Indian military is involved in the genocide of Muslims in the Illegally India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Repression on minorities in India and atrocities in Kashmir are the factual character of the Indian government. The human rights violations in the occupied territory have crossed all limits.
The people of the occupied valley could never be defeated through oppression and negative tactics like jailing Kashmiri political leadership. India has adopted the same policy in the occupied territory which Israel is following in Palestine. The main objective of the Bharatiya Janata Party government is to turn the majority of Muslims in the IIOJK into a minority but the Kashmiris would foil all such nefarious Indian designs. India is a so-called democracy where minorities are being mistreated and victimised by the majoritarian Hindu hardliners.
The entire world supports the freedom movement of Kashmiris and expresses solidarity with the Kashmiris, but the government of India has never supported the victims of the atrocities of Hindutva brigade. The Narendra Modi regime has usurped the rights of the minorities, especially the Muslims in the country. India has emerged as an extremist state where the minorities are facing prejudice, violence and oppression on a large scale.
The Modi government is adopting discriminatory policies against all minorities and India has now become a very dangerous country for the people disagreeing with its views. It is written in the Indian Constitution that the state would treat all religions equally and tolerantly, but in reality, the land is being narrowed in every way for the minorities living there, who were rather being forced to leave their religion and become Hindus. What to talk about Muslims even Sikhs, living in India can’t forget the Operation Blue Star when thousands of Sikhs were killed as a result of state terrorism. After August 5, 2019, the Modi government has accelerated the repression and tyranny in the occupied territory and now Kashmiris are being completely pushed towards the wall.
The sacrifices of Kashmiri martyrs, like Altaf Shah, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, remain etched in history. Shah’s death in custody and the denial of medical treatment highlight the harsh treatment of Kashmiri prisoners. May 21, 1990, marked the assassination of Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq along with 70 mourners and 22 years later, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone was also killed. These events symbolize Kashmir’s struggle for freedom. Despite their sacrifices, Indian forces have created over 100,000 martyrs, including infants, women, scholars, and leaders, perpetuating violence in the region. The memory of May 21 lives on as a day of supreme sacrifice, resonating in the hearts of millions of Kashmiris.
Kashmiris are filled with hope, longing for a new dawn. It was at this crucial juncture that Mirwaiz and Lone emerged to present a much larger aspect of their leadership. They not only rekindled the issue afresh but also gave it a new vigour and meaning. Mirwaiz and Lone were brilliant and articulate statesmen who were gunned down for their leadership role in educating their people in their struggle for self determination. They were gunned down because they reminded the world about the pledge that was agreed upon by India and Pakistan, and championed by the democratic powers, including the United States and endorsed by the UN Security Council.
For decades, the Kashmir liberation movement has attained attention to the issue. Many parties put together processions, rallies, conferences and seminars to spread awareness of the conflict in Kashmir. The brutalities of Indian forces in the occupied valley would give impetus to the freedom struggle of Kashmiris. Pakistanis stand with Kashmiris in the hour of need and support. Pakistan would continue providing moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris. Sacrifices and struggle of Kashmiris would pave the way for their freedom. Kashmiris have rejected Indian annexation of the occupied valley and they would soon witness freedom from the oppressive rule of Indian forces.
Indian forces have occupied Kashmir, denying the right of self-determination to people living there. Praising Kashmiris for their endurance, we urge the international community to play their role for the implementation of UN resolutions and lifting of curfew in the occupied valley. Pakistan would continue providing moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris and inform comity of nations about human rights violations in Kashmir. Great Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Gilani’s personal opinion about Kashmir was that it be merged with Pakistan.
The leadership of Kashmir and Pakistan remember the great Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Gillani for his life-long struggle for freedom and justice while facing Indian persecution and hardships. In a horrific act, his dead body was snatched by the Indian occupation forces from his family, and hurriedly buried in a graveyard in the absence of his kith and kin. His family and friends were not allowed to pay their final respects or bury him in a graveyard of his choice. In the annals of history, nations and peoples are often blessed with leaders, guides and activists who play pivotal roles providing leadership that transcends inspiration and casts a lasting impact on the societies.
(The writer is editor, book ambassador, political analyst and author of several books based in Islamabad.)
