AJK president urges Turkey to play role in opening humanitarian corridor in IOK

Sardar Masood Khan says India's obstinacy affronts to peace in the region

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has urged the Turkish government to play its role in opening a humanitarian corridor for supplying aids and medicines to the besieged people of the disputed territory, which has been under military lockdown for over three months.

He made the appeal during interviews with Turkish and other foreign media channels in Muzaffarabad on Thursday.

While describing the situation prevailing in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as “horrible”, the AJK president said that the silence of the United Nations and influential countries over the Modi government’s brutalities amounts to giving free hand to the oppressor to perpetrate more oppression.

“Kashmir is undergoing the darkest era of its history, where state terrorism and worst human rights violations have now become the norm,” he added.

New Delhi’s obstinacy — including random use of force in IOK and threats of aggression and military operation against Pakistan and AJK — is mounting to danger of war in the region, which is a threat to peace and security of the whole world, he added.

UNSC chief's statement on Kashmir highly disappointing: AJK president

President Masood regretted the fact that 8 million Kashmiris have become detainees – living like aliens in their own homeland. However, he said, the UN remains unmoved. "This situation is alarming for not only Pakistan and Kashmir, but for all those who believe in humanity."

He reiterated that Pakistan along with Kashmiris want a peaceful political and diplomatic solution to the Kashmir conflict under the UN auspices but New Delhi — demonstrating its stubbornness — rather “believes in a militarily solution”.

"Such Indian actions in IOK are not only violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions but also war crimes under the Geneva Convention," he said while quoting the Genocide Watch that Indian atrocities amount to genocide and ethnic cleansing.

UNSC seems indifferent to Kashmir issue: AJK president

While strongly opposing the bifurcation of the Himalayan valley through the August 5 illegal action, the AJK president said the New Delhi’s move was against the will of Kashmiris and the act of revoking some key laws related to properties, employment and education of people in Kashmir are “beginning of a change in demography of the Muslim majority state”.

Calling upon the UNSC, President Masood urged the Security Council to take immediate steps in order to resolve the Kashmir issue — in accordance with the resolutions of the world body — and play its role to avert the danger of war in the region by preventing ethnic cleansing of Kashmiris.

Appreciating the efforts of global and Turkish media in highlighting the situation of IOK in its real perspective, he said that the international media has started showing the real picture of Kashmir to the world after a long time.

The AJK president hailed the policy of humanitarian diplomacy adopted by the incumbent Turkish government, and thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for extending unflinching support to the demand of Kashmiris  for their right to self-determination.