Islamabad: Speakers at a conference held in Islamabad highlighted that the United Nations Security Council has passed numerous resolutions calling for a free, fair and impartial referendum to determine the political future of Jammu and Kashmir. However, they emphasized that the main obstacle to the implementation of these resolutions is India’s obstinacy and unrealistic stance.
The conference, organized by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter, was chaired by Convenor Ghulam Muhammad Sufi at Kashmir House. It was attended by political leaders from Pakistan and AJK, Hurriyat leaders, scholars, civil society members, and legal experts.
The speakers expressed deep regret that India continues to suppress the Kashmiris’ struggle using force, rather than fulfilling its international commitments regarding Jammu and Kashmir. They pointed out that the Modi government had initiated a new wave of repression against pro-freedom Kashmiris after revoking the special status of IIOJK in August 2019. The speakers condemned India’s blatant violations of international laws and norms in this internationally recognized disputed region, and raised concerns about its ongoing efforts to alter the occupied territory’s demographic composition by reducing the Muslim majority to a minority.
The speakers also praised the unshakable determination of Hurriyat leaders, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens, who, despite enduring physical and mental torment in Indian jails, continue to stand firm. The conference unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the brutal repression by Indian troops, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and violence against peaceful protesters. The resolution called for the immediate revocation of all repressive laws in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and demanded an end to attempts to alter the territory’s demographic balance.
Furthermore, the resolution urged the United Nations and the international community to intensify pressure on India to implement the UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. Engineer Amir Muqam, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, was the special guest at the conference. Notable attendees included Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Choudhry Anwarul Haq, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Raja Zafarul Haq, Mustafa Kamal, Choudhry Latif Akbar, Shah Ghulam Qadir, Khawaja Farooq Ahmad, Raja Mushtaq Khan, Choudhry Latif Akbar (Speaker of Azad Kashmir Assembly), Sardar Hassan Ibrahim, Abdul Majid Khan, Sardar Abdul Khaliq Wasi, Maulana Syed Muhammad Yousuf, Sardar Usman, and others.
At the conclusion of the conference, heartfelt prayers were offered for the eternal peace of the Kashmiri martyrs’ souls, for the liberation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir from Indian occupation, and for the continued prosperity, peace, and stability of Pakistan.
