Islamabad: The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM), Altaf Ahmad Butt, has strongly condemned the Indian Enforcement Directorate’s recent action of attaching the properties of Hurriyat leaders and activists including Zafar Akbar Butt in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Altaf Ahmad Butt in a statement issued in Islamabad said the confiscation of the properties was a clear indication of the Modi-led government’s persistent efforts to suppress the Kashmiris’ freedom movement. He said that the actions of the ED were an attempt to tarnish the image and undermine the noble cause of the ongoing Kashmiri freedom movement.
The JKSM Chairman said he and his elder brother Zafar Akbar Butt have been active in the ongoing right to self-determination movement since childhood in IIOJK. “I have been targeted by the Indian military establishment, particularly and forced to leave Srinagar. By the grace of Allah I established business in Pakistan from where I supported needy students from IIOJK,” he added.
He emphasised his unwavering commitment to the education of youth and the rehabilitation of displaced people in IIOJK despite the challenges he and his family face in IIOJK.
Regarding Al Jabbar Trust, Altaf Butt maintained that it was established for charitable purposes, aiding those in need, particularly students and widows in IIOJK. He said during the 2014 flood in IIOJK his family in Srinagar extended assistance to the affected individuals through the donations of local businesses community and other family members who paid from their own businesses. “However, the Indian military establishment imposed unwarranted restrictions, leading to the halt of operations, and Al Jabbar Trust was closed in 2015 by Indian authorities significantly hampering our ability to provide timely aid during the time of crisis in IIOJK,” he added.
The JKSM chairman called upon the international community to take note of the unjust actions by the BJP government, urging them to protect the basic human rights and aspirations of the Kashmiri people who have been fighting for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that guaranteed the right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people.
