ISLAMABAD, Aug 4 (APP): Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engr Amir Muqam on Sunday said that on the ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’, the Pakistani government saluted the courage and valour Kashmiri people, who rendered countless sacrifices for the noble cause of the right to self-determination.
In a message on Youm-e-Istehsal will be observed on Monday, the minister said this ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’ marks the fifth anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He said that India scrapped the special status of IIOJK on this day and bifurcated it into two so-called ‘Union Territories’ to alter its internationally recognised disputed status and undermine the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.
He apprised that the Indian actions were aimed at a process of demographic change and political engineering. As a result, the Kashmiri people were confronted with the danger of becoming a disempowered community in their own land, he added.
Amir Muqam said that India had increased its oppression in IIOJK since August 5, 2019, and efforts were being made to silence the media, adding that the dynamic leadership of the Kashmiri people remains behind bars.
He said the Indian authorities had sought the death penalty for one of the most renowned Kashmiri leaders Yaseen Malik. The harassment of innocent people, arbitrary detentions, ‘cordon and search’ operations, and extra-judicial killings had become a matter of routine, he maintained.
The Kashmiri people were unable to fully enjoy their freedoms of expression and assembly, he said and adding that most importantly, they were unable to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
He urged the international community to play its role in ending gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK. The minister said that Pakistan, for its part, would continue to play its role to ensure a free and impartial plebiscite in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“Our strong moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people will continue till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination,” he concluded.
