LONDON: President Azad Kashmir Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry and prime minister Anwar ul Haq have said Kashmiri people have yet again proved that they do not accept India’s illegal occupation of their motherland by celebrating India’s Independence Day as a black day.
In their separate statements issued here today, the AJK president and prime minister said, ” India has illegally and forcibly occupied the territory of Jammu and Kashmir in brazen violation of the UNSC resolutions”. They said that after occupying the territory India has strengthened its imperialistic control through oppressive means and committing atrocities against Kashmiris.”
By observing 15 August as a black day, the Kashmiri people conveyed a strong message to the global community making it abundantly clear that India’s illegally control over their motherland wasn’t acceptable to them under any circumstances”, they said. India, they said, wants to change the demography of Occupied Kashmir and turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own country.”
Since August 2019, Indian authorities have issued fake domicile certificates to millions of non-state subjects”, the duo said, adding that the Indian bid to change the region’s demography was a violation of the UN resolutions and other international laws.
They said that India should bear in mind the fact that Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory still pending on the UN agenda.The president and PM made it clear that India cannot change the disputed status of the territory unilaterally.
In his statement from London the AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chudhary reiterated his commitment to raise this issue at every international forum. He said that Modi government’s attempts to erase Kashmiris’ identity, converting its majority into a minority by settling non Kashmiris, deprive the Kashmiri people of their homes, their properties, imprisoning Hurriyat leaders, destroying villages constitute a crime of serious nature.
Barrister Chaudhry further said that now India wants to stage election drama in Occupied Kashmir to deflect world attention away from the real issues. The Kashmiri leadership, he said, have time and again stated that these so-called elections could be a substitute to plebiscite.
In his statement the AJK premier Chudhary Anwar ul Haq said that Pakistan was the real ambassador of the Kashmiri people that has not only been advocating Kashmiris’ cause at international level but supporting them politically, morally and diplomatically.The PM Haq said that India was continuously violating the UNSC resolutions.”Kashmiri people will continue their struggle until they achieve the goal their forefathers had dreamed of 77 years ago”, he said.
He said that the government of AJK would devote all its energies to strengthen the Kashmiris’ ongoing liberation struggle and highlight their plight at international level. Denouncing the barbarism and brutalities inflicted upon the people of Kashmir, the PM said, “Kashmiri youths are being brutally tortured in torture cells and Hurriyat leaders have been imprisoned to ensure that no one raises voice against the Indian brutalities”.
The Prime Minister expressed the optimism that the blood of the Kashmiri martyrs would never go in vain and the day was not far off when Occupied Kashmir would be free from the clutches of Indian bondage.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq praised Pakistan on the occasion of its 78th Independence Day, saying that it was the only country in the world which was founded on Islamic ideology.
Speaking at the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony, the AJK PM emphasized the unifying power of Islam, bringing together diverse nationalities under one banner.He paid tribute to the sacrifices of Pakistan’s founding fathers and those who continue to defend the nation.
Highlighting the deep bond between Pakistan and Kashmir, the PM asserted, “We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is ours.”He recalled Pakistan’s role in sheltering Kashmiri refugees after the 1947 massacre in Jammu, offering them equal rights and opportunities.
Anwar ul Haq condemned India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing Pakistan’s unwavering support for the disputed territory.He praised Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the plight of Kashmiris and expose Indian atrocities in the region.
The PM also expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s consistent support for the Kashmir cause including recent economic assistance to Azad Kashmir.