President Arif Alvi on Tuesday urged India to stop its ongoing atrocities in occupied Kashmir and allow the international observers to investigate the human rights violations in the valley. While, addressing the special session of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, the president said all the political parties in Pakistan are on the same page vis-à-vis Kashmir dispute and they will always stand by their Kashmiri brethren.
President Alvi emphasised on Pakistan's continued support and consistent stance on the Kashmir dispute, and demanded the Indian government to ratify the rights of the people of occupied Kashmir. The President has also demanded the Indian government to halt its false narrative of "killing militants' in occupied Kashmir. He said that all political prisoners should be freed and India must ensure freedom of expression.
Moreover, he stated that India must stop using firearms and pellet guns against innocent people and withdraw draconian 'black laws.' Importantly, he urged the Indian government to allow Hurriyat leaders to travel abroad for making their case on their own way. He said that restrictions on electronic communications in IOK must be lifted so that international community and the social media would know 'what's going on there.'
"I salute your struggle," he said while addressing freedom fighters in their valiant struggle to achieve the legitimate right to self-determination in occupied Kashmir. "It is our firm belief that Kashmiris will succeed in their struggle," he went on to say.
Later, in a separate special message, the president explained the rationale behind observation of the Kashmir Solidarity Day by stating "5th February offers an opportunity to pay tribute to the unparalleled commitment of the Kashmiris for the attainment of the legitimate right to self-determination. On this day, the government of Pakistan and its people demonstrate to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters and the world at large that we have not forgotten the long-pending dispute of Jammu and Kashmir and the struggle of the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir against woeful Indian occupation."
The president hit out at the international community s lack of interest to address gross human rights' violations by Indian forces in Kashmir by stating "The indifference of the international community to these grave human rights atrocities by India raises doubts in the minds of Kashmiris, hinting at a double standard where every atrocity goes unpunished and every human rights violation, uncondemned."
"Behind its false narrative of killing militants, India has been trying to justify its terrorism but has failed miserably," Alvi asserted. Alvi termed a report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights documenting human rights violations in Kashmir as a "turning point and a watershed moment for the Kashmiri community all over the world". He said Pakistan supports the proposals contained in the report and calls for the expedited establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to probe the human rights situation in IOK as per the report s recommendations.
"Pakistan ... pays homage to the heroes and martyrs of this epic struggle for liberation that has become a living symbol of the indomitable human spirit. Your cries for Azadi cannot be suppressed," the president said. He reiterated Pakistan s "unflinching solidarity" with the people of occupied Kashmir, Radio Pakistan reported. "We reassure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that we will remain consistent in our principled position on Kashmir.