MUZAFFARABAD: AJK Government spokesperson Shaukat Javed Mir warned that the unresolved Kashmir dispute continues to pose a serious threat to regional and global peace, saying failure to end India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir could turn South Asia into a dangerous nuclear flashpoint.
He was speaking at a public gathering organised by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the Kashmir Liberation Cell at New Prime Minister House in Muzaffarabad to mark the death anniversary of prominent Kashmiri leader Afzal Guru.
Paying tribute to Afzal Guru, Maqbool Butt and other Kashmiri martyrs, Mir said the people of Kashmir were renewing their demand for the right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Charter and United Nations Security Council resolutions. He also urged the International community to ensure the return of the mortal remains of Kashmiri leaders buried in Tihar Jail to their families.
Mir said the AJK government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, in close coordination with the Hurriyat Conference, would continue to project the Kashmir cause globally in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. He reiterated Pakistan’s consistent political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmir struggle, saying the issue had emerged as a major concern for international peace.
Presiding over the gathering, APHC Information Secretary Mushtaq Butt accused India of committing grave human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir, alleging that heavy militarisation had turned the region into a humanitarian crisis. He said the continued detention of Hurriyat leaders and civilians reflected India’s disregard for international law.
Senior Hurriyat leader Mushtaq-ul-Islam alleged that prolonged curfews, house-to-house searches, the use of pellet guns and other measures had intensified suffering in the occupied territory. Director Kashmir Liberation Cell Sardar Sajid Khan claimed that India was attempting to alter the demographic structure of the region by issuing domiciles to non-residents.
The event concluded with a rally in which participants raised slogans in support of the Kashmir freedom movement, paid tribute to the martyrs and expressed solidarity with Pakistan and its armed forces. Special prayers were offered for the martyrs of Kashmir and Pakistan’s armed forces.