India has no right to be called a democracy: Speakers
Islamabad: Speakers at a seminar stated that India, which is involved in the genocide of the Kashmiri people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) under the cover of draconian laws, has no right to be called a democratic country.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the seminar, titled ‘India’s So-called Democracy: Human Rights Violations in IIOJK and International Court Systems,’ was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell’s Legal Affairs Wing in collaboration with the Islamabad Bar Association at the Shaheed Hall Judicial Complex in Islamabad today.
Key speakers included Ghulam Mohammad Safi, Convenor of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Azad Jammu and Kashmir chapter), Naeem Gujjar Advocate, President of the Islamabad Bar, Altaf Hussain Wani, Chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations, Professor Fahd Amin from Quaid-i-Azam University’s School of Law, Dr. Sajad Latif, Director of the Kashmir Policy Research Institute, Sardar Sajid Mahmood, In-charge of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell Legal Affairs Wing, Advocate Malik Huzefa, and Abdul Haleem Bhutto, Secretary of the Islamabad Bar.
The speakers condemned India’s actions in IIOJK, noting that the Kashmiri people have been observing India’s Republic Day as Black Day for many years in protest against India’s illegal occupation. They emphasized that India has deprived the two crore Kashmiri people of their fundamental right to self-determination by forcefully occupying the disputed territory. They stressed that the struggle for freedom will continue until the people of IIOJK achieve their right to self-determination.
The speakers further highlighted that India’s actions, such as the killing of Kashmiris, arbitrary arrests, and the use of pellet guns that leave many blind for life, are systematic violations of human rights. They also pointed out that after the illegal abrogation of Article 370 in IIOJK, India is attempting to change the region’s Muslim-majority identity, a clear violation of United Nations resolutions.
The speakers refuted India’s claim that it is not bound by the UN resolutions on Kashmir, reminding that India had promised in the UN to grant the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination. The seminar was attended by members of the Islamabad Bar, senior lawyers, and prominent figures, including Raja Khan Afsar Khan, Director of Kashmir Centre Rawalpindi, Advocate Nisar Shah, Advocate Dalaawar Khan, Advocate Wasi Tahir, Advocate Kamran Yousafzai, and Raja Rashid Raza.
Meanwhile, the Secretary Information APHC-AJK, Mushtaq Ahmad Butt, met with the Advisor to the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Nisarah Abbasi, in Muzaffarabad.
The meeting focused on the current situation in IIOJK, the atrocities committed by the Indian government against Kashmiris, demographic changes in the territory, enforced disappearances, and the upcoming Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5.
The leaders also discussed the commemoration of the martyrdom of Afzal Guru on February 9, and the organizing of a Kashmir Martyrs’ Conference to honor the sacrifices made by the Kashmiri people.
