Modi miscalculated with Kashmir move, says PM Imran in AJK assembly

Premier says Kashmiris have been subject to a brutal fascist military siege by India since August 5, 2019

Addressing the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly on Wednesday on the occasion of Kashmir Siege Day (Youm-e-Istehsal), Prime Minister Imran Khan said India has been exposed in front of the entire world and made its biggest strategic blunder on August 5 after its illegal annexation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi miscalculated the response of the Kashmiri people when over 800,000 Indian troops entered IIOJK and imposed a curfew, arrested leaders and Kashmiri youth, the premier said, adding that the BJP government believed the people of Kashmir would hold their hands up in fear.

Referring to the pandemic, the prime minister said the entire world has been focusing on their own problems for the past five months. He vowed to continue discussing Kashmir's cause at every international forum until Kashmir is freed from the worst human rights violation by Indian armed forces.

The premier also said India has been exposed in front of the entire world. He maintained that over the past year, the media has recognised India's treatment of Kashmir. "Initially media would be pro India and against Pakistan, but if you look at this past year, you will notice that all international articles have recognised India's treatment of Kashmir," he added.

Earlier in a tweet, the prime minister said Kashmiris in IIOJK have been subjected to a brutal fascist military siege by the Indian armed forces after New Delhi's illegal annexation of the region on August 5, followed by efforts to change the demography of Kashmir.

The premier added that he will "continue to be an ambassador for all Kashmiris whose voices India has tried to silence through its brutal illegal occupation of IIOJK".

He added that after many years, his government raised the issue of Kashmir effectively in the United Nations (UN) and exposed the "Hindutva Supremacist fascism" of the Narendra Modi government.

I will address the AJK Assembly today to show solidarity with Kashmiris on Youm-e-Istehsal. Kashmiris in IIOJK have been subjected to a brutal fascist military siege by India since its illegal actions of 5th Aug last year followed by efforts to change the demography of IIOJK.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 5, 2020

As the nation observes Youm-e-Istehsal today, the PTI government unveiled a new political map of Pakistan spurning Delhi’s territorial claims on IIOJK.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also invited leaders of all main opposition parties at the Foreign Office to take them into confidence on the steps being taken by the government on IIOJK.

The meeting was aimed at taking the opposition into confidence about the government’s move to issue the new political map, showing the entire Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan. A meeting participant said the opposition leaders were briefed about the reasons behind the move.

Qureshi told the participants that the RSS-inspired Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government has sown the seed of hatred in the hearts of not only Kashmiris but also the religious minorities of its country.

The Kashmiris have categorically rejected the unconstitutional and unilateral measures taken by the Indian government on August 5 last year.