ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Dr. Arif Alvi has said that the people of Pakistan stand firmly by their Kashmiri brethren in their just struggle and will continue to highlight the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to the international community.
In his message on the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsal being observed on Thursday, the president said that on August 5, 2019 India, yet again, in violation of international law and norms undertook illegal and unilateral actions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to further perpetuate its occupation.
The president said that through these actions, India tried to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory and eliminate the distinct identity of the Kashmiri people in violation of UN Charter and International law including the 4th Geneva Convention.
The president said that these Indian actions were also aimed at denying the right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people that was promised to them in numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council.
President Arif Alvi said that through continuous illegal steps, the racially motivated BJP government of India has created an environment of fear and chaos in IIOJK.
The president said that the people of IIOJK are being subjected to collective punishment by the Indian Occupation Forces, which have turned the territory into the largest militarized zone in the world.
For the past 24 months, Kashmiris have suffered the worst human rights violations at the hands of the Indian Occupation Forces which include military sieges and unprecedented restrictions on fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris, he said.
To this day, the senior Kashmiri leadership remains imprisoned under trumped-up charges. The extra-judicial killings and arbitrary arrests and detentions also continue unabated.
President Arif Alvi said that these illegal Indian actions in IIOJK are a manifestation of the rising Hindu Fascism in India and are aimed at breaking the spirit of the Kashmiri people. He added that these steps were also forcefully rejected by Pakistan, the Kashmiris, and the international community.
Dr. Arif Alvi said that these Indian actions have also been denounced by international media and human rights organizations as a means to continue its illegal and brutal occupation of the region.
The president further said that the day also serves as a reminder to the international community to hold India accountable for its war crimes against the civilian population of IIOJK and deliver on its promise to the Kashmiris.
The president said that a just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, is indispensable for durable peace and stability in South Asia.
President Arif Alvi said that the international community must call upon India to end its campaign of repression and human rights abuses in IIOJK and reverse all its illegal actions, including those initiated on and after August 5, 2019, and to cease and desist from imposing any additional unilateral changes in the occupied territory.
The president said that our ultimate objective remains the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
