ISLAMABAD, May 30 (APP): Speakers here at a book launching ceremony Monday highlighted plight of Kashmiri women and their resilience against the brutal Indian forces in the occupied Kashmir.
They said India was committing massive human rights violations in the valley to suppress people of Kashmir’s indigenous movement continuing for their legitimate right to self-determination, as per the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
They were of the view that Kashmiri women were playing a key role in keeping the freedom movement alive despite facing all forms of torture standing by shoulder to shoulder their men.
They were speaking at the launching ceremony of a book titled “Secrets of the Kashmir Valley – My Journey Through the Conflict between India and Pakistan,” authored by Farhana Qazi, who is a Pakistan origin America-based scholar. The event was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI).
The book contained interviews of Kashmiri women, half-widows, youth, political activists and street-protestors, who narrated massive human rights violations they faced and witnessed in the hands of Indian forces, with firm resolve to continue the freedom struggle to the logical end – attaining the right to self-determination.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence Production Lt. General (Retd.) Abdul Qayyum, who was chief guest at the ceremony, appreciated the writer for effectively highlighting sufferings of people of Kashmir especially women in the book.
Terming the book an ‘intellectual endeavour,’ he underlined the need for its wider publication and circulation in different languages so that maximum people could see the real face of India, which claimed to be one of the biggest democracies in the world.
He asked the international community to shun its ‘double
standard’ and play due role to resolve the Kashmir issue in line with the UNSC resolutions, describing it a matter of ‘humanity’
“The UN is bound to support the nations facing oppression and suppression,” he said and regretted that the international body was ‘silent’ on the Kashmir issue.
Besides other brutalities, he said, Indian forces in the occupied valley had the permission ‘shoot to kill, arrest and enter homes without warrants.’
The General gave a wake-up call to the ‘world conscience,’ saying that it was not the issue of only Pakistan and the Ummah but the humanity.
Sooner or later, Qayyum said, people of Kashmir would succeed in getting rid of the occupant forces and winning their inalienable right to self-determination as they were moving in the right direction.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director General ISSI Ambassador Masood Khan said the author in her book had covered the whole Kashmir and the struggle of its people she observed by all aspects.
He said Farhana had effectively highlighted sufferings of women in Indian Held Kashmir.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Minister Farzana Yaqoob said Pakistan always stood by people of Kashmir and extended its diplomatic and moral support to their indigenous movement for freedom.
She said molestation of women by Indian personnel in occupied Kashmir had become order of the day.
She expressed the resolve that people of Kashmir would continue their struggle till achieving freedom from the Indian subjugation.
Former ambassador Arif Kamal said the writer in her book had skillfully narrated that how India was attempting to break the Kashmiris’ resilience resolve through different tactics.
Chairperson Mushaal Hussein Mullick and author Farhana Qazi also spoke on the occasion and highlighted miseries of people of occupied Kashmir especially women and their firm resolve for the right to self-determination.
