‘Kashmiris inclusion a must in dialogue’

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan on Sunday said the inclusion of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the Indo-Pak dialogue process was imperative for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

“Participation of Kashmiri representatives in Indo-Pak dialogue is necessary for making the talks result-oriented. The resolution of the Kashmir issue is imperative for peace, prosperity and development of the South Asian region,” he said in an interview to a TV channel.

The AJK president said: “Pakistan recognises what we are saying or demanding about the involvement of Kashmiris in the dialogues process to resolve the Kashmir issue.”

He added that the UN-sponsored plebiscite was the most preferred route to resolve the Kashmir issue. Terming the killing of Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as “war crimes and the crimes against humanity”, the AJK president held the Indian government, ruling party BJP, extremist organisation RSS, and the Indian army responsible for such crimes.

He alleged that the 900,000 Indian troops deployed in the occupied territory were killing unarmed civilian especially the youth in fake encounters every day, grabbing Kashmiris’ land and settling Hindu citizens transferred from India.

In the last year, Masood claimed that more than 3.2 million non-Kashmiris were settled in the occupied territory. And, thus India had launched “not only a military but also a population invasion” to change the demography of the region.

“All these crimes committed by India are war crimes and crimes against humanity for which the Indian government and its army should be held accountable and brought before the war crimes tribunal,” he said, adding that IIOJK was a region with a population of 20 million people, who have to decide their future through a referendum recognised by the United Nations Security Council in many of its resolutions.

Just recently in 2018-19, the AJK president said the UN Commission on Human Rights in its two reports reiterated that the right of Kashmiris to self-determination was inevitable and India was bound to respect this right of Kashmiris.

“We are also thankful to Pakistan for boldly declaring not to hold talks or establish trade relations with India until it restores the disputed status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir and reverses the actions of August 5, 2019. These Indian actions, he pointed out, were taken in violation of international law, bilateral agreements, and the commitments made with the people of Kashmir,” Masood said.

APP