All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Chairman Syed Ali Shah Gilani has said on Tuesday Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) is not a symbol of secularism but of a tyrannical occupation. In an interview with a private TV channel, he said the statement of Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh that the IOK was a symbol of Indian secularism, was an attempt to sabotage the dialogue process between Pakistan and India. He said unfair occupation of the IOK by the Indian government was contrary to its claims of democracy.
The APHC Chairman said people of Kashmir were struggling against the Indian hegemony to get their legitimate rights denied to them for the last 57 years.
The people of Kashmir were demanding their basic birthright accepted by India and the international community at the United Nations Security Council, he added.
He urged Pakistan to continue its moral and political support to the Kashmiri people.
To a question, he said Kashmiris would never accept less than freedom from India and would continue to render sacrifices to achieve their right of self-determination.
Replying to a question, he said the APHC was in favour of dialogue between Pakistan and India.