Islamabad: Speakers at a seminar strongly condemned the ongoing Indian state terrorism, genocide, and brutal oppression of Kashmiris in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the seminar, titled “United Voices: Kashmiri and Pakistani Diaspora Confronting Oppression in IIOJK”, was jointly organized by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) Chapter and the Kashmir International Institute of Relations (KIIR). The session was presided over by APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, and was attended by Hurriyat leaders, politicians, members of the Kashmiri diaspora, intellectuals, analysts, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders.
In his address, Ghulam Muhammad Safi stressed that the people of Kashmir must be granted their right to self-determination, as guaranteed under relevant United Nations resolutions. He emphasized that there is no need to seek a new solution to the Kashmir issue, as the Kashmiri people had already chosen accession to Pakistan decades ago. He asserted that India cannot be equated with Pakistan, describing India as an occupying power that has seized IIOJK through military aggression.
Senator Sherry Rehman, in her remarks, stated that the people of Kashmir are waging a legitimate freedom struggle against Indian occupation. Representing the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), she invoked the legacy of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who played a pivotal role in advocating the Kashmir cause. She said the PPP has consistently raised its voice for Kashmir on every international forum. Comparing the situations in Kashmir and Palestine, she pointed out that both territories are suffering under brutal occupations, and called on the United Nations to take immediate action on these long-standing disputes, where genocide and grave human rights violations continue.
Former Prime Ministers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Raja Farooq Haider and Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan, along with former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj-ul-Haq, emphasized the need to raise the Kashmir issue at every global platform. They described Kashmir as an ideology, declaring, “Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir.” They honored the Kashmiri martyrs as national heroes and expressed hope that Kashmir and Palestine would soon achieve freedom.
Liaqat Ali, a member of the British Muslim community, and Dr. Zulfiqar, a member of the UK Labour Party, stated that the time had come to resolve the Kashmir dispute, which has now become a global focal point. They urged the international community to take immediate steps to halt ongoing human rights violations in the disputed territory.
Other speakers condemned the Modi government’s nefarious plans to alter the demographic makeup of IIOJK, calling it a deliberate strategy to dilute the Kashmiri people’s demand for self-determination. They criticized the occupying Indian forces for using repressive tactics, including arbitrary detentions, property seizures, and the harassment of Hurriyat leaders’ families.
Legal experts noted that India has been using colonial-era tactics for the past 78 years to prolong its illegal and unconstitutional occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. Nevertheless, they affirmed that the Kashmiri people will not abandon their just struggle, regardless of the level of oppression, and will continue their peaceful resistance until its logical and rightful conclusion.
The speakers also demanded the immediate release of all illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and Kashmiri youth languishing in Indian jails. They called on the international community, particularly the United Nations and global human rights organizations, to take urgent notice of the grave situation in IIOJK, ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people, and intensify efforts toward a peaceful and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Prominent participants included: Abdul Rasheed Turabi, Raja Sajjad (Director, Kashmir Liberation Cell), Chaudhry Maqbool (Chairman, J7 Group), Ambassador Nafees Zakaria, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani ,Imran Butt (President, JKLF France), Advocate Parvez Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed Butt, Shamim Shawl, Altaf Hussain Wani, Muhammad Rafiq Dar, Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Syed Aijaz Rehmani, Raja Khadim Hussain, Sheikh Yaqoob, Zahid Ashraf, Zahid Safi, Zahid Mujtaba, Mian Muzaffar, Javed Jahangir, Chaudhry Shaheen, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Sheikh Abdul Majid, Muhammad Shafi Dar, Abdul Hameed Lone, Abdul Majeed Lone, Syed Manzoor Ahmed Shah, Syed Gulshan, Manzoor Ahmed Dar, Ashfaq Majeed, and Sanaullah Dar.
