ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) President Masood Khan Thursday urged the United Nations (UN) to strongly condemn Indian brutalities in Held Kashmir.
Addressing a media conference here at the Kashmir House, the president detailed about his recent visits to the United Kingdom and Norway, where he raised issue of human rights violations in Held Kashmir. He hoped that the United Kingdom would not only condemn human rights violations and Indian atrocities in Held Kashmir but the British prime minister would also raise the issue with her Indian counterpart during her upcoming Indian visit.
He urged the Britain government, Norway and other countries to link their trade contracts with India with peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute. He appealed to the international community to come forward and play its vital role to end the rights abuses and resolve the issue according to the UN resolutions on Kashmir and in the light of the aspiration of Kashmiri people. He said Kashmiris never accepted Indian rule and were continuing their freedom struggle despite worse atrocities and state oppression unleashed by Indian forces to quell their right of self-determination promised to them by the United Nations Security Council.
He contradicted Indian propaganda linking terrorism with Kashmiris’ freedom struggle. He said India was trying to divert the world attention by blaming Pakistan and the Kashmiris for so-called terrorism. The Pakistani High Commission, he said, had sent letters to various British and Pakistan born parliamentarians asking them to send a cross party parliamentary delegation to both sides of Kashmir so that facts on the ground could be ascertained.
He rejected the concept that Kashmir dispute was a bilateral issue and said it had become an international issue. He said bilateral dialogue with India would not be fruitful it was being governed by the Hindu extremists. The dialogue with India, he said, should be held purely on Kashmir issue.
The AJK president furthered that he also participated in a seminar on human rights in Norway and raised the Kashmir case before the world community. “We have told the world community that despite Indian brutalities, Kashmiris are holding referendums in which they refused the illegal Indian occupation.” He said India was not ready to accept the third country mediation for peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue. “Being a permanent member of the Security Council, it is responsibility of the UK to raise voice against the human rights violation in Kashmir and help resolve the Kashmir dispute.
He also appealed to media to raise Kashmir issue despite other engagements.
