AJK situation cannot be compared with occupied Kashmir: DFP
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) has expressed concern over the prevailing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and urged all relevant parties to resolve the matter with wisdom, patience and through dialogue.
According to Kashmir Media Service, DFP spokesman Advocate Arshad Iqbal, in a statement issued in Srinagar, appealed to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government, the Government of Pakistan and the leadership of the Action Committee to seek solutions through peaceful means, mutual respect and meaningful negotiations.
He said Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute concerning the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir and that the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been struggling for the past 78 years for a just and lasting settlement of the issue.
The spokesman said the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party also wants to make it clear that the current situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir cannot be compared with the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said the conditions in both regions are entirely different in nature, background and ground realities.
He said India has occupied Jammu and Kashmir through military force and has deployed more than one million troops to maintain its control. He added that nearly 100,000 Kashmiris have sacrificed their lives since 1989 in the struggle for freedom from Indian rule, while the tragic massacre of more than 150,000 Muslims in the Jammu region in 1947 also remains part of the collective memory of the Kashmiri people. He said thousands of Kashmiris, including Hurriyat leaders and activists, continue to be imprisoned in Indian jails, among them DFP Chairman Shabbir Ahmad Shah.
Advocate Arshad Iqbal said Azad Jammu and Kashmir has an elected government, a prime minister, a president, a judicial system and an environment where political activities can take place freely. In contrast, he said, India has deprived the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir of their fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, and anyone raising a voice against Indian repression is immediately jailed under black laws such as the Public Safety Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
He said equating the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir with the military repression, political restrictions and serious human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir would be contrary to the facts.
