Rehmani says life in IIOJK has turned into horror since August 5, 2019
Islamabad: Former Convener of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK), Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, has said that India has subjected the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to a reign of horror since the revocation of the territory’s special status on August 5, 2019.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Rehmani, in a statement issued in Islamabad, said no definition of horror or terror could adequately describe what he termed India’s anti-Muslim and anti-democratic rule in the occupied territory. He alleged that the Indian government had muzzled the media, banned pro-freedom political parties, restricted internet and digital communication, altered the Muslim demography, culture and education system, damaged the Kashmiri economy and agriculture, and reduced the representation of Muslims in the administration. He also claimed that Islamophobia had been promoted and that separatist tendencies were being encouraged among sections of the Kashmiri Pandit and Dogra communities.
Rehmani said that despite the killing and forced migration of Muslims from Jammu in 1947, the Muslim population in the Jammu division remained significant. He maintained that this demographic reality could be verified by considering the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir within its 1947 boundaries.
Expressing concern over the continued detention of Kashmiri leaders and activists, he said several prominent political leaders and women politicians had remained imprisoned for years, while many others were detained every year on politically significant occasions. He claimed that thousands of Kashmiri youth had again been rounded up in July ahead of August 5 to suppress public reaction to the anniversary of the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A.
Rehmani said it was unfortunate that the first major international dispute after the Second World War remained unresolved despite being recognized by the United Nations. He said tensions between Pakistan and India continued because of differences over the implementation of the UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
Reaffirming his confidence in the United Nations, Rehmani urged the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly to take practical steps to ensure the implementation of the right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
He also called on India to revoke its August 5, 2019 measures in Jamm and Kashmir to facilitate a peaceful and lasting settlement of the longstanding dispute in the interest of regional peace and stability.
