Wait for my call to cross LoC: PM

PM Imran vows to forcefully advocate Kashmir case at UNGA

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Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday asked the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), who were anxious to cross the Line of Control (LoC) towards the Indian side to help their oppressed brethren, to wait till his next call and until he fought the Kashmiris' case at the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

"Many of you want to cross the LoC, but wait till I ask you to move forward and until I tell the world the horrific story of oppression in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK)," the prime minister said at a rally of several thousand people gathered at the Khurshid Hassan Khurshid Stadium in the AJK capital.

AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, PTI AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood, and several celebrities from sports and showbiz were in attendance.

The participants of the meeting enthusiastically responded with rousing slogans in favour of their Kashmiri brethren on the other side of LoC as the prime minister mentioned their passion for crossing the ceasefire line.

The gathering attracted people from all walks of life on the call of PM Imran to express solidarity with the people of IOK on the 40th day of their siege by the occupation forces.

The prime minister said as an "Ambassador of Kashmir", he would approach each and every international forum to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in IOK in the wake of continuous lockdown.

"Kashmir has become a human issue where men, women, elderly and even children are suffering at the hands of Indian occupation forces all the time," he said.

Imran said he wanted to give a clear message to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "only a coward person can oppress the people this way", adding that India would suffer immensely by pursuing Hindu fascism as state agenda against Muslims and other minorities.

The prime minister warned the international community that the Kashmir issue, if remained unaddressed, would impact the entire world negatively.

He said the resolution of Kashmir dispute rested with the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that granted the Kashmiris the right to choose their fate through a plebiscite.

Pakistan, he said, would accept the decision of Kashmiris and stand with them whatever their choice be.

Imran said the extremist mindset of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party could not crush the voice of Muslims of Kashmir whose courage had surpassed the fear of death.

"A Muslim is never afraid of death and fights till the last breath," he said, adding that the Kashmiris' resilience would prove as the last nail in the coffin of Indian oppressive state policies.

He mentioned that unending atrocities were forcing the Kashmiri youth towards radicalisation, for which he warned the international community to stop India from violence.

"The Kashmiris are fighting the life of humiliation, abuse and disgrace at the hands of Indian security forces, and are justified in waging an indigenous struggle for freedom," he said.

The prime minister mentioned that due to the Pakistan government's efforts, the international organisations, including the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and other human rights watch groups, had taken up the Kashmir issue.

Four US senators had also written a letter to President Donald Trump to take notice of the continued curfew and human rights violations in IOK, he added.

Authorities in IOK have arrested nearly 4,000 people since then, government data seen by Reuters showed.

"I want to tell India that, by detaining thousands of people, you are pushing people into extremism," he said. "People will rise against India, and it is not just about Indian Muslims, there are 1.25 billion Muslims around the world. They all are watching this."

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Qureshi told the United Nations human rights forum that India's military presence in Kashmir raised the spectre of genocide.

With additional input from APP and Reuters