Pakistan strongly condemns fabricated charges against Yasin Malik

Islamabad tells New Delhi to stop state-sponsored terrorism in IIOJK and to to release all political prisoners

ISLAMABAD:

The Indian Charge d’ Affaires (Cd’A) was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday and handed over a demarche conveying Pakistan’s strong condemnation on the framing of fabricated charges against Hurriyat leader Muhammad Yasin Malik, who is currently imprisoned at Tihar jail by the Indian authorities.

According to the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson, the Indian diplomat was conveyed Pakistan’s grave concern that in a bid to suppress the voice of the indigenous Kashmiri leadership, the Indian government had resorted to implicating them in fictitious and motivated cases.

Neither the malevolent Indian tactics of conjuring up false charges against Kashmiri leadership nor the environment of persecution, repression and intimidation could quash the resolute struggle of the Kashmiris, the spokesperson added.

The Indian side was also conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern over Malik’s incarceration in Tihar Jail since 2019 under inhuman conditions. The brutal treatment meted out to him despite his chronic ailments and denial of decent health care facilities had resulted in steep decline of his health, he said.

The Cd’A was advised to prevail upon his government that rather than unlawfully keeping the Kashmiri leadership hostage and denying them their fundamental human rights, it must immediately halt its state-sponsored terrorism in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), release all political prisoners incarcerated on trumped-up charges, stop human rights violations, lift the inhuman military siege and let the people of IIOJK exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

Pakistan also called upon the Government of India for acquittal of Malik from all baseless charges and immediate release from prison so that he could be reunited with his family, recuperate his health and return to normal life.

Pakistan also urged the international community, including the UN and relevant human rights and humanitarian organisations to take immediate cognizance of the inhuman treatment meted out by India to one of the most prominent Kashmiri leaders, who had been leading a peaceful freedom struggle for the last many decades.