Rehmani rejects Kashmir reference in joint statement of Indian & Afghan foreign ministers
Islamabad: Senior APHC-AJK leader and former Convener, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, has strongly condemned and rejected the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint declaration issued by the Indian and Afghan foreign ministers in New Delhi.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Rehmani criticized India for using the Taliban regime to advance its false narrative on Jammu and Kashmir and questioned how Kabul had deviated from its earlier support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
He said numerous UN Security Council resolutions testify that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute, awaiting settlement through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN supervision.
Rehmani reminded the Taliban regime that the principle of self-determination was binding on all nations and should not be compromised for political expediency. He urged Kabul not to ignore the shared Islamic and moral principles that have historically guided Muslim nations in supporting oppressed peoples.
Highlighting India’s ongoing atrocities, Rehmani said New Delhi had carried out ethnic cleansing of over one hundred thousand Kashmiris during the past 35 years through fake encounters, extrajudicial killings, and systematic repression. He said India’s actions—abrogating Kashmir’s special status, merging the occupied territory, and trampling fundamental rights—were a gross violation of international law and UN resolutions.
Referring to the Independence Act of 1947, he said the Act granted all princely states, including Jammu and Kashmir, the right to determine their future, adding that the Taliban regime, as a historical supporter of the Kashmir cause, should have avoided endorsing India’s position in its joint statement.
Expressing deep concern over the condition of Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders and detainees in Tihar and other Indian jails, Rehmani said the prisoners were facing severe maltreatment and denial of medical care. He urged international humanitarian organizations to take notice of their plight and press India to allow independent inspection of prison facilities to assess the conditions of Kashmiri political prisoners.
