No peace in South Asia sans resolution of Kashmir dispute: Masood Khan

LONDON, Apr 24 (APP):Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan on Wednesday said without the resolution of Kashmir dispute, peace and prosperity could not be achieved in South Asia.

“I call upon India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change his mindset, stop terrorising people of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), and its aggressive posture toward Pakistan, come on the negotiating table for a purposeful dialogue with Pakistan for the resolution of Kashmir dispute, in order to ensure lasting peace and prosperity in the region,” he added.

Sardar Masood Khan was briefing the United Kingdom (UK) based Pakistani journalists about the latest situation in IoK here at the Pakistan High Commission (PHC). Pakistan’s High Commissioner Mohammad Nafees Zakaria was also present on the occasion.

The AJK president strongly condemned the gross violation of human rights in the IoK. The killings, tortures, rapes of women, and arrests of Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders on fake charges were continuing unabated to quell through brutal use of force the ongoing indigenous freedom movement of Kashmiris to get their birth right to self-determination and freedom from the Indian subjugation, he added.

He said the sacrifices of the valiant people of IoK would not go waste and they would get realized their birth right to self-determination granted to them by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

He also called upon the international community and permanent members of UNSC,
including the United Kingdom, to pressure India to stop gross human rights violations in occupied Kashmir and implement the UN resolutions on Kashmir through a UN- sponsored plebiscite, in order to allow people of Kashmir to decide their future destiny.

Sardar Masood Khan noted that in past two and half years, the Kashmir dispute had
been highlighted and internationalized effectively.

He also lauded the efforts of the UK based Pakistani media for highlighting the Kashmir dispute and urged them to maintain the momentum and play their vital role in further highlighting the Kashmir dispute internationally.

He said in February this year, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi himself attended a conference on Kashmir, in which besides members of British Parliament , the all political parties of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir participated.

The AJK president also mentioned the reports of the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights and All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir of British Parliament, and the debate of European Parliament on the worst human rights situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir.

Sardar Masood said the life, honour and property of the Muslims of India and IoK were not safe under the government Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Replying to a question, he said every Indian government and party had done
injustice to the people of IoK as its was the Congress leader Nehru, who after independence of Pakistan, invaded Kashmir with forces and illegally occupied it.

The AJK president called upon the Pakistani and Kashmiri diaspora , especially the
members of the British parliament, lords and councillors, to play their vital role in promoting the Kashmir cause in the United Kingdom by supporting their oppressed brothers and sisters in the Indian occupied Kashmir in their struggle for right to self- determination.

Sardar Masood also thanked Pakistan for its moral, political and diplomatic support to the IoK people in their struggle to the right of self determination.

He also lauded the efforts of High Commissioner Nafees Zakaria for the Kashmir cause.