Masood Khan reaffirms Kashmir freedom struggle

MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 29 (APP): October 27 is the darkest day in the annals of the tragic history of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a stark reminder of India’s illegal invasion and occupation of the state in 1947 and its colonization and brutalization up to this day.
Kashmiris have been denied the right to self-determination, but their struggle for freedom and liberty goes on 78 years down the record. These remarks were made by Sardar Masood Khan, former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the United States, China, and the United Nations, while addressing a multiple audience on the occasion of Black Day marked in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, and all around the world.
In impassioned addresses, he underscored the historic injustices suffered by the people of Jammu and Kashmir and urging renewed national commitment to Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. Speaking to a large gathering of students, faculty and community leaders, Ambassador Khan set out a clear narrative of Kashmir’s modern history, warned against contemporary attempts to erase that record, and called on Pakistan’s youth and institutions to sustain an informed, disciplined and long-term movement in support of Kashmiri rights.
Ambassador Khan opened by recalling the events of 1947 and the grim reality that accompanied partition: the forced choices presented by the Instrument of Accession, the mass killings in Jammu and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Muslims. During the Jammu massacre, the RSS, Dogra Army, INA, and Sikh hordes killed 250,000 Muslims. India had sent soldiers from the Hindu princely states – Kapurthala and Patiala – well before its invasion of the territory on October 27, 1947. He reminded multiple audiences that the liberation efforts by local veterans and communities in July–October 1947 culminated in the establishment of the Azad government on 24 October 1947, and warned that attempts to rewrite or obfuscate these facts undermine justice and historical truth.
Addressing the misinformation propagated around the tribal intervention and subsequent troop movements, Ambassador Khan rejected simplistic or one-sided narratives. He stressed that contemporary claims that absolve the occupying forces or marginalize Kashmiri agency are false, and he cited contemporary international reports and eyewitness accounts that documented the scale of violence in Jammu during 1947. “History must be known accurately if we are to defend our cause credibly,” he said.
Turning to the present, Ambassador Khan deplored the continuing pattern of repression in Indian-administered Kashmir, noting that mass arrests, demographic engineering and administrative measures since 2019 form part of a long continuum aimed at eroding Kashmiri identity and political rights. He reminded listeners that Kashmir’s struggle is not new—it stretches back generations—and that recent years are a tragic continuation of earlier campaigns of marginalization.
Paying tribute to the resilience of Kashmiri society, Ambassador Khan highlighted the persistence of political mobilisation, cultural memory and civic courage across the valley and in the diaspora. He urged Pakistanis everywhere to keep the cause before international institutions, parliaments and media, arguing that moral consistency and an evidence-based narrative are essential to sustain global solidarity for Kashmir.
Education and civic mobilisation were central themes of his remarks. Ambassador Khan called on universities, cadet colleges, civil society and media outlets to prioritise “Kashmir literacy” — rigorous historical research, legal documentation and strategic communication — so that Pakistan’s narrative is grounded in facts and resilient to misinformation. He stressed that youth engagement, disciplined advocacy and intellectual preparation will determine the long-term viability of the movement.
Ambassador Khan also acknowledged the important role played by friends and civil society actors in the UK, Europe and North America who have amplified the Kashmiri voice. He thanked individuals and parliamentary allies who have kept Kashmir on international agendas and encouraged sustained people-to-people solidarity across borders.
Highlighting social and institutional progress within Azad Jammu & Kashmir and across Pakistani Kashmir-origin communities, Ambassador Khan noted advances in education, entrepreneurship and public service. He urged that these successes be leveraged to build stronger civic institutions at home, while cautioning against complacency and the dangers of digital disinformation that can distort public perceptions.
He extended personal gratitude to the organisers and hosts, naming key local supporters and international friends whose work has preserved Kashmiri memory and mobilised public opinion. He called for deeper coordination among Kashmir advocacy groups, think tanks, academia and diplomatic missions to advance a coherent, year-round strategy that combines legal, political and cultural instruments.
Concluding on a note of resolve, Sardar Masood Khan affirmed Pakistan’s continuing moral and political support for the Kashmiri people. “Azad Kashmir was founded in 1947 and its cause endures,” he said. “Our duty is to keep the candle of justice burning — through scholarship, through steadfast diplomacy, and through the disciplined voice of our youth. The destiny of Kashmir is bound up with our own national purpose, and we will not relinquish it.”