Kashmiris’ resilience praised on Youm-e-Istehsal

Balochistan CM urges UN to play their part

QUETTA:

Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal on Tuesday praised the resilience of Kashmiris in face of the Indian atrocities as the nation marks Youm-e-Istehsal, condemning the Article 370 revocation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

He stressed upon United Nations and the international community to play their moral responsibility against the Indian siege in IIOJK, adding that Pakistan has always stood by the Kashmiri people in solidarity and with their right to self-determination.

The provincial chief executive also said despite the military siege and sanctions imposed by the Indian government for the past 365 days, international media organisations have reported large numbers of protests by millions against the revocation of Kashmir's special constitutional status.

"The fascist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government had revoked the constitutional status of IIOJK on August 5 last year against bilateral agreements, which intensified the independence struggle inside the valley, prompting Indian forces to target innocent Kashmiris regularly," Jam Kamal said, adding that the dissolution of the assembly in Kashmir, the imprisonment of all the leaders of Kashmir and the detentions made it clear that Kashmir was a colonial project of India.

The Balochistan CM went on to add that, "The brutal Indian government has been attempting to follow the steps of Israel. India has violated the UN Conventions and its bilateral agreement with Pakistan as Kashmir faces a humanitarian crisis. "Use of ammunition and pellet guns against unarmed persons, torture during detention, missing persons, use of rape as political coercion, harassment of journalists and media blockade are all examples of Indian security forces inflicting atrocities in Kashmir."

Jam kamal concluded that in order to divert attention from human rights violations in IIOJK, India was committing unprovoked violations of the ceasefire line to target civilians, destroy crops and houses on the other side of the border.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2020.