PPP AJK Demands Release of Kashmiri Political Prisoners, Calls for International Legal Action
Muzaffarabad: Pakistan Peoples Party Azad Jammu and Kashmir has strongly demanded the immediate release of Hurriyat leaders Yasin Malik, Dr Qasim Faktoo, Masrat Alam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Nahid Nasreen, Fahmida Sofi, Ayaz Akbar and thousands of other unarmed Kashmiri civilians detained in what it termed bogus cases. The party also called for the return of the mortal remains of Shaheed Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru to their families and urged action against violations of bilateral agreements and international laws through the OIC platform and international war crimes courts.
These views were expressed by Spokesman to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, Shaukat Javed Mir, while speaking to the media on the call given by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee against Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir and for the release of political prisoners. He appealed for the immediate adoption of a resolution for the release of Yasin Malik and dozens of leaders serving life sentences, along with thousands of political detainees.
Shaukat Javed Mir said that India’s aggressive policies pose a serious threat to its own integrity and that, like Russia, India is creating circumstances for its own disintegration. He claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would prove to be India’s Gorbachev. He added that after Pakistan and its armed forces achieved a major victory under the inspiring leadership of Field Marshal Hafiz Syed Asim Munir in the Battle of Haq Bunyad-e-Marsous, India’s political and military leadership has become disoriented. He warned that if India attempted any misadventure such as Operation Sindoor Two, it would face disastrous consequences.
He strongly condemned what he described as hateful actions against Chief of Defence Forces Hafiz Syed Asim Munir, Commander Ten Corps Lieutenant General Malik Aamir Ahsan, and Sector Commander Brigadier Faik Ayub, and said that the people of Pakistan and Kashmir stand shoulder to shoulder with their brave armed forces and national security institutions. He said the nation takes pride in its armed forces, their leadership, and the national heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the country and the nation.
In response to a question, Shaukat Javed Mir termed the Awami Action Committee’s call a positive step towards national unity and assured unconditional support of his party’s government for every national cause. He said that public movements and freedom struggles are inseparable, like body and soul.
He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, represents the base camp of the Kashmir freedom movement and will utilize all available resources in consultation with the Hurriyat Conference, Jihad Council, Pasban-e-Hurriyat and other pro-freedom organizations to fulfill its responsibilities.
Recalling the party’s legacy, he said that PPP founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had pledged to fight for Kashmir for a thousand years, while Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had declared that wherever the sweat of Kashmiris falls, their blood would follow. He said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s diplomatic efforts for the Kashmir cause at the international level are widely acknowledged, and India’s own outcry is an admission of its failure.
He said that under the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairperson Faryal Talpur, Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, Political Affairs Incharge Chaudhry Riaz, President Chaudhry Muhammad Yaseen, and Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, the Pakistan Peoples Party remains a symbol of national identity, state dignity, and a guarantee of Pakistan’s stability.