Islamabad, May 15, 2020 (PPI-OT): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has reiterated Pakistan’s full support to the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK), who were struggling for their right to self-determination for several decades. Speaking in the Senate, he said Pakistan wanted to make India accountable over massive human rights violations being committed in occupied Kashmir.
“Our objective is to make India accountable over human rights violations, seek permission for international media and independent observers to visit occupied Kashmir, lifting of lockdown, ensuring food and medical supplies, release of political prisoners, abolishing draconian laws particularly reversal of all illegal steps taken by New Delhi after August 2019.”
The minister said the whole nation was united on the Kashmir issue and Pakistan would continue to extend all possible support to the people of occupied Kashmir and highlight Indian state terrorism at all fora. He said people of Kashmir were facing siege for the last nine months and they were being denied of their basic rights, adding these steps of India had exposed its so-called claim of being a secular state.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi criticised the mentality of Modi-led government in India for pursuing the Hindutva ideology and for blaming the Muslims for the spread of coronavirus. He said situation in Indian held Kashmir was very serious. The innocent Kashmiris had been in siege since August 2019, he added.
The Indian forces have started massacre of innocent Kashmiri people in guise of coronavirus and their bodies were also not being handed over to their heirs. The youth were also being kidnapped and subjected to severe torture in order to create fear in the areas, he added. He said according to National Federation of Women Report around 13000 Kashmiri youth have been arrested so far and were being tortured. Entire Kashmiri leadership were behind the bar and over 6000 innocent people were incarceration, he said.
The minister said Indian government wanted to impose Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh agenda in Kashmir. He said India had also changed domicile rules in the occupied valley to settle non-Kashmir people and convert Muslim majority into minority. He said there were reports that COVID-19 had been spreading in the occupied Kashmir very fast resultantly increase in death toll.
Educational institutions had already been closed while due to ban on internet service, no virtual education could be imparted to the students, he said. Qureshi said Pakistan raised the issue at all international fora including OIC. The human rights wing also condemned the Indian human rights violation in the valley, he added.
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