Masood says only Kashmiris can decide their political destiny

• AJK president says Kashmiri people to continue struggle till freedom

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu Kashmir President Masood Khan said on Monday that the United Nations acknowledged the just right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people so the struggle will continue till state is free from foreign occupation.

Addressing a seminar – Students role in achieving the Kashmiris right to self-determination hosted by the Kashmir Student Federation of the Federal Urdu University, he said that India claims Kashmir was a forgotten issue, but even today Kashmiris were sacrificing their lives for their freedom.

He said that the Indian government has demonised the struggle for freedom of the innocent Kashmiris as acts of terrorism. President Masood asserted that India was attempting to remove Kashmiris from the equation and added that Kashmiris were an integral part of the issue and only they can decide their political destiny.

He said that India was propagating a false narrative by claiming the matter as a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India. He said it was negation of the UN resolutions which clearly state that the Kashmiris have the right to a free and fair plebiscite to practice their right to self-determination.

The Kashmiri leader reiterated that in today’s world the youth were global citizens who have access to social media platforms and can positively advocate the issue. He urged the students to thoroughly understand the Kashmir issue and help raise its profile by engaging with international civil societies and constantly writing about the issue to influential world leaders and parliamentarians.

The event was attended by Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, Ghulam Muhammad Saffi, Faiz Naqshbandi, Abdul Hameed Lone, senior members of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, university faculty and a large number of the students.