The people of Jammu and Kashmir are enduring ongoing incarceration, torture, and systemic repression under Indian occupation yet remain resolute in their demand for the right to self-determination, according to Ambassador Masood Khan, a former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking on the theme ‘Kashmir at the Crossroads” today, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, China, and the UN addressed an audience of over 700 students and faculty members at the National Defence University. The attendees were drawn from universities across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, as well as the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Ambassador Khan asserted that a nation’s ascent is driven by its enlightened and educated youth, highlighting that nearly 160 million young people form the majority of Pakistan”s 250 million population. He called upon the students to prepare themselves intellectually, technologically, and morally for nation-building, contending that Pakistan”s economic strength and military resilience were essential for securing justice for Kashmir.
Reflecting on his decades of advocacy at the United Nations, the ambassador explained that his commitment was motivated not by his official positions but by personally witnessing the suffering of Kashmiri widows and children, the torture of their political leaders, and the unlawful detention of thousands in prisons within India and Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The former president of AJK posited that the freedom struggle in Jammu and Kashmir is not a recent phenomenon, dating back almost two centuries through resistance against Afghan rulers, the Dogra dynasty, and subsequently Indian administration. He described the Indian occupation, which he dated to October 27, 1947, as pushing the populace from one long period of slavery into a more brutal despotic era.
He characterised the present situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir as a continuation of this enforced subjugation, marked by killings, heavy militarisation, arbitrary detentions, and the suppression of political rights. According to Khan, despite Indian inducements such as infrastructure projects and political appointments, the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to reject absorption into India and persist in demanding the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions for their right to self-determination. “India has failed to win their hearts and minds”, he said.
The ambassador warned of what he called India’s narrative projection and disinformation campaigns, which he said aim to normalise the occupation and obscure human rights violations like enforced disappearances and demographic engineering. He urged the Pakistani youth to counter these narratives through credible scholarship and responsible digital advocacy.
Referring to a conflict between India and Pakistan last year, Ambassador Khan stated that Pakistan successfully defended itself against aggression, achieving military, diplomatic, and narrative victories acknowledged by major world capitals. He emphasised that in the modern era, narrative power and technological competence are as crucial as conventional military capability.
In his concluding remarks, Khan called for national unity and social cohesion, encouraging the youth to embrace emerging technologies to strengthen Pakistan economically and militarily. He urged the students to reject fear and doubt, remain confident in their convictions, and work resolutely to secure freedom and dignity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.