Thousands of Kashmiris remain displaced due to 38 years of Indian state terrorism
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Islamabad: Indian state terrorism over the past several decades has forced thousands of people from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to abandon their homes and live a life of displacement outside the territory.
A report released by Kashmir Media Service on World Refugee Day, today, said that while the world is observing the day across the globe, more than 40,000 Kashmiris, including men, women and children, continue to live a homeless life outside their native land.
The report noted that the displacement of Kashmiris is not a recent phenomenon. It recalled that in 1947, hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Jammu were expelled amid violence and communal targeting by Dogra forces and Hindutva/RSS extremist elements. Since then, over 3.5 million people migrated to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, and other parts of the world, including Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey.
It added that since 1989, continued conflict and Indian state repression in IIOJK have further contributed to mass displacement, forcing thousands more to leave their homes in search of safety.
The report further said that the IIOJK’s Muslim majority is under threat due to policies aimed at demographic change, particularly after the BJP-led Indian government’s illegal decision in August 2019 to revoked Articles 370 and 35A and impose new domicile laws in the territory.
It said these measures, coupled with tightened administrative and security control under the BJP-led government-appointed Hindutva Lieutenant Governor, have turned Kashmir into a heavily militarized zone.
Urging international attention, the report called upon the global community to take notice of India’s nefarious and anti-Kashmir designs in the disputed territory and to address the longstanding Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. It added that the continued suffering of the Kashmiri people is linked to the unresolved nature of the dispute
Meanwhile, civil society representatives in AJK, in a statement issued in Muzaffarabad, said that millions of people from IIOJK have been forced to leave their homes and live as refugees over the past 78 years. They urged on the United Nations Security Council and the international community to play their role in the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
