India seeking a ‘puppet assembly’ in IIOJK through election drama: Ali Raza
Brussels: Ali Raza Syed, Chairman of the Kashmir Council Europe, says India aims to establish a puppet assembly in occupied Jammu and Kashmir through election drama.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement issued in Brussels, Ali Raza Syed condemned India’s decision to terminate Article 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, which ended IIOJK’s special status. He also criticized New Delhi’s changes to the territory’s domicile rules, allowing non-Kashmiris to settle in the disputed territory and altering its demographic composition.
He said India is misleading the international community by staging assembly elections, despite deploying one million troops and banning freedom of expression and independent media.
Aly Raza questioned the legitimacy of the elections while key Kashmiri leaders , including Masarrat Aalam Butt, Muhammad Yasin Malik and human rights defender Khurram Parvez, remain imprisoned in Indian jails.
He emphasized that elections held under Indian direction are not a solution to the Kashmir issue, nor do they equate to the right to self-determination. Instead, he advocates for a UN-supervised plebiscite to allow Kashmiris to decide their future. India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir is illegal, and Kashmiris reject it.
