Islamabad, Pakistan: The people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) have been suffering under inhuman lockdown and military siege for over 9 months, following India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019. The entire region has been turned into a prison, with unprecedented restrictions which continue despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Foreign Office said that every single right of the Kashmiri people has been trampled upon by the Indian occupation forces acting with complete impunity under draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act (PSA), and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Pakistan has been assiduously highlighting at all international fora the gross and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Kashmiri people. We have also consistently sensitised the world community about the consequences of India’s brutalization of the Kashmiris and the imminence of their resistance to the cruel and inhuman treatment being meted out to them by the Indian occupation forces, day in and day out.
The recent incidents in IOJ&K are reflective of the inescapable reality that India’s brutal campaign of violence and repression is meeting its logical consequences. Attributing this indigenous Kashmiri resistance to any alleged “infiltration” is a travesty. India’s typical allegations of “infiltration” ring hollow also because all these incidents have taken place deep inside the Valley, several miles behind Indian military’s extensive Infiltration grid, comprising several layers of security.
Across the Line of Control (LoC), using the pretext of so-called “infiltration” and “launch pads”, Indian forces are deliberately targeting unarmed Pakistani civilians, including women and children. In over 975 unprovoked Cease-Fire Violations by India since 1 January 2020, six innocent civilians have lost their lives and another 69 have been critically injured. This inhuman war tactic cannot be condemned enough.
India cannot mislead the international community with its unfounded allegations and aggressive actions on the ground. Indian insinuations against Pakistan are patently designed to divert international as well as domestic attention from India’s grave human rights violations in IOJ&K, the treatment of Indian minorities, and mismanagement by the BJP government of Covid-19 related challenges.
Pakistan once again calls upon the international community to take cognizance of the threat to peace and stability in South Asia posed by India’s irresponsible rhetoric and belligerent posture. The world must act to restrain India before the reckless policies of this ideologically-driven RSS-BJP dispensation cause grievous harm to regional peace and security.
