Islamabad: Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, in his message on Jammu Martyrs’ Day, said that on July 19, 1947, the Muslims of Kashmir passed the Resolution of Accession to Pakistan, clearly defining their destination and ideology. This historic decision, he said, caused panic among pro-India rulers and their patrons, who then resorted to weapons and violence in an attempt to crush the Kashmiri desire for freedom.
He stated that the horrific genocide of Jammu’s Muslims in November 1947 remains one of the most tragic and brutal episodes in world history. During that time, Maharaja Hari Singh, the Dogra forces, Indian officials, and armed RSS extremists unleashed a reign of terror upon the Muslims of the state. In just a few days, more than 250,000 innocent Muslims were martyred, thousands of women and children were subjected to violence and barbarity, and hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their ancestral homes and migrate. This massacre, he emphasized, was part of a calculated conspiracy to erase the Muslim identity of Kashmiris and punish them for their unwavering love for Pakistan.
Sardar Tanveer Ilyas added that the systematic killing of Kashmiris that began in 1947 continues even today in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the ongoing genocide and demographic changes being carried out by Indian forces raise serious questions about the silence of the international community. The Kashmir issue, he warned, remains a smoldering conflict that could engulf the entire region if left unresolved. He urged the United Nations and global powers to take immediate steps to stop Indian atrocities and ensure a just and peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
He said that the Kashmiri people have written a glorious history of sacrifices in their valiant struggle for freedom, continuing for decades the unfinished mission of Pakistan’s completion. “Kashmiris’ destination is Pakistan, and they have sacrificed generations to achieve it,” he declared.