AJK government mulling providing military training to youth: Masood

"The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is seriously considering to provide mandatory military training to the youth of AJK, especially the people living along the Line of Control (LoC), as Indian government can go for any misadventure at anytime to divert attention from its internal matters."

This was stated by the President of AJK Sardar Masood Khan while addressing a press conference here at Kashmir House on Friday. The AJK president said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan have always supported peaceful means for resolving the Kashmir dispute, including third party mediation, while Indian government always rejected each and every step towards a peaceful solution of the most critical issue which has brought nuclear armed countries on the brink of war.

He said that Kashmiris will continue their struggle till realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, adding that in 2019 Indian army martyred 53 innocent people along the LoC and injured over 250 others.

He said besieging eight million Kashmiris and subjecting them to worst form of human rights violations by Indian occupation authorities demand action from international community. He said civil disobedience continues in Occupied Kashmir which clearly shows that Kashmiris want freedom from Indian occupation.

He condemned hostile statements emanating from India, especially statements of Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat and others Indian officials, adding that India could stage any drama along the LoC like Indian government did in February 2019.

"If talks between Pakistan and India start after mediation, the process should include Kashmiri leadership. Such a process can only supplement the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir adopted under Chapter VI of the UN Charter," he said while responding to a question regarding US President Donald Trump's recent offer to Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan at Davos that the United States could "help" resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

"Any third party mediatory process has to be credible and should enjoy the support of all the parties to the dispute, especially the people of Kashmir, Pakistan and India.

He maintained that it should be within the parameters of the existing UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and Article 33 of the UN Charter, which prescribes the modalities for seeking a solution through negotiation, mediation, arbitration or other peaceful means of their choice," he added.

He said that Kashmiri and Pakistani leaderships are not interested in bilateral dialogue on Kashmir with India as the Indian authorities over the past 30 years keep on ditching Pakistan in the name of bilateral talks to resolve the Kashmir issue but in reality successive Indian governments during the past 30 years kept on working to portray Kashmiris' struggle as terrorism to achieve nefarious designs.

The AJK president said that an offer of mediation by President Donald Trump in July 2019 during the Pakistani Premier's visit to Washington had created hype, especially because the US President had claimed that he had been asked to play such a role by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, these hopes were dashed to the ground when the BJP government in India denied that any such suggestion was made by the Indian Prime Minister to President Trump. Shortly thereafter, India went on to revoke Articles 370 and 35-A in an attempt to terminate the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

"Despite India's adventurism and irredentism, the State of Jammu and Kashmir remains disputed and its future will be decided by its people," he said. "It was an aggressive and aggravating move which apparently foreclosed all doors for multilateral diplomacy including third party mediation," said Masood Khan, adding that since August 5 India has not only laid collective and punitive siege to IoK but has also been committing egregious crimes against humanity, including the abduction of more than 13,000 young boys, the establishment of concentration camps for youth and political activists, killings, unlawful incarcerations, molestation of women and trampling of health and education rights.

He said that lockdown and communication blockade of IoK is absolute which has crippled life and economy in the occupied territory. The AJK president said that the time is not yet ripe for serious negotiations and mediation. If President Trump or other world leaders and actors, including the UN Secretary-General intend to make an intercession, they should sharply focus on stopping the genocide in IoK and reversing the illegal actions taken by India on August 5 and October 31, which are in flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, as well as international law and conventions, he said.

"Kashmiris are dying and suffering and the powerful governments should not remain oblivious to this humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in front of their eyes.

The world's statesmen should intervene to save humanity in IoK," he said and added that President Trump should use his clout with India to ask it to stop the genocide in Kashmir and the continuing colonization of the territory.