courage”.

President Alvi pays tributes

Marking the third anniversary of the Kashmir Siege Day, President Dr Arif Alvi paid tribute to “the sacrifices of the Kashmiris in their just struggle for self-determination”.

In a statement, the president said that “three generations of Kashmiris have made innumerable sacrifices due to Indian tactics and extreme brutality to maintain their illegal occupation”

He maintained that India’s actions on August 5, 2019, were a violation of several resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, UN resolutions, and international laws including the fourth Geneva Convention.

“The final decision on the future of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be made according to the will of the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial referendum under the supervision of the United Nations,” President Alvi said.

He highlighted that since August 5, 2019, more than 650 people were extrajudicially killed in Kashmir by Indian state terrorism and that innocent Kashmiris, senior Kashmiri leadership, and youth were targeted.

“In Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, destruction and burning of houses, execution of collective punishment and other methods of subjugation are the daily routine,” Alvi said, observing the “extreme cruelty and coercion” of the occupying forces could not break the spirit of Kashmiris.

He reiterated that Pakistan and the international community have rejected Indian actions.

The president said that the serious situation in IIOJK has been raised three times in the Security Council and that it was confirmed this was an internationally recognised conflict.

“Solution is only possible through the implementation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” he added.

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He further said that India’s denial of self-determination to Kashmiris had serious implications for South Asia and the region.

“As always, Pakistan will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just struggle. We call on the international community to hold India accountable for its grave human rights violations in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” Alvi maintained.

He urged the adoption of practical steps for a peaceful resolution of “this long-standing dispute”.

Kashmiris observe Youm-e-Istehsal

Kashmiris all around the world are observing Youm-e-Istehsal (Kashmir Siege Day) on Friday to protest the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s brazen attempt to usurp the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

The Modi regime in gross violation of the United Nations resolutions and international law scrapped Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution which granted special autonomous status to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and imposed a military siege in the territory on August 5, three years ago.

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Kashmir’s All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) called for a complete shutdown to mark the occasion as a black day.

Illegally detained APHC Chairperson Masarrat Aalam Butt in a message from an Indian jail said that August 5, 2019, is one of the blackest days for IIOJK.

He maintained the purpose of observing the day as Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir was to sensitise the international community about New Delhi’s brutal repression being carried out by its more than one million occupation troops in the territory