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ISLAMABAD, Jan 26 (APP):Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and President of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC), Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, on Monday said India’s treatment of Kashmiris had exposed the hollowness of its democratic claims, terming the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) unacceptable and incomprehensible for the entire civilized world.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club while observing India’s Republic Day as “Black Day,” Sardar Attique said grave human rights violations continued unabated in occupied Kashmir, where, according to documented records, 20 to 25 Kashmiris were martyred daily by Indian forces during recent years.
He said more than 600,000 Kashmiris had lost their lives since the start of Indian occupation, while over 12,000 detainees remained imprisoned in Indian jails, many without trial for years. He added that Indian repression had resulted in widespread social devastation, leaving women widowed, children orphaned and entire generations traumatized.
Rejecting India’s portrayal as a democratic republic, he said democratic values stood completely suspended in IIOJK. He urged the international community to take immediate notice of the situation, reminding that Kashmir remained an unresolved agenda of the subcontinent’s partition.
He stated that the success in Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos has enhanced Pakistan’s prestige and boosted the morale of the Kashmiri people.
Sardar Attique stressed that lasting peace in South Asia was impossible without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. He warned that unilateral actions taken after August 5, 2019, including attempts to alter the demographic structure of occupied Kashmir, were illegal and unacceptable.
Terming Kashmir a question of life and death for over 20 million people, he said Kashmiri sacrifices would not go in vain. He reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed territory and would remain so until its people were allowed to exercise their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite.
The AJKMC president reiterated his party’s unwavering commitment to the ideology of Pakistan, the Kashmir freedom struggle, and the ultimate accession of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan. He recalled the historic role of the Muslim Conference in aligning Kashmiris with Pakistan even before 1947, saying ideology and perseverance had always defined the party’s mission, not electoral numbers.
He announced that the Muslim Conference would contest the upcoming elections with full preparation and continue to raise the Kashmir issue at all forums, including Pakistan’s parliament. He also dismissed alternative frameworks for dialogue, insisting that any engagement must be based on UN resolutions and the pre–August 5, 2019 status of Kashmir.
Sardar Attique also accused India of attempting to destabilize Pakistan, including efforts to undermine regional connectivity projects, but said such designs would fail due to Pakistan’s improving international standing.
Earlier, Dr. Irfan Ashraf, a prominent political figure from Azad Kashmir, formally announced his joining of the Muslim Conference.
Speaking on the occasion, he said the purpose of observing India’s Republic Day as Black Day was to reflect the Kashmiri perspective on January 26 and to reaffirm commitment to the struggle for the completion of Pakistan under the leadership of Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan.
Dr. Irfan said India had forcibly landed troops in Srinagar on October 27, 1947, and had ruled Kashmir at gunpoint for the past 78 years. He termed the Muslim Conference the true custodian of the martyrs’ legacy and the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The event was attended by senior party leaders, office-bearers and workers of the Muslim Conference.