ISLAMABAD: Yusuf Naqash, Senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Wednesday termed August 5, 2019, as a day of attacking the identity of occupied Kashmir and its people, urging the United Nations to make India accountable for its illegal and immoral action.
In a statement the Associated Press of Pakistan received from Srinagar, Naqash said the unilateral measures of the day were taken in absolute violation of the Security Council resolutions, which clearly recognise Kashmir as disputed territory.
India has become a bully in the region, hence a security threat not only for its minorities but also its neighbouring countries, he said, adding New Delhi’s expansionist ambitions were endangering the peace and security of South Asia region.
He was of the view that India did not respect UNSC resolutions and, therefore, should be dealt with with iron hands instead of relying on verbal condemnation.
He said, although some conscientious countries and human rights organisations had raised their voices against the steps taken by India on and after August 5, 2019, but the silence of other influential countries in this regard had directly or indirectly encouraged India.
He said Kashmir has become an open prison and killing ground where youth were being martyred in fake encounters, properties burnt, destroyed and sealed whereas those who speak the truth are silenced and booked in fake cases and locked in prisons far away from their loved ones.
The Hurriyat leadership, including innocent civilians, are being punished without giving them right to be heard whereas fabricated allegations were being leveled against Hurriyat leadership to defame it.
“Unannounced arrests, killings and crackdowns against Kashmiris and establishing the impression of ‘all is well’ is clear proof that India has lost its senses. So the United Nations and influential countries break silence and raise their voice in favor of Kashmiris and help them get UN-mandated right to self-determination,” he said.
