ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan said that the recent killings in Shopian, human right violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and the unabated cross-border violations by the Indian forces were unforgivable and clearly constituted as war crimes.
He said this while addressing the launching ceremony of “The Plight of Kashmir”, authored by renowned scholar Dr Maqsood Jafri at the Annual Book Fair organised by the National Book Foundation. He was the chief guest on the occasion.
Terming the launch of the book as a timely addition, as the issue was unresolved even after the passage of 70 years. He said that the book addressed key issues related to the Kashmir issue and rightly painted the human right situations in IOK.
Condemning the recent killings in Shopian, the AJK president said that the martyrdom of over 20 Kashmiris under the guise of security operations was a matter of great concern which needed to be impartially investigated. He said that the recent incident was not an exception, but the so-called ‘operations’ took place on a daily basis, leading to the unaccountable murder of innocent Kashmiris who were only demanding their right to self-determination.
AJK President Masood Khan brushed away the myths peddled by India in which it claimed Kashmir as its integral part. He said that over 70 years of aggression, the Kashmiris were still resisting the Indian occupation and had not accepted themselves as Indian citizens.
“The only terrorism in IOK is the state terrorism under the patronage of the Indian government. The Kashmiris are peacefully struggling for their right to self-determination and they are the most unarmed people on earth,” he said.
He said that India had adopted a malicious strategy to suppress the freedom movement; firstly, by inflicting unimaginable torture on the Kashmiris; secondly, by not talking and ignoring the Hurriyat leaders and lastly, by closing all doors for talks with Pakistan. The AJK president said that bilateral talks had been a hoax and no substantive result came as the outcome and in turn, excluded the Kashmiris – who were the key constituents – from deciding their political future according to their own will.
Paying tribute to the Kashmiris, he said that they were sacrificing their lives and giving their blood for their freedom. Pakistan, over the years, had not softened or changed its stance on Kashmir, he added.