ISLAMABAD: APHC-AJK leaders, academia, activists and subject experts expressed solidarity with the oppressed people of the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine during an event jointly hosted by Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in Islamabad.
The participants at the ‘Solidarity Iftar’ event highlighted the ongoing struggles and human rights violations faced by both the Kashmiri and Palestinian people. During the event, LFK launched a report titled India’s Impunity in Kashmir: Surveillance, Counter-Insurgency & Politics of Fear, which sheds light on the systematic use of surveillance, counter-insurgency measures, and political repression against the people of Kashmir.
The event was chaired by Dr. Khalid Rahman, Chairman IPS; and the panelists included Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, Convener APHC-AJK chapter; Ghulam Muhammad Safi, senior APHC-AJK leader, Abdur Rasheed Turabi, former Ameer Jamaat e Islami AJK; Prof. Dr. Amna Mahmood, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences IIUI. Advocate Nasir Qadri, Executive Director LFK, moderated the event.
In his address, APHC-AJK convenor, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar asserted that “India is not working alone in Kashmir, it is being aided and assisted by foreign authorities. The manifestation of India’s settler colonial program in Kashmir is an indication of the conjunction in Indian and Israeli strategies to eliminate the natives and ensure the settlements of non-natives.” He said the need of the hour is to ensure that the voices of Kashmiris are heard and that their struggle for self-determination is acknowledged by the international community. “We must continue to highlight the atrocities being committed by India in Kashmir and expose the complicity of other states in this matter. The Kashmiri leadership, along with the global Kashmiri diaspora, must work together to build a strong and effective narrative that demands recognition for the legitimate aspirations of the people of Kashmir”, he added.
Ghulam Muhammad Safi, while addressing the panel highlighted that “Israel and India continue to forcefully subjugate unarmed civilians in Palestine and Kashmir respectively. However, despite unabated oppression and state violence, the resilient people of Kashmir and Palestine continue to resist the occupation and disproportionate state violence”, adding the Kashmiris and the Palestinians have every right to resist as long as the occupation of their lands persist. He said, “Transnational solidarity campaigns must be initiated to expose the false façade of normalcy presented by the occupiers – India and Israel and bring to the fore the war crimes and ethnic cleansing being perpetrated in conjunction by the two states. India and Israel have been further emboldened by the inaction of the international community to curb their settler colonial programs and demographic engineering in the disputed territories”. He further said, “We must work together to hold India and Israel accountable for their war crimes and crimes against humanity, and ensure that justice is served for the oppressed people of Kashmir and Palestine.”
Abdur Rasheed Turabi underlined that “Palestinians continued their struggle and resistance through collective efforts, including the formation of the Al-Quds International Forum, which is a cause-oriented amalgam of organizations. Similarly, the people of Kashmir must come together and form a base camp in AJK with adoption of a resolution similar to the objective resolution in the constitution of Pakistan”. He maintained Palestinian academics, intelligentsia, and activists have always expressed solidarity with Kashmiris, adding, “We must continue to express solidarity with the Palestinian cause and work towards building a strong transnational movement that can effectively counter the settler colonial programs of India and Israel in Kashmir and Palestine.”
Prof. Dr. Amna Mahmood, in her address at the event, underlined that “Unless Pakistan is politically stable, it can make no significant contribution to the Kashmir cause. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on long-term planning and strategizing and to explore how the natives of Kashmir, particularly the youth, can play a role in advocating the Kashmir cause”. She urged both Pakistan and AJK to effectively respond to the challenges posed by India’s settler colonial program in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and ensure that the voices of the Kashmiri people are heard at international fora.
Dr Khalid Rahman, Chairman IPS, while delivering the concluding remarks highlighted that “The dynamics of warfare have undergone a significant change, and while physical warfare remains effective, the occupation of territories in modern times has become increasingly difficult, with a few exceptions like that of Palestine and Kashmir. The battle is no longer limited to the battlefield and has evolved into a battle of minds and hearts”. He stressed, the Kashmiris must not lose hope, as the day they lose hope, they will be devoid of the resistance struggle, adding, “We need to build a narrative that can be heard internationally, and work towards ensuring that the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people are recognized and respected.”
