Governors' conference strongly condemns Indian aggression along LoC

AJK president says Kashmiris face Modi’s onslaught and coronavirus at the same time

MUZAFFARABAD: A conference of governors has vociferously condemned the firing by Indian occupation forces at the civilian population residing along the Line of Control (LoC), which resulted in the martyrdom of a four-year-old child besides causing injuries to three people and destroying infrastructure in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The moot was convened by President Dr Arif Alvi at the presidency in Islamabad on Monday, which was attended by the governors of all four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan as well as AJK President Sardar Masood Khan.

Speaking at the conference, President Masood took serious exception to the unprovoked Indian artillery and mortar shelling from across the LoC targeting the civilian population in different sectors of the liberated territory.

Participants of the session also expressed serious concern over the decision of the Modi government to move its troops into the civilian areas in Occupied Kashmir and to use the innocent Kashmir people as human shields.



Terming moving of the artillery to civilian-populated areas in Kupwara district close to the LoC, using civilians as a shield and firing on Pakistani civilians in AJK as a shameful act by the Indian occupation army, the conference called upon the international community to intervene and stop India from aggression against the innocent civilians.

Describing the unprovoked Indian firing as a cowardly act and an attempt to divert the attention of the international community from the ever-worsening situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), the governors' conference observed that New Delhi’s war hysteria is threatening peace and security in the region.

They also expressed concern that India had paid no heed to the call given by six international human rights organisations to release political prisoners in IOJ&K and restore internet services to save the lives of the local populace from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Participants of the conference also called upon human rights organisations and the international community to continue to raise their voice for the release of thousands of locked up Kashmiri prisoners.



The conference further condemned India for using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to trample human rights and to clamp further curbs on civil liberties in IOJ&K, impose notorious domicile laws in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the Fourth Geneva Convention and other humanitarian laws.

While addressing the governors' conference through video link, the President Masood said that the AJK government is round the clock busy in preventing the spread of coronavirus, but the uncalled for and unprovoked firing by the Indian forces on the civilian population of the liberated territory in violation of the ceasefire agreement is adversely affecting the anti-coronavirus campaign.

He said that the situation is still under full control because of the timely efforts of the state government in the liberated territory. "Most of the 40 people affected by the infectious disease are out of danger, and several others were recovering."

He asserted that lockdown has been enforced and the citizens are, on the whole, cooperating with the government in Azad Kashmir. Besides, religious figures are extending full cooperation to the government and the administration.

The AJK president also said that the state government within its resources is striving hard to contain the spread of coronavirus, but was highly concerned about the security of 500,000 members of 80,000 families living along the LoC, as they are faced with both the Indian aggression and the coronavirus simultaneously.