Strong Pakistan means strong advocate for Kashmir: Masood

• The AJK president, in his opening remarks, thanked the NDU management for actively organizing workshops, talks and conferences on the Kashmir issue.
• President Masood condemned the grave human rights violations taking place in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.
• "Today we should be united for the progress of the nation and shaping Pakistan’s destiny."

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan Tuesday said a politically, economically and militarily strong Pakistan would guarantee a strong advocate for Kashmir.

"Today we must make a vow to make Pakistan amongst the top ten economies of the world by the year 2050," he said while addressing a youth conference organised here by the National Defence University on “Hindu Majoritarian Regime in India and Marginalisation of Muslims in IOK”.

The event was attended by students from the AJK public sector universities, postgraduate degree colleges and leading religious seminaries.

The AJK president, in his opening remarks, thanked the NDU management for actively organizing workshops, talks and conferences on the Kashmir issue.

He said the NDU had been committed to engaging the youth in creating critical awareness on the intricacies of the Kashmir dispute.

Speaking on the steps taken by the Indian government on August 5, Sardar Masood said the unilateral actions were all illegal and illicit in nature.

"Not only this but these steps are a clear violation of all international laws and conventions, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, Additional Protocol I and ICC Statutes."

The steps, he said, were taken by India to once again invade, reoccupy, bifurcate and ultimately colonise the territory.

The AJK president while deploring the illegal steps taken by India, said an attempt had been made to revoke the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.

He added that India had made Kashmir an integral part of their union in its constitution, while Pakistan had recognized the disputed status of Kashmir and the inalienable right to self-determination of the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in Article 257 of its Constitution which states: “When the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir decide to accede to Pakistan, the relationship between Pakistan and that State shall be determined in accordance with the wishes of the people of that State”.

President Masood condemned the grave human rights violations taking place in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), where the Kashmiris had been imprisoned in their homes and hospitals had become graveyards due to the scarcity of medical supplies.

He said the young Kashmiris, including minors as young as 9, 12, 13, and 14, had  been illegally detained and shifted to prisons all over India where they were being subjected to unimaginable tortures.

“The Indian forces, like conquerors in the medieval period, are claiming Kashmiri women as spoils of wars. Simply putting it India has adopted a scorched-earth policy in Kashmir.”.

The AJK president said the global reaction to the recent steps taken by India had been mixed.

Countries like China, Iran, Turkey and Malaysia had condemned and expressed their concern over the Indian move, while major world capitals had been ambivalent and instead had tried to maintain artificial neutrality between Pakistan and India, he added.

Praising the international media, he said the media outlets all over the globe had provided an exact and factual account of the brutalities taking place in the IOK.

“We have been provided with a new opportunity to raise the profile of the Kashmir issue and help sensitise the global community over the human rights situation in the IOK,” Masood Khan said.

“The role of the UN Security Council has been very disappointing in this connection as it had not been proactive and had to wait for a communiqué from Pakistan to convene a session on Kashmir. No Presidential Statement was issued and no follow-up sessions were called”, he said.

The UN Security Council, he said, must take action under Chapter VI of its Charter to help take pacific measures to resolve the dispute.

“We must not appease the oppressor. Similar appeasement of the Nazi and Fascist leadership in the last century led to a devastating war and a human catastrophe. We cannot afford the same again,” he asserted.

India, he said, had been hiding behind the veil of bilateral dialogues only to maintain the status quo. The Simla Agreement had been falsely interpreted so as to give the impression that the Kashmir dispute was a bilateral one.

The Kashmiris were very much a part of the issue and they had been recognised as a key party to the dispute by the UNSC through its resolutions.

President Masood categorically stated that there was no terrorism taking place in the IOK except for the Indian state-terrorism against the Kashmiris.

“The Indian narrative of terrorism the in IOK is dated”, said President AJK.He urged the youth to reach out to the international community and their peers by effectively using traditional and modern means of communication.

"Today we should be united for the progress of the nation and shaping Pakistan’s destiny."

The AJK president said,"We salute the martyrs and Ghazis who had liberated the areas we now call AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. Till now 500,000 Kashmiris have laid down their lives for Kashmir. Kashmiris are the most courageous people on earth. They have been resisting the Indian forces for the past seven decades. The people of Kashmir have made their decisions and they will never capitulate.”

He praised the resilience and commitment of Syed Ali Gillani, Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Yaseen Malik and other Kashmiri leaders. He also thanked Pakistan and its people for standing by the Kashmiris.

He also recognised the Armed Forces of Pakistan for standing tall and defending the areas of AJK along the LoC.

Masood Khan said today the issue of Kashmir was alive because of three reasons: the commitment and struggle of the people of Kashmir; the resolute stance of Pakistan on Kashmir for the past seven decades and the fact that AJK being the base camp of the Kashmir cause has continued to raise this issue.

The event was also addressed by former AJK prime minister Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, Ahmer Bilal Soofi and Ambassador Afrasiab Hashmi.

NDU Deputy President Rear Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Major General Raza Muhammad, faculty members of NDU and AJK educational institutions were also present at the event.